Ok, I just joined the forum and I need some technical help!

I just bought a used 04 R* from a dealer here in town. The guy who had it before me tricked it out like crazy with Mikuni Carbs, Hardkrome pipes, Baron grips, custom paint, etc. It is sweet and pics will be up soon.

Here's the deal, though. I started the bike up the other day, got 1/4 mile down the road and it died (at the bottom of a hill, of course). Couldn't start her again--bty was dead. Got home, checked the plugs and they were BLACK as night. The guy who had the bike before me lived 2000 feet lower than me, so I assumed it was a jetting issue. I changed the plugs to one level hotter, and continued on my merry way--planning to have it rejetted on a dyno this week. Monday, as I was riding to work, I came to a stop sign after about a mile and it died again. Once I jumped it (remember the battery is dead--new one charging as we speak) and tried to ride home, she died again at a stop sign. The choke was fully pulled both times.

Can anyone think of what kind of problem would do this?? It really seems like it's not getting any gas when I'm idling during a ride (i.e. stop sign). It's fine when it's just sitting idling, though. The fuel pump has been removed, so I'm thinking maybe that's the issue, but when I checked fuel last week, it was flowing like crazy. I'm not a moron when it comes to motors, but I'm not an MMI guy, either. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Dewayne aka Cockroach

now, I'm not sure with the roadstar, but speaking of motorcycles in general, they will not run if the battery is dying. You have to keep the RPMs up for the engine to run without a battery. the output from the stator / generator is not enough to run the electronics on the bike... the will sound like they are running out of gas, you will loose power, then you will only be able to idle, and very shortly the bike will die, it won't turn over (big hint its not a gas problem) when it does die... ~Guido (dave)

Thanks, Dave. I just put a new battery in it this morning and will head to work shortly. Hopefully, that will cure the issue. I'll post this afternoon with the results.

D

Man .... that's toughie.

Could be electrical or fuel problems. Generally to determine if it's a fuel problem I spray starter fluid into the carb throat. If it starts then it's fuel, if not then electrical. There's also step by step instructions in Service Manual to narrow down 'where to look'.

If the plugs are black then you are probably jetted too rich but it's difficult to advise without knowing you current setup.

Doc

OK, the verdict is in--and is positive!!! I am glad to say that the R* is working very well, although it did get an impromptu bath in a rare AZ rainstorm yesterday...here's the deal...

Put the new battery in it and it started like a champ!!! Then, it died on me again at low speed. The problems, I now believe, were two-fold.

1. Battery--The guy before me had a two year-old battery in it. After sitting on a sale lot for 30 days...it was obviously drained. I was assuming that it couldn't be the battery because it was already running...I learned that that's not the case--thanks Dave. It now starts MUCH easier than it did last week with the old battery.

2. Fuel--Two revelations--first, it was just low on gas. I started thinking and the engine died on regular tank, not reserve. I was not trusting my fuel guage since, let's face it, motorcycle fuel guages pretty much suck. I thought there was no way I was already out of gas based on the mileage (too used to my old little Honda's mileage). I flipped to reserve and was fine. Yes, I feel stupid!!!

Second, since there is no fuel pump on my R*, it explains why the bike would run fine when it was on the stand (i.e. leaning toward the petcock) and died when it was level!

Thanks for the help in diagnosing the problem!!!

Don't feel stupid cockroach. You did it without taking it to a shop and your reporting here will help others.

Glad you were able to work it out.

Just want to point out that without a fuel pump you may experience some fuel starvation when the fuel is low in the tank or when you really wind the motor out.

Doc

cockroach wrote:
Ok,I just bought a used 04 R* from a dealer here in town.Cockroach


Did the bike come with a warranty?
I would complain to the dealer.