I have a 1989 Sportster Deluxe 883 that has been shutting off on me. It has happened 4 times in the past 2 months and so far nobody can figure out why. The Coil, plugs, & wires were changed and the petcock recently cleaned.
All 4 times have occurred within 10 minutes of my starting point and at speeds less than 25 mph. The bike just stalls and won’t restart. All of the lights are on and it tries to start but won’t kick over. Then after a while it starts up like nothing ever happened…


Thanks!!!

 

Just a guess, but id check the nose cone pickup for the ignition module, then the module
Its self. Sounds heat related with those parts.

 

Thanks for the reply...
All 4 incidents have happened within a few miles of my starting point.... I have ridden for hours at a time in between episodes without problems..

 

Have you checked the ignition switch?

Your sporty prolly has a different one than my RK, I'm sure, but...
The contacts inside the switch may be burned, causing the ignition contacts to lose connectivity for an instant. Even if it isn't the problem, if the switch hasn't been replaced in a few years, it's not so expensive that it wouldn't be worth a try.

Another place to look, might be inside the tank. Could the liner be flaking off, and clogging up the fuel filter? Could the lines be bad? I've seen hoses that crack inside, causing a momentary blockage at random times, causing a stall. Replace all fuel lines, another 'not so costly' attempt to find the problem.

 

Vapor Lock?? This happens to me quite a bit on my DR. Next time it happens, take of the gas cap, put it back on and try to start it.

 

Thanks... The ignition Switch was recently changed and I believe the shop checked all the lines.. I was thinking that it might be something in the tank but can't really see anything in it. Wouldn't hurt to change the fuel lines if it's relatively cheap anyways.

 

Thanks All...... Next time it happens, I have 2 things to look at... I will try removing and tightening both gas caps and connecting 2 extra spark plugs to the wires and check for spark...

 

Put a clear filter in line. If you see fuel then you know that the tank isn't plugged without just removing the fuel line. If it has gas in the filter and you take the cap off that eliminates vapor lock from the gas cap vent. One spark plug carried in your pocket will check fire without removing a spark plug from a hot head and possibly stripping out threads. You can quickly check fire before the bike cools off and restarts.

 

Hey - not all that familiar with the 89's but what type of fuel pump do you have? Reason I ask is that I had a similar issue with my Sporty and ultimately found the little screen in my fuel pump was gummed up. I actually replaced it versus cleaning it and never had the problem again. Not sure if that is relevant to your situation or not, but thought I'd throw it out there.

Good luck!

 

Issue Fixed!!!!! It was a bad speedo cable that would trip and shut down the bike
Took Several Mechanics and several shops to figure it out ....

Thank You!!
Norm's Cycle Service
1025 Forest Ave, Homestead, PA 15120Phone412) 462-2225