Kawasaki ER5 Engine Cutting Out Problem.

kaylee wrote

now then pudge i run a kle 500 the same engine and almost identical set up for wireing also [so im informed] its ran really sweet for the last 18 months but just lately its been cutting out whilst riding so ill pullover she starts first time every time but as soon as i go to set off or as soon as i let the clutch out she cuts out its only just started to happen recently im convinced its something to do with the clutch mechanism ill be taking it for it MOT at the end of the week so ill get the garage to sort it out for me, ill let you know what was wrong ,this may shed a little light on your problem too,it starts again once shes cooled down.

Dingbat wrote

Sounds like your cut-out switch on the clutch lever is sticking.

© Editor in perpertuity-so git yr chawing hands orf moi words or ask nicely.

editor wrote

What? Be delighted to learn something, but what?

© Editor in perpertuity-so git yr chawing hands orf moi words or ask nicely.

  "help" just got a p reg 97 kawasaki er5 for winter to save my honda cbr and hornet .... was not running very well so took it to the bike shop and they put a new petrol tap on cleaned the carbs   and it was running ok for 2 weeks then on way home from work this week "riding in the rain" just cut out...? after getting it going  and 5 miles later rpm went down and it cut out once more it did this 3 times on my way home i was riding in bad rain at the time ....what would make this happen....? after 24 hours i give it ago and its running once more but the idle speed is up and down ......help!!!!!!!!!

It could be ignition or fuel given the brief description of the symptoms:

When the idle speed goes up and down does it continue firing on both cylinders but just rev higher / lower? Or does it obviously run onto one one cylinder?

If both are still firing then I'd say there's a fuel problem, if it's cutting onto one then it's as likely to be ignition.

Given the rain I'd normally say ignition, but the fact that the garage had to clear out the fuel system means there *might* be something letting water into the fuel, which, after a few days settling out could cause the odd running you describe.

BUT, it's probably easier and cheaper to check the ignition first.

First option - drown the HT coils, HT leads, plug caps etc in WD40. If this helps in the wet then it's probably an ignition problem (but still not certain).

Make sure the HT leads are routed away from - and certainly not touching - anything metal. Make sure they're not chaffed or cracked.

Take the HT caps off the ends and check that the HT lead conductor is in decent nick. If not, cut the lead back a bit to find some good conductor.

Probably worth replacing the HT caps - they don't cost much for one of those.

So, try that, and tell us if it's cutting onto 1 or not, and we'll go from there.

can anyone advise have er5 bike stalls when cluch is fully open even at high speed ,can only ride bike with cluch pulled in slightly ,its a very fine line from riding the clutch to letting it out to stall which is odd when your doing 90mph

Sounds like a problem with the electrical interlock that stops the bike being ridden away with the side-stand down. The clutch lever switch only acts over the first bit of lever travel so you could have the lever a little way back to fool it, but still just about have the clutch engaged.

Does the neutral light come on and go off at the right times?

Check that the side-stand switch is working properly. If in doubt, unplugged the wires from it and tape them together so they're permanently connected & see if this makes the problem better. If not, try taping the wires APART so they're permanently disconnected.

After that we'd need to start a spot of fault finding. Unfortunately the only wiring diagram I can find isn't very clear and is in german.  But they're simple bikes so it ain't too hard.

Over-filled oil might do this, but it'd have to be way over-full. It can cause other problems though so if it's over filled then open the sump plug and let some out. It's not hard.

When did it start doing it?

Could be misfiring on one cylinder. Also could be dodgy float valve in the carb allowing the carb to flood the engine when it's not running. This would only be possible if the petrol tap was being left on "prime" or was faulty tho'.

If it cuts out when warm then that suggests it's running far too rich, which would also tie in with the petrol in the oil.

When it's running (badly) is either of the exhaust header pipes significantly cooler that the other?

Is either of the plugs much sootier or wet?

Is the cold-start (choke) plunger definitely releasing on both carbs? Is it definitely shutting off - i.e. when you turn the choke off, does it make any difference?

Is the fuel height in the carb float bowls correct? You can check this with a piece of clear plastic hose (battery breather works well, as does 3mm bore clear PVC hose from a hardware store). With the bike on the centre stand, connect the hose to the float bowl drain and hold the open end up the side of the carb. Turn the petrol tap to "prime" and open the drain screw. Petrol will rise up the tube to the same height as it is in the float bowl. You should be able to find a spec for the fuel height in a Haynes manual or similar, but generally it's about 2mm below the level of the float bowl gasket joint. Either way - you're also looking for any significant different between one float bowl and the other.

Do the checks and come back with the answers.