going for a ride down the mountain today.... and about 5 miles into the ride the bike shuts down. let it sit for a few minutes, starts again and a few miles go by....shuts down...
i know its not vapor lock. i feel like the fuel pump is just shutting off. after it dies and you let it sit for a few minutes, the fuel pump clatters for a second like it had no gas going through it. maybe the fuel pump is overheating and shutting down?

A fuel pump issue is a gradual (over several seconds) loss of power with surges,on the other hand an electrical issue is generally instantaneous. J

you should also check the fuel filter and the wire gauze filter of the fuel tap. If there`s dirt in the tank or sediments in the fuel filter these can block the fuel supply. If the engine is then shut off the dirt will loosen permitting fuel supply for a short time until the filters block again.
Does the engine stutter before it shuts down or does it just go out ?

not much of a shutter. just dies out. it would not start immediately after pulling over. wait just 2 minutes and it fires right up. i was up all night thinking about it.

This sounds like a tricky one. If you`re sure it`s not a clogged fuel line/filter or tank breather hose I`d say it`s electrical. As Jay said an electrical issue is generally instantaneous.
Is there anything you did on the bike since the last time you rode it and it was ok ?

To me it doesn`t sound like the fuel pump if the engine just shuts off (but that`s a gut feeling). A possibility would be that the coils are not ok anymore or at least one. Ignition coils expand with heat and if one is defective and has a bad insulation it can cause an internal short. The engine will cut out and not fire up again. When cooled off it will work fine again.
Bad/old spark plug wires can also cause problems when hot.

G.

I'm leaning towards fuel if it just dies then fires up after a few minutes.Where did you get your last tank of fuel?.Sometimes when the servos tanks are getting low you can pick up some water in your fuel.Get a torch/flaslight and have a look in your tank.I would probably drain it and remove the filter and clean it for starters and if that does'nt work check the main jets for blockages.
I had water in the tank of my Paso once.I added some mehylated spirits which attracts water.It stopped on me one more time when the water and metho went through and ran like a charm from then on.

Cheers
Andrew

Mmmmm Im sorta going with fuel but only because a couple of mins doesn't seem long enough for anything hot to cool down

I'm in the fuel camp as well,


I had ongoing issues with mine. It would just die. Then after a while it would start up and go again only to die further up the road. It ended up being rust in the tank. I had a slight hole up the front at the top at one of the welds which had let condensation in. I had previously drained and cleaned tank so thought that it wasn't the issue but more had clogged up the in tank filter. Looking inside the tank it all looked clear around the filter so I dismissed fuel delivery as the issue. Then I noticed that the fuel filter was empty. Took the fuel line off the petcock (read; peacock ) and opened tap. A drizzle of brown fluid at first then clean fuel. After emptying the tank I removed petcock, took it apart and cleaned out the rust particles (very fine).
I then cleaned the tank properly and sealed the hole. After putting it back together it wouldn't go (new filter installed) so I unhooked the feed line to the carb and pointed it toward a bucket and pressed the starter. Nothing pumping out (vacuum pump). I then raised the tank up on a stool and fed directly in to carbs bypassing pump and using gravity alone. She started and kept running for about ten minutes until I shut it down. Looks like I f**ked a perfectly good pump diaphragm

So the moral of the story; check your fuel filter (if its a transparent one) and see if there is fuel in it. Then go from there.
If, at the road side after breaking down, you're getting spark, it kinda has to be fuel (if your tank is breathing properly that is)

..........unless its a loose earth wire. Have you checked those? There's a few of them.

........coil mounting bracket loose?

Thanks for the responses you guys! going to pull the tank and drain it today, check out the filters (screen in the tank, inline, and on the weber) and go from there.
im fairly confident its a fuel issue, but i have to put it all back together and ride for a few miles to find out if i have fixed anything.....

the morning that this happened i just changed the oil and backed out the vertical idle screw a hair to get rid of a lean back fire on deceleration. it runs like a champ except for the dead spot right off idle, and now dying on me when its hot.

I will let you guys know what i find out!!! Thank you!

ok, I pulled the tank and left the line from the tank to the pump hanging on it. (where my filter is). and turned the petcock on.....almost nothing. replaced the filter and its good. I am going to try and go for a ride today to be sure that was all it was.

still havent been able to get out because of the rain.....
I did decide to read the plugs because i just had to do something, and....WHO GAPPED THESE PLUGS!!! Definetly didnt do that correctly. need to go back to school.

I will let you guys know how it goes as soon as the rain lets up