Total loss of power, followed by a loud pop, and she rockets back into action?

[No H2O]

Here's a sequence of events that started around 7:30 AM this morning in the DC area, temperature was roughly 70 degrees:

Fired up the 2004 Ridgeback after not having ridden it since Tuesday's commute. Shouldn't be any cause for concern since often time's I'll not ride it between Friday's commute and Monday AM (same 2 days "off"). It fired up fine.

Put on my gloves and backpack, removed the battery tinder, all in all about a 20-30 second "warm up" as I always do and I rode off, no issues.

About 1 mile from my house to the first highway, it rode without any issues.

About 2 miles from the first highway to the on-ramp of the second highway, no issues.

On the curve of the on-ramp to the second highway, I was riding at my typical 2k-3k rpms and all of a sudden was getting nothing out of the throttle, I figured I couldn't be running low on gas after topping the tank off fully 68 miles ago but that's what it felt like.

So I was guiding the bike to the shoulder while trying to feel for the reserve line switch.
Within roughly 5 seconds I heard a loud explosive popping sound, loud as a gunshot, and the bike lurched forward nearly throwing me off and rode on as it normally does after that one lurch.
I never did switch over to reserve and rode the remainder of the way in to work, about 12 miles, without any issue.

Was this just a fluke or something I should look into/have checked out?

 

[HMAN]

Ck ur ignition switch. HDM has great 3 pos replacements if needed.
Make sure ur battery is tied down well too. If it moves around it can hit ur ehc plug in and cause simular issues.

 

[No H2O]

Ck ur ignition switch. HDM has great 3 pos replacements if needed.
Make sure ur battery is tied down well too. If it moves around it can hit ur ehc plug in and cause simular issues.

I just had a 2 position ignition switch put in and everything was working fine. Is there a reason for a 3 position switch?

Battery is tied down using the stock strap but I recently replaced the fuse for my LEDs. Is there a picture of the EHC plug you can refer me to so I can make sure it's safely secured from any impacts, separations, etc.?

 

[Sven]

Here's how I read this:
I'm riding along and all of a sudden the bike dies. I've eliminated gas because I filled up, if not, have reserve; so fuel is out of the scenario. The compression is a given, it just ran so that variable is out. Only thing left is spark. As I thought of fuel and attempting to tackle reserve with a now powerless bike, the spark came back on, and almost lost my grip on the refire. This is when I knew it was spark rather than fuel.

Fluke:
Somewhere, somehow, the black box lost power/signal.
a. Ground you would think, but the spark came back on so ground seems to be out of the question after 12 miles up and the turnaround home, and not another peep out of the repeated scenario of startup, 2 miles in and nothing like the first round in other words... Right?
b. A pr0000cessor seems to be more like the phantom glitch, don't you think? Keyfob was turned on and no loss of spark on the way home. I'm going to throw this one at the wall; trying to make it stick. Say the charger removal, the battery draw starting the bike, the battery now on its own along with the vo/reg... vo/reg kicks in (thrown); the processor gets a spike of frequency change kicking in (sticks?). The crank sensor is still putting out; the pr0000cessor defaults to zero (0000); the processor is/was still receiving what anchors the crank senor to the processor; or the bike becomes [the official] boat anchor. And here we are talking what year [in the cheap seats vs. today's processing] and how much processing speed is occurring(?). Maybe it's a slowass kind of taking its sweet ass intel inside [time] to relight the bike; oh and here it comes [finally]!
c. Fluke, right? Phantom glitch in the 'WATT was the last thing I did to the bike?... removed the charger = E! So instead of throwing parts at it, there are two thoughts: let it fail and find out exactly WATT, or; throw parts at the 'phantom phenom.'

The question to myself is... did it stick? If I walk out to the bike, start it and take off, it has to repeat or not... you'd think, right? Only your Pr000cessor knows for sure.

Signed,
NOLTT

 

[Jersey Big Mike]

While electrical fluke is mot likely, it could also have been fuel.
I something got into the tank and blocked the petcock temporarily this can happen as well.

I'd let it be but next time you're low on gas if you have an inspection camera available I'd look in the tank just to make sure none of the coating is peeling etc. SOmething like this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/6LE...3351-4db6-8506-3b369951b022&priceBeautifyAB=0

others are available if you have ios (iphone)

 

[Olde Man]

If the tank cap does not vent properly it acts like it is out of fuel until it get air into the tank. This is happens more frequently after a fill up because there is less space occupied by air. Remove the vent plug from the center of your gas cap.

