Topic: Temporarily Lost Power

[psykod]

I'm happily cruising to work this morning in the HOV lane going about 70 mph on my CB550 when all of a sudden it felt like someone mashed on the brakes.  I couldn't maintain my speed in 5th so I dropped to 4th and was able to keep it around 60 mph.  I couldn't detect any problems from the motor as far as noise or smoke.

As I anxiously started looking for a way out of the HOV lane, the bike suddenly sprang back to life.  Since I was holding it at full throttle to keep my speed up at the time, I took off like a rocket.

This was my first long trip since replacing my head gasket.  I'm assuming it's some sort of electrical problem but I'm not certain.  I have a dyna-s ignition and stock coils and wires.  The tank is full.

One thing is I did forget to put the wiring junction box back on under the tank and was going to do that this evening when I got home.  Is it possible a wire got too hot?  Or perhaps a coil?  

I'm thinking that if the dyna-s goes, it will stay gone (not intermittent) because it's semiconductor based.  

[HondaMan]

Six speeds, eh? Sounds like a nice bike!

If electrical stuff happens, it cuts out the spark completely. Could that be the case? I have seen several similar things:
1. The female side of the connectors at the coils can become loose, causing intermittent connections. This is especially true if you have the Dyna/Accel 3 ohm coils, because they heat those connectors more than normal.
2. The fuseholder (main) for the bike may be aged enough that it is losing its shiny finish. This makes it heat up when running, and can cause the system voltage to drop. Check to see if it's corroded, dark in color, or rusty.
3. Since you had it apart recently, check all your ground connections. There are 2: the big one on the engine supports the alternator and starter, while the small Green one (under the seat or at the coils) supports the ignition and lighting.

[psykod]

Haha...That's embarrassing!  I meant 5th to 4th!  Let me fix that.

[rbrtbiehl]

I have had this exact same thing happen to me on a bike. I was cruising my xs750 on the highway about 80 then all of a sudden it seemed like the motor had no "go". Held the throttle and three seconds later it took off like a rocket. Kept doing it in perfect sequence. Got up to eighty for about a mile, then it died down to sixty, then it took off like crazy, etc etc... I found I was not getting enough fuel. The vent hole in my gas cap was partially clogged so fuel was going under vacuum on the freeway when it was burning lots of gas. Cleaned the petcock and the gas cap vent hole with a small guitar string. Now the bike will run at the ton all day no problems. I say your issue sounds like fuel starvation.

[HondaMan]

Haha...That's embarrassing!  I meant 5th to 4th!  Let me fix that.

Rats. I thought for a minute that you had one of the old Yoshimura roadrace trannies in it. They made one for the 500 and one for the 750, that I knew of. 

[psykod]

Well, trying the shotgun approach to fixing this problem doesn't seem to be working.

What I've done so far:

Ensured the tank vent was clear.
Bought and installed new float needles. - Note:  This did fix an intermittent overflow issue I was having.
Verified and set float levels during the above procedure.
Checked all grounds.
Checked ignition wiring.
Verified battery state.
Installed new Dyna coils and plug wires.
Wired the Dyna-S coils directly to the battery (through a fuse) via a relay.

It's still happening.  It doesn't do it every time I ride, and when it does happen, it usually only happens once (in a 20 mile ride to/from work).

Further google searches revealed someone on the Honda Goldwing forums having the exact same problem:

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=76112&forum_id=1&jump_to=805387

So I've re-installed my breaker ignition and am sending the unit back to Dyna for testing.

We shall see tomorrow if I still have the same problem.

[HondaMan]

Ummm...one thing, there: with the Dyna S and their Dyna coils - do you have the 3 ohm coils? If so, the 550 will not be able to keep up with the current load.

The 550 can handle EITHER:
1. Dyna 3 ohm coils or:
2. Dyna S ignition or:
3. Halogen headlight.

Select any 2 and you are at slightly below the alternator's capacity: pick all 3 and you're toast.

[psykod]

Select any 2 and you are at slightly below the alternator's capacity: pick all 3 and you're toast.

I do have the 3 ohm coils but am using 2 ohm resistors to compensate for the weak charging on the 550 and it's keeping the battery charged pretty well. 

I knew better than to use the 3 ohms but I tried anyway and my battery ran down immediately on my first test ride (I've got a halogen headlight so 3 out of 3).  I was expecting it so it didn't suprise me.

I reinstalled the old points plate yesterday and my trip to work this morning was great, nothing out of the ordinary at all (except for the fact that somewhere along the way I lost my luch box and the bungee cord holding it was cut in half by the back wheel!)

So if I make it home today without incident, I'll be sending the Dyna-S back to Dyna.  It's out of warranty but when I talked to them they seemed very willing to work with me.

[psykod]

I made it home without incident so it looks like the Dyna-S was the culprit all along.  I sent it back to them for testing last night.