I'm new to this forum, so I thought I would post and see if anyone can point me in the right direction. I have a 2008 Xl883C, that when riding all of a sudden the speedometer will drop to 0 mph and the bike looses power, but continues to run. Then it picks up and runs fine for awhile. But as of today it has started dieing when all this happens. I was just hoping someone could point me in the right direction of what to look at to try and fix the problem.

 

Check your battery connections. Make sure they are tight. Those like to vibrate loose.

 

Will do first thing in the morn. Thanks for the advise, and I'll update if this fixes the problem

 

next, check all ground points

 

Have the handlebars been changed ?

 

Could be the precursor to an ignition module failure.

Hope it's only in the battery connections. Be certain to remove the ground first, then the positive. Be certain to wire brush both the battery and the connector. Put some dielectric grease on them and bolt them back on tight! Positive first, then ground. Unbelievable how many times those connections cause issues.

 

+1 - But it should read BOTH ends of BOTH battery cables.

 

^What he said...The wife's 07 883 was doing the same thing, then wouldn't start. Both battery connections had vibrated loose on the battery.

 

Thank you guys for all the responses, I'll update once I get home and check.