runs! but cuts out/dies inconsistently!

hey all, new here but i did sort thru the elec forum and read issues i thought might be related to my issue but found none. please excuse (and direct me) me if i missed something big blatant and obvious…. and thanks in advance for any and all info.

heres the scenario.
-bought a 2000 650r in colorado
-rode it 200+ miles thru the mountains
-started and ran great at 6000-14000 feet (trail ridge road in october. cold)
-trucked it back to oakland
-wouldnt start
-went thru carb and replaced all jets with new and appropriate ones
-started and ran fine for 8 hours then died.
-kicked and started again but died again after another mile
-kicked again and started again but died after another mile
-towed home
-started next day but cut out again after maybe 2 miles..then repeated the kick run die kick run die
-took to local honda dealership
-they gave me info but refused to work on it…….
-bought new cdi (xrsonly) and it won't even start with it in place….
-replaced stock/original cdi and it started again
-still worried about being stranded in the woods or on trails due to the weird dying issue.

anyone have any thoughts or advice? the bike is pretty spotless (carb internals are/were immaculate) i bought it from a guy who built it in san clemente and ran it down at baja as a pre runner… mechanic guy who threw a bunch of money at it.. now I'm throwing parts at it and running on empty financially. thanks again!

lee.

Sounds like the fuel line is kinked or the float assembly is not working correctly. You can jam the float if you don't put the bowl back on right but it usually holds it in the open position causing flooding.
I would remove carb and double check the internals, check valve adjustment, check fuel flow through petcock and make sure the fuel hose doesn't have a flappy piece inside it causing the flow too "check" once connected.

If you get a chance, pull the plug when it dies and check for spark. If no spark then its electrical- obviously..

Process of elimination but it does sound like a fuel supply issue to me.

Welcome next time she dies un do the carb drain screw and confirm if there is fuel present or not, dead easy way to find a lack of fuel problem....does sound like a sticking float/jet

You just need to check everything , work systematicaly , start with the basics ( fuell , valves , spark , .... ) and you will eventualy find the issue , its usualy something stupid and then you will be kicking yourself for not seeing it

I'll agree that a fuel prob is more likely, so check if there's any in the carb after it dies again.
If there is..... then you should suspect the stator, or rather the dual windings which power the CDI unit.
Some surer news here is that you'd better take off the stator cover first, it's a dry cover (no oil there, if any it is sweating past the crank but a little is normal). If there's any rust on the poles, or rust stuck to the flywheel-magnets then clean this properly. A thin film of oil will prevent rusting again and should bring improvements IF this is the cause.
Oh, and check all the connectors, cleaning and vaselineing (no poofterjokes please) is in any case a good idea if not the cause.

All this because you say a brandnew XRsOnly cdi does not work, funny I think.
If the above does bring joy then get the ignition coils measured (or do this yourself if you can), if faulty get a new stator.

Zoro,

like the way you think - for an Oztrayan mind
Yes, no spark is a giveaway, but a weak spark is downright tricky to diagnose. Seems his bike gets warm and then quits, often a telltale sign of weak or intermittent coils.
But, this also can be said of too tight valve clearances..... bru OP, you better check this first! Make sure you know how to, and never-ever turn the crank backwards during this process, not even a millimeter! Turning forward is the way to do it, as this way the auto-decompressor (which lifts a valve on turning back immediately) will not interfere. RTFM, and now I hope you've got one

Wonder how this is progressing?
Update??

onesickrace wrote:hey all, new here but i did sort thru the elec forum and read issues i thought might be related to my issue but found none. please excuse (and direct me) me if i missed something big blatant and obvious…. and thanks in advance for any and all info.

heres the scenario.
-bought a 2000 650r in colorado
-rode it 200+ miles thru the mountains
-started and ran great at 6000-14000 feet (trail ridge road in october. cold)
-trucked it back to oakland
-wouldnt start
-went thru carb and replaced all jets with new and appropriate ones
-started and ran fine for 8 hours then died.
-kicked and started again but died again after another mile
-kicked again and started again but died after another mile
-towed home
-started next day but cut out again after maybe 2 miles..then repeated the kick run die kick run die
-took to local honda dealership
-they gave me info but refused to work on it…….
-bought new cdi (xrsonly) and it won't even start with it in place….
-replaced stock/original cdi and it started again
-still worried about being stranded in the woods or on trails due to the weird dying issue.

anyone have any thoughts or advice?  the bike is pretty spotless (carb internals are/were immaculate)  i bought it from a guy who built it in san clemente and ran it down at baja as a pre runner… mechanic guy who threw a bunch of money at it.. now I'm throwing parts at it and running on empty financially. thanks again!

lee.

had a similar problem ,turned out i had debris in the tank from previous owner. and of course i went thru the carb twice. and my procon ignition box helped starting and more power.

yes check every thing one by one, if it is only firing but not actually starting?, id suspect a fault with the wiring and or regulator, also ive had a simular fault that turned out to be ignition coil wire coupling only just connecting, once fuel system is checked move to another possibility, then the next

A faulty regulator - or light, short, dud hooter or why - cannot and willnot interfere with the ignition on this bike, for reason the ignition system is totally separate.
It consists of dual coils in the stator (not linked or connected to the rest ie separate), a pickup coil, an ignition module (the clever bits, electronics), a HT coil and a sparkplug.
For those full of shite: yes, and a frame and some wires too, but geezz, this is minimal stuff, so it's easy to find fault.

However, there's also a kill switch, on the bars, and this bastid is often to blame for non firing!
Take it off and hang it loose in the air, let it dangle from it's wire..... still does not start?

Oh onesickrace,

if you just happened to have (re)assembled the bike (no idea here), or did paint the frame (ditto?), make sure the groundlead (eyecrimp) between HTcoil & frame is making proper contact with the frame!
Scrape some paint off the frame (if any?), clean or polish the eyeshaped connector and put a little copperpaste here, then remount the lot.

If this still does not help do what one always has to do when encountering an electric problem:
- undo every connector of the suspect system (which are very few in this case!) and clean them properly, then reassemble using some contact spray which drives away water and lubes & protects the terminals from corrosion.
My hunch is it'll run  

as per reg/rec faults causing bad firing, it did occur while installing a completely different system, it was also on an australian model which has a regulator/rectifyer, i was installing a hi output stator, which needed a larger capacity regulator[ cooked two std items before realising] it was then that the strange kick=1 firing occured, im now running a trailtech adjustable regulator and a vfr 800 reg/rec plus a small battery to run lights[100watt hi/ low beam, plus indicators & horn] yes i realise the std ignition is a seporate system, but if you dump extra volts up the wrong wire it can affect the ignition system, which a rubbed thru wire can do