 

[shansel88]

Id go with fuel, maybe liner in tank?? Or just dirt?? BUt either way my opinion is fuel and id just check liner or filter, or put one on, just to be safe???

Sam

 

[Sven]

Posts #6/#7 has to think this out as fuel vs. E is going to throw you a variable due to vacuum locks, liners clogging up fuel flow?:

The paraphrase goes something like this... 'I almost lost control when the bike refired like a light switch . I traveled to work the next 12 miles and then home; without a glitch of losing power from any lean coughs due to colds.' That's why they pay me the big bucks. See the cashier on the way out.

Signed,
NOLTT (no one listens to turtle)

 

[Mr. Wright]

I'm going to have to disagree with some of you. Sorry. Have been chasing a problem like this on other bikes, I've found that if it back fires, after dying like that, that the ignition module has lost power momentarily, and when power is regained, it lights the unburnt fuel fuel, causing it to back fire..
You have a loose connection or broke wire somewhere. Fire it up and start wiggling wires around, and see if you can get it to die.

 

[Mr. Wright]

Yea, what Sven said.

 

[shansel88]

Could very well be electrical - but I have heard of people running out of fuel before - or even intentionally running their bike out of fuel in the garage - to empty the carb for storage - and if you give the bike gas as the fuel is running out and force it to run lean - I've heard that this condition can cause a backfire as well??
I'm just suggesting if this was the first time - and no other symptoms - before tearing things apart - I would consider it ( or be positive/wishful thinking) that is was just a fuel pickup issue and place a fuel filter inline just in case it was debris related.

I'm just trying to think positive and keep it simple, and in reality it could have been a simple fuel pickup/vent/debris issue based off the symptoms provided.
At least as far as I am concerned. The joy of the site is different opinions and advice for people in need to consider.

 

[Reddickracing]

I'm going to have to disagree with some of you. Sorry. Have been chasing a problem like this on other bikes, I've found that if it back fires, after dying like that, that the ignition module has lost power momentarily, and when power is regained, it lights the unburnt fuel fuel, causing it to back fire..
You have a loose connection or broke wire somewhere. Fire it up and start wiggling wires around, and see if you can get it to die.

Exactly what I was thinking, Go down the road cut the ignition and back on, you will def get a pop from the unburnt fuel igniting.

 

[Sven]

Fuel to Vacuum:
1. Venting is more or less instant. Top the tank off so there is very little air left in the tank. This takes about a block, if not less than two blocks will the bike slowly begin to shut down. Tank cap to float needle in the carb that lets the gas in. The venting for the carb is not clogged, so it keeps sucking up the fuel thru the jet tubes. The float drops finally, needle drops fully on the float tab, trickle-dickle is to shake my hose to the last drop.
2. Vacuum lock does not light switch the fueling. It's a bogging down, depleting fuel, as it keeps running lean, and no [extra] fuel to create an excessive pop.
3. 12 miles plus a turnaround home says to rule out venting. It's more the OP does not chase his tail. The less tampering, the less problems down the road.

Fuel vs. Spark:
a. These two are hard to decipher, but it's the 20/20 hindsight that is the either/or. With the 3-V's (fuel/spark/compression), the [3] variables can be narrowed down thru logic/common sense.
b. Fuel bog does not rip your hands off the bars, spark does. Fucking with the world's fastest normally aspirated and losing spark and then comes back on, makes you carry baby wipes and a fresh set of underwear.
c. So the conclusion is not vac, not fuel, but spark. As mentioned, the bang/pop of fuel was the stagnation of the unspent fuel lingering in the air as pulse after pulse of fuel entering had no spark to keep the engine running until the spark came back on line = BANG?POP!

