Just binned my bike, anyone else experienced this.

[Mort]

Sorry to hear of your mishap.

I believe Mort is refering to me, my Bike misfires or cuts out totally whenever theres moisture about..however slight. I always ride covering the clutch lever with one finger ( early days spent on 2 strokes) so although annoying issue hasnt caused me any real problems.

When I get round to it I'll be checking areas suggested by Paul.

I was trying to keep you from the spotlight

 

[fatbaldbob]

2315 and I'm only just back from the hospital, got to see a hand specialist on thur as thumb is knacked.

Interesting list of possible problems, this is the 4th time in 12 months this has happened (first time dropping it though). There is no common denominator, first time the bike just stopped running no loss of power to start with, as in the engine just cut out at about 50 mph, luckily I was in a high gear and grabbed the clutch just as the wheel started to lock as the road speed dropped.

The next two times the bike just lost power and as it slowed the engine cut out, again I managed to grab the clutch.

This time the engine lost power, briefly picked up then cut out completely, I was doing 25-30 mph by then in 4th gear and the wheel locked, the road was wet and greasy reducing the grip, but I'm not convinced it was a partial siezure, just the torque reaction, as mentioned earlier have you ever tried bump starting one of these things, the back wheel just slides.

Its happened in the wet and the dry, always restarts and runs normally after.

There is no immobliser fitted and bike had a full service (48000 mile) last saturday, so not convinced it is oil related, fuel filter was also changed about 1000 miles ago as it had done it twice in as many weeks and I thought fuel starvation was the likely cause.

I hope it gets written off as I've lost all faith in it, I was in a 30mph limit about to join a dual carriageway, hate to think what would happen at 70 plus! or even if I'd had a pillon as I frequently ride two up.

 

[richie]

I've had a bit of experience recently with bike cut outs. But the wheels keep turning as the motor is still turning over. Why the lock up... Sorry if this is a stupid question.

 

[Fanum]

I've had a bit of experience recently with bike cut outs. But the wheels keep turning as the motor is still turning over. Why the lock up... Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Cos the Boxer is a high compression lump...try changing down two gears and dumping the clutch, the back end will lock beautifully (specially round dusty grutty corners offroad ) and it's the same effect if the engine cuts out.

 

[richie]

Cos the Boxer is a high compression lump...try changing down two gears and dumping the clutch, the back end will lock beautifully (specially round dusty grutty corners offroad ) and it's the same effect if the engine cuts out.

Sorry Bill,

As you"ll remember I once had one, but luckily for me; it never cut out

But, ah, no I remember..

Fuel filter, coughing and spluttering no real cut out...

Hall sensor, stopped dead and I was doing over 30, the rear wheel did not lock up, I just coasted to a stop. Hoping it would restart on the "bump"

Not trying to be penickity, just throwing ideas about... Why the lock up. Maybe something more "technical"... Sorry I'm no mechanic...

 

[ahutcheon]

I'm pretty sure the motronic unit has overrun fuel cutoff - I can feel the idle fuel supply coming back on as the bike drops through 1500rpm or so. I'm sure that dropping the clutch to bump start (or when chopping down gears) can lock the back wheel, but I regularly close the throttle all the way when slowing down and nothing spectacular has happened yet...

I'm not doubting that sudden loss of power can be catastrophic is some circumstances, or that compression can lock the back wheel, just that loss of fuel or spark alone isn't enough to lock the wheel (in a highish gear in a straightish line).

Maybe I should be the one to experiment with whether flicking the kill switch has a vastly different effect to closing the throttle?

 

[Packer]

I ran out of fuel at 70mph + and the engine just continued to turn over the same as if I'd shut the throttle.

 

[Paul Wakefield]

I've also had the engine shut down at 70 (ish) mph. Like Packer, it was just like shutting the throttle. Being in the outside lane of the motorway in the rush hour did however make it rather more exciting.

In fact shutting down at 70 will probably be less scary than lower speeds in a lower gear.

Diagnosed as a problem with the kill switch.

 

[Voyager]

Sorry to hear about your problems and hope you recover fast.

I'd have thought it unlikely to be caused by coilpacks as your bike is a twin spark with different coils on the primary & secondary plugs.

Sounds like a dodgy cut-out switch somewhere.

Hope you get it sorted. If John Clark's find a definite fault will you keep it (great bikes) ? ? ?


Best of luck.

Bob.

 

[Greg Masters]

I agree about engine seizure.

Bikes just don't lock a rear wheel when the engine stops giving power - if that were the case, you'd get a lock-up every time you closed the throttle.

None-the-less, a scary event. I'm glad that you're not too badly hurt.

Greg

 

[Roger Chatterton]

Surely if the problem, whatever it was, caused the ignition to cut out( blown fuse or something) , and bike was in gear, which it was, then rear would lock-up ? Had similar problem when I had a fuel pump pack up, and managed to hit the clutch, but it did make the rear skid a bit.

 

[jimbo]

Surely if the problem, whatever it was, caused the ignition to cut out( blown fuse or something) , and bike was in gear, which it was, then rear would lock-up ? Had similar problem when I had a fuel pump pack up, and managed to hit the clutch, but it did make the rear skid a bit.

