[rustybottoms]

hey everyone... i'm relatively new here, so first post, but i have been observing.
when i got my 2005 rc, it had 5,000 miles, bone stock, and near showroom condition. after about 1,000 miles of my own, and only minor mods (flush mount, fender kit) it started to have the habit of losing power, then gunning to where the bike should have "rolled-on" to in the rev range. it's like a punch in the groin, followed by a slap on the rear.
it's happening in all gears, at all speeds, throughout the rpms. i was hoping new pipes and power commander would fix this (thanks for hooking that up scott, aka cbr400rr!) but it hasn't. i just dropped it off at a friend's shop to get regeared/PAIR/flapper/soft rev done, but was curious about what i should be expecting.

*pipes are sato ti low mounts with carbon banzai cans, running dan kyle low map. (i was the only one hoping they would help the problem, scott and i never discussed the FI issue when buying the set up)

thanks.

[jzanutto]

you need to find out what code your F1 light is flashing. You have a problem that a PC, or pipes or flapper mod is NOT going to fix.

[rustybottoms]

thanks jzanutto. i guess i am just a bit nervous/over-anxious to find out what it might be. i had naively hoped the pipes/pc would help the problem, earlier, but kind of knew this was a stupid thought, even at the time. it's at a shop now, but out of curiousity, and since i am a real know-nothing with most aspects of wrenching/trouble-shooting, i found this on another board:

from osmosisfrank:
... I learned that you can jumper the little green two-wire plug under the seat next to the battery, and you get the "error codes".
CODES:

0 - bank angle sensor, ECM, PGM-FI fuse
1 - MAP sensor
2 - MAP sensor vacuum hoses, or sensor itself
7 - ECT sensor poorly connected or open circuit
8 - TP sensor, TP sensor wiring
9 - IAT sensor connection, or open wire
10 - Baro sensor, or connection, or wiring
11 - Vehicle speed sensor, or connection or wiring
12 - #1 injector connection, or faulty injector
13 - #2 injectior connection or faulty injector
14 - #1 connection or open/shorted circuit
15 - #2 connection or open/shorted circuit
18 - Cam pulse sensor, connection or loose sensor
19 - Ignition pulse sensor, connection or loose sensor
20 - faulty E-PROM in ECM.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
thought it might help someone else down the road. turned out the problem from the other thread was electrical. i'll be sure to update when i find out what mine was. thanks.

[jzanutto]

I was going to refer you to that. You have to find out your code and fix it. Since your bike isnt that old, I'd put my money on it being just a corroded connection to a sensor or maybe a bad wire somewhere.

Is the shop going to check it for you?

[rustybottoms]

yeah, the mechanic is a friend of a friend, so he knows all about it, and i already know he's thorough, as well as trust worthy. his initial thought was that it was a wire, and i would love that. i just hope i don't find out that i am so mechanically challenged this whole ordeal is because i mis-wired the turn signals or a battery connection is off or something.
either way, i was bringing it in to get a proper "once over" since i was probably more eager than speculative when i bought it... and gearing, all the other mods i mentioned, and some suspension help. will let you know when the word comes in. thanks for the guidance and concern, though. i appreciate it.

[Twincam]

Could the map of the PC3 have dropped?

[jzanutto]

that would answer the rough run, but I dont thing your bike's ECU can detect a fault in an aftermarket secondary computer

[Twincam]

Did you eliminate anything when you installed the down pipes?

[rustybottoms]

nothing eliminated with the down pipes, i even did the extra that sato recommended and used a high-temp silicon "gasket-maker" seal at the joints, so there is no leak or anything like that. since the problem was evident prior to the pipes and pcIII (like jzanutto was saying), i figure it has to be a problem that will show up through the error codes... just hopefully nothing too serious. should know in a few days.

[b.miller123]

Does it feel like your bike is kinda surging, like it can't decide if you are on the throttle or off?

If so, that sounds eerily familiar. My bikes been doing that lately, been getting worse too. Usually it's just when I am rolling onto the throttle, or slightly off of it. It's like the bike can't make up it's mind. but my fi light isn't coming on?

