M
Macguyver
Guest
Well, tonight I took my bike on a shakedown run to test out the new tuning I had completed the previous night...and it was a really great ride!
As soon as I got home, I was inside, changed footwear, grabbed ATGATT, and was back outside beside the bike.
She started up first try, no choke, within seconds of hitting the button, and sounded almost perfect. It was perfect riding conditions IMO.
-late afternoon(after work).
~24 degrees out with a slight breeze. nice and warm in the sun, and cool under the canopies of trees, which lined the road in spots.
I told myself it was going to be quick ride to see how the bike was running, and then back home to make supper.
...
So after an hour I found myself back home for 30 seconds to grab some water, then hop back on the still running bike to go check out some possible twisties about 20 minutes from home. yeah yeah, I know, short rides seem to become longer rides pretty easily if I let 'em.
So off I go to check out what looks like twisties in google earth.
My bike is running great, full tank of gas, I'm off to have some more fun.
After 15 minutes or so into one of the best rides I have had yet on the bike, she stalls pulling up to a stop sign on a small hill.
I tried to restart the stalled bike, and not a whole heck of a lot happenned. The battery had no juice left in it at all. Tried bump starting, no good, and I don't have a kick on the 650. Did they make them with a kick start on them? I would love to have a kick start on my bike, might be a heavy kick though!
Luckily I was somewhat near a couple farm houses, so I start pushing.
No lights and no one home at the first house except for a loud dog.
Luckily there was someone home at the second house who could give me a boost! We hooked the cables up and she fired right away, so I immediately thought bad winding in the stator, or R/R. I offered the gentleman some money, but he would have none of it, he just said to help the next person who needs it. Nice guy, cute daughter. (She answered the door, and came out to "help" us boost the bike
)
I took it pretty easy on the way home, mostly gravel backroads to get home asap, and some nice long paved straights. I kept the throttle up when coming to a stop just in case. There is a whole lot of nothing but farms in the area, some country blocks have no houses, just barns, so long push down empty roads to get another boost if I stall it.
The bike ran nice all the way home, and seemed fine, but once I got home and turned it off, the battery was still dead as doornails. nuts.
I read through the stator papers after I got home, and I will be doing all of the diagnostics tomorrow night. Here's hoping it's just a bad ground from the R/R to the battery, but I doubt it. Knowing the way this bike has (not) been maintained by the PO's, I am betting I have a project on my hands here.
The way I look at it, if the stator even seems close to out of spec, I'll pull it and rewind it. No problems there, it's cheap to do, easy to do, but as boring as my day job!
Oh well, I guess when I am done it's going to be like a new bike, since I've changed or rebuilt most of the rest of the bike already.
The only reason I am not mad that the bike manifested another gremlin for me to deal with is that I am glad it happenned now, and not in the middle of a long trip!
I will also check the tank for rust to see if that may have caused the stall, or does deceleration cause enough of an extra strain on the electrical system which may have caused a stall due to the battery not being up to buffering duties? hmmm...:-k
Maybe I will be lucky and it will only be the battery. I can at least buy those cheap from where I work.
So, if the R/R turns out to be flaky, should I go electrosport R/R, or get a Honda R/R from Mr. Duaneage? Opinions? Anyone out there tried both?
As soon as I got home, I was inside, changed footwear, grabbed ATGATT, and was back outside beside the bike.
She started up first try, no choke, within seconds of hitting the button, and sounded almost perfect. It was perfect riding conditions IMO.
-late afternoon(after work).
~24 degrees out with a slight breeze. nice and warm in the sun, and cool under the canopies of trees, which lined the road in spots.
I told myself it was going to be quick ride to see how the bike was running, and then back home to make supper.
...
So after an hour I found myself back home for 30 seconds to grab some water, then hop back on the still running bike to go check out some possible twisties about 20 minutes from home. yeah yeah, I know, short rides seem to become longer rides pretty easily if I let 'em.
So off I go to check out what looks like twisties in google earth.
My bike is running great, full tank of gas, I'm off to have some more fun.
After 15 minutes or so into one of the best rides I have had yet on the bike, she stalls pulling up to a stop sign on a small hill.
I tried to restart the stalled bike, and not a whole heck of a lot happenned. The battery had no juice left in it at all. Tried bump starting, no good, and I don't have a kick on the 650. Did they make them with a kick start on them? I would love to have a kick start on my bike, might be a heavy kick though!
Luckily I was somewhat near a couple farm houses, so I start pushing.
No lights and no one home at the first house except for a loud dog.
Luckily there was someone home at the second house who could give me a boost! We hooked the cables up and she fired right away, so I immediately thought bad winding in the stator, or R/R. I offered the gentleman some money, but he would have none of it, he just said to help the next person who needs it. Nice guy, cute daughter. (She answered the door, and came out to "help" us boost the bike
)I took it pretty easy on the way home, mostly gravel backroads to get home asap, and some nice long paved straights. I kept the throttle up when coming to a stop just in case. There is a whole lot of nothing but farms in the area, some country blocks have no houses, just barns, so long push down empty roads to get another boost if I stall it.
The bike ran nice all the way home, and seemed fine, but once I got home and turned it off, the battery was still dead as doornails. nuts.
I read through the stator papers after I got home, and I will be doing all of the diagnostics tomorrow night. Here's hoping it's just a bad ground from the R/R to the battery, but I doubt it. Knowing the way this bike has (not) been maintained by the PO's, I am betting I have a project on my hands here.
The way I look at it, if the stator even seems close to out of spec, I'll pull it and rewind it. No problems there, it's cheap to do, easy to do, but as boring as my day job!
Oh well, I guess when I am done it's going to be like a new bike, since I've changed or rebuilt most of the rest of the bike already.
The only reason I am not mad that the bike manifested another gremlin for me to deal with is that I am glad it happenned now, and not in the middle of a long trip!
I will also check the tank for rust to see if that may have caused the stall, or does deceleration cause enough of an extra strain on the electrical system which may have caused a stall due to the battery not being up to buffering duties? hmmm...:-k
Maybe I will be lucky and it will only be the battery. I can at least buy those cheap from where I work.
So, if the R/R turns out to be flaky, should I go electrosport R/R, or get a Honda R/R from Mr. Duaneage? Opinions? Anyone out there tried both?
ray:
