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[spydglide]

No the signal control module and the bank angle sensor aren't the same beastie.  The bank angle sensor is supposed to, among other things, kill the engine if the bike falls over (so the engine will be shut off if you lay the bike down in an accident).  So it can and is supposed to cut the engine off so might be a cause for the case described above where the engine just died; for the prior postings where someone had everything go dead the angle sensor isn't the culprit.

Well, the obvious next question is: Where is it located and how do I disconnect/defeat it?  I'd rather use the handlebar kill switch if needed.   [smiley=nervous.gif]    spyder

[Twolanerider]

Well, the obvious next question is: Where is it located and how do I disconnect/defeat it?  I'd rather use the handlebar kill switch if needed.   [smiley=nervous.gif]    spyder

No Spyder, this is one gadget you really don't want to defeat.  The handlebar kill switch works just like it always does.  The sensor does something important that you may not get the chance to do though.  If, for example, you do an endo and the bike falls over the engine might stay running.  Back wheel stays spinning.  Bike is doing a pirouette.  Or even worse pissing gas out as it wheezes and spits and dances a jig like a drunken ostrich on a hot pad flopping around running all by itself.  The sensor shuts the engine off so none of that badness can happen.  It's not a worry for normal use though.  The bike has got to lean wayyyyyyyyyyyyy over for the system to kick in.

[grc]

The main purpose of the bank angle sensor is as 2lane indicated - a safety device to shut everything down if you drop the bike.  It also provides an input to the turn signal module to determine when to cancel the signal, but that is not the primary function.  By the way, I'm pretty certain that if you disconnect the sensor you will set codes as well as screw up the turn signal cancellation.  Don't do it.

There were problems early in the history of the Twin Cam with bank angle sensors shutting the bike down - I remember something about it back in '99-'00 - so it is a possibility to be included in the diagnostic routine.  The problem is, there are many possibilities so the only answer is a really good diagnostic technician who understands all of the possible causes and the interrelationships between them, and is willing to invest the time necessary to find the root cause.

[WFP]

Well, the obvious next question is: Where is it located and how do I disconnect/defeat it?  I'd rather use the handlebar kill switch if needed.   [smiley=nervous.gif]    spyder

When I was lying on the ground with my right leg stuck under the Deuce...I greatly appreciated this sensor!  I was not in the frame of mind to hit the switch fo at least 1 minute.  I just sat there motionless, collecting myself.  Then, the other riders that stopped lifted the bike off me.  I laid there, trying to figure out if I was injured.  Only then did I slowly work my way up from the ground.  I would have been too slow to hit the switch versus the sensor doing it's job!

/Bill

[LeRoy]

Leroy,
Well that blows that out of the equation !!
  Tell ya what, I will say that my dealer treats me like a king ( thank God) and Billy Miko is one of Harleys best mechanics( he'a been in American Iron Mag) several times, and always seems to be willing to talk to me regarding whatever issue comes up, so I'll ask him if he has any answers towards this.
  I am pretty damn lucky that Pocasett H.D. is my dealer !
I'll let you know as soon as I can but hopefully you will already got that crap nailed and repaired so you can get out there and ride with no worrys ( cause its the best of the riding season right now)
Mark

Thats It ...I am riding to the Cape right now!

I do wish that my dealer mechanics instilled confidence...but alas fair Knight they do not .

[Coolbreeze]

When I was lying on the ground with my right leg stuck under the Deuce...I greatly appreciated this sensor!  I was not in the frame of mind to hit the switch fo at least 1 minute.  I just sat there motionless, collecting myself.  Then, the other riders that stopped lifted the bike off me.  I laid there, trying to figure out if I was injured.  Only then did I slowly work my way up from the ground.  I would have been too slow to hit the switch versus the sensor doing it's job!

