Help! Engine problems now! I f**king hate this bike!!!
Discussion
Sorry, its yet another long post 
My bikes had so many parts replaced in the 8 months or so I've owned it. I took your advice from my last thread in here and took it out for a ride tonight, it was perfectly clear skies, so I thought it might relax me. I went a route I know well, which normally takes me about an hour.
By the end of it I was wondering if I was actually going to get home...
The first half of the ride was fine, got to what I count at the mid way point where I turn round (I go along the coast, nice relaxing ride in 30mhp zones). Normally, I would stop at this point and have a sit down, enjoy the view, get an ice cream or just have a chat with a friend if I go out with someone . But tonight I didn't, I wanted to get back to watch the apprentice, so I did a quick turn around and came back. After about 5 minutes, the engine started to "miss" - lost power for a split second, but just enough to notice. A few minutes later, and on a dual carriage way, the engine suddenly started to stutter, then lost all power. I quickly pulled over, panicking. I revved the engine a little, and it sounded ok. I waited till a big gap appeared, then pulled out. I got about 15 metres, then engine stuttered then lost all power - however it was still on, it hadn't died. I pulled the bike up onto a piece of pavement and switched off the engine. I took off my gloves and tried to calm down, and I left the engine for about a minute. I fired it up again, tried a little ride down the pavement bit I was on and it seemed ok.
By this point I was at the end of the dual carriage way, so again I waited for a huge gap to appear then pulled out where the road turned into a single carriageway. I made it about 80-100 metres, then the same thing happened, so I pulled onto a bit of tarmac on the outside of the corner. I took off my jacket, helmet and gloves and sat down, trying to work out what to do. I didn't want to call anyone as I wsn't that sure where I was, and I didn't have a clue WTF was going on with my bike. I noticed that the engine cover was quite warm and the exhaust was very hot. I left it to cool for about 3-4 minutes, then started putting my stuff on again.
At this point, another biker came up the road, pulled in beside me and asked me if I was ok. To be honest, I was shitting myself, but I didn't want to say anything (dam my bloody pride
) I said I was ok and gave him a thumbs up, and it made me feel better that guy coming up to me. So Mr Silver bike (I think it was a Yamaha) on an NC05 reg (IIRC), thank you so much! 
Anyway, once the road cleared, I got my bike started and just kept the revs up for the next 5 minutes or so as it seemed ok at the top of the power band. I eventually got to the end of a country road, and had to slow down at the junction. The revs drop, I pulled out and I lost all power again - big problem, as there was a black Micra coming up behind me fast. I pulled in, the Micra swerved a bit and shot past, then it took me about 1 minute to get the 15 metres to the junction to get off the main road, with the engine stuttering under me
I managed to get home without any more problems. I've checked everything over, it has enough petrol, oil, coolant etc etc. No obvious problems. Any idea whats wrong? Everything seemed hotter than normal, but the temp gauge didn't show the engine overheating. What should I do? I don't want to ride it again in case it dies on my again and I'm stuck somewhere/a car hits me.
Things just keep getting worse and worse
I can't wait to get rid of this now
sorry for any spelling errors, I'm typng this while wathcing the apprentice
My bikes had so many parts replaced in the 8 months or so I've owned it. I took your advice from my last thread in here and took it out for a ride tonight, it was perfectly clear skies, so I thought it might relax me. I went a route I know well, which normally takes me about an hour.
By the end of it I was wondering if I was actually going to get home... The first half of the ride was fine, got to what I count at the mid way point where I turn round (I go along the coast, nice relaxing ride in 30mhp zones). Normally, I would stop at this point and have a sit down, enjoy the view, get an ice cream or just have a chat with a friend if I go out with someone
. But tonight I didn't, I wanted to get back to watch the apprentice, so I did a quick turn around and came back. After about 5 minutes, the engine started to "miss" - lost power for a split second, but just enough to notice. A few minutes later, and on a dual carriage way, the engine suddenly started to stutter, then lost all power. I quickly pulled over, panicking. I revved the engine a little, and it sounded ok. I waited till a big gap appeared, then pulled out. I got about 15 metres, then engine stuttered then lost all power - however it was still on, it hadn't died. I pulled the bike up onto a piece of pavement and switched off the engine. I took off my gloves and tried to calm down, and I left the engine for about a minute. I fired it up again, tried a little ride down the pavement bit I was on and it seemed ok. By this point I was at the end of the dual carriage way, so again I waited for a huge gap to appear then pulled out where the road turned into a single carriageway. I made it about 80-100 metres, then the same thing happened, so I pulled onto a bit of tarmac on the outside of the corner. I took off my jacket, helmet and gloves and sat down, trying to work out what to do. I didn't want to call anyone as I wsn't that sure where I was, and I didn't have a clue WTF was going on with my bike. I noticed that the engine cover was quite warm and the exhaust was very hot. I left it to cool for about 3-4 minutes, then started putting my stuff on again.
