Odd problem I need help with

[alarmdude9]

Finally decided to take my first long trip for my sons 11th birthday. Beautiful day just over a 200 mile ride boy is on the back and we are loving the ride. Go over a rough railroad track and as soon as I get on the other side of it the bike starts to sputter and hesitate. Rode about 30 miles to the next gas station and hopped off the bike filled it up and pulled over to the side to start looking the bike over. Only thing I noticed was the bike was running hot and the fan wasn't running. Put the boy in the truck with his mom and sisters and finished the ride. Bike was still missing and running hot but got me there. Checked into the hotel and got settled and let the bike cool down for a bit and went down to check it and didn't see anything obviously wrong (to be honest I am clueless about most things mechanical) took it for a little ride around the strip and it was a little "missy" but not horrible. Did the family thing today and got ready to leave and the switch would come on but as soon as I hit the starter everything died. Followed the wire from the started to the connector under the right hand cover and checked everything I could think to check and wiggled everything and it started. Saying a prayer I started the ride home. Bike was a bit "missy" not bad and after I got a fresh tank of fuel and some fuel cleaner stuff (thinking maybe bad fuel) it seemed to get a bit better. Ride smoothed out for a while and when it started getting dark (about 120 miles out) I noticed if I was at a light the neutral light was pulsating and started noticing the needle flying to zero then coming back up then everything going blank. And as dark fell noticed the headlight fading out and coming back up and the gauges dieing out. I did find the breather box had worked out and when I squeezed it on it did seem to help with the stuttering but not much. And I just noticed I forgot to say its a 02 vt750dc sorry about that. Getting ready to hop in the shower to remove some of the bugs from my teeth and then start looking at the greek tablet they call the service manual and see if I can figgure something out but hoping someone here can point me in the correct direction since it seems like whenever someone has an issue you guys are amazing with the answers so here is to when I am clean you guys can tell me how to get dirty to get her running again.

Thanks guys
Bill

[falcon1234]

when you say missy, you mean sputtering?
also, check to see if the fan is trying to run or if it's not getting power. sounds like it may have seized up, which could cause all kinds of problems, but due to all your electrical shinangans, i would guess a good starting point would be to check as many connections as you can.

if you're not super mechanical, this sounds like a tricky way to start, i would probably take it to your local bike shop rather than damage it further.

PS: i'm by no means a pro, just kinda guessing

[alarmdude9]

Yep sputtering and hesitating when I give it throttle. A couple of times when it was at constant speed. And if it is beyond me it will definatly go to the shop. Just my daily driver so hoping it stays that way. And grabbing the testers and stuff now to go and check the fan and the whatever other connectors I can find.

[gsimmons85]

just throwing something out there...

could it be the heat, (check for blown fan fuses, rock in fan, coolant level etc) fried a line....shorted something out... sounds like an electrical problem to me...

[alarmdude9]

gsimmons thats what I was thinking. Maybe the tracks bumped something free on the the fan and the heat did the rest. Didnt know if maybe the heat would cause some of the electrical problems or not though.

[Convict1997]

I've heard of similar conditions from a loose battery connection. This would make sense given that it started when going over the rail road tracks. Check your cables at the battery and go out from there.

[alarmdude9]

convict1997 looks like that could well be part of the problem. The positive terminal was all kinds of loose. Getting ready to button it up and take it for a ride around the neighborhood (I really hope the neighbors like straight shots....) is it possible the fan issue could be related? And anyone have any idea of an approximation of how long the bike would need to run to heat it up enough to get it to kick on? Going to reseat every connector I can find now to see if that makes any difference as well.

[alarmdude9]

Well Gentlemen once again you saved the day. She is running as strong as ever thank you guys so very much.

[gmck]

still might want to check the fan

[gdb069]

Originally Posted by alarmdude9

convict1997 looks like that could well be part of the problem. The positive terminal was all kinds of loose. Getting ready to button it up and take it for a ride around the neighborhood (I really hope the neighbors like straight shots....) is it possible the fan issue could be related? .

Most people think the battery is just for starting but it is integral to the ignition, timing, lighting etc. Glad you found the problem and a simple solution.