Cylinder cutting out?
 

Hello again,

Next in the saga- the bike really started playing up yesterday- it seemed like a cylinder kept cutting out and it was jumping up and down in power while moving and stalling when the revs dropped. Once again, killed the battery having to restart it.

Called breakdown service who said that it is the rectifier- the voltage across the battery was dropping when the bike was revved and seriously dropping with the lights on.

Fine- recharged the battery and got out this morning- after about 10 minutes of no problems, it started again- stalling when idle and stuttering in 1st. It calmed down a bit nearer to the end of the journey, but I had to have the choke halfway on to prevent it happening. Thinking that it may be a dirty sparkplug, I'm going to have a look at lunch time, but otherwise, before I call in the warranty on the thing, is there anything else obvious I could have missed?

Cheers

the d

Just before you go down that route, have you been riding in this cr*ppy wet manky weather we've been having.

Yeah- I thought maybe it would be crap from road spray or just rain, but I've got a fenda extenda, so should have avoided the worst of that. It was fine on Saturday night down to Putney and back, but a pain on Sunday.

The cover is not the most robust in the world and was blown off the night of heavy snow here, but she worked fine on Friday after a day off.

I've had mine cut out like that in the rain even with a fenda extenda fitted.

Might be worth checking ?

I think I'll pop the tank up at lunch and have a look at the plugs. Don't have any WD40 on me, but at least I can clean any crap off if needed. What else should I look for?

If it had been cold like it was last week I'd have said carb icing, but as its not too bad today I'm inclined to think its road crud around the plug. With all the snow, salt and other rubbish on the roads its a distinct possibility, and certainly cheaper to investigate it before going down the rectifier route.

Re: Cylinder cutting out?
 

If the voltage was dropping when you revved the engine then the charging system isn't working properly - if at all.
John

The bike's still under warranty and I've had battery charging problems, so I should get the rec done under that.

I'm inclined to agree about the weather- I'll pop the tank up at lunch and have a look. Asking around the office now to source a can of WD40...

Re: Cylinder cutting out?
 

[quote="ejohnh
If the voltage was dropping when you revved the engine then the charging system isn't working properly - if at all.
John[/quote]

Cheers Ejohn- thought so and will get that sorted- would that cause problems with the bike running too? Ie not enough power getting to a plug to cause it to spark?

If someone has checked the charging system and found it to be faulty,get that sorted first under your warranty.Nothing else will work properly for long if the electrics are playing up.Then consider what the rain may be doing to your front plug.A crap flap behind the rad helps here,as does some silicone to block off the bung that fills the plug hole.

Yep - spot on.

Cheers- I'll work from there. Gives me a plan of action to get it sorted....

OK- just one more question folks- would it be reasonable to request my dealer replace the battery when the reg/rec is replaced, on the basis that the condition of the battery may have been compromised by poor charging? It's a gel battery and was new in when I got the bike at Christmas.

.

Cheers Bluewolf- it's well worth a look. Sadly unable to get the dealer on the phone all afternoon...

I did think about a throttle problem, but reckon it's more electrically related. I had another look at last night's callout report- idle voltage 13.33, 3-4000 revs- from 13-12.79. The charging system's definitely up the spout. Looks like I'll have to charge the battery every night until I can get it sorted, just in case...

Had a brief look at the front plug at lunch time- couldn't get the panel off as lack of tools, but there didn't appear to be much muck behind the rad at all. I warmed her up so to idle without choke and gave her a few revs- no problems there, but the problem's mainly been whilst moving in 1st.

Well- got home without a stall or any power drops. It does feel like the bike has a little less compression than before, but that could be me worrying too much.

Hopefully, the dealer will answer the phone tomorrow and I can get it sorted...