XS11SG running perfect 90% of the time...

[UncleSpot]

sometimes it will die several times between the shop and home -
(14 miles) sometimes the journey is uneventful. I never know when or where... after checking all possible "problems" the thing starts just fine - and runs great...

The bike has great spark, clean air and petcock gas filters...
WHEN it dies I can either be cruising along at 35mph on city streets, or 80mph on the freeway and it will just start acting VERY sluggish and then stop running

...normally I wouldn't care; I'd just park it but my transmission went out in my car and it will be several months before I can afford to fix it or get another car...

and suggestions? I do *NOT* want to sleep in my shop *ALL* week.

[prometheus578]

I do *NOT* want to sleep in my shop *ALL* week.

Why not?
You're usually sleeping while you should be working anyway, what's the difference?
Hhmmmm.. had to say, Ron, with such limited info.
Coils could be bad, heating up and shorting internally.
Next time is stops running, immediately pull a plug wire, crank and see if there's spark.
Could be a fuel starvation deal. Kinked fuel line, Vent in the gas cap not venting and getting a vacuum in the tank.
After it dies.. how soon till it will fire back up?
Immediately, or it takes ten minutes?
I've seen bad petcocks that only let a trickle of gas through. Oh, enough to fill the bowl, but under hard use, can't refill the bowl quickly enough.
Another test for as soon as it dies, quickly drain the float bowls of #1 and #4 to see how much comes out.

[boyat68]

Uncle Spot:

Way back when, I had a 53 ford that had an ignition resistor that reduced the 12v battery going into the coil to 6 volts, very much like our 80Gs. That Ford would run like hades until it got hot and everything would cut off. It drove me crazy until I discovered that the resistor was opening up when hot and when the under hood temperature fell back down the resistor would go back to working. Just for luck check your resistor. According to the schematic, there are two R/W wires coming off the resistor connected to the R/W wire of the large plug of the Ignitor unit and the other is connected to the W/R wire of the Ignitor unit and connected to the R/W wire of the Ignition coil. This resistor drops the 12v starting circuit down to 8-9 volts running so that it does not burn out the ignition circuit. Lots of info on the resistor on the site.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ron,

Another culprit can be a flaky tipover switch, it's under the tank near the front....says UP on it! Removing is the bypass technique, not wire jumping required. Wayne Reddin/Phoenix Rider had this happen to him during a rally where he rode down from Canada to Alex. Bay, NY ....kept dying on the road during our runs/routes. Finally Randy(electrical Guru) suggested removing it, was what let him get back home!!!
T.C.

[UncleSpot]

'closed my shop 2 hours ago and got into the bike...
removed the petcocks: clean
checked all the fuel lines: no cracks, splits, etc
checked the float bowls: clean
REMOVED the emergency engine shut off relay
checked the ignition resistor: b/w 8v and 9v out
gonna leave the petcock on PRI, instead of ON...
'was disappointed I didn't find anything "concrete" wrong...

...'put back together, getting the leathers on, goin home
'will report in tomorrow

[bikerphil]

fuel

If it runs fine on prime and you are still running the octupus valve, get rid of it.

[birch]

Well, I bought my xs with the same problem. It would randomly quit running and then start up again when it cooled down a bit. I thought it might be coils so I changed them. Thought it might be the TDI and changed it. Thought maybe the vacuum advance, changed it. Still nothing.

BY chance, I checked my fuses one day and had a revelation. All of my wiring was going through two main fuses. Lights and horn through one, and ignition through another. I popped the igniiton fuse out and saw that the ends were loose. That was it. I got a new fuse and have not had the problem since.

My theory is that it got hot and expanded off of the connecting post clamps, it would get cool and then contract and make contact again.

Just a thought. It sure would have saved me alot of money and time if i had read this two years ago

Casey B

[UncleSpot]

...had a GREAT ride home - 14 miles and it took 2 hours there are so many great country roads around here to open up the throttle on... the XS has *never* ran this well ! I did *not* want to end the ride.

