Motorcycle Forum banner

C50T engine cut off at highway speed...help me diagnose

4K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  Easy Rider 
#1 ·
It actually happened twice. First time was this morning. Air temp was about 55 degrees. I was cruising down the interstate at 70 when all of a sudden, the engine shut off. I pulled over and took stock. I have plenty of oil and gas. I dropped the kickstand, shut off the kill switch, and turned the key off. I sat for maybe a minute while I took stock. Then I turned everything on and bam, it started right up.

The later this evening as I was switching into 3rd gear it shut off again. I ran through the same steps and it started right up.

Here are some details on the bike. I bought it from a guy at 30,000 miles and I have put 3,000 miles on it. I changed the oil about 2,000 miles ago, but not the oil filter. I checked my air filter this evening and its clean. I recently put 12" ape hangers on the bike, but haven't got my extended cables yet. I rerouted the stock cables to work properly.

And so, has anyone else encountered this? What should I check?
 
#2 ·
The only time I have had that happen was when I was low on gas and leaning caused the gas in the tank to uncover the fuel filter.These bikes aren't like a carbed bike even a short interruption of fuel will cause instant shutdown. Needless to say I don't let it get that low anymore.:cool:
 
#4 ·
I was considering the sidestand switch, but it did it again this morning, but it happened again as I was shifting gears right when the RPMs drop. I had noticed my RPMs at idle were a little low so I I turned them up a tad. I haven't got to ride it yet, but will soon.
 
#5 ·
Well, it didn't happen today. I did a couple of things in trying to pinpoint the problem.

-I noticed the oil was a within the ok range, but toward the lower side so I added a little oil.
-I cleaned the sidestand switch by blasting it with a can of air.
-I had also noticed my RPMs sounded low to me. I increased the idle a little. (Twice it died when shifting as I let off the throttle.)
-I finally disconnected the battery and reconnected to let anything that needed it, reset.

On a ride today I had no stalls. Let's hope this worked.
 
#7 ·
I am beginning to think its a fuel thing. It started doing it again and this time it sputtered a bit and when I revved the throttle, I could hear clicking but the engine didn't respond.

Also, I have noticed that even though I turned up the RPMs, the engine response is rather week. I may have to take her in to mechanic.
 
#15 ·
i'm having the same problem right now on my 2005 s50! in addition to cutting off at cruising speed, it also cuts off when i engage the clutch. on top of this, it sometimes won't start without me moving the bike back or forward, and when it runs, it sometimes starts to act as if there is no fuel, choking and backfiring. this was with a half-full tank of 87 octane.

a friend said it sounded like bad fuel, so i put in some stabilizer and filled the tank to the top with 93 octane. the same problems came up after a short while. I'm hoping what aloraptor said is true, i haven't ridden it again since refilling it and running into problems again. if this doesn't work I'm going to try hooking up the battery to a tender for a while, to see if its a low battery thing.

any other ideas?
 
#16 ·
any other ideas?
Yes.

Fuel stabilizer is NOT a good cleaner.
Gumout or Berrymans B12 Chemtool are the best cleaners.

Your problem sounds more electrical, like a corroded or loose connection at the battery.....and looking and tugging isn't always good enough to test.

Or the aforementioned sidestand switch.
When someone says this:" it also cuts off when i engage the clutch." the sidestand switch is highly suspect.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top