At this point, another biker came up the road, pulled in beside me and asked me if I was ok. To be honest, I was shitting myself, but I didn't want to say anything (dam my bloody pride
) I said I was ok and gave him a thumbs up, and it made me feel better that guy coming up to me. So Mr Silver bike (I think it was a Yamaha) on an NC05 reg (IIRC), thank you so much! Anyway, once the road cleared, I got my bike started and just kept the revs up for the next 5 minutes or so as it seemed ok at the top of the power band. I eventually got to the end of a country road, and had to slow down at the junction. The revs drop, I pulled out and I lost all power again - big problem, as there was a black Micra coming up behind me fast. I pulled in, the Micra swerved a bit and shot past, then it took me about 1 minute to get the 15 metres to the junction to get off the main road, with the engine stuttering under me
I managed to get home without any more problems. I've checked everything over, it has enough petrol, oil, coolant etc etc. No obvious problems. Any idea whats wrong? Everything seemed hotter than normal, but the temp gauge didn't show the engine overheating. What should I do? I don't want to ride it again in case it dies on my again and I'm stuck somewhere/a car hits me.
Things just keep getting worse and worse
I can't wait to get rid of this now sorry for any spelling errors, I'm typng this while wathcing the apprentice
Could the fuel tank breather be blocked? If it happens again immediately release the filler cap. If it hisses, the breather is blocked. If the problem goes away, the breather could also be blocked. Don't know a lot about your particular bike to be more specific, but I've been caught out by pinhole breathers and wax in the past 
(Always try the easy stuff first)
(Always try the easy stuff first)
it sounds like ignition or fuel related. may be a bocked jet? Does the bike run on idle, but refuse to run under load? Alternatively, you could have a faulty coil which doesn't supply enough power to the spark plugs when the engine is revved. Everything has a root cause, you just need to be logical in your approach to sorting it out. What bike is it?
SamHH said:
I recently had a problem with my moped very similar to that which you described. The dealer fixed it; they said the carb needed adjusting. It was probably a pretty simple thing to do but I'm not good at fixing things. Maybe it's the same problem on your bike.
Did your's happen all the time though? What I can't understand is that it was fine for the first 35 minutes or so then buggered up. I'll check the fuel tank breather (*wanderes off to find out what a fuel tank breather is"
)southpaw said:
I recently had a problem with my moped very similar to that which you described. The dealer fixed it; they said the carb needed adjusting. It was probably a pretty simple thing to do but I'm not good at fixing things. Maybe it's the same problem on your bike.
Did your's happen all the time though? What I can't understand is that it was fine for the first 35 minutes or so then buggered up. I'll check the fuel tank breather (*wanderes off to find out what a fuel tank breather is"
No, to start with it only happened for the first thirty seconds of a journey, then it started happening whenever I was riding downhill. Later, it would do it for an entire journey, albeit not every journey. Your symptoms do sound very similar, so it's probably worth checking out.
southpaw said:Takes a while for the first vacuum to form, then when you stop the tank loses some of the vacuum, but not all of it so it's ok for a little while. After that the bike runs for short periods then dies again. Check the filler cap, if it has a pin hole they can get blocked by wax etc. Been there, done that. Failing that there will be a pipe somewhere that vents to atmosphere.
I recently had a problem with my moped very similar to that which you described. The dealer fixed it; they said the carb needed adjusting. It was probably a pretty simple thing to do but I'm not good at fixing things. Maybe it's the same problem on your bike.
Did your's happen all the time though? What I can't understand is that it was fine for the first 35 minutes or so then buggered up. I'll check the fuel tank breather (*wanderes off to find out what a fuel tank breather is"
I could be way off the mark, but it's a free fix if it works.
humpbackmaniac said:
Its the fuel pump, a little flat device working on a suction pump inline on the fuel line, just done one on a DNA 125 Gliera say it happens all the time. £30
H
If its this problem, any chance of it being replaced under warranty? (being a cheapskate
) And is it ok to ride to the dealership like this or might I do damage to the engine if I ride it? Smart Roadster said:
Don't want to sound patronising but you do top up the oil tank don't you?
