August, 2008

The end of the month is almost here and I've caught up with this blog. August started with a trip to the Cape. It was around 190 miles, round trip. I had a meeting to go to and it was a great day for riding; almost no wind and my travel time found very little traffic.

The following three days (Aug 16,17,18) are the first bad experience I've had with the bike:

August 16. Went for a ride to Bass Pro Shops in Foxboro. Riding down the highway at about 80 when the engine started cutting out. I pulled over to the slow lane as the engine lost power. I pulled off onto an exit and the bike died. It took a while, but, I got the bike running again.I tried the starter several times and it sounded like it wanted to start but 
couldn't.  After repeating the startup procedure several time I decided that I 
wouldn't waste the battery and proceded to push the bike about 100 yards.  I 
attempted to start it several more times and when I let it coast down a hill and
let the clutch out in third gear it started, running rough. I started going home and the bike started running fine so I continued on my quest for more fishing equipment. When I went to leave, the bike started fine and got me home.

August 17, 10874 miles. Went to a Yankee Beemers meeting in Westminster. It was a nice ride on a Sunday morning. About a quarter mile from my house, the bike died. It was hard to start and when I got it going again, I rode it around the neighborhood until I felt it was good to go to Westminster (about 80 miles). The ride continue without problems, there and back.

August 18 On the commute to work, the bike died about 7 miles from the house. I had put some fuel injector cleaner in, but it hadn't gone through the system yet. After getting it going again, I went to work, even stopping for a break, without trouble. On the ride home, before I left work, it wouldn't start. After getting it going, it ran fine.

August 19. Commute to work was fine, rode it to Gary's house and he suggested an electrical issue.  I still think that it's a fuel issue because after the 
fuel injector cleaner, the bike ran fine.   A couple of tankfulls later and it 
still runs 
fine.  

August 26. Met up with another F650 rider. He had a blue bike. I saw one like that at the Yankee Beemers meeting.