I have a 2009 Xl883C, and lately when riding the speedometer will drop to 0 mph and the bike looses most of its power but continues to run. As of today it has started dieing when all this happens, but starts back up. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to what to look at first to try and fix this problem?

 

My (older) sporty was doing this for a little while.

Were your lights cutting out as well? Headlight, back lighting on gauges?

Traced mine back to a bad ignition. Wasn't contacting well. If you pull the clutch in when its acting up does it still run? Wiggle the key a bit to see if that restores power. Could it possibly just seem to be running because the belt is forcing the engine to turn?

Tough issue, could leave you stranded. I kept a toggle switch in my bag with a pair of wire strippers til i got it taken care of. I decided to say screw the factory ignition and mount the toggle switch instead. but that's just me. some people live in some not so nice places and cant get away with that.

 

I would check (take apart and clean) main battery connections, power and ground, as a first step.

 

Well I really appreciate all the responses. Turns out it was the ground cable at the battery. Tightened that down and now it runs like a champ!

 

Cool!

 

As a former motorcycle mechanic, I can tell you that all motorcycles have loose battery terminals and low tire pressure. Make them a part of your normal regular routine ...

 

This is one of the most accurate things I have read on here. It is rare that we service a bike where one if not both of things need to be addressed...