Yup, its had a litre of oil over its life time, just topped up about 2 weeks. Top quality Shell 2 stroke oil. Its also only ever been run on Shell unleaded petrol
kingb said:
is the gilera a 2 stroke?? my moped was a 2 stroke and had this sort of problem and just needed a new exhaust which had got bunged up
The exhaust it totally screwed up anyway - covered in loads of rust! Looks really crap now
Thanks for all the advice so far guys, better than my mums solution when I told her - "just bounce up and down on it a few times to dislodge whatever's gone wrong, that'll sort it"
Couple of questions
How many miles has the bike done?
Service history?
Was it new or is it second hand?
How old is the spark plug?
When I used to ride 2 strokes I always had aleast one spare plug on me at all times. Things are better now with synthetic oil but plugs still foul.
If the bike has a fair few miles on it it might be a coked up exhaust. This can be sorted a couple of ways.
1. Remove exhaust from bike
2. poor tiny amount of petrol in and light it. This will burn off the crud in the exhaust. BUT this is a bit dangerous and should only be attempted if you have a large garden where you can be a long way from any flamable stuff.
3. let the exhaust cool down.
4. tap end on ground crud should fall out.
5. Replace on bike using a new gasket because an exhaust leak will truely screw you engine up.
Or
Caustic soda. This is very corrosive and getting on your skin or any ally is a big no no. Wear googles rubber gloves, clothes you won't miss!
1. Remove exhaust
2. Bung up one end of the exhaust, poor in hot caustic soda solution ( make it as strong as you can). Bung other end of exhaust shake it about a bit.
3. Retire inside wash hands very well, make a cup of tea,Drink tea. Give a good half hour or longer.
4. Poor crud from exhaust down drain. Do not spill it on the lawn, drive or anywhere it will be seen, this is black sticky crap and very alkaline.
5. Replace exhaust using new gasket.
Or take it to a dealer who will do it for you.
How many miles has the bike done?
Service history?
Was it new or is it second hand?
How old is the spark plug?
When I used to ride 2 strokes I always had aleast one spare plug on me at all times. Things are better now with synthetic oil but plugs still foul.
If the bike has a fair few miles on it it might be a coked up exhaust. This can be sorted a couple of ways.
1. Remove exhaust from bike
2. poor tiny amount of petrol in and light it. This will burn off the crud in the exhaust. BUT this is a bit dangerous and should only be attempted if you have a large garden where you can be a long way from any flamable stuff.
3. let the exhaust cool down.
4. tap end on ground crud should fall out.
5. Replace on bike using a new gasket because an exhaust leak will truely screw you engine up.
Or
Caustic soda. This is very corrosive and getting on your skin or any ally is a big no no. Wear googles rubber gloves, clothes you won't miss!
1. Remove exhaust
2. Bung up one end of the exhaust, poor in hot caustic soda solution ( make it as strong as you can). Bung other end of exhaust shake it about a bit.
3. Retire inside wash hands very well, make a cup of tea,Drink tea. Give a good half hour or longer.
4. Poor crud from exhaust down drain. Do not spill it on the lawn, drive or anywhere it will be seen, this is black sticky crap and very alkaline.
5. Replace exhaust using new gasket.
Or take it to a dealer who will do it for you.
Smart Roadster said:
Couple of questions
How many miles has the bike done?
Service history?
Was it new or is it second hand?
How old is the spark plug?
When I used to ride 2 strokes I always had aleast one spare plug on me at all times. Things are better now with synthetic oil but plugs still foul.
Its done about 800-900 miles now
Last service was its first service, just an oil change, about 300-400 miles ago
It was brand spanking new when I got it in August 2005
I'd assume the spark plugs are the same age as the bike, so about 10 months/900 miles old
The exhaust is pretty rusty (and is still restricted) but the internals should be ok...
southpaw said:
Couple of questions
How many miles has the bike done?
Service history?
Was it new or is it second hand?
How old is the spark plug?
When I used to ride 2 strokes I always had aleast one spare plug on me at all times. Things are better now with synthetic oil but plugs still foul.
Its done about 800-900 miles now
Last service was its first service, just an oil change, about 300-400 miles ago
It was brand spanking new when I got it in August 2005
I'd assume the spark plugs are the same age as the bike, so about 10 months/900 miles old
The exhaust is pretty rusty (and is still restricted) but the internals should be ok...
I know you're going to think I'm having a pop at you here but are you serious you've done 800-900 miles in almost a year?????
You really need to get out more my name-changing friend.
Not stepping on toes here but - you say you've changed quite a bit of parts in the past couple of months? If you changed anything remotely related ot the motor or the carb, this is were your problem could lye. Like someone said earlier i think it is an air fuel mixture problem or something of the like. Take it to get a check up and see how it goes. You also haven't ridden it much, your fuel lines may have gunk in them although it wouldn't seem likely being such a new bike.
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