My (new to me) V4 stranded me in Brecon on Sunday. It had just passed the 484 miles mark when I refueled in Brecon with "std" 95 Octane fuel. Within half a mile it cut out and wouldn't re-start. My immediate concern was had I miss fueled, as all morning it had not missed a beat but the receipt clearly shows "Unleaded" and the tank smells only of petrol. On returning to pick it up with my trailer c 8 hrs later it started immediately. Same happened today but after idling for c 4 mins it then cut out and now refuses to restart (again). I've refilled the tank with 98 Octane V-Power but still no go. I had changed the AGM battery for a Lithium one but for 98 miles on Sunday there was no problems (and even now the bike turns over freely ); it just doesn't start. Could this be the source of the issue? Any ideas on what may be amiss before I embarrass myself at the dealers?
Could be dodgy fuel if it's not yet made its way through the system? Was just a few weeks ago this happened at Morissons and everyone broke down almost immediately after.
The pump takes the fuel from the bottom of the tank so unless you drained the tank before refilling you haven't really eliminated fuel as a potential cause. As an aside I'm not convinced by lithium batteries at all. A good quality old style AGM battery like a Yuasa is all anyone needs for a standard road bike. It's worth checking the battery voltage if you have a multimeter, especially when you're turning the engine over. It may be the battery isn't being fully recharged in use and the voltage is gradually dropping off. It all comes down to ignition coil voltage not just how quickly the engine turns over.
Thanks. I think you are correct; I only managed to siphon off 6 litres so I think that still leave 10 litres of potentially contaminated fuel in there (no mixed with the fresh). I've replaced the std AGM battery so that is now eliminated as a cause. Next stop is to drop it off with Moto Rapido. I will let you know the conclusions next week.
No worries. Hopefully that's all it is and they'll resolve the issue quickly. It's seemingly the most obvious cause. If I read your post correctly you changed the battery and then covered 98 miles before having the bike cut out. If the case I'd want to eliminate the variable of a battery issue. It does seem unlikely but a quick swap back to the charged AGM battery (if serviceable) would absolutely rule it out. Belt and braces and something positive to do whilst you're waiting for it to go in!
I've run the same Lithium battery on my Street Triple for 5 years and wouldn't go back. My 959 Corse came with a Lithium battery and has never caused an issue. Really surprised a V4 doesn't come with one as standard tbh.
Well it's back and now running. Appears it may have been an electrical connection fault rather than bad fuel. Re-routing the harness (following an technical bulletin release) and just remaking all the connections does look like it has cured the fault. Timing of the fault may be coincidence and as a result of its first long trip since effectively being in storage for 2 years. Time to put the Lithium battery back on and ride!
