almost left stranded

[nightrider88mph]

hello all, first post here. i have a 2004 buell xb12r. race kit, big bore kit.. i have owned it for three years now and yesterday i was cruising on the interstate around 80mph when the engine quit. no stumbling, just died. i pulled over the side of the road and kept cranking the starter and nothing. as i started taking the bike apart on the side of the road i decided to try one more time, and she fired right up. now im scared to ride it knowing there is some sort of issue. one other tid bit of info. every time i ride it, after a couple minutes, it will stumble for a second then the cel comes on and runs great after that. ecmspy says the code is lean conditions, im guessing the computer corrects it then drives fine. that has been doing that for two years. any advise on where to start would be helpful. i have checked the intake seals and seem to be fine, no change in rpm or sound. the fuel pump sounds like it is working normally.

 

[njloco]

After it cut out, and you pulled over and tried to start it back up, does the fuel pump sound like it's pressurizing the system ?
You could change out the fuel pump contacts, cheap insurance.

 

[nightrider88mph]

It happens all so fast. I had cars and semis rushing past me at rush hour. I'm going to take it for a local spin right now and see if I can get some more info on my troubles

 

[nightrider88mph]

One thought could also be my fuel vent valve. Not sure since I didn't remove gas cap, but still started up. I'll let you know how this ride goes

 

[Silverrider]

When you say ( race kit, big bore kit ) like 1250 ? Is the tune mapped for the big bore? If its been doing this for 2 years its telling you something , What do the plugs look like ? Lean ?

 

[nightrider88mph]

Alright, I just got back from a ten mile ride with no issues. Yesterday it happend within the first three miles.. so who knows. As far as the tuning goes, I'm still learning about it. It never used to do that then started one day after pulling it out from the winter. The previous owner who did the mods, had it tuned and dyno'd. After the coil pack wasn't getting a good ground, I did the wire mod from the battery which cleared up that issue. I may need to load in a new map since I have tried tps resets and stuff. Yes 1250 kit.

 

[nightrider88mph]

And like I have read on another topic, under around 3200rpm, it does tend to surge and buck as if the tuning were off. But runs great while I'm getting on the throttle

 

[Cooter]

Getting in the ECM without any diagnosis of the bike is asking for more trouble than you have now.

If you have a tuning issue, fine. Adjust it after the bike is fixed. It will be very difficult to diagnose without it happening again.
Since you have ECMSpy, datalog your rides. If it happens again, the reason why will show up on your log.

 

[nightrider88mph]

Right now I am cleaning and checking my grounds. May remove injectors and clean. Also looking for anything obvious before getting into ecm work. I am not experienced enough to mess with that. However I want to keep my bike forever or as long as I can. So I will want to learn about it.

 

[user_deleted]

you're either losing electrical supply to the ignition system or loss of fuel to the pump. i would do the following for starters:
1-check all your grounds. i have listed their locations on here hundreds of times thru the years.
2-go to your firebolt fuse boxes up in fairing. remove the ignition fuse....the fuel pump fuse....and all your relays. check the spades on the relays and fuses to verify their clean and pefect as well as the female lugs where they engage in the fuse box. the relay female lugs can corrode and cause your issue.
3-i would remove your airbox outer cover accessing the tank vent line and tank vent. remove both and verify their working. the rubber vent tube can clog or be pinched....the vent can corrode but that's extremely rare.
4-if you have a side stand safety switch remove the 2 wires and check the spades to be sure they're clean.
5-if your bike has seen a corrosive atmosphere and alot of dirt disassemble the right handlebar switch gear and check the kill switch contacts.
lastly....if this continues and shuts off at high crusing speed pull over....immediately open gas cap.....replace and see if it starts up. if so it's the tank vent system.

 

[nightrider88mph]

Thanks! I will check more thouroghly. I did just remove the plastics and saw my rear oil vent hose (or whatever) was punched. Seems to have less surging, we'll see. I haven't gotten up to high speed cruising yet for fear I will break down

 

[nightrider88mph]

Oh, and I have had to change my ignition relay twice from using my brights with a higher than recommended wattage. Hasn't happened since I switched to led h3's

 

[nightrider88mph]

I have done 45 miles now in all riding types and nothing. I'm going to keep my laptop with me and ecm cord and if happens again check for codes. I will go through and check grounds. The grounding on this thing has always given me trouble. She has been happy today. Could have been the pinched and kinked oil breather thing.. beats me. I'll keep y'all posted!

 

[charlevoixboy]

Did the tach and speedometer cut out when this happened? I ask because I had a similar issue and it was my kickstand switch. Bike just quit out of nowhere.

 

[nightrider88mph]

Since the original problem, I have done hundreds of miles with no issues(knock on wood). So far what I have done is rewire new grounds to the triple, frame, and engine, tighten my primary chain, reset my tps, and removed my led kit... which had actually grounded out around or at the same time as my bike dying. Same day for sure though. The kickstand switch has been disabled since I got the bike. The instrument cluster stayed lit, but all happend so fast that I couldn't remember each detail. As of right now, she runs like a dream, better than ever before. I do need to replace my o2 sensor since my o2 light comes on code 13 always lean... even after I have richened the fuel flow, but my jack doesn't fit under it to lower the swingarm... so I'll get to it soon. But for now, the low rpm bucking has gone away, doesn't sound like it is misfiring, even sounding fuel pump tone. I'll continue to work on it when I have the time and report back. Thanks y'all