On my ride yesterday, ambient temps were in the 90's. My route took me through the town of Shelton. Through town with heavy traffic at the major intersections and two or three stoplight cycles at all the major crossings . The temp gauge started climbing into the danger zone. Finally got through and back to cruising speed. Temp gauge settled down and I was running fine.

Then, all of a sudden, the bike started to bog and die. My fuel gauge had gone from a half tank in town to the reserve mark. Pulled over to the side of the rode and couldn't get the bike started. Popped the gas cap. Now there was too much traffic to hear if there was a whoosh. Anyway, after a cigarette and a duck behind the nearest tree. The bike started and I had no other trouble.

Was this some sort of heat related vacuum lock that starved the bike?

I'm running on a gravity feed these days

 

Could be. Check your tank vent.

Doesn't explain the hot running though. Was your fan running? Seemed it cooled down with air flow.

 

Agreed - there was one time I forgot to plug the fan in on my bike after I took it apart and got it back together - It crept into the danger zone at a stoplight, but 45 seconds after I was moving she was back into normal. Check a fuse, or the wiring if it, in fact, isn't working. IF your fan is working, then I'd check the coolant levels. If the fan is working, I bet that the coolant/water level is really low.

I don't know enough about Hurricanes, are they vacuum assisted petcocks, or do they have a low pressure fuel pump? Is there a reason you're running gravity feed?

If you had vapor lock or a some other block in the vent, with gravity feed, that'll starve the carbs, which would cause the bogging and dying.

 

My fan runs. I'll check the coolant level again. Bike has never liked city driving with the temps over 70 degrees.

Running gravity because the fuel pump failed on the road last year and I had to do a roadside exorcism

My tank bag has a neoprene bottom I wonder if that contributed to vent blockage

 

The vent should be on the bottom of the tank. The hole in the filler area is just for draining the area outside the cap.
Is the tank bag a new addition? Did the problem start right after you put it on?

Like Conrice, I'm not super familiar with canes either. But they are just bikes.....

 

Strange situation. Never happened before and glad I didn't have to call for rescue

 

Tank vent should be on the bottom of the tank (it is on most bikes anyways). It could be pinched.


Did you hear anything when you popped the cap? You would hear a big sucking sound of air if you had a vapor lock that stalled your bike.

 

The temp switch works by completing the ground. I ran a toggle switch so that I could manually control the fan. Might not be a bad idea.

 

I don't understand that unless gas was everywhere. Even if it flooded the engine, I doubt it would start up again with that much flooding.

Now that's interesting. I may have the same problem.....interesting.

Maybe drill holes in the bottom of the tank bag.LOL

 

"Maybe drill holes in the bottom of the tank bag.LOL"

C'mon. give me a break. Can't you see I'm tilting at windmills here?