Stuck on the road in SC

[eyeofcy]

Hey all, my gal, Donna is on the road from home in Ohio on her way to the Florida Keys riding her 96 K1100LT.  She pulled off the highway in Rock Hill SC. when her bike died.  Cranks but no start.  I had her check the usual suspects...kill switch, side stand,etc.  She can hear the fuel pump spin up when she turns the ignition on.  She is in a hotel for the night and I left a message for the service mgr. at BMW-Ducati of Charlotte.  The dealer is about 12 miles away luckily so she will probably get it towed there in the morning.

Can anybody think of anything else stupid to check in the AM before the tow arrives?  Thanks in advance!

BTW: we had a blast at the Klassic K last year!  We can't make it this year but we will both be at the Biltmore for the RA and look forward to seeing you all again!!

[TimTyler]

Clogged fuel filter?

Did the bike just not start after a break, or did it die while she was riding it?

[Qdude]

I suspect a faulty/dirty kill switch.
I did it die before or after she shut it down?

[eyeofcy]

She had gassed up about 45 min. previous and was running down the interstate.  Bike was running normally.  She got off the highway to get a room for the night when it died pulling out of a parking lot.  I had her double check the position of the kill switch.

[Qdude]

I had 3 of the 5 wires from my k1100lt ignition break which made the bike run oddly... It would work if I moved the wire bundles just so, and would die if I turned the bars to a certain position.

I had a Kawasaki that had one of the major wire bundle multi pin plugs come partially unplugged. It would sometimes cut the bike out (usually as I enered a roadway ) right after I had turned the handlebars back and forth.

Could you get her to manipulate the wire bundle under the triple tree as if there was a bad connection in there "somewhere"? It sound to me like something came loose/broke/pulled free as she turned the bars, which moved the wire bundle, as she left the parking lot. She might get contact again by push/pulling the wires that are affected by handlebar turning. Kapeesh?

[motodude]

Fuel filter & wiring bundle are both good suggestions.  Although if she just filled up, checking the filter will not be fun.  Also, check the fuses. 

Eliminate the simple stuff first.  Don't ask me how I know.

Sucks to be stranded.

Tom

[eyeofcy]

OK, problem solved but not without drama.  She called this morning for a tow to the dealer (about 15 miles away)  It took the tow company a while to find someone who could tow a motorcycle.  when he arrived with a flatbed, the tow truck driver rode the bike (straddled it) as he winched it up the flatbed incline.  I'm assuming he didn't have a dolly for the front wheel as is usually standard procedure for a MC tow.  Somewhere in the process he lost his balance and fell to the pavement, head first, from a height of about 6 feet.  Paramedics were summoned and the driver was hospitalized.  The bike fell over on the flatbed and suffered a few cracks in the fairing.  Another tow truck driver was dispatched and the bike and rider made it to the dealer.  The tow truck driver's condition is unknown to me at this time.

The bike was diagnosed with an exploded fuel filter meaning no pressure was getting to the fuel rail.  Donna is rolling south again, no doubt feeling bad about the man who was coming to her aid.

[WayneDW]

OUCH!

[turq]

I've been wondering lately how well my k75 would be treated in a recovery/tow.
I was told by a AAA agent it depends solely on the driver , and his experience.

Good to here she's back on the road, sorry for the guy taking a 'header' off the deck. Not a good thing.
Keep us up on the saga.

[Qdude]

I feel really badly for her... what a double buzzkill.
I hope this is "the worst' outing she will ever experience.
Good to get that one out of the way.
Onward and upward.

[Duc750]

In the uk motorcycle recovery is a real lottery. Basically I'd say don't ever go out on your bike without knowing how to strap it to a truck bed. Don't count on the recovery guy knowing how to handle it.

[grant71]

That breakdown is of particular interest to me. 1st ly lets hope the chap who took a fall is  A1 ok. I am in the process of sorting out my fuel problem and have removed the fuel pump and filter from the tank. The filter casing seems to be aluminium. The local parts shop only had a plastic outer casing. 2 questions. Will the new plastic filter handle the pressure and 2nd ly can i re use the original bmw filter if need be. It was slightly contaminated when i cleaned it out ?

[TimTyler]

Will the new plastic filter handle the pressure and 2nd ly can i re use the original bmw filter if need be.

Alternative Fuel Filters

[Inge K.]

It was slightly contaminated when i cleaned it out ?

Could be a idea to check (and maybe change) the pre-filter.....on the underside of the pump.

[Niemand]

Will the new plastic filter handle the pressure and 2nd ly can i re use the original bmw filter if need be. It was slightly contaminated when i cleaned it out ?

As far as I have seen, the plastic ones are not rated for F.I. pressures, and I would strongly advise against using one.  Plus, if by some miracle it was strong enough, you would have to be certain the entire thing was submersible in fuel.

In an emergency situation, attempting to rinse with appropriate fluids and re-install should be fine, but I would look into a replacement personally.

[grant71]

Thanks for all your advice. The filter attached to the fuel pump was as clean as a whistle. By and large i get the impression that the fuel we are sold in SA is pretty good  quality. I managed to get hold of a fuel level sensor from James Sherlock for  £40 plus  £12 shipping. Thats about   $78. Now remember SA is a banana republic and our currency , called the RAND , is a disaster.multiply by 10 and the sensor costs me R780. Thats a lot of money. Will buy 60 litres ( about 13 gallons ) petrol.  Give me some feed back please.Our petrol sells for about R 13 per litre,  (   about R60 per gal or  $ 6 per gal ) . Our currency is about  R10 for  $ 1. Hope my maths is ok.

[K75RT Keith]

Make sure to contact the towing company regarding the damage to the bike.  Regardless of the condition of the driver, they were responsible to SAFELY load your vehicle and avoid any damages.  Sorry the guy fell on his noggin. But, you shouldn't have to pay to fix his damage.  Also, see if the dealer noted the damage when the bike arrived. 

[eyeofcy]

Thanks Kieth, they are in the process of payment now.  She had the dealer write a repair estimate for the tow damage.  I see that you are in Rocky River!  I am in Berea and hang with some like minded bikers at Wallace Lake occasionally.  We should get together for a ride or some benchracing. 

[JamesInCA]

That's horrible! Glad she's well, and hope the tow guy recovers well!

Diagnostic note: On the earlier k-bikes, at least, if it cranks, it can't be the kill switch. Cranking demonstrates the kill switch is passing current. The first suspect for crank-no-start is always the fuel filter. (The K1100 wiring diagrams I'm seeing are rather less informative about the starter relay.)

On towing: When I needed mine rescued, the tow guy had a regular truck with the two outward-facing u-shaped things they put under the car tires and lift up. I was very interested in how he was going to work that.

He put the bike sideways in the two U's, fit like it was made for it. Strapped the frame down to the center part of his tow gizmo, lifted it up three feet, and drove right home.

[JamesInCA]

Oh - and she may ought to be curious about what "exploded" the fuel filter. Was the filter not rated for FI pressure? Was it defective?

Or is there something else in her fuel system causing a blockage that then exposed the filter to full pump pressure? That's the one I'd be worried about. Bad FPR? Clog in a fuel hose? Fuel pump going crazy?

The filter didn't just explode itself - the pressure was too high. I'd want to know if it was too high because of a problem with the filter, or too high because of a problem in my fuel flow.