So I'm riding home today, doing about 40mph on a back road. All of a sudden the bike completely cuts out. Neither cylinders are hitting at all. Goose the throttle and nothing happens. All of a sudden it just picks right back up again and is running perfectly. It did this three more times on the way home, usually for about 5-7 seconds at a time. At one point it sounded like it was hitting on one cylinder for a few seconds before it went back to running normally. I had plenty of gas in the tank. I checked the plug wires and they were tight. I did not smell raw fuel when it cut out, but I was never doing less than 35mph and it never backfired or shot flames when it picked back up. It just ran normally again.

Bike is a 99 FXR2, bone stock Evo except for a set of slip-ons.

I don't know if this was an ignition or fuel issue and since it's an intermittent problem I think it's going to be tricky to pin down.

I'm open to all ideas.

Thanks

 

Sounds like ignition to me - check all your grounds and make sure nothing has wiggled loose would be my first step. If it was fuel related I doubt it would cut in and out sharply - they tend to bogg, kick, sputter - but with ignition it can just stop if nothing is firing.

 

Hi,Im fairly new to Harleys but if I had a spare set (or borrow?) of HT leads that you know are reliable I would fit them first.
Possible Spark Plug problem...again ,replace both and see if any improvement.
Inspect Volt. Regulator leads to and from and the Rubber jackplug into the Crankcase (to Rotor/Alternator).
Could also be a Coil problem?
Make sure all elec. connections are good.
I know it may be something completely unrelated that is causing the mis-fire but if you are like me...I like to hear input from anyone cause amongst them there may be the answer to your problem.
These suggestions shouldnt cost $$$$ either. Bungo

 

OK, Here's what I know so far. I just went out and did a lot of troubleshooting.
Vacuum petcock functions OK
Fuel runs well to carb.
I removed the float bowl and cleaned it out. No debris.
Checked ground on the ignition module and the ignition pick-up. Both OK
Couldn't find any chaffed wires running to or from the ignition module..
Coil primary and secondary voltage is good
Plug wires are only 2000 miles old

Since it was daytime I really didn't notice if the lights cut out when the bike did to know if it was a major electrical problem or if a breaker tripped, but the way it felt when it seemed like it was hitting on one cylinder tells me that isn't the case.

I'm thinking maybe my ignition module is going bad. The service manual gives no way to troubleshoot that other than to swap it out with a good one.

I'm still taking suggestions from anyone. I want to rule everything out that I can before I pop $160 for a Dynatec module.

Thanks again

 

I had a similar problem. Ended up being the wire to the coil was frayed and broke. I think its ignition. Check plugs connections and grounds. Also could be sensor plate.

 

Check the wire between the cone and the frame. You can probably pull it apart with your fingers as there's nothing holding it together but plastic insulation.

 

If you have the shop manual, use the schematic to trace everything in the ignition circuit. This will include the kill switch, ign. switch, tipover switch(if equipped) positive battery cable (loose or broken) coil primary wires. I had a similar problem on my Sportster, it ended up being the tipover switch, but I had gone over everything else first before it became obvious that the switch was bad. check plugs and wires too but it sounds like it's on the primary side of the coil. the ignition module can be checked for heat sensitivity by warming with a heat gun (go easy) or a hair dryer, with engine running. check your coil(s) with an ohm meter as described in the manual.

 

sounds like an ignition module getting heat saturated and then breaking down.

 

I worked on a bike that was doing something similar. Turned out the nuts on the coil wires were loose ...a little blue locktite and tightened them up...no more problem. Check the simple stuff before spending the bucks.

 

I support the ignition suggestion. I suffered intermittent running until the bike stopped dead and didn't revive. Proved to be the sender inside the cone had failed, so another possible candidate! Best of luck sorting things out.