I just got back from a ride where I experienced some power loss at highway speed (70-80mph). At first, I thought that I ran out of gas and switched to the reserve. The power loss continued. It felt like there wasn't enough gas getting to the engine. I would twist the throttle, but it didn't seem to work. The engine didn't shut off and it idled fine. I couldn't get above 20mph and 2nd gear. I found a gas station and filled up the tank. This seemed to work for a while. Again, at about 75mph I experienced the same thing. I pulled over and looked for anything I could see that might be wrong. I couldn't find anything. I slowed it down a bit and kept it between 50-60 depending on the road, and it seemed ok. I know very little about engines and Harleys. What are some things I can do to find what the problem was? Lastly, about 20 minutes after this all happened, I was back up to 70mph and didn't notice it. Please help!

By the way, I have a 2006 883 custom, all stock.

 

I wonder if your fuel tank vent is plugged and you are pulling a vacuum in the tank and starving for fuel. The vent could be in the fuel cap.

 

Check for DTC's (diagnostic trouble codes), there's a Sticky at the top of this section if you don't know how. If you have a P0373 or P0374 code, you have a bad Crank Position Sensor.

When you have a bad sensor, turning the motor off and restatring it will usually clear the problem, temporarily.

This is a common failure item on 04 and later Sporty's and the symptoms are exactly as you described.

 

Thanks cHarley, I will check for codes asap.

 

I won't be able to check the codes until a little later today. Does anyone know the part number for a crank position sensor for a 2006 883 custom, just in case I have to order one?

 

For 2006 and later, the P/N is 32707-01C
For earlier years, the P/N is 32707-01B.
The sensors are the same except that the -01B model has a 4" longer cable.

 

So I checked the codes and this is what I found:
P: none, Part # 32889-04c
S: b1121, b1122, u1255, Part # 68920-01d
SP: none, Part # 67436-04
T: no response

I cleared them to make sure they weren't old codes, ran the engine for a couple of minutes and tried again. this time "P" had no response and there were no error codes under the rest. I took it for a 25 minute ride on the highway to see if I could replicate what happened yesterday and it seemed to be fine.

My question is, should I go ahead and get the sensor replaced? Also, do any of these codes and part numbers mean anything that I need to pay attention to?

Thanks again.

 

No, I wouldn't replace the sensor at this point. Since there is no way to know who old the existing codes are, and they don't look related to your current problem, I'd just keep riding it, and see if it reoccurs.

 

All was well until a couple days ago. I went for about a 65 mile ride on some back roads. At about mile 40, going roughly 55 mph, it happened again. This time, I just down shifted and slowed things up a little bit, and it stopped after about 30-45 seconds. The rest of the ride was fine. I checked for diagnostic codes afterward and none came up. Anything else I might check? Thanks again.

 

You could try loosening the gas cap the next time and see what it does. I still think you have a problem with venting the fuel tank.

Intermittent problems are the toughest to deal with. Good luck, I hope you find it soon.