Hot weather woes
Julie and I hopped on our new Roadmasters for our annual Flyin to Zion road trip ~~ 600mi for dinner in Springdale. Friday we rode over Independence Pass and thru Aspen. It was 97 degrees and we hit stop-and-go traffic all the way thru town, then intermittently to Glenwood Springs. When we got within two blocks of our hotel, my bike sputtered and died. It would restart, but as soon as I tried to (gently) engage the clutch, it would immediately stall. So we gently pushed it to the curb and called my dealer (Indian of Denver). They said to open the gas cap and that it might be a heat sensor. No codes were thrown.
The next morning things were fine. Off we went, across the desert in hi-90’s temps. A bit of slow-moving traffic as we went thru Zion Natl Park but no stoppages until we almost got to the motel. Then it sputtered and died.
Yesterday we hopped on the bikes for what should have been a routine (albeit long) ride home. Thru Escalante Plateau, past Bryce and thru Capitol Reef NP’s, all good. We hit open riding headed for Hanksville as temps rose, turned to head towards Green River, and had wide-open roads. Cruising speed 80, passes at 90. Air temp was around 100. We went to pass a couple of boat-towing trucks and an RV, and as I rolled on the engine caught, sputtered, and died. Very dangerous mid-pass. Down-shifting and releasing the clutch did not help.
Luckily the trucks recognized our dilemma and let us in. We cruised to a stop. We let the bike sit and cool down. It started right up but four times between there and Green River it would do the same thing, even tho I was babying the bike and not getting past 75mph. My brother (following on a Gold Wing) saw that every time this happened, my tail lights would go off as I lost power, then come back on as I clutched in. This indicated potential electrical issues. I learned that if I immediately downshifted to fifth gear, it would flutter but sometimes smooth out, and if not I could shift to 6th and sometimes that would smooth it out. We decided to get as close to Denver as possible so I could trailer it back.
When we hit the cooler mountain air near Debeque (refueling stop), it seemed to cure the problem. No further problems going home.
Frustrating. Tomorrow of course I’m off to the dealership. Will post results when I get them. From re-reading posts, I’m going to ask for a new battery and also to check the ground. Other possibilities may be a defective heat or oxygen sensor? (although I think that would throw a code). Stand by for results and in the interim other thoughts welcome.
I have got to have a reliable bike ~~ all weather, year-round.
The next morning things were fine. Off we went, across the desert in hi-90’s temps. A bit of slow-moving traffic as we went thru Zion Natl Park but no stoppages until we almost got to the motel. Then it sputtered and died.
Yesterday we hopped on the bikes for what should have been a routine (albeit long) ride home. Thru Escalante Plateau, past Bryce and thru Capitol Reef NP’s, all good. We hit open riding headed for Hanksville as temps rose, turned to head towards Green River, and had wide-open roads. Cruising speed 80, passes at 90. Air temp was around 100. We went to pass a couple of boat-towing trucks and an RV, and as I rolled on the engine caught, sputtered, and died. Very dangerous mid-pass. Down-shifting and releasing the clutch did not help.
Luckily the trucks recognized our dilemma and let us in. We cruised to a stop. We let the bike sit and cool down. It started right up but four times between there and Green River it would do the same thing, even tho I was babying the bike and not getting past 75mph. My brother (following on a Gold Wing) saw that every time this happened, my tail lights would go off as I lost power, then come back on as I clutched in. This indicated potential electrical issues. I learned that if I immediately downshifted to fifth gear, it would flutter but sometimes smooth out, and if not I could shift to 6th and sometimes that would smooth it out. We decided to get as close to Denver as possible so I could trailer it back.
When we hit the cooler mountain air near Debeque (refueling stop), it seemed to cure the problem. No further problems going home.
- Julie’s bike was a rock star. Same engine, zero problems ( RM Darkhorse).
- my old RM made the same trip every year with zero problems. Last summer I went to Vegas in 115 degree temps, with bumper-to-bumper traffic to get to my hotel, and zero problems.
Frustrating. Tomorrow of course I’m off to the dealership. Will post results when I get them. From re-reading posts, I’m going to ask for a new battery and also to check the ground. Other possibilities may be a defective heat or oxygen sensor? (although I think that would throw a code). Stand by for results and in the interim other thoughts welcome.
