Hey guys, I've been lurking here a lot and never really posting, but I have a problem that I can't figure out on my own. I have an 02 Ninja 500R, with 16,000 miles, and when I'm riding home from class it stalls out on me after about 1/4 of a mile. And it only does it when I'm riding home, never on the way there. It starts up fine, but then after about 1/4 (or possibly less) of a mile, it sounds like it's running out of gas. But the funny thing is, after I pull to the side of the road and wait about 3 minutes, it will start back up like nothing was ever wrong.

I really hope someone can help me out, as it has me very perpexled. Thanks for any info you can shed!

 

Need more information.
~Have you had any work or modifications done to the bike? (Jetting changes? Carbs rebuilt?)
~About what rpm does the engine cut out? (Are you on the freeway, waiting at a stoplight?)
~Has the bike been parked for the winter? If so, did you properly winterize it, or just start it periodically?
~When you start the bike are you letting it idle with the choke on for more than one minute, or do you start it, turn the choke off and ride slowly away?

Let us know.
Peace!
-CCinC

 

plugged tank vent?

 

That could be the cause if he's riding along at freeway speeds, but probably not if he's idling at a stoplight.

 

Thanks for the quick replies all. To calamarichris:

~No modifications, the bike is bone stock.
~As for the RPM, I'm going about 35 mph, so the RPM is around the 4K mark. It doesn't die at any one RPM, it acts very much like it is running out of gas (slowly starts dying, then becomes more and more noticable until it finally cuts off)
~I'm in florida, so I have been riding it through the winter
~When I start it, I usually leave the choke on for about 20-30 seconds at the most, it doesn't have much trouble starting up. And when I'm leaving school (the only times it has died on me) I don't use the choke at all to start (as I was only there for about 1.5 hours, so the bike is still warm). So to answer that question, I start it, let it idle for a minute while I put on my helmet and gloves, and then ride slowly away.

To dragknee: I just checked the tank vent, and it wasn't plugged. That was the only thing in the owners manual troubleshooting section that I thought it could be, but it looks good to me.

Thanks again for the replies.

 

Thanks for the thorough answers and good for you, keeping your bike stock!
Here's how you can test the fuel vent tube: the next time the engine stops, open the gas cap. If it makes a sucking sound (like when you open a can of Pringles), a fuel vent tube is blocked or kinked.
If that's not it:
~How long is your commute? Are you getting much time on the freeway?
~Has the bike sat for any period longer than a week?
~Any chance you might have gotten some questionable gas?

Keep us abreast and good luck! Most people think it's best if nothing ever goes wrong, but I love my bikes even more whenever some little thing goes wrong and I get to experience the triumph of finding out what went wrong. For example, this little shred of rubber (about the size of a pencil-lead) that got lodged in my main jet the year before last:


Peace!
-CCinC

 

Awesome, thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to open the fuel tank next time it happens.

I love tinkering with my bike too (part of the reason I'm studying engineering in school), so it's fun to poke around to try to see whats wrong. But this one has just stumped me, it seems very strange for it to die so suddenly, but then start right back up and act like nothing is wrong.

As to your other questions:

~my commute is very short, about 2 miles. I was thinking it could be the battery not getting enough juice, but I ride it a good 2 hours every other weekend, so that should keep it charged
~I haven't let it sit for more 3 days
~It very well could have gotten some bad gas, you never know with that sort of thing

Thats crazy about the shred of rubber in your jet, sometimes it's the craziest things that go wrong and you never think about checking. But most often it's the simple things that get ya

 

I envy you, studying engineering!
It sounds to me like possibly a fuel issue--either fouled plugs or gunky carbs.
Try waking up a little earlier and taking a long way to work at least once a week, in addition to your biweekly rides

Finding problems isn't always fun. Once I lost a whole weekend in the garage (and the weather was perfect) when this little spring in my ex-wife's camchain tensioner got sideways in its housing. The result was a camchain that was so noisy, I was sure I'd gotten the cam-timing incorrect and was slamming valves into piston crowns.

Relieved it wasn't a mis-timed cam, but furious that one stupid little spring cost me an entire weekend in the garage to find it.

If the fuel tank doesn't make the sucking sound and going for longer rides more often doesn't cure this, it might be an electrical problem; but it's better to rule-out the simple scenarios before assuming it's a complex one.
Good luck!
-CCinC

 

im not sure about cali bikes, but on regular bikes, the tank vents through the keyhole. there is no tube.

 

Are you sure? My '02 was a 49-state bike and it had a tank vent tube.