this kind of what happened to my bike when i first got it. it would turn on fine and idle fine for 10-15 minutes, but after that, i would have to give it gas to keep it running. it ended up being the thermostat being bad and shorting out the bike every time it got too hot. since i changed it, i've had no problems at all.

 

Thanks for all the input guys...I guess the thermostat could be an issue too....it seems it could be 2 or 3 things right now. My oil still smells more like gas than oil though so I don't know....

I am going to go out to the garage and see if I can tell whether or not the 2 middle plugs are bad, check the reg/rectifier with my voltmeter, and take my battery to autozone tomorrow. At least I can rule out the battery if nothing else....guess I may be able to rule out the reg/rec as well. My buddy the mechanic said he thinks it may be the stator....what do you guys think? Is this something you all have had to replace on your bikes? It has 19,xxxx miles on it....how long does a stator usually last? Anyway...I will post what I find out....I really would rather not take it to a dealership....I know it would get done and get done right (hopefully) there....but I really don't want to throw that much cash away....thanks again guys...

 

A dealership isn't your only option if you end up wanting someone else to do it . I have a kick-*** mechanic who works out of his garage that I found through my local bike boards. Do a quick google for your area and see what you can find, also check Craigslist.

 

Unless I'm missing something you said, it doesn't sound electrical. When the bike dies, are the lights weak? Sound like a weak start? If it's dying due to a lack of juice then yeah you'd need to check the charging system. If it's not, then it'll be an A/F issue. With the FPR being high on the list.

Eliminating the electrical will be the easiest thing to do. Have the battery checked and hit it with a voltmeter both before and after it dies out from riding. Idling won't generate adequate voltage to charge the battery. If its electrical, you'll see a significant difference in the battery voltages

 

Hey everyone...thanks for all the help so far. Last night I went out and checked the battery. My friend the bike mechanic said I could rule out the battery and stator with my voltmeter....so I checked my battery fully charged and it was good....left on the voltmeter while I cranked it, it cranked without me giving it gas, which it usually does the first time from a cold start, and the voltmeter read higher than it originally did so if it was lower I would have reason to think my stator was bad correct? Either way I did notice earlier yesterday that when it was running the lights were kind of dimming and brightening as it was idling, never noticed it doing that before. I also took out the #2 and #3 spark plugs, they smelled fouled and looked fouled. The bike had the NGK iridium in it and they were very dark and looked to have deposits on them. I found a flow chart on the forum last night to diagnose charging problems so I plan on spending most of the day out in the garage trying to find out whats going on...it looks rainy outside anyway so it won't bother me too much to be working on the bike...if it was sunny I would be upset....anyway...thanks for all the help everyone....I will post what I find out....

 

it sound like the FPR is bad if you have a wicked smell of gas in your oil and those plugs are bad it is a very very good indicator. good for you since that part is not to expensive, i think that the plugs will cost you just as much as the part.

If it was me i would would get the stuff to change my oil, plugs and the fpr and while you are there if you have extra cash through in a k&n filter since you will have to take the air box off.

if it is as simple as a fpr, oil change, plugs and a new batter your are in business. those are all things that would need to be replaced sometime anyway.

oh and hey it is really rainy here today, are you in Flordia near Daytona? I would come help if so.

 

Thanks ars1986--

I would love your help if only you were closer! I am all the way in North Carolina though! Oh well, so far I have bought the oil, filter, new air filter, new plugs...only problem is I was going to change the oil last week and to add to my luck the drain plug was stripped. Previous owner never mentioned that...funny. I have already ordered a replacement from BikeBandit and it is on it's way....so oil change is on hold til it gets here. I didn't go cheap on any of these routine maintenance parts...I try to run the best I can afford...I think it's worth it.

Anyway to update any of you who are keeping up with this book I am putting together, here is what I've done:

-Replaced air filter with hi-flo Bikemaster filter...
-Changed plugs, as the ones in it were terrible; all 4 were black, smelled gassy, had oil and deposits around all of them, not just 2 & 4....
-Put my multimeter on battery before I cranked it, tested good...
-Kept multimeter on battery while I was cranking it, while it was running, and revved it up to 5,000 rpms with the multimeter hovering right around 14.54 the whole time....
-let the bike keep running, lights gradually started to brighten and dim with the idle, idle got slower and slower til it finally just cut out altogether.
-Put my multimeter back on the battery while it was idling rough and it was hovering around 9.5 volts....finally when bike cut out battery had dipped just below 9 volts and the longer the bike stayed off, the more the battery recovered back up to 12 volts.

By the way, where is this FPR located? I know where the regulator/rectifier is but I am unsure exactly how to test it with my multimeter. Just want to know so I will know what I'm looking for when I look for the part and get it put on....

