Here’s the issue….my new to me scoot has now died 7 times during riding. Before you say why did you wait 7 times before having someone look at it, numbers 3 through 7 happened all on Saturday.

From my profile pic you can tell it's not a harley but a custom rigid chopper with an 80" EVO.

1st time. About 6 weeks ago I started out on a ride and within the first 3 miles the engine completely died and I coasted to a stop. Checked the fuel and the tank was a little less than ½ full. I put it on reserve and started right up. Rode to gas station to fill it up and went on riding afterwards. Chalked it up to low fuel.

2nd time. About 2 weeks ago and several ride in between the first time. Started out for a ride and went to fill up about 3 miles away. After filling up I make it about 1.5 miles before the engine dies. I tried to restart but nothing. Used choke and nothing. It would crank over but no start. Let it sit for a few minutes and then started right up. Went on riding with no other issues.

This past Saturday. Started out on ride with a full tank and did about 70 miles before making a stop for about ½ hour. Got back on and made it about 3 miles before the engine dies. Checked the fuel just in case and the tank was a little less than ½. Put it on reserve just in case and still wouldn’t start. Tried to restart a bunch of times and all it would do is crank over and that’s it. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so and it then started right up. Made it maybe 1 mile before it died again. Wouldn’t start again so let it sit for another 10-15 minutes. Started right up again and made it another mile before it died. Let it sit again and started up again and made it 50 yrds before dying. Lucky for me my riding buddy had a friend a couple miles away that came and trailerd the bike back to his garage. We checked the fuel line at the carb and the gas was flowing nicely. We removed the screw under the carb and there was a shot glass worth of gas in there. We tightened down the battery. The bike started right up and I let it idle for 5-10 minutes. Sounded fine and took it for a test ride and it dies 100 yds away. Push it back to the garage.

The good lord was looking down on me that day with a riding buddy that had friend close by with a truck to trailer the bike to his garage and then this same guy would take time away from his father’s day to haul my bike to the local Harley dealer (Kutter in Janesville) on Sunday. Of course when the bike got to Harley it started right up.

Every time the engine dies I’m in the process of upshifting. I’m easing off the clutch and putting on the throttle and then it dies (usually around 3-4th gear). Each time the bike sits for a little bit it restarts with no problem.

So now it sits at a Kutter about 100 miles from home with no idea what’s wrong with it.

Any ideas out there that I can toss the service guys?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any assistance.

 

You switched to reserve so that got you thinking it was a fuel issue. The other time you tried that it didn't work, but letting the bike sit for ten minutes did. But think about the other things you did every time. You cycled switches. Your problem sounds electrical, possibly in your ignition switch. But since it cranks but doesn't start I'd start with the ignition and coil.

What type of ignition system do you have? Is it stock MOCO with the crank sensor pickup under the timing cover and a separate ignition module mounted elsewhere on the bike? Or is it an aftermarket programmable ignition that all fits under the timing cover? When either of these start going bad you get the symptoms you're experiencing. Also sometimes coils start acting up when they get hot causing the bike to die or not start and that fits nicely with, "I let it sit ten minutes and it started." However, another possibility is indeed a fuel issue, but not lack thereof but some kind of pressure or vapor lock. If the bike quits because of a pressure lock, your opening the gas cap to check your fuel level will clear it so it starts but dies again when the pressure builds up again. If it's a vapor lock it may be because the builder ran the fuel line too close to the heat of one of the cylinders.

Trouble shooting these issues on a custom someone other than you built is usually a nightmare, especially electrics. I have a custom Evo I built myself and I know where every wire is and what it does. But somebody else wouldn't except in a very generic sense.

I hate to say this but counting on getting a custom you bought serviced every time you have a issue is going to get very frustrating and very expensive real quick. My suggestion is to get the bike home somehow and break out your tools. It's probably the best thing you could do. The time spent learning what makes your machine tick will really pay off in the long run.

Here's the wiring schematic I used to wire my bike. The wiring on an Evo (all Harley's really) is pretty simple and basic. The problems come in the execution, ie, not soldering wires, using butt splices, not heat shrinking connections, etc.



But I guess I didn't answer the question you asked, LOL!

Just describe the symptoms to your mechanic (a good independent shop that builds and services customs) and they should be able to figure it out.

You have a nice looking bike there.

Here's mine . . .

 

im gonna have to agree... im thinking electrical... when you try and crank it, and you pull the plugs... if theyre wet, they arent sparking to ignite it.. coil or ignition would be my guess also.

 

Great looking scoot and appreciate your feedback.

We all thought it was fuel related on Saturday. A couple guys said vapor lock was the issue. Opened the tank up and let it sit and started right up. Only made it a mile or so and died. Can a vapor lock build up that fast? Also this happened twice before Saturday and both within less than 5 miles after starting the ride. The fuel line from the petcock to carb goes right between the engine. Also, what I have noticed before is that when I get home from riding I'll park the bike in the garage and later on when I'm in the gargae I'll hear a hissing sound from the bike and it's coming from the gas cap. I'll open it up let whatever vapor was in there out and put the cap back on. 1/2 hour later I'll hear the hissing sound again. Can this be a clue?

Thanks again.

It's suppose to have Crane Hi-4 ignition if that helps.

 

Didn't think to pull the plugs on Sat...damn. Is there a way to test if the coils/ignition are bad?

Other riding buddies are saying that the petcock is clogged...need a new regulator...new battery is needed...the carb float needs to be looked at...new spark plugs...bad wiring...the ignition/coils need to be replaced...

This sucks going on a wild goose chase and can get expensive. Let's hope the Harley dealer where it sits at is a respectable one.

Thanks

 

Yeah, you don't want to just start swapping out expensive parts hoping you hit upon the problem. But it would be cheap and easy enough to get a new "vented" gas cap and see if that cures it.

But I see it's already at the dealer. Did they actually say they'd look at it? Generally most HD dealers won't service a custom bike unless they have a guy in the shop who flat out knows bikes and can work without a script . . .

Oh, and yes, pressure lock (not vapor lock in this case) can happen very fast. Pressure will always build up in the gas tank, but the vent in the cap is usually enough to keep fuel flowing to the carb. And you'll get the "whoosh" sound (when opening the cap) even with a properly functioning system, especially when the weather is hot.

 

So what was the end to this story? Hate it when it ends like this.

 

Sorry for not posting the end result. The Harley dealer had it for almost 3 weeks. They kept putting it on the dyno and of course it ran fine. He did eventually get the bike to die out consistently and was able to diagnose it as a faulty ignition module. When the bike got too hot, the module would just crap out. Replaced the module and haven't had an issue since. The dealer ended up charging me for the part and couple hours labor to install it...he could have charged me a great deal more with all the time he put into trying to figure it out.

Paul

 

Bad module? Did you call Crane?
I've had extremely good customer service from them-
When an online dealer sent the wrong HI4E module ( wrong connectors)- I called Crane.
They immediately offered to send the correct version- and didn't ask for a credit card to guaranty return of mine...AND the new one came with coils- I called and they said not to worrry about it.
Bonus.

Mike