I just purchased a 2007 KLX 250 with 1250 miles and the engine stalled while riding at 50MPH and I believe it was on reserve and not "on" so it probably ran out of gas. No big deal. The larger problem was that the entire electrical system also stalled out not allowing me to restart the motor when I came to a halt. Only after sitting about 5 minutes later would the bike finally turn over and I got going again. Does this bike have an auto safety shutoff system that caused it not to immediately crank over or do I need to seek professional advice? I ride in far distances from home and this is something I need to get a quick handle on and nothing in the manual discusses this particular issue. Any comment to put me in the correct answer would be appreciated.

 

Kick stand "safety" switch???

Leaving it on reserve wouldn't cause it to cut out on you (unless you're out of fuel). The fact that you were able to restart it confirms that point.

 

When the stand switch goes, the motor will still turn over - but it won't fire.

 

Did you accidentally bump the kill switch? My first bet would be the kickstand switch though.

 

BG, too many variables unanswered here to do much beside guess. If your petcock was in the reserve position and the bike died from lack of fuel you wouldn't have been able to restart it 5 minutes later because it would STILL be out of gas. Tell me the first thing you did when you bought the bike was put in a fresh tank of fuel.

Not sure what you mean by the electrical system "stalled out"? As in, wouldn't crank at all? No lights or horn? The only time I've had a similar problem is when I accidentally bumped the kill switch and then tried to start the bike (it won't)

It sounds like something really simple, but then again if the bike stalled at 50MPH with gas in the tank (even with the petcock set to reserve) you might have a bigger electrical gremlin than you think. For the most part these bikes are extremely reliable so I hope you discover your problem is just a lack of familiarity with the controls. Also keep in mind that an '07 with 1200 miles on the clock hasn't been ridden much (not even fully broken in as a matter of fact) and if it sat for any length of time it might be wise to check fuel/air line for clogs,etc.

Good luck

 

The bike was not in storage and yes I did put in fresh gas prior to taking it out. It did seem to sputter right before it stalled as it would normally due if it ran out of gas. It had no electrical, no cranking ability, nothing. But withing a few minutes it suddenly turned back on and cranked up. Luckily I was able to ride it back for about 10 miles to the house. I agree with you to check the fuel lines and to make sure they are draining properly and will go ahead and check that the fuel switch is engaging properly as well. I just sold my KLR 250 which had 6900 miles and never a single issue so I am a little perplexed this much newer KLX has already given me. I ride in West Texas and will go 50 plus miles out on dirt roads normally solo so reliability is absolutely #1 for me. Thanks for your response.

 

graham, where are you in west Texas? I'm in the Abilene area. I go out to Big Bend NP, Terlingua Ranch, and Big Bend Ranch state park to ride every year for about 10 days at the end of November, first part of December. Have you ever ridden out there? There is some outstanding riding and scenery...especially when everyone else is iced in for the winter. If you're interested, let me know.

Just on the info given here, my first guess would be an interlock switch issue at the clutch, neutral, or sidestand switches. The fact that it wouldn't crank seems to be the giveaway that it might be an interlock switch. Was your headlight/taillight coming on when you turned the key on?

 

I honestly don't know and will monitor the sidestand switch. I haven't had it out again for a long ride and have a buddy planning to go on a 40 mile trip so I have backup incase it happens again. I honestly think it is something in the reserve fuel line like a stoppage as when I switched over to ON it seemed to run OK. I plan on draining the line this weekend and checking it out. As for west Texas, I have riden Big Bend NP, BB SP, Guadalupe Mountains NP land, Davis Mountains, Black Gap Wildlife Management area (requires permit), etc. I am going to BB NP just after x-mas with 2 buddies for 3 days. I ride often solo around Lake Whitney in Bosque County as it is has great terrain and mostly undeveloped land in several large cattle ranches that have accessible country rodes.

 

Impossible! You said "It had no electrical, no cranking ability, nothing." in an earlier post. The reserve switch has nothing to do with anything electrical.

It cannot be an issue with the reserve... besides that, you can leave it on reserve 100% of the time. The only ill effect will be when you run out of gas, you run out of gas...

Look to the "safety" switches instead.