Can't Keep bike running? ANY HELP

I was having a problem with keeping the bike running so I took it to the shop. They said they took the carbs off and that they were gummed up. Bike is an 07 with 37K. I did a 6000 mile ride out to Sturgis and back and didn't have any problems until the last day coming home. That morning it didn't want to stay running. I got it running and rode it back home with no more problems.

The bike sat for maybe 4 days and I went to go ride and could not get the darn bike to stay running. I pulled the choke out and it would run full choke for a min or two and then cut off. I let it sit for a few hours and then went back out and pulled the choke and got the bike to run high ideal then pushed the choke in and it was running fine.

Now the bike has sat for maybe 2 or 3 days and it is doing the same things. I can not keep the bike running with full choke or without choke.

Does anyone have any ideas of what might be causeing this.

The bike does have K&N filters been on for over a year now, road king pipes been on since 700 miles, AIS has been plugged then unplugged. I have replaced the fuel filter right before the cards got cleaned. I checked the fuel pump it is still pulling a sucktion. All fuel lines are conected and in good condition. I replaced the spark pulgs right before the cards got cleaned.

I personal don't know what else could be the issue other than the cards wont tuned correct and the jets are back and not shemmed correct. I am by no means a mechanice but I do know how to do many things by reading our tech forums and the manuals.

If anyone can help please speak up.

Thanks so much in Advance.

Robert 'TheKid'

Just for the heck of it... turn the petcock to reserve and drain some fuel into a clear container.. just to see what may be in it. Can't hurt to check. But it sure sounds like a fuel issue or maybe a vacuum leak.

Thanks.

I will check the gas but there were 8 other bikes with me that used the same pump gas and they have no issues.

I have also pulled the hose off the petcock and put my finger to the end of it and turned the bike one. it pulled a vacuum. Next thing to do I reckon is to pull the tank and start taking the air box off so I can spare the carbs with cleaner.

Again Thanks I will check the fuel flow and to see if the gas is good.

Robert

A tank ful of BAD gas is all I can think of. Drain the whole tank,re-fill with fresh gas,and slap a whole can of SeaFoam in the tank......then drive it like ya stole it for the 150 miles.

Doing this is a LOT easier than pulling those carbs.

Boomer.....who's been down THAT fuel issue road before.

a tank ful of bad gas is all i can think of. Drain the whole tank,re-fill with fresh gas,and slap a whole can of seafoam in the tank......then drive it like ya stole it for the 150 miles.

 

doing this is a lot easier than pulling those carbs.

 

 

boomer.....who's been down that fuel issue road before.

what boomer said!!!

Sounds to me like fuel contamination (if the carbs are actually fouled up), or maybe just simple fuel starvation.

I know you changed the fuel filter and checked all sorts of things, but I'm just going to ignore any of that and give a couple of pointers on where I would start.

First, carefully listen to the fuel pump when you turn the key on. If it has been sitting a day or more, it will first click several times then shut off. You may even hear the clicks get slower as the pressure in the carbs builds, but that is not too important, so don't sweat it one way or the other. Once the pump stops clicking, turn the key off for a few seconds, then back on. It should NOT make any more clicking; none. If it does, then it shut off before either because it is bad or because it hit the internal timer that keeps it from burning up if you are out of gas. In that case, your problem would be somewhere between the fuel tank and the carbs (or maybe even the intake screens on the fuel petcock itself inside the tank). Take it one step at a time and try to isolate it. Maybe start by just hooking a new fuel line straight from the tank to the carb inlet and blowing in the tank to push gas into the carbs. If the carbs are full, the bike will start and run fine for about 5 minutes without any fuel connected at all.

If the pump seems to pass the click test described above, then stick a tube on the carb drain and into a small jar and open the drain screw to let it completely drain. Do this for all four carbs to compare how much fuel comes out of each and look for anything in it other than clear fresh fuel. After you have drained all four carbs, repeat the fuel pump click test, and this time you really should hear the clicking slow down as the carbs fill up. But again, the most important part of that test is to make sure the pump does NOT start clicking again after the key is turned off and back on.

If all seems OK at this point, then I'd just start with fresh gas. First, drain the tank as much as possible - this means you have to remove the tank and tip it to get all the gas over to the petcock. After the tank is completely empty, take the fuel line off the carb inlet and put it in a can while you turn on the key and let the pump push as much gas out as it can. Be sure to turn the key off and back on each time the pump stops until you get no more gas coming out of the hose. Finally, drain all four carbs again.

