Who Really Knows Their Way Around a 701?

[stratslingr77]

I could use a little help with some gremlins in my 701.

The symptoms: When riding, the motor will occasionally cough, sputter, then die. This usually, but not always, happens under load.There is no CEL being lit.

Background: Over the holidays, I adjusted the valves, changed the oil and spark plugs, then added a Rottweiler Performance SAS delete and a Veridian Cruise Control. Then I got sent to LA for 5 weeks and never got to test the bike til I got back.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
-Replaced fuel pump
-replaced in-line and in-tank fuel filters
-drained the tank and replaced the fuel
-double-checked the spark plugs (pic below)
-double checked the fitment of my air box and intake
-disconnected the Veridian
-installed a Vanaasche sidestand dongle

So...what else should I be looking at? Who really knows their way around these bikes and can help me get to the bottom of this?

Pretty bummed i won't be able to ride my Husky to DVnOObs this week.

TIA

 

[ST Guy]

Just guessing, but did you plug all the original vacuum ports on your intakes and your carbs, if you have them?

 

[Lucytriple]

Am I correct in assuming that everything was working well before the mods? Try to focus on that work and the work done to disassemble and reassemble before you do any more unrelated stuff that could introduce more problems.

Does it restart easily after it dies?

 

[stratslingr77]

Am I correct in assuming that everything was working well before the mods? Try to focus on that work and the work done to disassemble and reassemble before you do any more unrelated stuff that could introduce more problems.

Does it restart easily after it dies?

Everything worked before and it restarts every time now. I did disconnect the Veridian and the problem persisted. Unfortunately, I threw away all the charcoal cannister parts and hoses.

 

[Pushrod]

The symptom seems to occur randomly but when it does, it happens when under a load.

Assuming your fueling is sorted and the airflow/vacuum is sorted, that leaves electricity.

My OTB wager is either a weak ground or a marginal battery. When the ignition system is making the greatest demand for electricity, either of the two would let the motor down.

My nightmare was a weak battery that finally failed a proper load test. No wake up from the nightmare though, the brand new battery was faulty right off the shelf. A second, working, battery made my symptoms go away.

(And you did a ton of fuel work, no pinched lines, right?)

 

[stratslingr77]

The symptom seems to occur randomly but when it does, it happens when under a load.

Assuming your fueling is sorted and the airflow/vacuum is sorted, that leaves electricity.

My OTB wager is either a weak ground or a marginal battery. When the ignition system is making the greatest demand for electricity, either of the two would let the motor down.

My nightmare was a weak battery that finally failed a proper load test. No wake up from the nightmare though, the brand new battery was faulty right off the shelf. A second, working, battery made my symptoms go away.

(And you did a ton of fuel work, no pinched lines, right?)

Battery was replaced last fall. I'll double check ground and fuel lines.

 

[Cabrito]

I'm surprised you didn't get more traction on ADV when you asked for help.

I'll double up on suggesting you check the battery terminals (again?) to make sure they're secure and load test it as well. Also, agree that you need to look for something that's pinched.

 

[dravnx]

Never assume that a battery is not faulty just because it's new or you replaced it X months ago.
Troubleshooting 101-test and confirm

 

[plate 181]

So... Assuming the 701 is roughly similar to a 690SMC, I had an incredibly similar gremlin.

Took six months to figure out it was just cable routing - one of the bundles running under the seat had risen up to where it could get pinched. Rerouted the cable and have been good for 9+ years since.

But it took forever to figure that out. Fuel pump, filter, spark plug, injector, I checked *everything*. And it was so frustratingly intermittent, so hard to reliably reproduce the problem.

F'ing cable routing....

 

[Busy Little Shop]

Never assume that a battery is not faulty just because it's new or you replaced it X months ago.
Troubleshooting 101-test and confirm

I agree...
Motorcycle troubleshooting is a form of problem solving... It is a
logical search for the source of a problem so that it can be solved...
it ain't about jumping to conclusions...

Start with the battery for it's the weakest link in the whole system... To
determine the condition of an Maintenance Free battery give it a
refreshing charge... wait 30 minutes... measure terminal voltage...

12.8 or higher is a good battery...
12.0 to 12.8 is a insufficient charge... recharge...
12.0 or lower... battery unserviceable...

 

[plate 181]

I agree on the testing vs. throwing random parts.

A problem is when you can't reliably create or cause the scenario. Intermittent issues like that often point to electrical issues IMHO.

As Pushrod said, all that work that was done definitely involves moving those cables and fuel lines around. Make sure the cable bundles running by the battery compartment are secure and low enough to not get pinched by the seat/ frame.

Pinched electrical cables can kill a bike as easily as pinched fuel lines. And then it'll wiggle and start right up.

 

[ST Guy]

I agree...
Motorcycle troubleshooting is a form of problem solving... It is a
logical search for the source of a problem so that it can be solved...
it ain't about jumping to conclusions...

Start with the battery for it's the weakest link in the whole system... To
determine the condition of an Maintenance Free battery give it a
refreshing charge... wait 30 minutes... measure terminal voltage...

12.8 or higher is a good battery...
12.0 to 12.8 is a insufficient charge... recharge...
12.0 or lower... battery unserviceable...

Sorry, but your numbers are wrong.

After removing the chargers from the battery, it’s best to wait at least an hour, preferably two, before taking a voltage reading on the battery.

12.8 volts is a fully charged battery. And a new one at that. Anything over 12.8 means you are checking it too soon after charging.

A battery that is used, experiences max voltage drops over time. Thusly, and for instance, a battery that measures 12.6 volts after waiting sufficiently long, is perfectly serviceable and I wouldn’t change it. Even 12.5 can be serviceable.

Below 12.5, after charging and a sufficient wait period, is heading for the trash bin. I’d probably get a new one.

After a good charge plus a wait, 12.0 is essentially a dead battery. Get a new one.

Immediately after charging, a residual voltage remains in a battery and if you check the battery before it’s had enough time to dissipate that portion of the charge, you will get a falsely high reading and think that the battery is good when it isn’t. A 30 minute wait isn’t long enough.