98 katana having issuses

[koolcutta]

i just bought a 98 katana that starts fine and runs good but after driving for a while the bike will cut off and then start back up while your still in motion. once it starts it will do it randomly for the rest of your trip. if i pull the clutch after it dies the bike won't start back up and will just roll and i will have to start it by pushing the start button (learned this the hard way while on the freeway) i don't think it's the carb are fuel because i put fresh gas in it and i tried running it on prime and the same thing is still happening plus the bike always starts fine (even when bike is messing up it will always start fine and run strong between stalls). i have found that it happens faster on hot days as i drove for 45 mins on a cold day and it didn't happen once and then i drove it in 80 degree heat for 20 mins and it started doing it. Also if you let the bike cool off, like park it for an 1hour the problem goes away until it heats up again.
oh yea one more thing when you riding, say doing 50mph and it turns off the bike will not turn back on until it backs fires I've been driving it and when it dies i will let go of the throttle let the bike back fire and accelrate again when it turns on and i will keep doing this until i get where i need to go i drove 50 miles with the bike doing this the whole way there and back.
help this is my first bike and it's pretty Annoying and probably not to safe to drive around in LA traffic with your bike turning off and on whenever it feels like it.
i would just take it to the bike shop but they charge 100 dollars an hour to find the problem this includes them driving the bike aound untill it decides to finally turn off and on which can take anywhere from 20 mins to an hour so I would rather find the problem myself and take it to them to have them fix the problem without wasting money having them guess and check.

thanks any advice will be appreciated

[crypt dog]

hello to yah koolcutta
i just got my '98 750 and i had similar problems, my kickstand was dropping just enough to cause the bike to stall out, you might try checking it. other than that i have no clue kid. good luck to ya and be safe.

[crypt dog]

oh by the way hold up on the shop till some of the mechanics on here give you their wise input. They may save a ton.

[The CyberPoet]

Re: 98 katana having issuses

98 katana... after driving for a while the bike will cut off... i have found that it happens faster on hot days as i drove for 45 mins on a cold day and it didn't happen once and then i drove it in 80 degree heat for 20 mins and it started doing it. Also if you let the bike cool off, like park it for an 1hour the problem goes away until it heats up again.

What happening is that your engine is dying and the force of the forward motion is push-starting it again. So the real question is why is your engine dying in the first place? And how does heat play into the equation?

Question: was it doing it before the cool day? Or only afterwards?

Likely causes:
(A) Bad wiring or bad electrical parts. Vibration in motion and/or heat could be permitting a wire to short out or lose connectivity, especially if there is corrosion/debris in the connectors or switches. Common places this can occur include the run-switch, the coils, the primary cables coming off the battery, and the voltage regulator/IC pack. This last one is particularly prone to temperature issues when preparing to fail totally.

(B) Physically damaged battery. Check the battery casing for signs of previous overheating (warped plastic casing or buldging plastic cell walls is usually indication of this). Check voltage both with the engine off (should be 12.6+) and with the engine running (13.4 to 14.7). If the first value is under 12.6, the battery is dying. If the second value is under 13.2 or above 14.7, the voltage regulator is failing (may be failing intermittently without over-voltage).

This may become a bear to track down, but I will start by recommending you remove the fairings, open each electrical connector, clean it thoroughly (electrical contact cleaner, emory cloth or toothbrush, until shiny) and then slather it with dielectric grease and reassemble. If you spot any connectors with significant rust on them, replace the connector. If you spot any wiring where the wire has green corrosion on it leading away from the connector into the insulation, replace that wire. This will eliminate a lot of possible problems and simultaneously greatly improve the longevity of the bike (since the dielectric grease will help prevent new electrical problems from cropping up for years to come).

After that, it will come down to testing and replacing components to see if they are the cause of concern. You should acquire the factory (Suzuki-brand) service manual at this point if the problem has not been resolved, as it will have all the test procedures for the various electrical systems for you to try. The next thing you need to try to do is find someone with a similar bike (i.e. - pre-98 Kat 600, r 98+ Kat 750, whatever size and generalized model you own) that is local and can possibly loan you test parts from their bike, from CDI to voltage regulator, etc., to test as a "known good" swap.

I'm going to guess that if you clean all the connectors thoroughly and dielectric grease them up, you will have found the problem and resolved it...

Good Luck!
=-= The CyberPoet

[trinc]

if the bike quits completely - not sputters - looses power then dies then the problem is pre coil. the safety switches is what i would look at first.

get a house fan and turn it on toward the oil cooler & put the bike on the center stand. put your side stand up ( just like when your riding ) & fire up the bike. give the side stand a good wiggle then get your handy dandy hair dryer and warm up the switch & see if it cuts the bike off. try the kill switch on the right handle bars also.

the cdi is under the rear cowl on the left side - no real need to remove anything at this point - just point the hair dryer at it ( watch the temp of the plastic though )

OR

get a can of cold spray - chemtronics sells Freez-it ( plastic, ozone safe & nonflammable. ) spray it on suspect parts. once the bike dies


OR the easiest way to test the sidestand switch -once the bike dies put the bike in neutral and try to start it. if it starts shut it off then put it in gear & try again - if it doesn't start your sidestand switch is bad. (when the bike is in neutral it bypasses the sidestand switch)

tim

[Evader]

hello to yah koolcutta
i just got my '98 750 and i had similar problems, my kickstand was dropping just enough to cause the bike to stall out, you might try checking it. other than that i have no clue kid. good luck to ya and be safe.

I have the same exact problem, just started recently, coincientally after repairing my broken safety kill switch on the side stand, I'm going to have to try disconnecting it again and see if that fixes it! good thinking.

[SlipKid]

Make sure your gas tank vent isn't clogged, as that could be a possible culprit.