Engine quit, runs, then quits again

[FreddieF]

Hi all,
My bike has been behaving itself (mostly) until today. I was coming to a stop after a 40 minute ride and it died at the stop sign. Fired up again, rode 50 yards and it died - backfired once after it stopped. Fired up and died a few more times until I got home - luckily I was very close to home when this happened. About 5 minutes before this happened it gave a few misses, nothing too drastic.
New coil, battery, wires, plugs this spring - 2,000km ago.
The brushes were replaced 1,000km ago when the headlight was flickering a bit and that solved that problem.
What do I check first and second and . . .?
Thanks,
Ed

 

[ReycleBill]

Start by riding it with the gas cap loose. If that fixes it you need a new tank vent seal.

 

[weekendrider]

Check your battery.

 

[azman857]

Sounds electrical. Check your switch, connectors, and wires, in that order. Don't forget the fuse board too.

 

[gggGary]

Volt meter see if it's charging properly. Water or crap in your gas can do that too.

 

[ReycleBill]

I had the same thing happen just last week. Turned out to be the tank vent. I cut a piece out of the seal (Yes, some gas will splash out) and rode 600 miles without a single issue. The new seal came in Saturday's mail but I was already riding the Back of The Dragon and dozens of other mountain roads befor I got home Sunday night. I'll put the new seal in this week.

 

[FreddieF]

Hey thanks for the suggestions. The gas cap thing didn't work - it baffed out with the cap loose. Time to check electrical -

 

[FreddieF]

SOLVED

I think I know what was causing this - the kickstand switch. It came to the point of stalling when switching into gear every time, so after the 20th try - bing - on went the light above my head! The switch has been just dangling there since I got it - I guess the screws fell out - so when I twisted the wires together it went into gear, and no more engine quitting.
Thanks for the suggestions - I will take the time to go through the whole electrical system anyway and check all components.

While I have your attention, though, are the 1157 LED tail light bulbs sold by Mikes a good straight switch for the originals? Has anyone tried them? I have read old threads about many workarounds - I'm not too handy yet at electrical - and wondering what people are doing. Thanks again - this is a great forum, I don't even look at my Clymer manual any more. The time taken to respond and patience shown here is remarkable, and has sure helped me and encouraged me to get my hands dirty!

 

[ReycleBill]

I bought 1157 LED bulbs at a local auto parts store-- direct swap, no issues.

It's when you get into turn signals that you have issues. I tried a straight swap, 1156 LED bulbs for turn signals and they would light but not flash. Seems it requires some sort of resistor or adapter so it's on my list for future upgrades. Besides, 99% of my riding is daylight and I use hand signals in daylight.