Hey guys,

I bought my 954 a year ago and it needed a lot of cosmetic help (bodywork), new tires, new chain, and new brakes...and that's apparently just the start of things. However, my love for not having a monthly payment is strong, and I'd like to suffer for what I value and continue to learn about this bike.

So, driveability has never been my 954's strong point, meaning I suspected it was having at least some issues from early on. The powerband seemed too abrupt even in the lower revs, and the bike always seemed more herky/jerky than I think a proper running example should. Keep in mind that my own 954 is the only one I've ever ridden so I have no direct basis for comparison.

A couple weekends ago I rode a buddy's brand new 2012 CBR 600RR and it was crazy smooth compared to my bike. Like a night and day difference, hard to believe how smooth his bike was and how rough mine is in contrast. Again, I'd always suspected my own 954 was neglected in the maintenance sense, and I'm sure it has been.

On that same ride, my 954 backfired pretty dramatically when braking for a low speed turn. Very loud backfire, got everyone's attention. Then, later on the ride home it literally lost drive for a few seconds...just like the bike shut itself completely off, then recovered and scared the hell out of me since my hand was still on throttle when it recovered. It seemed to only do it when the bike was very warm, but that was only a thought. Made it home safely that time.

Two days ago I went for a ride with my same CBR riding buddy and the bike started to have driveability problems early on. Going up hills it would fully cut out, then recover. It did this about 8-10 times on a 20+ mile ride and I truly felt lucky to make it home. When we got home I asked my buddy to ride it down the street to see if he could feel what I was describing. Buddy took it and went down the street, said it didn't do anything odd. He then continued the ride on the freeway and it immediately started cutting out on him. He tried to get the bike back to my house and it died, wouldn't restart at all.

I went to rescue him and we tried to start the bike on 2 separate attempts across about 4 hours (bike was only about a mile from my house). Ultimately we couldn't get it to fire up and keep running, so we grabbed my friends truck and ramps and brought it home. It's now safe in my garage but absolutely will not start. It cranks up like a champ, but will not run.

So, being horrible at diagnosing engines, I suspect it's a fueling issue. Meaning, I suspect something in the fuel delivery chain that is bogging it down. At first we pondered electrical issues, and I know I might not be able to rule those out entirely, but I'm just hoping for some additional insight before the troubleshooting begins in earnest. I just poured about $1000 of parts into the bike so am loathe to spend money where I don't need to, but obviously need to consider any and all solutions until I figure this out and know what to fix.

CLIFFS NOTES: Bike no longer starts up, won't idle. On the final ride it would completely lose drive, then recover...but literally felt like you shut the bike off (revs drop to 0, everything), then catches and runs again. Truly scary and frightening to ride, even in a straight line (suicidal in a corner).

Thanks guys/gals! I appreciate your help.

 

I should have mentioned the bike has about 25,500 miles and I have to assume has been neglected when it comes to maintenance. It never stranded me, but also never gave me the impression that it was a rock solid bike (my 2006 Daytona feels incredibly crisp in comparison to it, but obviously it's harder to compare across manufacturers and models). The really telling thing was to feel how unbelievably smooth my buddies 2012 CBR600RR was...so it makes me wonder what a proper running 954 is supposed to feel like.

 

Valves probably need adjusting if you think it has been badly neglected, that and check the fuel pressure regulator, as they are know to go bad.

 

Also look at the r/r and connector. See if it looks like any heat-related damage to them.
When the r/r starts to fail, one symptom is loss of electrical current, hence no spark/power.

here's a couple of diagnostic/general info on the charging/electrical systems...

Charging System Diagnostics - Rectifier/Regulator Upgrade - Triumph Forum: Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums

Technical Resources - Resources for Electrical Systems on Motorcycles and ATVs - ElectroSport

Hope these help, Ern

 

Thanks to both of you...these are exactly the kinds of pointers I need to start diagnosing my bike!

 

Since you suspect a fueling issue, do you hear the fuel pump prime before trying to start the bike? If that seems ok, you may want to replace the fuel filter & give her a tune up with some new spark plugs as those will directly effect ignition.

The fact that it was running and cutting out/in while riding would make me **** myself, but also kinda sounds like an electrical short. Check all the wiring as best you can, there are some kill switches like the kickstand and clutch switch that could be bad and not allow the bike to start. I had problems with the clutch switch recently myself, bike would crank like a champ but not fire, messed with that a bit and she finally started and haven't had issues since.

As far as when it was running you mentioned it being herky/jerky, you might want to check how many teeth are on the gears, maybe it's setup for more torque than you like.

 

+1.....sound like a total strip down. Clean, major tune, check all wire connection, electrical, fuel feed.....get a service manual....really need some TLC....in time, you'll have her run like a champ...

Sound like something is loose, like stated above, check ignition and fuel source....misfire may be a foul spark plug. Pull off the plug and see what it tells you....pull all four...one plug may be black out with oil...check coil wire for any corrosion? Check battery connection and replace the +/-terminal....check if any PO water damages, like bike left in the rain, you can tell by rust connector....if yes, then you must go thru the entire diagram to inspect for any short.....

25k is nothing for these Honda bike....no doubt your bike been badly neglected....hope the engine block internal is not an issue....make sure you get some fresh oil in there to protect those pistons....

Better hurry and try to cure the roughness...it's stressing out the block ad trans for sure.

 

Thanks guys...much appreciated. The bike did start up normally last night for the first time since it stopped running (I tried it just for the hell of it). So, clearly the theory of a loose connection or other transient issue seems alive and well.

I certainly won't be riding it again until the problem is sorted out, but will pursue a tear-down effort and start doing some serious maintenance on the bike. I'm actually preparing to sell my other (newer) bike, and that should tell you guys how much I love my CBR...it just needs some love.

 

Just keep us posted as you progress.

 

For a nice kick in the nuts, my new CBR fairings just arrived in the mail today. Plenty of money spent on cosmetic mods just before a serious mechanical issue struck. But, that's life!