Hi all,
Hopefully someone can shed some light on this problem:

I have a 2000 883 Custom that has been nothing but reliable since day one. Only minor problems, and the bike has been maintained religiously. Only modifications are Screamin' Eagle pipes and high flow air filter, no rejetting. I bought it new, and have owned it for 13 years. It has about 46,000 miles.

Recently after riding for about 15 minutes, the engine just quits, similar to running out of gas. I had just filled up, so there was plenty of fuel. The bike had plenty of cranking power as I attempted to restart it, but no luck. I let it sit for about 3 or 4 minutes, then it started right up. I continued to ride, and the bike performed as always, with no hesitation or problems, and lots of power. After about another half hour, it died again. Same story, couldn't restart, let it sit, then it fired up after a couple of minutes. Doesn't seem to be electrical, as I always had lights on, and power to the starter.

I'm thinking this is some kind of fuel problem? If it makes any difference, the gas station where I filled up had just reopened after being given a renovation. I'm pretty sure that had all new tanks put in. I've always used major brand name gas, and always premium. Could this be a tank of bad gas, maybe from this station that just had the make over?

I hate the idea of riding a bike that is unpredictable like that, especially since I do a fair amount of freeway riding and crossing bridges where you wouldn't want to have the bike die!

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Try draining the tank and putting in fuel you know is from a reputable source, that'll tell you if bad gas was the problem.

It could also be a heat issue. What are the temperatures like in your area?

Also, I'm no expert, so check anything I say with someone who knows what he's talking about before you do anything to your bike.

 

Strange problem. Its got me interested.

 

Odds are at the least you have a fuel filter on your petcock coated with crud from the tank and plugging the flow. Next it could be a collapsing fuel line. Then it could be a sticking float valve.

On the electrical side you could have a timing sensor going bad when heating up. Possibly coils failing after heating up. But most likely it's going to be the Ignition Module signalling it's dying.

If you can borrow a good working ignition module, swap it out and see what changes. If it is the ignition module I'd recommend upgrading to a Dyna or Crane aftermarket module. They increase the performance and have a lot of variable settings to improve starting, running and acceleration.

Always check your battery connections, and the main cable lines to where they attach. Cleaning and reattaching can solve a lot of issues.

 

Thanks to all for the good advice!