Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Speedmaster Newbie - Running in advise.

Howdy folks, I've posted a few pics on here as a run up to receiving my new Speedmaster, well, it's here.
I picked up the bike last Saturday and went through the usual run-down and check on a new bike. Got told I had to do a good 1000kms, taking it easy, not to hard on the throttle, keep the revs down, etc.
Well, off i went for a blast the next day and after about an hour, hit the autobahn and cruised along around 3k revs at 80 kms. All of a sudden I got a blip, backed off on the throtle, felt like I'd run out of gas (I had a full tank) then nothing. Clutch in, cruise to a halt and wait. The oil light came on for a while and then it started again.

It's done this twice now - anyone got any clues or advise??

I can't get it back to the shop till the weekend, just trying to find out if I've done anything wrong whilst running in. Any help/advise appreciated.

Erm no advice....as it's what's happened to my America. It's funny. every so often it seems that those of us with new ones have problems.
The moment I know for definate I'll give you a hint... as it may not be the same but would give you something else to rule out...

And no, you've done nothing wrong with the running it - if you have so have I. Just it's for 800km not 1000.


Oh and an afterthought....Switzerland and Scotland....at the same time...?

HBW,
Not much info to go on. Did it simply die or start to struggle for power, to me though sounds like maybe the bike is running out of fuel due to a restriction in the line/tank petcock? You mentioned oil pressure but, that is normal when the bike is off/dies but, nothing about spark? Usually one of two things factor in on a bike, fuel or spark. If it has leaned out on fuel it would stumble a bit and die for spark it would just die. Even turn over like it has no compression. Jez my 2 cents.

Trumpy

mine did that once this spring and I have no idea what happened. I went over it and didn't find any blockages or loose connections oil pressure was fine. I have about 11,000 on mine and never did anything before. I hope it isn't the igniter problem I have seen others mention.

I hope yours and Ginas problem dosnt turn into a common feature on the newer bikes. So far there have been no little weirdnesses like this with my 06 (bought in Sept).

I did have a minor problem with a flat spot on take offs when I first took her out this season but that went away with new gas.

I know that dont help you guys, just thowin in my thoughts.

Make sure the little hose is connected and has no kinks that runs under the tank and connects to the underneath of the top of the tank. If it comes loose, you will eventually stall the motor.

If it happens again, try loosening the gas cap and see if you hear a slight hissing of air entering the tank. It is possible that the vent hose was routed between the tank mounting ears and the rubber mount when the dealer assembled the bike. This is a very common problem when the tank is removed, so be careful if you work on the bike yourself.

I know this may sound crazy, but if the fuel lines and vent hose are all ok, check the negative battery lead. Last summer, my bike ('02) would just die on me while riding. Sometimes when I hit the start button, it would even start back up while still moving. It was a loose negative lead. Just a thought.

AmyLee

Thanks guys, it went back to the shop about an hour ago, they reckon it might be an ignition fault. It was running with a full tank, but was just put together last week, I only picked it up on Saturday, brand new, out of the box. Maybe they've forgot to tighten/adjust/check something. Thanks Gina, the 1000k was a rough guide, they'll do the first service and a partical check on the oil after that.

Afterthoughts.....I live and work in Switzerland, but come from Scotland. I tend to go between the two quite a lot, mostly with the kids!

Thanks for the comments guys, I'll be around.

Oh yeah, forgot....got a 1200 Sportster from the shop as a run around - different world!

Well, it's Sunday, no news from the bike shop, I'm still on this Sportster and I got caught speeding yesterday! Real sneaky, they had a mobile unit hiding behind a barn, I'll have to wait for the repercussions, I'm on garage plates!

A "Fast Driver Award". Or a speedo calibration check.
On the way home from the '06 NorEast Rally, a NY State Trooper
was nice enough to confirm that my speedo reads about 10% high.
He said he got me at 87, speedo read 95.
Calibration check $215.00

Tell us what you think about the Sporty????
Uncle Charlie

Got the bike back from the shop today. They got in touch with the technical guy that covers Europe, they said that they had a similar problem with another new model, turns out it was the Ignition sensor. I'll get a few more miles under my belt this weekend and see what happens, apparently it was an issue with the sensor getting to hot.
As for the Sportster, it was all right. I had an early ninties 883 before, this was a brand new 1200. It was better than the older models for sure. It was a lot firmer and harsher than the Speedy, the clutch was snatchy (expected), the vibrations were still there at low revs and I think it must of had a rev limiter in 1st & 2nd gears, after that it was ok. When I got back on my Speedmaster, it was like sitting in a big comfy chair! Looking forward to running it in now! I was tossing up between the Sportster and the Speedmaster when buying, overall, I'm glad I picked the Triumph, I can always get another Harley.