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[DESERTBEAR54]

Kasper once again this morning on my way to work shutdown while I was crusing at 60 mph. I coasted to the side of the road and shut everything off and then went through the start cycle again and she started right up. I continued on to work another 4 miles and all was good. This is a real puzzle and Harley has no clue what the problem is.

[Boatman]

I don't know what the problem is.  If it were mine, I would check connections at battery, frame, and starter.  Also check fuel pump relay and ECM connections.  Never throws a code?   Maybe the ECM is rebooting from a loose connection?

Does it cough, hesitate, and stall or does it die immediately like you turn the key off?

These are the hardest problems to fix.  If it would die and not restart, it could be fixed more easily.

Hopefully someone can help you out on here.  Good luck.  (Definitely not safe this way-be careful).

[LarryB]

Grounding Issue?

[DESERTBEAR54]

It doesn't cough,sputter or hesitate. It just shutsdown. Starts normally as advertised and runs great for 3 or 4 months with no problems???

[grandpadoc]

On my 98 it was a heat sensor malfunction and like yours it never threw a code. I forget how many sensors feed the brain but without a code the mechanic doesn't know where to start. If one sensor goes out the engine just shuts off...not good. The dealer ended up replacing the brain and all the sensors before the factory finally figured it out. The whole time before that they sang the "your bike is the only one having this problem" song, but it was well documented on the forums at the time.   Doc

[DICKW]

Could it be.............

Something in the tank?? Drain the tank change the filter (fuel) and see if this helps. May sound stupid but it is something simple like this that could drive you nuts.

I would start simple and work your way too the more complex senarios.

Just thinking out loud.

[DESERTBEAR54]

Dick That was my thought because I just got a fuel filter and was going to attempt to change it out. I have 36,000 miles on that filter and it is due changing.

[Twolanerider]

Dick That was my thought because I just got a fuel filter and was going to attempt to change it out. I have 36,000 miles on that filter and it is due changing.

Anything is worth a shot of course.  Filter will generally cause it to cough, choke, buck, cut-out and generally become unrideable.  A sudden shut off with no other symptom isn't normal behavior for a gas filter.

[DICKW]

Dick That was my thought because I just got a fuel filter and was going to attempt to change it out. I have 36,000 miles on that filter and it is due changing.

And if memory serves me right you are 11,000 miles over due.

Twolanerider, I tend to agree with you. Stranger thinks have happened and will continue to happen with these scoots. You just never know.

[Twolanerider]

And if memory serves me right you are 11,000 miles over due.

Twolanerider, I tend to agree with you. Stranger thinks have happened and will continue to happen with these scoots. You just never know.

Amen to that.  A thought just returned worth sharing.  Back when the red bike was a year or so old it began getting cranky.  It wouldn't just shut off as if you turned off the switch.  But it would cut out a second or two and then shut off.  So the symptoms don't match exactly.  But anything is worth putting on the list.

It had a collapsed fuel line.  The line between the tank and the throttle body.  Found it while just generally groping things looking for anything as nothing normal or expected seemed to be the problem.  Could feel that the line seemed soft in one spot.  Had collapsed internally.

[grc]

If the engine just quits immediately, as if the ignition switch had been turned off, it is very unlikely to be a fuel problem and extremely likely to be electrical.  The fact the bike will fire right back up makes it unlikely to be a temperature related breakdown of one of the electronic components, but as you said anything is possible.  I would be more inclined to start with the simpler things, like the run/stop switch and wiring, the ignition switch and wiring, the ECM connector, etc.

This sort of thing is what drove many old timer's out of the automotive repair business when cars became overly complex with electronics.  We all like the many things electronics can do for us, but there is still a lot to be said for the old simple systems of our youth.

Have you contacted H-D to get it on record, just in case whatever it is finally fails completely?  Might be a good idea if you haven't.  And who knows, maybe someone there has actually come across the same issue and could tell your dealer what to fix (yeah, I know that's pretty weak, but I wanted to offer some small measure of hope).  Good Luck!

Jerry

[MD-Dave]

Do you happen to have a PowerCommander on the bike?  Friend of mine had the same issue and it turned out to be his PC going bad.

[DESERTBEAR54]

I have a SERT on the bike.

[ultrafxr]

The early TCs had a problem with the main circuit breaker overheating, tripping and shutting everything down.  Did not take long at all for it to reset and then could fire up engine and everything was perfectly normal.  Pretty inexpensive part to replace just to check.

[Twolanerider]

The early TCs had a problem with the main circuit breaker overheating, tripping and shutting everything down.  Did not take long at all for it to reset and then could fire up engine and everything was perfectly normal.  Pretty inexpensive part to replace just to check.

They migrated from the circuit breaker to a maxi-fuse several years ago at least partly because of the breaker issues Jerry (fuses also cheaper).  No reset on the maxi-fuse though.  Just a big fuse.  When it blows it's done.