HELP !

[rda]

Hi guys, I find myself in a bit of a bike related dilemma again.

After removing the dodgy alarm which seemed to cure the erratic stalling, the fuel pump went "phut". Since that was replaced the bike managed a 400mile round trip without complaint, now though I just took it out for a run with the SO on the back. We made it around 8 miles before the beast just stopped as if the kill switch had been pressed. It failed to restart even though the starter was turning fine and I could hear the fuel pump getting up to pressure. After checking all the fuses and relays I tried the starter again and it started. All seemed well on the way back till I started to give it some beans then it was backfiring and intermittently cutting out, then died again. Same procedure as before only this time when it did start it was rough and coughing till it died. However after leaving it for 10mins or so it started up again and managed to get us the last few miles back, seemingly fine.

 

To me it would seem like some sort of overheating problem, but I dont really have a clue to be honest.

 

Can anyone offer any advice? Im due to go to the NW200 in Northern Ireland in 2 weeks time and I wil be working away from home almost solidly till then. If I have a clue whats wrong I can throw it to a garage and hope they can sort it in due time.

 

Thanks guys.

 

Ross

[macguzzi]

Where are you located in Scotland and I will tell you where to take it ,sounds like a wiring problem. Don't know if you are involved in the club or not get in touch by email and I'll put you in touch with the right guys

[pete roper]

Good lord! I would of thought all of these would of been fixed or burnt long ago!

 

This sounds like the absolute classic symptoms of failure of the early, poxy, Seimens relays. A 2001 model would be at the end of this particularly horrid bloodline but before you tear your hair out in despair try swapping out the relays for *good* ones and making sure that all the contacys in the board are clean and corrosion free.

 

Pete

[rda]

Hi Pete, cheer for the advice mate, but the original relays have already been changed for sealed units. I did try swapping their positions but it seemed to make no difference.

 

I think after all the trouble I have had with this bike I realise why it only had 5k miles on it when I bought it

 

 

Its getting bad, im looking at Hondas for sale !

[g.forrest]

[rda]

If I get that right, "its a Guzzi, do some spannering, drink lots, look on the bright side and enjoy"

 

Pity its more like- its broke again, drink beer, do some spannering, go for a ride, its broke again, drink beer - repeat till clinically insane.

[rda]

Ok just took it round the block a few times, a run of maybe 2 miles or so and everything seemed fine. Left it idling when I got back, just for a few mins, went to blip the throttle and "phut" it conked out again. Restarted ok then cut out again, then failed to start with the starter spinning it up fine. Waited a few mins and it started on the button and seemed to run fine again. Definatley seems to be a problem when its warmed up.

 

I put a meter on the battery and got 13.4V when running, dropping to 10.5V when on the starter. Dunno if that helps or not tho :/

 

 

Ross

[richard100t]

Seek professional help :!: It may save you money & some sanity in the long run.

[Guest Nogbad]

The battery and starter are fine. What you probably have is a loose / corroded connector or a dodgy switch somewhere.

 

My V11 was bought with only 2200 miles on it in 2 1/2 years. I have done 11000 more, it never fails to start, and still has the original battery and crap (allegedly) Siemens relays. I read all the relay woes on here when I first joined and put some new Bosch ones in the underseat compartment for the day when I would be stranded by failure of the Siemens. I'm still waiting!

 

The only things that bug me are the truly spine jarring ride quality and the awful grumpy fuelling when on a neutral throttle in the middle of the rev range.

 

I know the bike is ready for a service when the grumpiness gets extreme.

 

The bike is just like me. Middle aged, losing its finish, grumpy and terrible ride quality. Ask my wife.

[mountainrider]

I had a similar problem with my 2002 lemans.Through all the great help from this board I replace relays,until I was sick of it,nothing seemed to help.Sometimes it wouldn't start,at other times it would stall and die.After repeated trips to the dealer,the local bike shop,a couple of shade tree mechanics,it was close to being up for sale.

Finally,out of frustration, I started yanking out the relay board and wiring.Voilas,I realized it was the relay holder not allowing contact.Each time I would push down the relay,it would push down the female adapter in the relay block.

I removed thje offending wires from the relay block,and mounted the terminals directly to the relay.Not one time have I have an incidance since.My suspicion is that at times,the relay block is at fault,and not the relay itself.That,at least has been my experiance.Got to love those Italians for their inadiquate wiring.

Check the block for contact,it may be the offender.

On another note.Check the charging system fuse.If you have heated grips and a location for a heated vest,like I have,don't run both at the same time.You may not blow a fuse,but the holder for the fuse is at it's limit for amperage served.My terminal block is slowly showing signs of arcing and possible failure.

 

Happy Riding

 

Mountain Rider

[Tom M]

I may be way off base here but have you tried opening the gas cap after the bike stalled? I'm thinking you may have the easily cured tank suck problem.

[callison]

My 2001 V11 Sport TT did something very similar. It eventually turned out to be the bullet connectors on the clutch interlock switch. They're under the left side of the fuel tank. Pop the tank off and clean/tighten the two connectors and see if that's the problem. Those two connectors have been known to react to the bike being turned and having the cables pull against them wreaking havoc on the bike owners state of mind.

[macguzzi]

If you have time moto ecosse in Ayr are the boys they also have a place at killington outside glasgow. Electrical may not be the problem here check your inlet boot rubbers on the throttle bodies they are prone to perishing. Start the bike and spray some carb cleaner on the rubbers if there are any bubbles your rubber is ducked. Check clutch cutout switch and sidestand cutout

[stormsedge]

Ross, I've had similar symptoms over the last couple of months, which turned out to be (I hope), some combination of the following...which I ended up "fixing" along the way:

 

--aluminumized cardboard insulator sucked off bottom of gas tank into open air filter (again)

--bad neutral switch

--bad plugs (ok, maybe not, but it cured the immediate problem)

--bad shot of gas...change fuel filter and cleaned screen at tank pickup...this made most significant gain in the right direction.

 

k

[Garsdad]

Check your spark plug leads. A crack or corrosion here can force the spark to arc the gap. It makes the coils heat up and shut down. I drove a truck home 186 miles 20 at a time due to this. Couldn't figure it out until I was able to put a meter to the coil lead once I got home.