Hey all. I've got an issue I'm trying to figure out but is completely puzzling me. I'll try to explain this as best as i can...

Bought my '03 954 a month ago from a coworker. 2 weeks after I bought it, I noticed the idle seemed to jump around a bit, and it ran rough as &^$. Lost significant power and sounded horrible, like a cruiser.

So here are the symptoms to the best of my ability to explain. I am mechanically capable, but not familiar with motorcycle specific systems.

Idle jumps between 1050-1200ish, and "lurches" or "surges" frequently. By that i mean that it sounds like it is being revved up during those surges, only the slightest amount. Bike is supposed to idle at 1200.

This happens whether the bike is cold start up or after reaching operating temp.

There is a distinct "clunky transmission" sound when it's idling, not continuous but frequent.

Driving in 1st/2nd gear it sounds like you are in 5th gear when you are in 2nd, like you're driving in the wrong gear and it's bogging down, and sounds like a cruiser. After 4k the bike runs smooth.

BUT, if I am in a higher RPM and still get on the throttle hard, the bike makes the same cruiser-like sound and the power is not near what it should be. Sounds terrible.

More interesting info:

After 2 weeks of when the problem started, my gauge cluster went out. Traced it to a blown fuse. Replaced the fuse, and the bike suddenly ran like a charm. Had full power, all gears were smooth through shifts and the bike literally ran perfect.

Didn't ride it for a week and it went back to the crappy performance. This happened 2 days now, and then suddenly on my way home from work today, in the middle of the ride it suddenly went smooth again.

I only have 55W HIDs and Two Brothers exhaust, as well as quick accel sprocket kit for aftermarket parts.

Before I go tossing parts at a problem i can't figure out, I'm hoping for some guidance from experienced riders/mechanics...

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

I'd start by looking at the harness and connections. A little bad connection or bad spot in a wire can make a bike do funny things. Pay close attention to places where the harness moves or is exposed to the elements. Also, look at the back of the ecm connector for burned wires.

The blown fuse is concerning. They just don't blow without reason very often. I am leaning to that being related to the bigger problem.

Does it have a power commander installed?

 

Is it running on all cylinders when it's rough? It sounds to me like it might be dropping a cylinder. I'd start there first. Then if so, check plugs and ignition and work your way back.

 

That's where I'm at with this too. I think you're misfiring. That'd cause the rough idle, the surging, and the sound.

Have you replaced the plugs or done anything whatsoever to the ignition?

IMO, the blown fuse is probably unrelated.

 

I am going to seafoam this thing tomorrow and get some new plugs and see what happens. Here is a video of my idle, and you can hear how rough it sounds when i blip the throttle. This may shed some more light. Thanks for all the help so far

 

Thanks for that advice. I'm going to run seafoam through her tomorrow through monday, and I got new NGK iridiums on order, should be in by Monday. I'll hope this works. I'll have her plastics off and stripped and looking for wire problems this weekend as well.

Here is a video I took at work, might shed some more light on the situation. The idles jumps a bit, and you can even feel it lurch in gear just slightly. The video sounds pretty accurate to how it sounds in real life, and you can hear how "grungy" it sounds when I blip the throttle. This was after I rode home, temp was at 198, so fully warmed up and a 20 minute ride.

 

Thanks for the advice. I will be pulling her plastics off this weekend and looking for any bad connections, rewiring the HIDs properly and anythig else I can check, like FPR while it's down.

Here is a video I took while I was at work, showing the idle lurch, and this also happens in the lower RPM band when I'm in gear. You can hear how "grungy" it sounds when I blip the throttle.

 

I listened to the audio/video clip. Honestly I couldn't hear anything "wrong" with the engine or exhaust note....

Did you run seafoam through it anyway? any difference?