High Engine Speed Stall ***Finnally fixed yesssssssss***

[koolcutta]

Hey guys I just had this happen to me and was wondering if anyone else ever witness this. I have a 98 katana 600 with 15K miles on in. Had the bike for a while and it runs good never any problems. Last weekend I was cursing around when a buddy pulls up on his thunder cat 600 and decides to try me I know he faster but I figured Ill get it a shot. I was cursing in third gear at 6k when he decide to take off I down shifted to second to get the bike in the power range of a kat the bike shot 8K and was getting ready to haul and then it shut off and turn back on it a matter of seconds. I watched the tach go from 10k to 0K back to 7K. needles to say I loss that race. I then nervously went for a two hr ride through the canyons unsure if my bike was going to crap out in the middle on nowhere but she ran perfect. So when I got home I decide to try a hard take off to see if it will happen again. WOT in first gear and bam turns Off and on at 9.5K. Pulled the spark plugs when I got home and they looked good. maybe its just my guardian angel telling me to stop driving stupid.

so is something wrong or is I' am pushing the bike to hard

[steves]

Rev limiter?

[KatanaSoldier]

Dropping from 3rd gear to second when already at 6,000RPM is something I don't want to test my Kat out with.

[hellcamp]

Rev limiter?

Natural first thing that comes to mind, especially if it happened around 10-11K. Did the bike completely turn off or just seem to lose power all of a sudden ?

[koolcutta]

I belive it turned off since the tach droped to zero but it could of just lost power it happends so fast that by the time you realize it the bike is back to normal. I figure that since I'am rolling in a gear that the bike is just quickly bump starting itself but I'm not hearing any major backfire that would be connected to unburnt fuel when the bike turns bak on I have a d and d pipe so if it was to back fire I am sure it would be loud as can be.
and yea I figure the 3rd gear downshift at 6K probably wasn't the smartest thing since the bike picks up power at 7k but you live and learn.

[d3ad1ysp0rk]

I just don't see how you could do it.. being over 8k scared me for a long time since I was so used to cars.

[KatanaSoldier]

I belive it turned off since the tach droped to zero but it could of just lost power it happends so fast that by the time you realize it the bike is back to normal. I figure that since I'am rolling in a gear that the bike is just quickly bump starting itself but I'm not hearing any major backfire that would be connected to unburnt fuel when the bike turns bak on I have a d and d pipe so if it was to back fire I am sure it would be loud as can be.
and yea I figure the 3rd gear downshift at 6K probably wasn't the smartest thing since the bike picks up power at 7k but you live and learn.

Stuff happens. Better she shut off than blow up!

[koolcutta]

I just don't see how you could do it.. being over 8k scared me for a long time since I was so used to cars.

yea I know what you mean when I first started riding I was upshifting at 4K cause it didn't seem natural to be up that high but then I found the power range of 7k to 9.5K and now the bike lives there but from everybody comments seems i better find her a new home in a lower RPM range I admit the D and D pipe kinda make me have it up that high cause the bike is screams past 7k.

[Chuckwick357]

8 k wont hurt you Kat. Some say it’s hard on it in first and second but outside of that, I would cruse at 8k for hours no worries other than speeding tickets!
You issue sounds electrical to me. Make sure you aren’t hitting the kill switch (not sure that would explain the 0 tack), Maybe jiggle the key, shake some wires to see it’s there is a loose connection in it.
I have bounced mine off the rev limiter “11k+ more than once without having the issue you are describing. I have seen it happen in a car I rented. The thing shut down at 120mph but that was more of a speed limiter not a rev limiter.

[MXG286]

What it sounds like to me is a ignition wire grounding out or a plug grounding out. As for the drop to 0 rpms, unless you pulled the clutch in there is no way that it dropped to 0 if you were moving in gear.You would need to pull the clutch in for that to happen. Check your electrical connections. Plugs and what not.

[KatanaSoldier]

I like that scuba pic, cool.

Sorry for the temp hijack!

[The CyberPoet]

I'm guessing it's an electrical issue at one of three places on your bike... There is a main bundle cable that runs up the right side of the frame to the guages. In that routing, it goes through two 20-pin molex connectors and then plugs into the back of the dash. Open the connectors and spray them out well with an electrical cleaner, check for any corrosion visible (green normally), remove any corrosion, then pack the molex connectors full of dielectric grease and reassemble. Repeat with the next connector and the 20-pin plug that goes into the back of the dash.

And while you're in there, check the connection on your battery terminals to make sure they are tight.

Good Luck!
=-= The CyberPoet

[koolcutta]

thanks for the advice now that I know that not normal behavior I guess I'll take it back apart and give her another once over before putting it on the road this weekend.

[HoopDogg]

Check your kickstand. Vibration causes it to drop slightly, kicking in the kill switch. Tighten that bolt, and try again.

[The CyberPoet]

Check your kickstand. Vibration causes it to drop slightly, kicking in the kill switch. Tighten that bolt, and try again.

That's a great suggestion! I totally missed that possibility in my diagnostics because I was so focused on the routing to the gauges. If the engine shut off because of the sidestand switch, and then back on as the rear tire churned the engine along, it could be that.

KNOW THIS:
The sidestand is held up by two springs (one inside the other). If either of these springs comes undone at either end, the stand won't stay up reliably over uneven terrain (bumps, etc). These springs can also get weak over years of use (not uncommon to have to replace them after a decade if you regularly park on the sidestand instead of the centerstand).
The hole the sidestand bolts through and uses as the pivot-point can easily become elongated if you regularly use the sidestand to pivot the bike around. If the hole elongates, there are two common fixes -- one is to weld the hole down again and retap it, the other is to short the sidestand sensor wiring.
That sidestand sensor & related wiring is there to save your life -- a dragging or hanging sidestand can catch road irregularities (such as the edge of a manhole cover) at speed and cause a rider's death or permanent injuries. An example of exactly that happening is listed on this Lawyer's page (second section), with Suzuki as the defendent.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet