Chris V
Member
Hello to the FZ1 world! I'm new to the forum as far as posting, but have used so many of these discussions to help troubleshoot. A couple of months ago I purchased a 2009 Yamaha FZ1. This being my first bike of this caliber, I wasn't sure what to expect, how the bike was going to feel, how much glorious power it was going to have, etc.
I have had a strange start with my new bike. Here is my history of moments of joy and frustration… fairly detailed, but I think it’s a weird enough situation that it’s important.
My first ride was a test ride.. I enjoyed it very much, decided to buy it. My second ride was from the craigslist location to my house. The second ride seemed a little different, and the bike seemed difficult to ride at low speeds. I just assumed new bike, new style of bike from what I’m used to.. give it some time. I had a friend who is more familiar with this type of bike test ride it and he felt as though something was weird cause it was snatchy, and a had a flat spot in the fueling. I disconnected the Juicebox that the previous owner had installed… Felt like a NEW bike all together. I felt comfortable, began riding it to work and just for fun… Talked to many people, decided the Juicebox had probably “gone bad”.
Then… riding on the highway, I noticed there was a bit of jumpiness in low rpms (3-5k) in 5th and 6th gear. Perhaps the bike didn’t like riding in this area I thought? I noticed the speedo numbers began jumping around from one random number to another.. 55, 82, 23, 66 (not the actual numbers), and then it went away. There was also some hesitation in the acceleration/throttle. I thought maybe a sensor? No error codes/check engine light by the way. Ignored it and planned to keep an eye on it. When I was out for a joyride, after an earlier hour and a half ride, it began happening again, but this time the throttle was very snatchy, and the speedo problem was happening in any gear, not just highway speeds. It felt unsafe to ride, so I nursed my way back home and decided I needed to look into what was going on.
My brother-in-law knows a great deal about motorcycles, and works on commercial airplane engines. He talked with me extensively and came over to test all wiring/electronics to make sure there were no shorts and voltages were good. Checked fuses, good. I’m pretty confident that we are in check there.
Next changed spark plugs and all 4 ignition coils. The problem still occurred (weird speedo number flashing and snatchiness), and seemed to come on much more quickly. Next day, error codes 13 (air intake sensor), 23 (atmospheric pressure sensor), and 41 (lean angle sensor [open or short]) showed up and the bike wouldn’t start. Next day, error code 12 showed up. The previous owner had the same issues and symptoms in 2012, and was at the point where the bike wouldn’t start. He brought it to a dealer, they condemned the ECU, replaced it and fixed the bike. SO, I purchased the most updated ECU (2011+) and plugged it in, and sure enough it seemed as though everything was gold. Bike was running smooth, felt great. DAY 1: Took two rides about 30 minutes long around town, nothing crazy. DAY 2: Took a long morning ride and about an hour into the ride THE SPEEDO STARTED DOING THE SAME THING, the bike became difficult to ride, and died. I pulled over, let it cool started up and rode with flashers (thankfully I was on my way back home, only a few miles away). Bike seemed okay for a couple of minutes, then died. Let the bike cool, started up and made it home with my head hanging quite low..
I am at a loss right now as to what my next move is. Previous owner installed a Delkevic slip on, and removed the SERVO motor. Perhaps this is an issue? Perhaps the crankshaft position sensor is bad? Speedo sensor? Bike wiring harness? I am hoping I don’t need to go on a wild goose chase with this one, and perhaps someone has experienced something similar or has some ideas. I’m very open to ideas and criticism, as I am here to learn!
Thank you for reading!
Chris
I have had a strange start with my new bike. Here is my history of moments of joy and frustration… fairly detailed, but I think it’s a weird enough situation that it’s important.
My first ride was a test ride.. I enjoyed it very much, decided to buy it. My second ride was from the craigslist location to my house. The second ride seemed a little different, and the bike seemed difficult to ride at low speeds. I just assumed new bike, new style of bike from what I’m used to.. give it some time. I had a friend who is more familiar with this type of bike test ride it and he felt as though something was weird cause it was snatchy, and a had a flat spot in the fueling. I disconnected the Juicebox that the previous owner had installed… Felt like a NEW bike all together. I felt comfortable, began riding it to work and just for fun… Talked to many people, decided the Juicebox had probably “gone bad”.
Then… riding on the highway, I noticed there was a bit of jumpiness in low rpms (3-5k) in 5th and 6th gear. Perhaps the bike didn’t like riding in this area I thought? I noticed the speedo numbers began jumping around from one random number to another.. 55, 82, 23, 66 (not the actual numbers), and then it went away. There was also some hesitation in the acceleration/throttle. I thought maybe a sensor? No error codes/check engine light by the way. Ignored it and planned to keep an eye on it. When I was out for a joyride, after an earlier hour and a half ride, it began happening again, but this time the throttle was very snatchy, and the speedo problem was happening in any gear, not just highway speeds. It felt unsafe to ride, so I nursed my way back home and decided I needed to look into what was going on.
My brother-in-law knows a great deal about motorcycles, and works on commercial airplane engines. He talked with me extensively and came over to test all wiring/electronics to make sure there were no shorts and voltages were good. Checked fuses, good. I’m pretty confident that we are in check there.
Next changed spark plugs and all 4 ignition coils. The problem still occurred (weird speedo number flashing and snatchiness), and seemed to come on much more quickly. Next day, error codes 13 (air intake sensor), 23 (atmospheric pressure sensor), and 41 (lean angle sensor [open or short]) showed up and the bike wouldn’t start. Next day, error code 12 showed up. The previous owner had the same issues and symptoms in 2012, and was at the point where the bike wouldn’t start. He brought it to a dealer, they condemned the ECU, replaced it and fixed the bike. SO, I purchased the most updated ECU (2011+) and plugged it in, and sure enough it seemed as though everything was gold. Bike was running smooth, felt great. DAY 1: Took two rides about 30 minutes long around town, nothing crazy. DAY 2: Took a long morning ride and about an hour into the ride THE SPEEDO STARTED DOING THE SAME THING, the bike became difficult to ride, and died. I pulled over, let it cool started up and rode with flashers (thankfully I was on my way back home, only a few miles away). Bike seemed okay for a couple of minutes, then died. Let the bike cool, started up and made it home with my head hanging quite low..
I am at a loss right now as to what my next move is. Previous owner installed a Delkevic slip on, and removed the SERVO motor. Perhaps this is an issue? Perhaps the crankshaft position sensor is bad? Speedo sensor? Bike wiring harness? I am hoping I don’t need to go on a wild goose chase with this one, and perhaps someone has experienced something similar or has some ideas. I’m very open to ideas and criticism, as I am here to learn!
Thank you for reading!
Chris