Ok so, here's the story, as short as I can make it.

First, the bike in question:

2012 XL1200C - V&H Big Radius 2->2 - SE Heavy Breather - SEPST - No engine mods e.g. cams - Approx 6,500k's

Up until two weeks ago, my bike has been running like a dream...No problems at all. BUT, After a 235-odd k ride down south, my bike started acting up...It was jerky at low speeds i.e. anything below ~85km/h (both high and low revs)...It was stuttering and spurting, and when it jerked, there was a sound that I can only describe as the sound of a turbocharger blow-off valve (i.e. that k-tssss sound)...After it did this, it would run fine for a few moments and then it would stutter, like it was about to die, I'd hear that noise, the bike would jerk and run fine again for a few moments, then the cycle would start over again.

So I rode it back and dropped it into Frasers (dealership in WA) with my SEPST, at the booked time. They said "It'll be an all-day job, because we have never 'done' a bike with the setup yours has, before. We'll call you when it's ready to be picked up."

This was at 8:30am.

5:00pm (Service dept. closing time) came and went, and I never heard from them.
 

Called them the next morning, and got this: "There's something wrong with your bike. It's sucking in too much air and we don't know why. We're going to look at it, and give you a call when we know what's going on."

 6 DAYS LATER...

 I get a call from them to say "We still don't know what the problem is, but we have noticed that the problem is particularly noticeable at 3,500 rpm, in 5th gear. We'll call you when we know more."

4 DAYS LATER...

I get a phone call at 1:00pm today: "With your bike set up the way it is, and, given it's a sporty, there's always going to be a flat spot on the throttle, especially with those pipes. The bike has been on the dyno for a total of 12 hours, and we have looked over it from head to tail, and everything is fine. There are no faults recorded, and the guy that took it for a test ride said it was fine."

So I rode it out the carpark and not 5 metres down the road, it started acting up again. But this time, it was worse than ever. There were no 'moments' - It was constantly jerking, I could hear that noise every few seconds - The bike generally sounded INCREDIBLY unwell.

I rode it round the block and right back into Frasers and told them the problem was even worse now...They looked at me all confused, and said "We really don't have a clue what's going on. The guys that looked at your bike said they couldn't find anything at all, and the dyno reading is spot-on. All that can be done is we'll book your bike in again for next week, and start from scratch."

Pissed-off and really unhappy, I booked my bike in again and left.

ALL THAT BEING SAID:

Does anyone in the HD community, have ANY - Even a FOGGY idea, as to what MIGHT be causing my bike to behave this way?

Cheers in advance.

 

It might be a long shot but could it be a cylinder base gasket leak? If it's a new bike it could be a weak/faulty gasket install?
When i went over my bike (2011 Superlow) pulled the cover off the air filter and the sealing rubber strip was crimped and twisted and it looks as if it was like that from the factory. Quality control HD?!?!

The cylinder base gasket on my old IT250 was slightly leaking causing pressure to build up in the crankcase. When it was idling out of gear the revs would increase, causing it to scream it's head off from sucking the air in.

It had a sucking noise also like breathing through a straw, but really fuckin loud. To get it to run properly i had to kick it in gear and ride.

Pulled the head off, threw away the shitty compound gasket, cleaned and polished all the inside of the head and chamber lips, got rid of all the carbon. Replaced the reed valve. Measured the squish to ensure clearance with no gasket and threw it all back together with a lick of gasket goo. Went pretty hard after that.

I'm getting all nostalgic now. I should've kept that bike. it'd be a fuckin classic in 3 years. I was a stupid 16 year old. That was 11 years ago.

 Maybe give H-D in cannington a call. could be and EFI issue or a spark issue.

 

Hope you get it sorted!! 

brad unbook it & take it to thundertech.

Brad, might be worth draining the fuel and starting again..................? Otherwise I'm with the blokes above, unless its covered by warrant from a dealership take it to someone else for a second opinion!! Mine rode like a dogs body a few months back, coincidentally after being on the dyno at Trivett's. I worked out that my throttle body for the fuel injection was loose on the right hand side; cant believe it went through the entire dyno process in that condition. That being said, my bike hasn't been back to Trivett's and I keep meaning to drop T1 aline to get some contact details for the bloke he knows!!

First thing to do like has been said drain fuel, then fill with BP 98( on average this fuel is mostly ok ) possibly could have got bad fuel.

but as bike has only done 6,500k & this showed up after a 230k . check nothing is leaking on intake, if you know how to read spark  plugs take a look at them. if still same after changing the fuel. & no air leaks on intake & TB tight sounds like it just needs more fuel down low. the dealers just use pre programed maps, prob could not find one that was made with your pipes. so you now might need a tuner that makes his own maps ( knows how to tune ) takes about a full day to make a custom map EFI  .

would also be good to do a leak test just to check valves are sealing

good luck with it

 

Id take it to Perth HD to start with, had my Dyna at frasers due to battery failing, wasted time and money went to Perth HD they replaced the battery under warranty ( i purchased it from frasers and it wil be my last purchase from them) all good now.)

so far as your bike do you have the original parts? put them on and see if it runs better.