Just because the engine isn't giving any power, doesn't mean it stops. as somebody said earlier the difference between no power and a closed throttle isn't that great. Whilst I can just about believe that a complete power loss might cause the back wheel to lock on a wet road in 1st gear, I can't believe it will in higher gears.

 

[richie]

All this being said, (and I started it) I would just like to say, that we know that it happened to you, the evidence is clear.

But, why.... Is there some kind of mechanical breakdown that locks up the wheel completely only to let the bike run normally again after being stopped. As also said back wheel lock ups are normally at slow speed in first gear.

Let us know the outcome please.

And good luck with the thumb etc. Last time I came off was a t-bone into a car. Both my thumbs hurt for a while after that...

 

[SteveBC]

Had a very similar experience with my last bike which was an 1150 GS.

It most certainly will lock the back wheel on a wet road when the engine cuts out !! The engine cutting out is not the same as merely closing the throttle as then the engine will remain 'ticking over' because it is still being fueled.

Turned out to be the hall sensor, or rather the loom attached to it.

New part fitted and it never happened again.

Hope you heal quickly pal and get back riding.

SteveBC.

 

[Number 6]

I'm pretty sure the motronic unit has overrun fuel cutoff - I can feel the idle fuel supply coming back on as the bike drops through 1500rpm or so. I'm sure that dropping the clutch to bump start (or when chopping down gears) can lock the back wheel, but I regularly close the throttle all the way when slowing down and nothing spectacular has happened yet...

I'm not doubting that sudden loss of power can be catastrophic is some circumstances, or that compression can lock the back wheel, just that loss of fuel or spark alone isn't enough to lock the wheel (in a highish gear in a straightish line).

Maybe I should be the one to experiment with whether flicking the kill switch has a vastly different effect to closing the throttle?

Absolutely correct
If it frees when you pull the clutch in then the rear wheel lock-up is caused by a seizure somewhere in the engine.

 

[Number 6]

It most certainly will lock the back wheel on a wet road when the engine cuts out !!

Only if you pull the clutch in and then let it back out with a stalled engine in a low gear. If the engine simply stops fring then it will not lock-up, not even off-road.

 

[SteveBC]

Only if you pull the clutch in and then let it back out with a stalled engine in a low gear. If the engine simply stops fring then it will not lock-up, not even off-road.

Understand what you are saying mate, but believe me mine did it a number of times. But always on a wet road, and here in Thailand much of the tarmac is like glass so when wet it has the grip level of ice !!

Fortunately i also ride with fingers covering the clutch, just a habit that i have always had.

SteveBC.

 

[fatbaldbob]

I seem to have started a bit of a debate here on the wheel lock issue, I believe it to be a compression issue on these bikes. Closing the throttle with the engine still running is obviously no problem or we would all be falling off regularly. Its the engine cutting out that makes the difference, at high speeds in a high gear there is sufficient road speed / momentum to overcome the compression and keep the wheel turning, but fail to grab the clutch in time as the road speed drops without the engine running and I can assure you the wheel will lock, you may only be doing about 20mph when it happens but if the road is wet or slippy you will be spat off in an instant if you don't grab the clutch.

It is more likely to happen at lower speeds in a lower gear, kill the engine do nothing (ie not grab clutch) insufficient road speed / momentum to overcome compression as you suddenly decelerate, the wheel will lock. It's happened 4 times to me now.

Don't try this at home folks, it's no fun and I wouldn't like it to happen to anyone else trying to replicate the event, trust me it happens. I was caught out this time as the loss of power seemed to have cured itself and the bike picked up for a few seconds, by then I had lost the momentum and without so much as a cough or splutter it just cut out, wheel locked and I was off in a split second.

May I add I have put 47000 miles on this bike in 4 years, been around most of europe and north africa on it, it is my sole means of transport and is ridden all year round rain hail or snow and I believe I know its characteristics quite well by now. I have been riding for 27 years without a break (apart from bones) and would class myself as an experienced biker, but I got caught out this time and it happened so quick I couldn't react. I'm pissed off about it as I know it was not my riding at fault (25-30 mph on a straight and without warning your sliding up the road thinking what the f*** happened there First ever insurance claim too, good job my no claims bonus is protected, but I do feel somewhat embarrased about the whole thing as I can't give them a suitable explaination of how it happened. I hit / was hit by nothing, wasn't speeding, was on a straight, for insurance purposes I supose it was mechanical failure but I'm sure insurance clerk I gave details to thought I was a right numpty, "so you were riding at max speed of 30mph on a straight road, no other road users were involved and you just fell off" that was how they see it and I feel a twat. I think it's one of those things, if you haven't experienced it (and I hope you don't) then it's difficult to understand how it could happen.

 

[fatbaldbob]

I don't believe it!

Estimate for repair of bike has come in at £3k, bike is four years old with 47000 miles and insurer has instructed BMW to repair it What does it take to write a bike off? I have seen repairable cat D write off bikes for sale from salvage dealers with less mileage and damage than mine. I had my heart set on going bike shopping in the new year

 

[PIGGLET]

£3k So what is wrong with it? Does that include fixing whatever issue causes the stall in the first place?