I would be really interested to see what they find.


btw, I've got flapper mod, leo vince high slip-ons and no PC (yet )

[rustybottoms]

b.miller123,
i wish my situation were as mellow... it's a full "death" of power (junk smashing the tank), followed by "slightly less than front end coming up" surge (thousand cc wedgie/paddling). feels like a mechanical bull... and when you're in a turn, it's terrifying. i should find out tomorrow, hopefully. unfortunately, i can't rush a guy who's doing me a favor.
good luck with your issue. i don't know a thing, really, but it sounds like a pc and some "clean-it-out" fuel additive couldn't hurt, as a start... but i honestly have no idea what i'm talking about. might be a throttle cable. might be little green men... as far as i know. hopefully someone can chime in on your situation.

[JX jdm]

Sounds like an electrical(connector) problem to me.... or maybe fuel starvation?? The CEL should 'tell"

[jzanutto]

your shop hasnt told you what the F1 light is yet??


sounds like maybe you have a sensor out.

[jzanutto]

There's not much to these. You have a rotating butterfly thats controlled directly by the throttle cable, then you have the fuel injection controlled by the ECU and its various sensors. Obviously you arent getting the correct fuel scheduling. Hope its just a wire or sensor, not the ECU

$275.00

eBay Motors: 02 03 04 05 06 Honda RVT1000 RC51 CDI ECU Computer Box (item 160242998066 end time Jul-20-08 10:21:03 PDT)

[rustybottoms]

i feel like a jerk for not posting sooner, but:
the friend who's checking on this problem took his son to the emergency room recently, so i'm not pressing the issue... don't want to leave anyone here in suspense, don't want to dig too far with (the friend/mechanic) who's looking at the bike. as soon as i know, i'll pass it on. sorry, to all involved/interested.
.

[rustybottoms]

embarassing as it is to post... it was a bad connection at the battery. not sure what happened, because i installed a battery tender and did the undertail before i experienced a problem, then hooked up the pcIII ground and had worse/similar results. if people learn from my mistake, then this post is worth my folly. i never claimed to be a mechanic. thanks for everyone's help, really... and hopefully other people can learn from my idiocy.

[jzanutto]

thats how we all learn. And you dont have to buy anything so thats cool.

[red_johnny]

Originally Posted by jzanutto

thats how we all learn. And you dont have to buy anything so thats cool.

Thats the best part about fixes like that. At least you did not have to drop down 300 bucks

[rustybottoms]

very true, guys. thanks, again... i guess that little gold scotts box is closer if i look at it that way. still trying to justify the sato rearsets (in my mind), but i'd have to find out the exhaust was producing gold dust before that works.

[thatkindasux]

check ALL the connections nuts and bolts, these bike ride hard and vibrate a lot. my bat wires come undone every 2000 miles or so..

resting of the trip is my first indication that somethings loose..

[r1mattrr]

I have a 2003 RC with the bump/kill problem that a lot of others seem to be having. I have been struggling with this for about 2 months now. Checked every connection I could find, tightened battery connections, replaced spark plugs, zip tied everything that might even have a chance to wiggle. My bike will consistently lose power and then immediately come back to life when I hit a big bump, the FI light goes red then goes right back off. Any other ideas besides wires?????????????/

[lanbrown]

Check the tank and that no tubes are crushed.

[r1mattrr]

Why would that only happen when I hit a bump????? I had the tank off when I was checking all of the connectors and was careful after reading many posts to put everything back perfectly.

[lanbrown]

Do you know how much power that fuel pump has? It can create such suction in the tank to cause it to collapse. The tank does have rubber bushings. Just somehing to check. Check the vent line to make sure it is still a vent.

You are the one asking for help. If you want to question advice, then don't expect to receive any.

[r1mattrr]

I'm just telling you that is not it. I've rode for 1000+ miles in a weekend and as long as I do not hit a huge bump then nothing ever happens.

[red_johnny]

Originally Posted by lanbrown

Do you know how much power that fuel pump has? It can create such suction in the tank to cause it to collapse. The tank does have rubber bushings. Just somehing to check. Check the vent line to make sure it is still a vent.

You are the one asking for help. If you want to question advice, then don't expect to receive any.

If you are asking for help then do yourself a favor and DOUBLE CHECK! Just because you KNOW that it is fine does not mean it is. I used to have a stuck up attitude like that and it got me no where fast. Swallow some pride and listen up. No ones skills are so perfect that they fix everything perfectly all the time so just because you think its all good does not mean it is. Electrical is its own beast so unless you checked and ohmed out every wire to spec dont rule it out.

[lanbrown]

You don't want the help, then fine. Good luck with YOUR problem.

[jzanutto]

you might try taking off your fairings and using a plastic or rubber mallet and smack your frame in various places to see if you can duplicate it. hopefully your ecu board isnt going bad