Engine shut off while downshifting
 

Has anyone experienced their engine just cutting off during a downshifting slow down?

I was going about 60mph on the highway yesterday morning. When I got on the off/on ramp to merge onto the interstate I started to downshift to slow my speed with light braking. As I began my right turn onto the the interstate on ramp, I was then in 2nd gear with brakes engaged for the sharp turn and the bike just cut off on me. It started right back up and I kept going, but it cut off. I couldn't believe it. I had mentioned it to my husband and he had told me that had happened to him as he was downshifting and slowing going downhill somewhere.

Any idea why guys?

Both my wife and I had it happen about 30 seconds appart from each other on a long run back from Texas Hill Country on I-10. Mine died on the ramp when I pulled in the clutch and my wife pulled up behind me and her's died. Turns out we had both run out of gas while taking the ramp to the gas station (both bikes where loaded with gear 75 mph) we ran out sooner than we expected. They both started back up and we made it to the station. My RX3 ran like crap after filling up for 10 or so miles spitting and sputtering could barley get it to 60 mph. It cleared up but I ran injector cleaner through both bikes once we got home and its been good so far. With all the flooding here in Southeast Texas I wouldn't be surprised if we had gotten bad fuel with water in it.

I've had this happen once and only once. It happened just after an extremely long, very steep downhill and a very long decel with a stop sign at the bottom. I did my last downshift rolling up to the stop sign with the clutch in and it died.

Never done it since.

Wonder if it starved for fuel at the petcock? Makes sense on the downhill? I am usually working the throttle while downshifting to aid in shifting on my bashan

No petcock. Injection. I just figured the ECM got confused from all the unburnt gas on the super long decel. I go down that hill now, I blip the throttle once in a while. Cured it.

Ok....rather, the point where the fuel empties from the tank. (Sloshing fuel starvation etc). Is the tank baffled? Either way, getting in the habit of elevating the rpm s will prevent it.

How many miles on your bike and have the vales been adjusted? I believe I read somewhere this was an indication that valves needed adjusting??????? rj

Good point. I do think mad has done her 1st adjustment.

I'd x3 the valves. How's it start?

Have you worked on the bike recently? I wonder if you have a loose connection or crimped fuel line (unlikely but possible)

Prob injection setting..
Not uncommon on injected bike motors..
Some yamaha's were quite bad at just cutting
out while slowing down...
on my XT its the TPS & CO settings...

..

I was riding up hill, so it wasn't down hill and there was only 100 miles on the bike at the time. So there was plenty of fuel in there.

I have 1000 miles on the bike, so we did our 500 mile valve adj already. However, my husband experienced the cut off before the valve change. I've been the only one riding the bike since the valve change and it just happened to me. So, I do not believe that to be the issue. However, to answer your question CSaddict, the bike has never started right up pushing on the start button. It takes a holding it down for a few seconds and doing it twice to get it started. It has never started quickly, never, not even right out of the box.

It's time for another oil change, so I will take the seat off and look around for loose wires and such. It only happened that one time, just really weird.

Madsocial,

I've not experienced what you describe. ABout 7,000 miles so far and I ride a very steep canyon road everytime I'm on the bike.

Two questions: Are you able to reproduce the symptom? When you wrote "engine just cutting off", do you mean as in if the electrics suddenly cut off, or as in if the motor starved for fuel?

Cheers,

Dan K.

Dan, I will try to reproduce it on my next ride. The power just shut off. Electronics it must be. The motor did not starve for fuel. I know what a motor feels like when it is starving for fuel. You feel jerking, and a putt putt type of feel to it. None of this happened. The bike just shut off! It must be an electric thing.

you just answered my question. did everything shut off.check the main power fuse connection. mine did that and it was loose. I also called csc when I got mine because i thought it was idling too high and they said they changed the idle to 1800 ( 2000 when cold) because they had a problem with engines stalling when letting off the throttle.