re:a stupid way to die - stalling at speed

[Leon Droby]

I was riding today on the highway (between 70 and 80 mph) with 240 miles gone on the tank (usually it goes on reserve around 250). The bike cut out for half a second like it was running out of gas. I thought that it was strange to be hitting reserve so early and that usually it runs out gradually. This kind of came on all at once. So I put it on reserve and exited the highway. I rode for another 15 minutes when the bike bogged down and stalled. There was still fuel in the tank. I tried different configurations of normal / reserve and gas cap open / closed (in case the vent was blocked). I finally made it home on reserve with the cap open. When I filled the tank up with gas, it took 5.3 gallons so I know I reached the reserve part of the tank. I then closed up the cap and managed to ride home with the petcock in the normal position (and cap closed). Granted, it wasn't that far from the gas station to my house, but it seems like everything is back to normal. Any ideas what happened? Could it be a vent problem that only happens when the tanks is near empty or the petcock is on reserve? Thanks, Leon Droby Gherkin - A14 Uxbridge, MA

[Peter Dahlheimer, MD]

was it raining or had you gone through mud/water recently? search the archives for the likely solution to this problem. it involves putting a "T" in one of the carb vent hoses to avoid that hose getting blocked with dirt/rain/whatever.

> -----Original Message----- > From: Leon Droby [mailto:ldroby@...] > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 7:33 PM > To: KLR Mailing List > Subject: [DSN_klr650] Stalling at Speed > > > I was riding today on the highway (between 70 and 80 mph) with 240 miles > gone on the tank (usually it goes on reserve around 250). The > bike cut out > for half a second like it was running out of gas. I thought that it was > strange to be hitting reserve so early and that usually it runs out > gradually. This kind of came on all at once. > > So I put it on reserve and exited the highway. I rode for another 15 > minutes when the bike bogged down and stalled. There was still > fuel in the > tank. > > I tried different configurations of normal / reserve and gas cap open / > closed (in case the vent was blocked). I finally made it home on reserve > with the cap open. > > When I filled the tank up with gas, it took 5.3 gallons so I know > I reached > the reserve part of the tank. I then closed up the cap and > managed to ride > home with the petcock in the normal position (and cap closed). > Granted, it > wasn't that far from the gas station to my house, but it seems like > everything is back to normal. > > Any ideas what happened? Could it be a vent problem that only > happens when > the tanks is near empty or the petcock is on reserve? > > Thanks, > Leon Droby > Gherkin - A14 > Uxbridge, MA > > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > > Post message: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subscribe: DSN_klr650-subscribe@yahoogroups.com > Unsubscribe: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > List owner: DSN_klr650-owner@yahoogroups.com > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ >

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[Kurt Simpson]

I've always claimed there are two running/stalling issues...the first is well-documented, the rain/water thing cured by the T-Vent. This is the mystery stalling...high speed in high temps...it happened to me many times. Kurt -----Original Message----- From: Peter Dahlheimer, MD [mailto:dahlheim@...] Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 10:18 PM To: ldroby@...; KLR Mailing List Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] Stalling at Speed was it raining or had you gone through mud/water recently? search the archives for the likely solution to this problem. it involves putting a "T" in one of the carb vent hoses to avoid that hose getting blocked with dirt/rain/whatever.

> -----Original Message----- > From: Leon Droby [mailto:ldroby@...] > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 7:33 PM > To: KLR Mailing List > Subject: [DSN_klr650] Stalling at Speed > > > I was riding today on the highway (between 70 and 80 mph) with 240 miles > gone on the tank (usually it goes on reserve around 250). The > bike cut out > for half a second like it was running out of gas. I thought that it was > strange to be hitting reserve so early and that usually it runs out > gradually. This kind of came on all at once. > > So I put it on reserve and exited the highway. I rode for another 15 > minutes when the bike bogged down and stalled. There was still > fuel in the > tank. > > I tried different configurations of normal / reserve and gas cap open / > closed (in case the vent was blocked). I finally made it home on reserve > with the cap open. > > When I filled the tank up with gas, it took 5.3 gallons so I know > I reached > the reserve part of the tank. I then closed up the cap and > managed to ride > home with the petcock in the normal position (and cap closed). > Granted, it > wasn't that far from the gas station to my house, but it seems like > everything is back to normal. > > Any ideas what happened? Could it be a vent problem that only > happens when > the tanks is near empty or the petcock is on reserve? > > Thanks, > Leon Droby > Gherkin - A14 > Uxbridge, MA > > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > > Post message: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subscribe: DSN_klr650-subscribe@yahoogroups.com > Unsubscribe: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > List owner: DSN_klr650-owner@yahoogroups.com > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ >

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[Leon Droby]

