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**Winterhawk** · 03-27-2006, 01:22 AM

Run you fingers down the length of the pickup wires and gently pulling as you go. If it's broke the wire will stretch noticeably.

You could put a timing light on each wire and watch the light through out the rpm range.

**Firehawk** · 03-28-2006, 05:34 PM

It doesn't have a problem when I just rev it up in neutral, it only seems to want to cut out in medium - hard acceleration when its in gear. It's never done it in 3rd, but it's been a long time since I went hard through third (since that puts me in the 80-100mph range).

It'll cut out (usually) in the 4.5-7.5k range under hard acceleration.

I went out and looked at the wires and gently pulled on them and they didn't noticeably do anything, so perhaps it isn't the coil pickup. But the bike does have 42000 miles on it and the wires look as though they are the same ones from the factory.

**Pat Kelly** · 03-28-2006, 05:54 PM

Transmission? I though my bike was missing over 6k RPM. I now need to do the 2ns gear fix

**Firehawk** · 03-28-2006, 05:59 PM

It does it in both 1st and 2nd gear, at random RPMs within that range. Presumably, under hard acceleration, it will do the same in all gears. But hard acceleration though any gear past second and I might be talking with a couple officers of the law... So I never try it out.

**TopCatGr58** · 03-28-2006, 08:35 PM

Ahhh, the old Tranny 2 step!

Hey Firehawk,

There's a difference between ignition cutting out, and the tranny skip/popping out and back into gear! IF you can feel the skipping under hard throttle, but the rpms don't either stall or reduce, then it is starting to sound more like the tranny problem and not the pickup coil wires!

Sorry it that's the case, that's a bit tougher fix than the PU wires. There are numerous tech tips about it in the repairs section, with lots of pictures as well as a walk thru!

If it's not cutting out in 3rd or above, it's most likely the gears! You can try a trick, plug off the vacuum advance hose and port, and run it in 1st and 2nd, this stops the timing plate from advancing, so it doesn't twist them or pull them apart. The Centrifugal advance curve is built into the TCI for your 81H. Then, IF you still have it cutting out, you've pretty much ruled out the PU wires, and can look into doing the 1st and 2nd gear fix!
T.C.

**Firehawk** · 03-28-2006, 08:40 PM

It feels like the engine just cuts out when it does it. It stalls, basically. I can try what you were talking about, but won't it run ****ty without the advance, and thus be kinda hard to tell?

(I have no centerstand due to my exhaust so I'd actually have to ride it around.)

**TopCatGr58** · 03-28-2006, 08:45 PM

Hawk,

It'll probably be a little sluggish in the lower rpms, but once you get to the 5K range, the TCI should be cranking it max advance for the Cent. Curve, so you should still be able to give it a good hard throttle test!! IF it doesn't cut out, then it very well could be the PU wires!? Let's hope for the lesser of 2 evils!

**desert1** · 03-28-2006, 08:46 PM

abrupt stall ?

If its an abrupt stall with a lot of power loss it could be electrical short.....my 78 experienced this only when on the road running not while idling....in my case it was the balast resistor under the left side of the tank, it was grounding to the frame while riding, might take a look at yours just to eliminate the chance...
Bruce
78 xs1100

**desert1** · 03-28-2006, 08:48 PM

additionaly

Let me add to my last post, the wires were grounding to the frame that exit the balast resistor....

**mro** · 03-28-2006, 09:25 PM

Cutting or runnen out

Almost every Mechanic trouble shooting a gas engine that's got a miss under load is going to check the timing and electrical first. Most gas engines don't have a prob w/"pick up wires" as they don't move in a distributor. So eliminate/check that. (you did check timing?!)

Coil can "brake down" under load, but normally just quit.
Miscellaneous electrical can short under different conditions, pita to find.

Find NO electrical prob's then that leaves fuel.
Partial clogged filter, pinched fuel line, slide sticken, hose clogged etc.. (rust in tank?)

May run great until load, then get "starved" for fuel, engine cuts out, rpm goes down and then fuel available agin.

If you were in the neighborhood I would give it a try. Like to play tech

mro

**Firehawk** · 03-29-2006, 01:02 AM

Well, come to think of it, this problem began last fall, when in a fit of laziness I dropped the bike off at a local shop to have them look over some inordinate amount of noise in my valvetrain. They fixed the noise, but this cutout began shortly after I got the bike back.

I parked the bike only weeks after this, so the cutout didn't bother me much then, as I had all winter to look into it (and my procrastination gets me again!).

When it cuts out, its like I turned the emergency shutoff switch quickly to off and then back to on. The whole engine seems to just kinda die, the motorcycle shakes, and then it resumes revving up. If you can picture that.

It annoys me greatly that I have no idea what is causing it, let alone how to fix it.

As to the wiring idea, the wiring on the bike is almost immaculate. One of the nicest things I discovered when I was 'restoring' it. Other than the fact that it ran. :P

**xj11john** · 03-29-2006, 02:09 AM

Sounds like fuel/air starvation issue to me.

**xj11john** · 03-29-2006, 02:17 AM

Could even be the gas cap breather hole stopped up...

You may have read this already but here a couple tips on misses (it says high speed misses, but worth a check)

http://www.xs11.com/tips/repair/repair10.shtml

**Pat Kelly** · 03-29-2006, 08:37 AM

Maybe a short in the kill (run-stop-run) switch on the handlebar. Vibration causing gremlins to tease you.

(on a side note: I had to put my 16 year-old cat named Gremlin to sleep yesterday, quite sad)

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