Bike is randomly losing ignition (cutting off)

alright im about to spend some money i dont want to spend so i figured id see what you all thought before i do.

my bike runs great except for one small problem. once im out on the road it suddenly *blips* (cuts off for a split second) then runs and then 2 seconds later. cuts off completely! i roll to a stop. The headlights and taillights are still on and work. but if i press the starter button nothing. then maybe randomly 10 seconds to 2 minutes later. press the starter button again and it starts right up. then rinse and repeat it will die somewhere down the road again for sure.

theories? im thinking it has to be the key switch. ive gone over everything. tested the engine off switch with a multimeter. checked connections on everything. hell i even replaced the coils. but now that i really think about it. what would cause the bike to lose ignition and the starter button but all the lights are still working. doesnt the key switch have contacts for ignition and lights on separate wires. or am i wrong.

anyways just thought id see what yall thought before i got buy a 80+ dollar key switch that i cant return. haha. thanks.

ike

 

Is it the original fuse panel? They are kinda flaky and should be replaced with the blade style

 

have you checked the kick stand switch. if that is going bad, sticking or shorting out it would kill ignition but not your lights.

 

Hey Ike! Where'd you disappear to?

Tug on all the electrical connectors (esp. around the TCI) while the bike is idling, see if you can make it cut out that way. Also gently tap on the ignition switch housing with the blunt end of a screw driver, do the same with the right-hand control cluster... There are some connectors under the tank (including the kill switch pigtail). Don't forget to check them as well.

+1 on the fuse box and kick-stand switch... but you DID replace the fuse box, right?

You can temporarily bypass the kickstand switch by shorting all 3 contacts on the harness-side pigtail. They are notorious for failing for no apparent reason.. Even worse, they're non-maintainable.

 

Classic symptom of a flaky TCI module. Had it happen to me. The fix was to pull the TCI module, remove the circuit board from its case, replace the electrolytic capacitors inside, touch up all the solder joints, put the board back in the case, recoat the back of the circuit board with sealant, and bolt it back in.

If you have the XJCD set, the procedure is on there.

 

thanks for all the responses. now let me hit you back with a load of questions hahah.

fuse panel is blade style.

ive theorized that it could be the kick stand switch. but even if the kick stand switch was on the fritz shouldnt the bike have no problem starting in neutral?

also. i do not have a "flux capacitor" dashboard-thingy on my bike anymore. i took it off. yesterday i decided to test the kick stand. i started the bike; sitting there in neutral. put the bike in first gear. then put the kick stand down. the bike doesn't cut off. so is it a switch in the dash that would cut the bike off if it was in gear and kick stand was down? or even if i had no dash should the bike still cut out in gear with kickstand down.

also stereomind, i have tried banging on keyswitch and TCI but im going to give it another go. part of me has thought that it could be the TCI but it just doesnt make sense. Lights working, but press starter button and nothing. would the TCI malfunction not allow the starter to even activate?

also stero you said "There are some connectors under the tank (including the kill switch pigtail). Don't forget to check them as well."

what is this kill switch pigtail under the tank? ill need to check this out.

even all of this aside. what else besides the keyswitch on this bike would cause it to die due to loss of ignition and starter button wont work for a random amount of time. but the headlights and tailights remain on. its not that i just dont have ignition. because if it was just that the starter button would work every time. its like im riding, riding, boom, dies, sit there. click click nothing. turn the key a few times. bang on some stuff. wait. starts right up. dies again 1-5 minutes later. starts all over again.

im not an expert with electronics on this darn thing. but i did take apart my keyswitch once a bit ago and i noticed that it uses three different wires on three different contact patches(looked like copper circles). once of which on mine (the red wire i believe) was actually pitted. those three wires in the key switch....are the lights and the ignition on two different wires?

 

oh good lord. i could attempt this but this makes me nervous. lol

 

If you've done any kind of electronic component soldering before, then it's not that hard. You'd have a harder time finding the capacitors than swapping them out.

Although now that I've read your post again, your starter not turning when you hit the button may indeed indicate an iffy connection elsewhere. Do as was suggested earlier and start with the handlebar kill switch. That's also bitten at least one other user on here.

 

ive tested the kill switch on the right handlebar with a multimeter and seems to have a solid connection. but who knows. any clue what this killswitch pigtail is that stereo was referring to under the tank? not that im gonna go outside and look at it now. haha its 2am. but im wide awake now with curiosity.

 

The pigtail in question is a 6-pin (4 + 2) gang plug with two tapered corners. One end comes out of the right-hand control box, the other is usually somewhere on the right side of the frame under the gas tank. If I'm not mistaken, it's responsible for both the kill switch and the starter button.

The only way to get to it is to pull the gas tank.