No, it was sunny and in the low to mid eighties. Leon

> -----Original Message----- > From: Peter Dahlheimer, MD [mailto:dahlheim@...] > Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2001 12:18 AM > To: ldroby@...; KLR Mailing List > Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] Stalling at Speed > > > was it raining or had you gone through mud/water recently? > > search the archives for the likely solution to this problem. it involves > putting a "T" in one of the carb vent hoses to avoid that hose getting > blocked with dirt/rain/whatever. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Leon Droby [mailto:ldroby@...] > > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 7:33 PM > > To: KLR Mailing List > > Subject: [DSN_klr650] Stalling at Speed > > > > > > I was riding today on the highway (between 70 and 80 mph) with 240 miles > > gone on the tank (usually it goes on reserve around 250). The > > bike cut out > > for half a second like it was running out of gas. I thought that it was > > strange to be hitting reserve so early and that usually it runs out > > gradually. This kind of came on all at once. > > > > So I put it on reserve and exited the highway. I rode for another 15 > > minutes when the bike bogged down and stalled. There was still > > fuel in the > > tank. > > > > I tried different configurations of normal / reserve and gas cap open / > > closed (in case the vent was blocked). I finally made it home > on reserve > > with the cap open. > > > > When I filled the tank up with gas, it took 5.3 gallons so I know > > I reached > > the reserve part of the tank. I then closed up the cap and > > managed to ride > > home with the petcock in the normal position (and cap closed). > > Granted, it > > wasn't that far from the gas station to my house, but it seems like > > everything is back to normal. > > > > Any ideas what happened? Could it be a vent problem that only > > happens when > > the tanks is near empty or the petcock is on reserve? > > > > Thanks, > > Leon Droby > > Gherkin - A14 > > Uxbridge, MA > > > > > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > > > > Post message: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > > Subscribe: DSN_klr650-subscribe@yahoogroups.com > > Unsubscribe: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > > List owner: DSN_klr650-owner@yahoogroups.com > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to

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[Leon Droby]

Kurt, what do you do to get going again? Open the gas cap? Just wait it out? BTW, the first notice of a problem was at 80 mph (it didn't stall; just hesitated like it was running out of gas). I needed to get off the highway right after that. Then about ten minutes later is when the bike stalled repeatedly. I was only doing about 40 to 50 mph. Leon

> -----Original Message----- > From: Kurt Simpson [mailto:editor@...] > Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2001 12:46 AM > To: Peter Dahlheimer, MD; ldroby@...; KLR Mailing List > Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] Stalling at Speed > > > I've always claimed there are two running/stalling issues...the first is > well-documented, the rain/water thing cured by the T-Vent. This > is the mystery > stalling...high speed in high temps...it happened to me many times. > > Kurt >

[Kurt Simpson]

Kurt, what do you do to get going again? Open the gas cap? Just wait it out? BTW, the first notice of a problem was at 80 mph (it didn't stall; just hesitated like it was running out of gas). I needed to get off the highway right after that. Then about ten minutes later is when the bike stalled repeatedly. I was only doing about 40 to 50 mph. ____________ As I recall (and I was operating on instinct trying different things without coming to a conclusion), I would fill the gas tank (opening the gas cap at the same time) and let it rest. Mr. "T" what do you think? Kurt

[Ted Palmer]

Kurt Simpson wrote: [...]

> As I recall (and I was operating on instinct trying different things without coming > to a conclusion), I would fill the gas tank (opening the gas cap at the same time) > and let it rest. Mr. "T" what do you think?

Leon's problem sounds to me like a venting issue, or possibly the vacuum feed to the tap. On a bike as young as an A14 those factors should not be a a big problem but who knows? Kurt, the high speed miss you mentioned in an earlier post suggests to me the vac tap could be a problem in that situation. The bike would be running a fairly large throttle opening in those conditions which may not give a strong enough vac signal to open the tap quite enough. I suppose the only way to test this theory is to remove the diaphragm spring from the tap. Just guessing. As my 600 neither has a vac tap or the locking tank cap I haven't needed to go deep into it. Mister_T Melbourne Australia

[monahanwb@yahoo.com]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Leon Droby" wrote: Then about ten minutes later is when the bike stalled > repeatedly. I was only doing about 40 to 50 mph. > > Leon Weak vacuum to the petcock most likely. Heat makes the already too soft vacuum lines even softer. Any turn or pinch and you've got reduced vacuum. Then the fuel flow either slows or stops.

[Dan Taylor]

The thought of running out of fuel (or electric power) in the middle lane of the freeway doesn't sound pretty. I can imagine hoping that the cars behind me would be paying attention enough to slow down or stop, while i look for an opportunity to push the bike across lanes of oncoming traffic in order to get to the side of the road. But what if the driver of the car behind you was impatient and went around you? This would leave you exposed to more high speed traffic from behind, with drivers in all lanes being distracted by the cars in your lane that were quickly changing into their lanes in order to go around you. To avoid the above scenario, i usually put the petcock on reserve when i see the trip odometer approaching the point of needing that, and then filling up soon after. But what about an electrical system failure? Are there any pro-active measures that you can take in order to avoid that? Dan in Pasadena 05 KLR650 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]