So, during my last weekend ride to Skaggs bike started dying, not very consistently at first, right before turns, then like on command it shut off every time right as I was approaching a red light. Something like this happens: light turns red or I am about to dip into a turn, I start slowing down, brake/pull clutch in, and, as I am about to shift down out of whatever above-third gear I'm in, engine shuts off. As I keep rolling forward with clutch disengaged/braking, I hear a whine, like an electrical motor whine. I can' t shift - pedal just frozen dead in the spot (feels like trying to shift down in first gear), not going up nor down. Electrical seems fine. I have to completely stop (and speedo still shows I'm riding around 9mph when I do, so have to wait for that to spin down) before I can shift down to neutral to restart the bike. I figured it had something to do with the clutch - maybe it was not disengaging completely + brake had something to do with it. So I adjusted the cable (so much that lever is almost only 2-3" from the bar), been riding for two days and it was ok, but it did the same thing (twice) today. I can see the revs shut down and dip into 1200 at times, but it pulls out and up just fine when I'm watching. I had the idle adjusted twice already, so I am not sure its idle either. It idles around 1400-1500 right now (was doing 1300-1400 when I first got it, but started acting up after first service including the valve adjustment was done). I know I can adjust the clutch cable more, but I already got enough play in the lever and not so much room. It's not cool going into a turn free-wheeling over pot holes and rotten pavement... I need to trust this sucker! I'm out of ideas. It's completely stock (still). Anyone?
I'd guess it was a sensor issue but I'd check the plug wire too. Some guy had a hell of a time figuring out his bike and it was a loose connection on the O2 sensor. Another guy had some intermittent contact between the coil and plug wire. Quote "Got the bike back today and the problem was an intermittent electrical contact between the coil and the spark-plug wire. I guess every time I pulled the plug and checked for spark or tested the coil the movement reinstated the contact making everything seem fine and run temporarily. Once reassembled and ridden the bike vibrations or the position of the spark-plug wire broke the contact and killed the bike." http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6723&page=10 You might have a weird issue with the clutch safety switch too. Something to look at anyway to make sure it's connected properly. You might need to put it on iBeat to see if there are any fail codes. That's all I got.
This is kind of a long shot but what the heck, can't hurt to mention it. On '08 and '09 250/310/450/510 models the fuel pump isn't mounted securely and sometimes slips up, resulting in them running out of gas when there is still gas left in the tank. The engines die on braking when this happens. Since you have an '09 610 and they use the same fuel pump retention I think it would be wise to pull the tank and check the fuel pump. There are threads with pics on what slips and how to fix it, so search for "slipping fuel pump". Give the fuel pump a tug to make sure it's secure rather than just look at it.
You should be able to start the bike in any gear with the clutch pulled in, no need to find neutral (on carb bikes at least). If not, you might have a funky clutch safety switch. I do not see that as a cause of the bike dying off however. But you should try to restart while rolling and recover it in motion if it will restart fast enough. The fuel pump as other have said, look for loose wiring at the pump and pull off your tank and inspect the wiring harness and coil connections. Make sure everything is not hanging in the breeze, not rubbing the frame or tank, and terminals on tight. Also inspect the harness behind the headlight including the ignition switch connector to be sure it is fully engaged and does not pull tight when turning the steering.
Thanks for the replies and advice! I'm planning on working on it all weekend (bad weather, haha), so I will have an update sometime next week. I'm used to being in a low gear when I start, so I was trying to shift down by reflex while still rolling after bike died - what's curious is that the shift lever was locked and wouldn't budge until I completely stopped. When I first got the bike, it used to jolt forward just a tad upon being started in gear, but lately it stopped starting that way altogether. I'm ordering barnett clutch cable, just to be sure that it is *just* funky clutch-a-ching and not something horrible.
Tilt sensor? :shocked: I thought those were only installed on recent model Macbook Pros... :P (off to do some googling)
they do have what is called a lean angle sensor.i have not seen one act up yet but it would be a possibility.dan