Now add about 1/2 tank of fresh gas (NOT three-month old mower gas from your garage!) and add about 6 oz of either Sea Foam or 44K, making sure to mix it good. Once you have the new mixed fuel in the tank, turn the key on to fill the carbs, then try to stat the bike. If it does start, run it for a minute or two to get this cleaning mix pulled through all the jets and passages. It is great if you can immediately ride it for a hundred miles or so, but if not, just shut it off and let it sit overnight for the cleaning to continue. If you still cannot get the bike to start, make sure you crank it sufficiently, while playing with the choke to pull as much of the cleaning mix into the carb passages as you can, then let it sit over night before you try again. If it won't start the next day, I'd probably try new plugs, then verify I had good spark.

Goose

Ok the newbie will jump in on this...lol

Friend of mine had the same problem when he went to Sturgis come to find out the gas was higher in eythonel like 15% and his bike didn't like it, he was running premuim and maybe it was higher in that grade only..

I would do the seafoam..

I bet that clears your problem up, but is a whole can necessary?

Just cause you got gas with 8 others doesn,t mean you don,t have bad gas... I have had the same problum riding with a group of bikes and I was the only one that broke down due to bad gas .... It can and will happen Ron

What Goose said, and I would add check your fuel filter.. strangely enough I suffered a weird problem earlier this year where the filter was so clogged it wouldn't let the pump suck enough fuel through to run the bike when the fuel level got to just before Reserve, as it wasn't getting any head pressure assist from the full tank of fuel.. later this resulted in a premature failure of the fuel pump..

If your 07 has never had a fuel filter change, or even if you suspect contaminated fuel while out on the road, have a boo at the fuel filter..

My 2 cents..

Please do let us know what transpires..

I'll bet its your fuel pump. It happened that way with mine. Your bike will run without the pump, but you must bypass it completly. Take the fuel line from the petcock and disconnect it from the filter and run it directly to the carb on the right side of the bike. Keep your tank at least 1/4 full and you can ride until your new pump arrives.

Hello TheKid. I don't have anything else to add on what to do at this moment aside from what was suggested by members on previous posts. Several possibilities could have happened that caused your problem...as mentioned earlier, bad gas, bad fuel pump, etc. I am starting to wonder how long would a fuel pump normally last on these bikes. Is it within a certain number of miles? Not really sure. I also have an '07, but I only have a little over 8K miles and the clicking sounds once I turn my ignition on is very distinct.

I hope you can have your issue resolved soon. Just a side note....I always get my gas from our local Shell gas station or any gas station that advertise that their fuel does not contain ethanol. Regards.

THANKS! I am going to try all that tomorrow. I have a feeling it might be it is tired of the ethanol gas it got while i was out west in sturgis and wy. I will start from the beginning like Goose has stated and see what I can get. I just had the carbs cleaned and all right before going out west so that is why I am really upset and don't understand why it is doing it again.

Thanks so much I will let everyone know what I find out.

Robert

...You can buy a Mr. Gasket 3 psi pump from most Auto Parts stores for about $40.00 that works quite well.

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I am going to ask because I don't know. Where is the Carb drain and drain screw? (pictures would work I am very visual) I have a feeling it might be the gas issue so i want to drain everything like Goose said.

Again Thanks so much for the help

I don't have pictures right now, but not too hard to find. Look up under the carburetors - each one has a short "tube" or "nipple" pointing down; that's the drain. Near it is a rather large brass allen-head screw that takes a 5mm wrench - that is the drain valve. Open them several turns to get a decent flow. When you close the valve, do not treat it like a normal screw that will stop turning when it is tight. Those have a tapered seat that will be damaged if you honk on it too hard. Just go till they are snug.

Goose

...You can buy a Mr. Gasket 3 psi pump from most Auto Parts stores for about $40.00 that works quite well.

 

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Ponch, great pics. I always learn and hear something new. That 12 Volt micro pump looks like an excellent replacement to the OEM pump. How long have you had your pump in place to date?

Thanks everyone. I think I have narrowed it down to the fuel pump going out. Because I went out there and did the test and it clicked, then i turned it off and back on no clicking. Started it up and it ran like a charm, road it around with a whole can of seafoam and never had a problem. I havent tried it again yet been busy today. Again thanks I will keep everyone up to date.

Ponch, great pics. I always learn and hear something new. That 12 Volt micro pump looks like an excellent replacement to the OEM pump. How long have you had your pump in place to date?

I changed it in July. I've put over 2500 miles on it since then.

I like it because most Auto Parts carry it and probably no Yammy dealer carries the stock pump. Real handy when on the road.