...comin' in this morning was the same thing: 14 miles; 'left at 6am, 'didn't get in until 10!

...what bothers me is that I didn't find anything "definitive". The only thing I can think of that is really different is running the petcocks on PRI instead of ON...

Casey: good point on the fuse block. I got a new one last year and *never* got around to changing it out with the stock unit. I need to stop procrastinating and get it done!

I want to thank *EVERYONE* that responded to this thread, both on the forum, and by private e-mail/message. THIS is THE best forum I visit, with the friendliest, most helpful people on the NET IMO.

[DiverRay]

You DO need to get it fixed! Less than a month before Yosemite!!

[egsols]

So you are running on Prime and it still does it? That would eliminate the octopus. And none of your fuel lines are kinked?

My XS will run for a while without a gas tank so a kinked line will not affect you right off. (3.2 ounces per minute on the highway)

Does it quit when it's warm or just at random?

Did you check your gas cap as per Prom's suggestion? If it quits again open the cap right away and see if it sucks when you try to open it. If it does and the bikes fires back up then the little vent hole is plugged.

[UncleSpot]

egsols:
So you are running on Prime and it still does it? --it hasn't done it SINCE I started running on PRI.

That would eliminate the octopus. And none of your fuel lines are kinked? --all the fuel lines are in perfect shape.

Does it quit when it's warm or just at random? --random

Did you check your gas cap as per Prom's suggestion? --not yet; but if it should give me *any* more trouble that is the 1st thing I will try.

If it quits again open the cap right away and see if it sucks when you try to open it. If it does and the bikes fires back up then the little vent hole is plugged. --'will do.

I will keep this thread alive by posting *IF* my XS does anything "strange-and-unusual"... and when I replace the fuse block I'll do a wiring diagram if anybody is interested...

[egsols]

Sooooo,

Running on Prime seems to have fixed it. I would remove the octopus and replumb the fuel lines then.

If you haven't already, get in the habit of turning the petcocks off just in case one of float needles starts to leak.

[UncleSpot]

I can NOT believe this...
'haven't been on the XS for a couple of weeks so I wanted to go for a 3 or 4 hour ride...
'made it from my shop door to the street (80 feet?) and it died.
after cranking on it for about 10 mins it started again...
'ran perfect until I was 3 miles from the shop - and it died AGAIN.

...since it was at an overpass I coasted down the hill and 'bumped it' into 3rd gear and she started. when the motor is turning faster than 5.5Krpm it runs *purr-fect*, but under that it dies...

'pushed it back to the shop (these bikes are HEAVY!) and dumped the fuel bowls to check if there was any sediment: none.
Pulled the plug wires one at a time to check spark: ALL great.
Pulled the fuel lines from each side to check fuel flow: not bad.

'pushed the bike into the shop and took the car.......................

My "Fun Meter" is PEGGED! I give up. maybe I'll try troubleshooting again next spring when the weather starts getting good again... it's just not any fun KNOWING that *EVERY* time I go *ANYwhere* on this bike I won't make it back. If I wanted THIS kind of "fun" I'd get an old Harley...........

[mro]

I imagine you have checked the pick-up coil wires.

Running on prime does not mean the octopus is working as prime is by-passing the vacuum valve.

Did you notice if the lights go out when engine quits?
(ignition switch/fuse block/main fuse problem)


mro

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Ron,

Sorry to hear about your recent poor performance! The 5.5k rpm range is a bit above the pilots to mains transition, but it's just barely above the max. cent. adv. rpm, where the timing plate is turned as far as it will go. So....this could be the flexing of the PU coil wires somehow making contact better when the plate and wires are pulled/stretched/bent to this position??

Your problem does sound electrical vs. carb. You may need to go thru the main ignition switch...wires have been known to come unsoldered there, along with your Main Fuse on the left side, did you ever put in your fuseblock?
T.C.