So guys what do you think? Any other suggestions on testing? Should I go ahead and order an FPR? Please let me know....really anxious to get this thing fixed before it turns into more of a money pit than it already has...and I'm REALLY tired of working on these things more than I am riding....

 

here is a picture of the FPR location


Take the hose that runs into #2 and #3 cylinder (should be at a T junction). IF gas comes out of that hose. T
That is how i was talking you could check your FPR with the hoses.

and here is a good write up on how to check your R/R i did not write it, i stole it. ha ha

The charging system is made up of essetially three compoenents:
- battery
- alternator (used interchangeably with stator)
- regulator/rectifier

The battery is the rechargeable power source for all electrical devices on the bike.

The alternator generates power to recharge the battery.

The regulator/rectifier is the link between the battery and the alternator. The battery is a DC power source. The alternator is an AC power source. The rectifer converts AC to DC. The regulator probes the battery's voltage. If it is low, it allows the converted AC power to recharge the battery.

Many of you are familiar with charging systems of cars. Motorcycle charging systems are similar in concept to automobiles but do have some differences. Unlike a cars charging system, a motorcycles battery is still in use to power all electrical devices. Therefore, the battery cannot be disconnected even after the bike's engine is running. Also unlike a cars charging system (which is recharging the battery with full regulated voltage as soon as the engine is operating), a bike's charging system doesn't recharge the battery with full regulated voltage until above 5000 rpms or so.

Charging System Diagnosis
It is assumed that you know how to use a multi-meter.

Tools required:
- multi-meter
- assorted tools to remove fairings and the seat

Step 1 - Check Battery Voltage
- Remove the right side rear cowl, seat, and battery cover.
- Measure the DC voltage of the battery. It should be above 12.3 V.
- Start the engine and measure battery voltage @ 5000 rpms. Voltage should read between 13.5 and 15V
- Turn the engine off.

If the voltage was correct, go to Step 2. If it was incorrect, go to Step 4.

Step 2 - Check Current Leakage
- make sure ignition is off
- disconnect negative battery cable
- connect the postive lead from the multimeter to the negative battery cable
- connect the negative lead from the multimeter to the negative battery post
- measure the current leakage

NOTE: this step can cause damage to the multimeter if it is not set up properly for current readings. Check your mulitmeter's owner's manual for proper setup.

The current leakage should be no more than 1.2mA (this value may vary for your bike). If the current leakage is correct, the battery is faulty. If it is incorrect, continue on to Step 3.

Step 3 - Disconect the regulator/rectifier
- locate the the regulator/rectifier on the right side of the subframe. Disconnect the plug to the regulator/rectifier.

If continuing from Step 2, redo the current leakage test. If the current leakage is still incorrect, there is a short in the wiring harness. If the current leakage is correct, then the regulator/rectifier is faulty.

Reconnect the negative battery cable to the negative battery post.

If continuing from Step 1, continue to step 4.

Step 4 - Check regulator/recitifier voltages
Check the voltage between the red/white wire and the green wire of the connector.

The voltage should be identical to that of the battery. If the voltage is incorrect, there is a short in the wire harness. If the voltage is correct, continue on to Step 5.

Step 5 - Check regulator/rectifier ground
Check for continuity between the green wire and ground. the multimeter is testing between the green wire and the battery's negative post.
If there is no continuity, there is an open circuit in the wire harness. If there is continuity, continue to Step 6.

Step 6
Check the resistance between the three yellow wires. You'll be measuring three resistances. Imagine if you labelled the three yellow wires as A, B, and C. Then you'd be measuring the resistances of A-B, B-C, and A-C.

All three resistances should measure between 0.1 and 1.0 Ohms @ 20 deg C/68 deg F. If the resistances are out of spec, then the wiring to/from the alternator is faulty OR the alternator is faulty. If resistances are okay, the regulator/rectifier is faulty.

 

ars1986....thank you so much for all the info and the stolen write up...lol....

I was trying to check the FPR....I disconnected the hose from the regulator to the #2 and 3 cylinder at the Tsection....and nothing came out? Is that how it should be? I also disconnected it at the regulator and nothing....I think you may have cut off your sentence in the earlier post....it didn't quite make sense. Could you tell me what I'm looking for out of these lines?

 

when standing from the back of the bike pull the little vaccum hose thats on the left side of the fpr and if its wet-the fpr is bad. if its dry your fpr is ok. you can also keep the vaccuum line off and turn your key so the pump primes, if any gas comes out of the fpr on that left side its bad.

thats the test that ive been told to do. hopefully it helps