Occasional Choking

[GregoXB]

2009 Buell XB12Ss, 24k miles, Drummer SS, EBR ECM, open airbox:

Sometimes, when I go to down shift and I blip the throttle to rev match, the motorcycle will not rev up, but instead it will choke and fire off a little pop through the intake. What, if anything, should I be looking into?

 

[BuellyBagger]

Tps reset

 

[GregoXB]

Tps reset

Followed the 2009 TPS reset procedure. Key on, run switch on, throttle open to close X 3, off then on. Symptom still present.

 

[Silverrider]

You say (Occasional Choking ) Do you think it is rich or lean ? What do your plugs look like ?

 

[BuellyBagger]

Throttle body clean?

 

[TPEHAK]

My engine can sometimes chock for a second when I shift from neutral to first gear, and sometimes when I start releasing clutch lever at 1st gear. It even stopped once.

 

[GregoXB]

You say (Occasional Choking ) Do you think it is rich or lean ? What do your plugs look like ?

The EBR ECM is matched up for my exact muffler/air filter combo. With the exception of the occasional occurrence of above mentioned issue, the bike seems to run smooth. I don't have a compelling reason to believe that it is running rich/lean. I installed new, OEM Harley plugs like 400 miles ago. The old ones seemed consistent with normal wear, dark brownish, some charring.

Throttle body clean?

The throttle body looked clean when I had the air filter off when I was changing the spark plugs.

 

[Silverrider]

How often do you use injector cleaner ? Did it have these symptoms before you changed plugs?

 

[GregoXB]

How often to use injector cleaner ?

Never.

 

[MakingPAIN]

Plugs from our emission strapped machines should be light tan on porcelain and light black ish around metal base because of rich idle. No charring that’s oil. Detonated if material speckeled on plug from pistons..

Super lamen run down

Oh yeah I know spark plug reading is a lost art but I think some people should pick up on it on this forum, it is your heart beat of your bike and boy does it help with diagnosis of a engine. Plus engine vacuum but that’s for another time.

 

[BuellyBagger]

The EBR ECM is matched up for my exact muffler/air filter combo. With the exception of the occasional occurrence of above mentioned issue, the bike seems to run smooth. I don't have a compelling reason to believe that it is running rich/lean. I installed new, OEM Harley plugs like 400 miles ago. The old ones seemed consistent with normal wear, dark brownish, some charring.


The throttle body looked clean when I had the air filter off when I was changing the spark plugs.

I ask about the tb cleanliness because i would assume that would result in a less than thorough tps setting on the late model bikes. In my experience in the early bikes the sticky gunk that builds up in the throttle body makes the plate stick and hang up also makes it hard to reach a zero reading for a reset. Throttle tip in is pretty reliant on that tps assuming your a/F setup is good.

 

[GregoXB]

I ask about the tb cleanliness because i would assume that would result in a less than thorough tps setting on the late model bikes. In my experience in the early bikes the sticky gunk that builds up in the throttle body makes the plate stick and hang up also makes it hard to reach a zero reading for a reset. Throttle tip in is pretty reliant on that tps assuming your a/F setup is good.

There was a bit of a thin film of greasiness on the butterfly valve and the funnel area. Give it a wipe? Maybe with some de-greaser sprayed on a rag?

 

[BuellyBagger]

There was a bit of a thin film of greasiness on the butterfly valve and the funnel area. Give it a wipe? Maybe with some de-greaser sprayed on a rag?

yeah just some TB cleaner or brake clean on a rag and wipe it out really well. then do a reset. couldnt hurt. you'll have one simple thing checked off the list.

 

[GregoXB]

I guess while I am in there I will check the intake flange bolts for any looseness and maybe take a peak at the IAC for any grime?

 

[GregoXB]

So, today was a nice day and I set out to give the bike a little attention. I was going to do all the maintenance we discussed, but I decided to check and clean my grounds first to see if that would help at all before I started getting inside the bike. The grounds at the front of the motorcycle, behind the headlights, had visible gunk and dirt on them. I thoroughly cleaned and refastened those grounds as well as the grounds on the left and right sides of the tail frames and the connections to the battery. I used a quick drying electronic cleaner spray with a straw, together with a cloth and small bristle brush. I removed quite a bit of dirt. I took the motorcycle out for about 2 hours. I shut and start the motorcycle several times. I left it off for a bit, restarted and rode again. The sputtering/choking was not there. I was not able to replicate the original symptoms.

It seems like my issues were caused by the grounding wires. I think I will still clean the TB and perhaps run the extra ground wire mod from the coil pack and the negative battery terminal to the T-Bone? Thoughts? I also thought about doing Lunatic's front ground wire mod, but my grounds appeared to be in order, aside from being dirty.

 

[34nineteen]

Occasional choking? Sounds like one of my Tinder dates.

 

[GregoXB]

Occasional choking? Sounds like one of my Tinder dates.

Don't you mean grindr? :black_eyed:

 

[34nineteen]

Ouch! Touché, my friend! Nicely played!