I have got to have a reliable bike ~~ all weather, year-round.
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6,256 Posts
Kickstand switch is what it sounds like, pretty common on these bikes, especially if you hit rough road. Pulling the clutch in and the bike runs again is definitely a sign of this. And it could also be the good old battery connections, frame ground that many run into.
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268 Posts
Damn, that sucks Hink. Hope they can figure it all out. Keep us posted.
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My new one is a 2021 RM Icon. Julie’s is a 2020 RM Darkhorse. Both have the 116 engine. My old (Uber-reliable) RM was a 2015.
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25,607 Posts
The cutouts were on smooth roads. On the way back, after the engine was cutting out on smooth roads, we hit horrible potholes and road repairs on Vail Pass. This was after dark and I could not see them in advance so it was a jarring, bumpy ride ~~ I would think that would exacerbate a loose wire. Nothing — lights stayed on, engine ran like a Swiss watch. Baffling...
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3,800 Posts
sounds like a loose battery or a short... my son took my Vegas for a spin and it ran fine until about 1/2 through our ride (150mi) then when passing a tractor/planter it cut out then fired back up and ran ok another 60 miles it kept doing it... we stopped for a smoke and to decide which way home... the short fast route or the normal route... went to leave and she wouldn't start.. headlight wasn't on either.. bet him 10bucks it was a loose battery cable (Victory had the same problem as Indian have to keep them tight)... yup the positive was loose.. tightened it up and fired her up and took the normal way home with no further issues
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6,256 Posts
Maybe this.
www.indianmotorcycles.net
ECU CALIBRATION REFLASH Service advisory quietly...
This for the "Throttle Plausibility Fault" that many experience during rapid acceleration. This was found to happen on stock tunes. On bikes with PVCX and PV3 units with tunes done by Fuel Motto and CraigB, these tables were adjusted to avoid this. SUBJECT: ECU CALIBRATION REFLASH PURPOSE...
www.indianmotorcycles.net
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5,049 Posts
Got to thinking about the kick stand switch. If I put mine into gear with the kick stand down it immediately throws a code out on the display. Mine is a pre Ride Command system but I can’t see the new bikes being any different. Dean
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25,607 Posts
Excellent info — thx. I am downloading this to show them. That’s where this forum shines ~~ sharing info and troubleshooting. A lot of times forum members will have an answer before the local tech guys. It’s just a left hand / right hand thing.Maybe this.
ECU CALIBRATION REFLASH Service advisory quietly...
This for the "Throttle Plausibility Fault" that many experience during rapid acceleration. This was found to happen on stock tunes. On bikes with PVCX and PV3 units with tunes done by Fuel Motto and CraigB, these tables were adjusted to avoid this. SUBJECT: ECU CALIBRATION REFLASH PURPOSE...
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253 Posts
Hink, that bulletin sounds like the problem I had on my bike, not yours. In Sport Mode (always), if you would try to accelerate too quickly, the bike would go into limp-mode. When you pull off the road it seemed to be hunting for idle. After powering down and back up it would run fine (with a check engine light on for the next 4 or 5 cycles until it cleared itself). The bike NEVER died - it would go into limp-mode. After my dealer applied this flash (it had JUST come out - the younger mechanic mentioned to the head one that this flash was just released) and the bike hasn’t experienced this problem since.
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63 Posts
I would expect a code, but the heat thing reminds me of ignition coil issues.
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2022 Chief Bobber Dark Horse, 2021 Vintage, 2019 FTR-RR, 2021 Scout Bobber, 1977 Yamaha XS750
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Years ago I owned a yellow 1970 Opel GT. While taking a trip from Erie, PA to Pittsburgh the car simply died. After sitting stranded (pre-cell phone days) on the side of I-79 for 30 minutes at night I decided to try to restart. It fired right up. It ran for another 15-20 miles then died again. Same thing over and over until I finally limped home. I took it to the Buick Dealership (Opel was sold in the US through Buick) and they diagnosed a bad ignition coil. When the coil got hot it stopped working. When it cooled it worked again for a little while until it got hot again and would fail. After replacing the coil the car ran great until I sold the car. (That is one vehicle I wish I still owned!)
Yes, and when it is hot, something expands to cause that condition to happen.
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