Loss of power, stall, start runs fine...

[irishrider60]

I was riding the other day with a few friends having a great time and then it started, the engine just started losing power and then rolled to a stall on the side of the road. We just filled up with fuel so that was not the issue. We then started going over what would cause the stall and determined it was electrical not fuel related.

I tried to start it up again and it did start but from what we can tell it was running on a one cylinder. I shut he bike off and my friend (the mechanic in the group) reached under the tank and pulled what I think was the coil wire, wiped it with a rag and then put it back. The bike fired back up fine on both cylinders and was running OK the rest of the day (25 miles).

I have read on various postings people having challenges with the electrical systems and was wondering if replacing the coil makes sense. I have never heard of a coil working intermittently and I would replace it right away if this is the cause. My bike is a 07 America with 16K and I just replaced the battery two months earlier.

Just looking for ideas to address this now before the spring riding season.

Thanks

 

[Bonniebret]

If it only happened that one time and hasn't happened since I would consider it a fluke and not worry about it. Could've just been the connection. Sometimes strange things just happen.

 

[B06Tang]

This sounds like the classic CDI problem. That is what I would put my money as similar symptoms have happened to me on both my Bonnies. No question, I think the CDI goes long before your coil goes. The best thing is if you know someone that has the same bike or a very friendly shop that can let you borrow a CDI for two seconds. The Haynes manual comes right out and tells you that there is no way to test these if they are thought of going bad. CDI and weeping cam covers are the two Achilles to these engines.

 

[irishrider60]

Thanks

The Triumph mechanic I spoke with yesterday said usually the coil fails and the engine does not start again. He did not mention the CDI unit but thought based on my description of the problem it was a wire connection issue. If it happens again I will bring it in and have them check the CDI. I appreciate your help.

 

[zmilin]

The CDI issues don't seems o be affecting the 07s yet. Maybe another couple years as it seems the earlier models up to 05 are most commonly seeing CDI issues.

I have two 07s in the garage and both had issues similar to yours.
First bike needed the vent tube hose trimmed under the bike. The symptom was on a rainy day it would run fine then start to hesitate and ultimately once pulled over would not restart until the file cap was loosened. The common issue in this scenario is the fuel tank vent hose under the bike somehow gets waterlogged. The solution is to locate the hose and cut it at an angle facing to the rear of the bike.

Second bike was one of two issues that could have been the cause. I found the spark plug cables at the coils to be loose. They should go on with a slight effort onto the coil and both would slip on/off easily.
The second issue was the CA emissions crap that was on he bike (even though it was sold in Wa). Once I removed all that the bike has had no more issues.

 

[irishrider60]

Second bike was one of two issues that could have been the cause. I found the spark plug cables at the coils to be loose. They should go on with a slight effort onto the coil and both would slip on/off easily.
The second issue was the CA emissions crap that was on he bike (even though it was sold in Wa). Once I removed all that the bike has had no more issues.[/QUOTE]

I think you are right regarding the spark plug cable and the coil. My friend pulled that wire off the coil and then pushed it back on and the bike seems to be fine now. I started the bike today in the garage (35 degrees outside, too cold for me to ride) and it ran fine. Thanks again for your suggestions, I really appreciate them.

 

[b717doc]

I have two 2005 Americas in my garage...One lost a CDI at about 12k, the other bike now at 30k, has never had an issue...

 

[irishrider60]

Update

Bike seems to be fine since pushing the coil wire back on. Ran on two separate rides about 25 miles each without any issues. Thanks for your help.

 

[LA_Geezer]

My '11 Speedmaster has stalled on me twice over the past 7 months; quite mysterious. On each occasion, I had ridden the bike ~30 miles on the open road at fairly constant speeds, and as I slowed to a stop, the engine would stall. In each case the engine started right back up, so I guessed it was a fuel delivery issue.