/Bill

It did a good job for me this last weekend too.  If the bike hadn't shut off when I toppled over, it would have rodeo'd right up on my old lady when I lifted the bars to miss her legs ...  I was trying to find the switch on the way down, but never did get that far...   Glad the tip swithch worked so well in retrospect...  whew! [smiley=drink.gif]

[Twolanerider]

I had a 2000 Road King that had the lean sensor go funky once.  Engine just died a couple of times on a trip.  If memory serves correctly at the time it happened I'd not had the bike very long at all and didn't even know that sensor existed on that bike.  Since it was intermittent the shop didn't find it and only put in a journeyman's effort at looking for it of course.  Found the piece in the schematic though and had one of those "light bulb" moments of clarity.  Simple plug in replacement and it never happened again (on that bike).

[grc]

By the way, when the bank angle sensor shuts down the engine, the engine will not restart until you turn the ignition off and then back on.  This is one more clue to help narrow down the possibilities.

[LeRoy]

I just lost my entire letter , this is a test.  More to follow if this works.

[LeRoy]

Picture test , sorry be patient i am more upset than you are.

LeRoy.

[LeRoy]

Picture test , sorry be patient i am more upset than you are.

LeRoy.

Ok, 2nd time for the letter. The first was much more indepth and explanatory but is now in cyber heaven.(Lucky for you right?)

I went for a ride today first time after I had my gone dead issue.

She started  missing about 25 minutes into the ride doing 75 @3000 rpm on the flats..Not gone dead mind you just missing now and again.  I limped home thinking dont quit on me baby... well I got back ok missing sporadically all the way.  I let here cool off and pulled the plugs to have a look.

first the rear plug (the one in the right side of the picture in the above post.)   Perfect shape , light brown, clean , dry.  

Then the front cylinder....OH MY GOSH...look at the CRAP on this plug.
Burnt deposits all over the electrode and ground strap..OIL all up and down the threads, NASTY. I am surprised it sparked at all with this condition.

I think I have a :
1. piston ring seal issue
2. bad valve guide seal.
3. Both.

Now to the question... do you think that a non firing or misfiring plug (due to glowing hot
deposits  sparking the fuel mixture prematurely) would have caused the original shut down of 6-9 seconds?  I am tempted to go put both plugs back in and pull the front cylinder wire to see if she will start and run on the rear jug.

I will bring in the plugs to the dealer tomorrow.

I can  hear it now... "say mister you need to put a hotter plug in the front jug"

Oh my achin'  potato.

Warranty???

This plug is coated with oil,  there is OBVIOUSLY something amis in the oil control dept.

Let me know what you think.

LeRoy.

Sorry for the picture screw up I am still  relearning !

[LeRoy]

After reading some of the posts in the twin cam forum I noticed a few posts about the breather system being a problem.  I cant imagine this being a problem on my bike as I never run over 3000RPM on the highway(well not never) but all my cruising is at 75MPH@3000.  I do have the Stage one and the Screaming Eagle kit on the Intake side with the integrated backing plate breathers.

could I be sucking so much oil in the front jug from the rebreath that I am fouling the plug ?  Hard to imagine.

What do you guys think?

LeRoy.

[grc]

After reading some of the posts in the twin cam forum I noticed a few posts about the breather system being a problem.  I cant imagine this being a problem on my bike as I never run over 3000RPM on the highway(well not never) but all my cruising is at 75MPH@3000.  I do have the Stage one and the Screaming Eagle kit on the Intake side with the integrated backing plate breathers.

could I be sucking so much oil in the front jug from the rebreath that I am fouling the plug ?  Hard to imagine.

What do you guys think?

LeRoy.

LeRoy,

I seriously doubt that this is a breather problem - any oil from the breather should show up in both cylinders.  Much more likely to be a valve guide seal or piston ring problem.  Another possibility is a restricted oil return from the head, which would cause oil to build up in the rocker box and find it's way past the seals.

[spydglide]

LeRoy, it could be that your rings never seated.  This just happened to my buddy's '05 twincam.....he's just had it fixed under warrenty.....the MoCo says some blow-by is 'within tolerance' so they won't really want to fix it, but tell them to test to see if your rings are allowing blowby........My buddy had one plug fouling just as your's is.......that turned out to fix his problem.    spyder

[Scrrem]

Spyglide, I am having the same issue with my 05 SEEG, plugs not as bad as the above, but still seeing s noticable difference between the front and rear cylinder.  Is that just a simple compression test?