I get back from 2 weeks in Chicago for work (live in Akron, OH) and FINALLY get back on my '95 F3 two weeks after passing the MSF course.

I've got almost 600 trouble free miles on her since I bought her, and she dies on me on the interstate! I'm cruising along all peachy and she acted like she was low on fuel, hesitation when i gave her throttle after i down shifted to 5th at 65mph, then more hesitation, then just coasting as i pulled off I-76 ~15 miles past home. Just enough to maintain idle with partial throttle, then she dies. Just like she was out of fuel.

Choke was NOT on, fuel switch was on, FULL of premium (20 miles since last fill) new plugs, and carb cleaner in the tank in the last 2 mos. WTF?!? I cranked her over for ~10 mins until my battery was hurting, with and w/o choke, w/wo reserve on. Nothing. I made phone calls for 20 mins to find someone to get me an my bike home. After 25 mins a (very cool) guy pulled over to help. He did everything I had done and after 5 mins, she fired back up!!!!

I ride her home, to hell with going in to work, and she has no problems. An hour later me and my roomate (she rides an '04 R6) head out for dinner and ice cream after with NO problems, ~25 miles total.

I'm confused, any suggestions?????

 

hey man, mine did the same thing. At about 70 with my girlfriend on it. you just described my prob to a tee. I can't figure it out. Mine has some other isssues to boot. Mine has always died on me if you dogged it in the lower gears. I took it to the local honda dealer(not that great of one) and they told me that these bikes are made to run at higher rpms and don't run it down the road under 6k. Know it's doing the same thing yours is. Mine is a 96 f3 and she is going to a better shop tomorrow. So i will let you know if they get mine fixed before you get yours solved.


good luck man

 

I believe the fuel petcock is vacumn operated...I had this happen to me on a EX500 when I pulled the tank to change the air cleaner and upon reinstallation I pinched a vacumn line.
the bike would run great around town, but on the freeway after running awhile with a partially pinched vacumn line it would begin to starve...I would dial in more and more throttle trying to keep it running...When it did it to me in traffic, with my girlfriend on the back..it started to die so I gave it more and more and then..WHAM!!! It got full power and went straight into a 12'O'Clock wheelie!! ( ON A EX500!!)
In a panic I slammed the throttle shut and hit the rear brake, she luckily did not fall of and when it came down it hit so hard that it blew the brakes pads OUT OF THE CALIPER in the front ( only had one disc brake...)
While re-installing the brake pads, I glanced under the tank and discovered my problem..
Maybe your bike is having a similiar issue...like sucking a blueberry thru a straw..Keep doing it until..WHAM!!

 

the f3 has a fuel pump this may not be your broblem but I'v fuel pumps have intermittent problems next time it happens cheak your pump.

 

I have an F3 with the same sort of problem. So far, shop has stripped down carbs, replaced air filter, fixed a jetting problem and the dying at high speed running is still happening. Now it seems to either be tank or electrical related. I'll update when it finally gets fixed (just bought the bike, got a warranty for it thankfully, otherwise this would be costing me a lot!).

 

I got a call back from my shop yesterday. He couldn't get my bike to die like it did to me (it set for a month since the last time i rode it), but i told him to go ahead and tear the bike down to see what was up. The last place i took it to had overjetted the bike. So hopefully that will fix the problem. Also i am having him change the plugs. Should get it back in a couple days. Just thought i would let everyone know what was going on

 

Okay, so the problem has not happened since that first incident and ive been asking everyone i know who rides. Ive put over 150 miles on it since that time. Here's a theory id like you guys to mull over.

I filled it up before going out of town during a hot and humid week. Several times it sat out in the sun and heat with a partially full tank (I park in a garage at home). Its possible condensation built up inside the tank with a cool tank of gas and lots of heat and humidity outside. I filled up and let it sit for over 2 weeks, this would have been long enough for any water to sink to the bottom of the tank (water's heavier than gas).

It couldn't been pure water since that would hydro-lock the engine (former jet-ski owner, not a fun term to know - water in a hot engine turns to steam until it gets into the combustion chamber, then when it comes to the compression cycle water doesnt compress so your engine turns into a blender with a bucket of bolts). It might have been enough to retard the timing enough or saturate the plugs to cause the problem.

Its a little out there but it hasn't happened again and im stumped. Any of you guys heard anything new?

Thanks for the advice Limpz, i dont want to find out what happens to a CBR with the same problem!!

 

It could have been water like you mention..I hav seen that before ( and sounds like you did also on your Jetski!![:@])

 

Well, it happened again. Died on me going down the off ramp on my way in to work. Luckily I was ~250ft from the parking lot and a guy i work with who also rides helped me push it into the parking lot. I rode it to a friends house at lunch and it ran perfect again (wtf?!?)... then had to travel for 2 weeks for work. I get back and go to ride it home and it wont start... nothing, no exhaust smell, no gas smell, nada, zip, zero.

I replaced the fuel filter and all i can say is whoa. It took a while for the carbs to catch again but it worked. Its faster, throttle response improved, its like a new bike . It wasnt night and day, closer to dusk and noon. I hope this is the end of this problem but the bike seems to like it

 

Same thing happened to me on a '95 Yamaha Vmax with about 5k miles on it. I finally noticed the fuel filter was a nasty rust color instead of clear plastic. The Vmax has a reputation of having rust in the gas tank. The fuel filter often gets overlooked when problems arise, but it's a cheap & easy fix if that is the problem...