HELP!.. My 2005 Buell xb9sx runs like crap!

[Sumosurfer]

Hello! I'm a new Buell rider and happy to be here! Thank you for any advice.

Last week I bought a 2005 Buell xb9sx with just under 20,000 miles. The previous owner said the bikes cold start was rough and that the throttle needed to be feathured for around a minute before it would idle on it's own. He brought it to Harley and was told he had a bad fuel pump. He had his own mechanic replaced the fuel pump with an aftermarket pump which he said seemed to fix the problem for a couple of days, then it went back to the same issue. He brought it back to Harley and was told that the new pump was not good enough and was putting out too low pressure. They did a throttle reset and put in a new battery to make sure it wasn't electrical. Since buying the bike, it won't idle when cold or until it's ridden for at least 5 mins. When riding it sputters and misses under acceleration. The other day I added fuel injection cleaner and notice a big change for maybe an hour before it reverted back to sputtering and rough acceleration, and shortly after running like a champ for a brief ride, parking it for 30 mins, it then wouldn't start for 15 mins. Any thoughts, advice on what this issue is? Thank you for your time!

 

[user_deleted]

the 03-07 XB's can be just a tad tempermental on cold idle and a tad tempermental at low throttle settings till sufficient heat generated in the motor. from the info you've posted appears bike is 10 years old and on its 3rd fuel pump? hmmmm.
so let's for a moment assume the pump is ok and installed correctly with no chafed wires. you have 2 issues and try the following:
cold idle erratic and stalling:
1-you must confirm that the tps was reset properly along with fine tuning of the curb idle speed. warm should be approx. 1050rpm
2-test your intake seals for vacuum leak. tons of threads on here with instructions. it's a simple test.
3-is the air box base full of oil goop?
4-plugs? NO rotate required....install fresh set of NGK DCPR9EIX. it's amazing what quality plugs do for these motors.
after parking hot motor/heat soak/it won't start for 15 minutes?????
1-go to left rear lower corner of frame and find the fuel pump harness. check it for chafing and check the harness plug for cleanliness and tightness
2-remove air box cover/air box lid/air box floor and check your coil mount screws, condition of coil, condition of coil harness plug. coil lives in hot harsh environment. they can heat soak when sitting and check it for any obvious signs of cracking, arcing, plug wires tightly affixed and in good shape.
lastly...what i do in a situation like this is take a little tiny plastic squeeze bottle full of fuel with me....take the bike for a ride and get heat in the motor...and on the ride leave the air box lid at home. now stop somewhere, let it sit for a few minutes, try to start. no start? remove the air box lid(simple plastic snaps) which exposes the throttle body. dribble fuel into same. starts now? you have a fuel pump problem.

 

[Sumosurfer]

Thank you lunaticfringe! I'll let you know what I discover.. I'm not the most uber mechanical guy of the bunch but I'm sure I'll be able to test some of these issues on my own. I believe it's on it's second fuel pump. If it is the fuel pump as suggested by Harley, do you suggest stock or are there quality aftermarket pumps that should do the job? If I was in PA I'd buy you a beer! Thank you for your detailed response, it is GREATLY appreciated!

 

[user_deleted]

Thank you lunaticfringe! I'll let you know what I discover.. I'm not the most uber mechanical guy of the bunch but I'm sure I'll be able to test some of these issues on my own. I believe it's on it's second fuel pump. If it is the fuel pump as suggested by Harley, do you suggest stock or are there quality aftermarket pumps that should do the job? If I was in PA I'd buy you a beer! Thank you for your detailed response, it is GREATLY appreciated!

always my pleasure and thanks for the beer offer. below is a link that cooter put up awhile back. he's a wealth of solid info and long-time board member. this will walk you thru all the pump info you might need if replacing same. what you really need to do is what i mentioned: confirm tps reset and curb idle speed was done properly....fresh set of plugs as i mentioned does wonders....and find out what you're missing when the motor is hot. you're either missing fuel or ignition. the procedure i gave you though crude will narrow it down to one or the other.

http://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?41398-XBS-fuel-pump-Cheap-and-easy!

 

[user_deleted]

forgot: these are cheap...replaceable in about 15 seconds, and can cause problems. for a few bucks would not hurt to replace them to eliminate one that might be failing due to heat and/or age. remove your seat...remove fuse box lid...look under lid at schematic. see the 3 large relays? not the blade fuses....the relays? would not hurt to replace due to age of your bike. they are identical and have the amp rating embossed on top of each. memory serves they are 20 amp. they are identical to the a/c relay commonly used on many ford and chrysler products. available online and at all auto parts stores. here's the duralast part #---Duralast part #19283. replacing same will eliminate them as a culprit and you can carry as spares.

 

[Sumosurfer]

Bro! You're a wealth of information! Thank you! I'll swap out the relays asap. And for the other pump info, excellent! The previous owner said Harley would replace the fuel pump for a mere $700... no thanks.