Ground vs. Phantom POP:

I. I'm just bringing what I believe is FACT in the elimination of the 3-V's. Compression is the given = It runs. The fuel is a given, the mileage rings this out so it's = Not fuel. The only variable left that does not make an engine run, the BBQ light up (apply the 3v's up to make it ring true), is spark. Do we agree on this so far?
II. Ground does not come back on line if we call this the hard parts, meaning, a wire's integrity. If we add, bumps in the road that wiggle the parts, the one time effect and ground all of a sudden is back to integrity from 12 miles in to the turnaround home; adding more engine vibration; easy starting; so as if ground was not in the loop of said starter; solenoid; key switch assembly, ground to frame/eng.; battery posts; etc.; and as we keep adding the 'hard parts' onto the list of ground variables; it "only happened once" since ownership is the assumption.
III. And since this is a computer bike in the generic, ie, has a processor in the loop, not a set of points like the old days, but now with magnetic pickupsandshit; WATT are the odds a tiny metallic debris was logged in between the crank sensor's magnetic pickup; the crank spin finally carried the debris away and off the two 'contact' points; it was that moment the debris contacted both points; the millisecond it takes the processor to process a lost 'good known signal/value input'; the processor lost spark (0000); debris cleared; the processor was sent a good known value from the crank sensor goes POP ; and not a peep from there on. Does it stick to the wall if I come up with something this off the wall?

Only E knows for sure.

Signed,
NOLTTS (no one listens to the signal)

 

[what?]

Total loss in power as in the gauges went out and no electrical output or combustion/fuel transfer wasn't there and then came back on? I've had backfires like that overdoing a down shift and/or having engine temp extremes (not warmed up enough or very warm from riding all day).
Did your carb belch at all before this happened? Some of your other posts mentioned difficulty filling the tank as if you may have vacuum issues. Maybe there is a disruption to your fuel transfer somewhere within the tank and/or carb is not tuned correctly.
Also, like Mike said. Check that liner.

 

[No H2O]

Total loss in power as in the gauges went out and no electrical output or combustion/fuel transfer wasn't there and then came back on?

I don't think I was paying attention to the gauges at the time so I can't be sure.
I would guess probably not since I would have likely noticed any difference but again, I was feeling for the petcock to turn it to reserve assuming it was a low gas issue.

I'll start wiggling wires while idling to see if I can get it to die.

 

[No H2O]

Remove the vent plug from the center of your gas cap.

I only see one plug and that's necessary to secure the threading to the top and the top is just one solid plate ...

I wiggled all the wires this AM and couldn't get the bike to die. I rode in to work with no issues. FWIW my mechanic believes it's a fluke but to bring it in next time it happens.

 

[Sven]

I wiggled all the wires... I rode in to work with no issues.

Have we ruled out the vacuum flow from A to B? Just want to make sure you figure out some simple, non-rocket science type thinking. Follow the parts... Cap vents. Gas in the tank. Petcock flows. Hose from pet to carb is not kinked. Float is not stuck. Compression is where if no start? What part did I mess, Huston, we (don't) have a problem (here)?

The keyfob fumbling farkle between battery post(-) to underside of ground cable is the tiny world of E's passage. Burn this in the brain... "Magnetism = You cannot separate heat from the chemical reaction." So as the demand of the electric starter motor begins to spin, you can feel the heat build at the battery posts. The chemRE is that white acidshit build on the cable ends, especially the neg cable = Follow the Heat.

There begins a loss of E to the processor/motor/lights/etc. A possible chemRE build at/under the battery ground cable to the top of the battery post. A straight edge razor to the top of the post, then under the cable to expose raw metals again, and then vasoline or vicks vapo-rub-be-dub-dub is smear some of that shit between raw cable and post so this stops a chemical reaction or call it the antidote to the ChemRE of E.

So you walk up to the battery and first, feel for the cables being tight at the battery. You find the white chemRE at the post(s)... phantomode would start there is my guess. And technically, you'd need the die grease not vaz. Vaz will melt, but under the posts to cable, on the bolt and nuts, you still can remove the bolt and not spin the nut in the soft lead and oh shit now WATT?

Only the holes in your shirt and pants knows for sure you go fujcking wit the chemRE off the battery cables... hello?

Signed,
NOLTT (no one listens to tech)

 

[Mr. Wright]

I forgot i made you new threads for your cap. Your not vapor locking.

 

[chubs]

Could have been any number of things that caused the problem, but I’m gonna go with electrical problem. I’ve seen circuit boards that had bad solder joints , that failed once or twice and then would be fine for a long time. Just a thought.

 

[SB03chopper]

Okay I am going to throw something into this as it as happened to me. How close is your knee to your key switch, as I have turned mine off by knee touching it. This a new switch, as old one key could fall out, and I find myself coming close to it sometimes. So you could be turning your power off, and back on again causing your backfire. That key does not have to move much to shut off power.