Hi all, thanks for your replies.

I have both drained the fuel and run the fuel out of the tank, AND refilled with ONLY BP ( I ONLY use 'Ultimate 98' if I can possibly help it, otherwise, if there is no 98, I use 95 and add a drop or two of 'octane boost'), 3 times now and the problem still exists.

I have checked and replaced the spark plugs and used a gapper to ensure the right measurement as is stated in the service manual. Problem still exists.

Near as I can see, hear or notice, there are no leaks.

Only thing I haven't checked, is the TB, but im really unsure of how I would go about doing so.

@MADOGA - I'm apprehensive about putting the stock parts back on, only because if the problem continues even after putting them back on, I've wasted time and money, that could have been spent trying to fix it.

Still, I'm gonna be calling Frasers today and talking to the quote-unquote 'managing director' about this.

As for Perth-HD, Unfortunately, their service dept. is fully booked until the 19th of Feb, which means I'm gonna have to ride a crook bike for quite a while still. *Sobs quietly in a corner*

Might call HD Australia and see what they have to say about this. It's really a f**k-off that the Perth metro area only has two 'authorised' HD service centres - One being fully booked for weeks, and the other have basically said "f**k it we give up."

I reckon they should start providing loaners to customers whose bikes are in for service/problems that are likely to take longer than a day!!

all engines are open to atmosphere so find where the breather is and make sure its not kinked or blocked, it could be the noise you are hearing?

can u pin point where the noise is coming from eg air box lower or uper engine and does it do it with no load does it run good full niose or is problem on when your coasting

when it hapens does it fell like 1 or 2 cylinders cutting out like drops a cylinder then picks it up again or dus the hole bike cut out the fire back up

well after thinking about it i can't see Pipes upsetting the tune that much, it's got to be a bad connection or sensor or possible airleak.

So what hilly recomended makes sence. . still don't think it's smart doing too much yourself at this stage & just give Frazers more time with it. know how you must feel it's hard to take i'm sure but, give  them a chance . got to be simple as only two cylinders.

also thought i would point out, i think it is of no benifit at all useing octane booster & 98 together, infact i think 98 is slow enough burning with stock motor. you just need to be on the virge of detonation to make your best power.

good luck with it.

 

Cheers for your input, IRON and Krash.

@Krash, I ONLY use Octane Booster when I have ZERO choice BUT to use LESS THAN 98 Octane petrol.

I don't wanna give Frasers any more time with it, as they've already had 10 days with it, and, as I explained in my original post, I got multiple different explanations and stories, that finally ended with "we have no idea"

@IRON, Not a bad idea checking the leads. I've always had this kinda nagging thought in the back of my mind "what if its the battery or a wiring issue?!?"



A couple of observations:
*If I 'snap' the throttle, with the clutch in, while decelerating, the exhaust kinda cuts out for a split second, during the quick rev.

*When the bike is sitting in neutral and idling, It SEEMS as if, after a minute or two of idling, the idle speed gets a slight bit slower, every minute or so, but never actually cuts out.

Almost sounds like a coil. Also check for a vac leak from the inlet manifold using water. I would not be taking it back to them, i would also be sending them a formal complaint and also send one to HD head office. Check their website and you will find "They have all attended week long training courses" which about sums it up, like most dealerships they are full of "service mechanics" (oil and filter changers) so their knowledge of anything past a filter will be very limited. Take it to a real bike mechanic and have it looked at.

T1

it does sound eletrical more than fuel was it wet at all on your ride put a spark tester betwen plug and lead go for a ride and watch it as it plays up then c hange cylnders u should see it brake down spark testers are cheep get them at any spair parts shop if it doesnt dont replace the coil

Spart testers wont do you any good with your current problem, if it is indeed the coil it will only be breaking down (loosing spark) when its put underload. It would be good if you could find somebody close with the same model so you could swap out parts to quickly help find the problem.

T1

Check the tank breather hose and the cap. When the bike is jerking on cruise, undo the tank cap and see if it clears. The hiss and the jerking sounds like a pressure issue rather than electrical, and blocked vent hoses or air locks in the tank have been a pretty common fault on EFI bikes - and with similar symptoms. Throttle bodies can loosen off - VStrom 1000s are notorious for popping off the mounts, as were the carbs on the Yamaha 1000V. It is unlikely, but check the fuel hoses in case the inner hose has broken and is blocking the tube. Can happen if the hose has been snagged under something when the tank has been off. Is the fuel filter still in place and clean?

I know this is an older bike but dose this look/sound like your issue?????? This is what a fucked coil pak will do!

 

 

did u get i sorted what was the problem

Get it fixed?