[marc-f]

Dear all,


Lately I have been experiencing some nasty issue with the RD07 AT (1995).


This issue popped up when driving for 30 km’s at around 130 km/h. Suddenly, the bike started to loose power and couldn’t maintain that speed. I stopped and couldn’t start it again. After a while it ran again but only on choke. Then I could drive a bit (2km) before the issue started reoccurring. Drove on 1 cylinder an eventually died again. This went on till I ran out of battery juice.


Had to leave the bike there overnight. Road side assistance came next morning, bike started without issues and seemed like it was fixed again.


At home I measured battery charging power and alternator. All was OK.


End of that week the problems started reoccurring again. After 40 km’s of highway driving it started losing power and popping from the exhaust again, top speed was only 80. I had to take every exit because it was running so poorly. No power at all. I got home but with a lot of stops.


Now I brought the bike to the shop, they changed the fuel filter, that was really bad. They checked for other issues but there weren’t any.


Now the thing is it runs fine, haven’t driven any long distances anymore, so don’t know if it still looses power after 30 km’s or driving highway. But after 20 min of driving idle rpm goes up to 1600, and the bike is popping from the exhaust a lot. On idle and de-acceleration.


Does anyone have a clue what this issue could be? I ran out thoughts.


Your help would be highly appreciated!


Regards Marc

 

[Wicky]

Coil on the way out?

 

[thetimkirby]

Might also be fuel starvation; running weak would account for the popping and the raised idle. If it's not sparks, I'd check the pump is operating properly and the carbs for debris. Since the filter was really choked, I'd also check the fuel tap and lines for any blockage. Eliminate the simple stuff before digging deeper. Good luck:thumbup:

 

[marc-f]

Only runs like that (popping and high idle) when warm.

Sparks are 7k km old. Carburetor has been rebuild also 7k ago and the whole system has been cleaned back then.

Fuel pump is the facet one...

Ignition problems seem to be my guess. What are the symptoms of ignition coil going bad?

 

[Wicky]

"Drove on 1 cylinder an eventually died again... it started losing power and popping... No power at all.... brought the bike to the shop... They checked for other issues but there weren’t any."

Which cylinder? Could try swapping coils round and seeing if it happens to the other pot. Also gives the chance the igntition leads okay and well connected into the spark plug caps.

But anyway Signs of ignition coil problems

Misfiring or backfiring, Stalling, Lack of power - occuring when warm

https://www.denniskirk.com/learn/how-to-diagnose-motorcycle

"Note- If your motorcycle starts and runs fine, but then dies once it warms up, there could be a wire somewhere in the ignition circuit that is losing connectivity as it warms. If this is the case, you may have to purchase or have a shop test your coils with a load tester. You might also be able to simulate the heat by using a heat gun to warm the coils. You can then test the coils as they are being warmed up."

 

[Wicky]

Troubleshooting CDI systems

So you’ve got a spark problem on your CDI-equipped motorcycle. Symptoms could include misfiring, dead cylinders, backfiring, bizarre tach behavior, and countless other things related to how your engine's running. The problem may get worse as the bike warms up. It might not even hold low revs at all.


You’ve tested everything but the CDI unit, including the charge of your battery, your spark plugs, the health of your coils...

 

[AlanChin]

you should start by checking the ignition coils , and if that is not the problem i would recommend cleaning the carburettor jets and blowing all those holes afterwards with compressed air.

 

[marc-f]

Hi all,

Thank you for the suggestions.

I had a phone call with Holland's biggest AT specialist. Unfortunatly, he's 200 km's away from me and in this state, i don't dare to ride the Twin that far.

I told him about the ignition coils, he never experienced this with an AT, so he told me it's unlikely, but i will check anyway. Is there a visual indication that they're on their way out? What he found weird is that this is only happening with warm engine, he said that if it's the coils, it should happen also when cold.

He told me he's convinced hearing my problems that the choke plunger is sticking, and when cold, this is no issue, but warm, the problems start to occur. Anyone had this same experience?

Marc

 

[Wicky]

https://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/africa-twin/81170-power-loss-rdo4-africa-twin.html

https://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/africa-twin/90514-strange-problem.html

 

[foz1969]

im not saying it is the coils, & im no at specialist, completely stripped, rebuilt 6/7 engines. Coils have gone on both of mine. AND.... gone when warmed up!!!! Swap reg/rec to a mosfet, new ht leads, caps, plugs & some cheap coils (good for a couple of years min) always have your lights on, even less stress for the R/R. PEACE OF MIND ....priceless

 

[TJE]

I had all these problems and more, and realized after banging my head against the wall a lot, that I had 3 problems:

1. choke stuck. I removed the whole thing, and used caps similar to the ones on the front calipers, to close the holes.
2. main fuse was melting down due to bad contact. I bypassed the main fuse into a proper new one
3. sidestand switch was playing tricks on me. I neutered the switch.

The choke was the one that was creating trouble most similar to your description, with running on one cylinder (I had to run a fair amount of kilometer on just one cylinder. Hurts deep inside!) and changing idle. One choke is typically the problem, so you can check and see if it's the same as the one you have problems with. I think it's the rear one, but don't quote me on that.