2017 FJ 09 that suddenly stalls?

[kmkenpo]

Hello folks
 
So, I have a 2017 FJ 09 that I recently purchased. After putting nearly 2k miles on it, there seems to be a slight issue. If I really give it the beans, from a dead stop, it will occasionally "shut off or stall" as I am down shifting at the next light. It is really starting to worry me, especially since there does not seem to be any error message on the display. As a matter of fact, the display is still on, just zero engine response. Once I come to a full stop, I can put it in neutral and restart the engine. But again, it worries me that if I need to get out of an issue with a car, I may end up with a dead stick as I coast into some other 2000lb hunk of metal moving my direction.
 
Please, if anyone else has an idea what is going on, by all means feel free to suggest something. It has only happened 3 times, but it is really difficult to reproduce, and I fear that the local dealer will simply scratch his head, then charge me a few hundred dollars after kicking the rear tire for 2 days.

[raggededge]

I am no expert but I would hazard a guess that it's a fueling issue.

[nsmiller]

My guess there is a problem with your throttle position sensor (TPS)/accelerator position sensor (APS).
 
You might want to look into this thread: https://fj-09.org/thread/5045/accelerator-position-sensor-aps-adjustment?page=1
 
But since you are under warranty, it might be worth at least telling the dealer about your problem. If you have a faulty sensor it should be replaced under warranty. Older model FJR's had a recall issue for a TPS which would develop flat spots or go out all together and the engine would want to die under certain throttle openings.

[clint]

I am no expert but I would hazard a guess that it's a fueling issue.

50% of all fueling issues are electrical.  8-)   

[raggededge]

Well yeah my thoughts are some sensors are off or the injectors.

[thetruck454]

I am no expert but I would hazard a guess that it's a fueling issue.

50% of all fueling issues are electrical.  8-)  

 
 
 
A good rule of thumb I use. "If you can't fix it with a hammer, it's an electrical problem."

[prepa]

Hi. I had a similar problem and it was clutch switch connector. I went out to check it and it was 3/4 out. Just pushed it back till it clicked and everything is OK. No more shut downs and it can start in any gear. They said to me that for new bikes seller is connecting after delivery all those cables and it's not first time they didn't connect it completely.
 
And here is the picture of connector that isn't connected completely
 
 

[com3]

my R6 did that before as well... haul ass on the track, then come off the trak after the session was over and it'd just die unless you toggled the on off (i don't have it keyed...it just uses a toggle switch for on/off).
 
it was because of a vacuum leak in the throttle bodies.

[kmkenpo]

OK. I looked into the suggestions here that were simple/quick fixes. Sadly, none of them seemed to pan out. This morning I placed a call to Yamaha to see if there was a "recall" issue that had been noted, and even though they were polite, they basically got onto me for not speaking with the dealer first about this issue. I have to be honest, that one kind of caught me off guard. As I said, they were polite, but it was made very clear that I needed to contact dealer, not Yamaha. I politely dismissed myself from the call and set an appointment for me to drop my bike off at the dealer. And what was the first thing the dealer asked? "Have you spoken to Yamaha?" I truly think this is some twisted joke between Yamaha and the dealer, or maybe they want to see which of the two of them torques the customer off enough to smack one of them with a 450lb bike.
 
At this stage the dealer has the bike. The mechanic is probably doing what I said earlier, which is kicking the rear tire for the next couple of days while they look for a reason to charge me a few hundred dollars Whatever the case, I could not justify putting myself out there in traffic with a potential dead stick, as I try to avoid a distracted driver in a 2000lb vehicle with nothing more than my good looks and puckered cheeks. Thank you guys for the advice and assistance. I will come back to update this thread once the mechanic is finished kicking the tires. I think I will ask him if he spoke to Yamaha.
 
Have a blessed day,
-kmkenpo

[nsmiller]

Don't let the dealer charge you anything for diagnosing a problem with your 2017 motorcycle. Its less than 1 year old, its under warranty, and you're bringing it in for a safety related problem. All diagnosis work and associated labor and parts should be fully covered. I would absolutely refuse to pay anything for the work they are currently doing to your bike.
 
If they are unable to figure out the problem, I suggest trying to document the problem happening on film. Go to safe place with a camera and try to recreate the problem on camera. Then you can show both the dealer and Yamaha the problem on film, and thereby force them to properly diagnose and fix under warranty.
 
Keep us posted on the outcome, OP.

[stevesweetz]

I'm surprised no one suggested this yet, but another simple thing to look at would be the kickstand sensor.
 
If you put the kickstand down in gear, it will kill the engine.
 
The kickstand sensor is just a switch that gets physically depressed when you put the kickstand down. Very easy for it to get gunked up if you went through a little mud or dust recently - such that it might be inadvertently triggered as your kicking down to downshift. Alternatively, I'd check for some kind of short. Maybe a little water got into the sensor.

[bobaintstoppin]

Along with what Steve says, you should check more for an open rather than a short.  The side stand and clutch switches are normally closed to allow running. Make sure both these switches are working and that the connector plugs are inserted securely.  Sounds to me like your problem happens when you clutch quickly, so perhaps the clutch switch connector is at issue?

[kmkenpo]

Hi. I had a similar problem and it was clutch switch connector. I went out to check it and it was 3/4 out. Just pushed it back till it clicked and everything is OK. No more shut downs and it can start in any gear. They said to me that for new bikes seller is connecting after delivery all those cables and it's not first time they didn't connect it completely. 
And here is the picture of connector that isn't connected completely
 
 
 
 
 
 
******************************
                     UPDATE
******************************
 
Just got my bike back from the dealer today, and oddly enough, it turned out to be exactly what "prepa" had said. Well, almost exactly What frustrated the stuffins out of me was that when I first dropped it off for them to look into the stalling issue, I specifically named this particular item as one pointed out on the FJ-09 forums. None the less, after a little over a week of time with them, multiple calls from me getting more and more frustrated, the service tech explained that there is a sensor located in the clutch cable assembly near the clutch lever, and it had malfunctioned. So today when I got there, I asked for him to show me the part, and yes, it was crunched pretty badly... enough to split the side of the plastic housing. Looks to have been an issue with whoever setup the bike before I purchased it, because some nuts and spacers were placed in an incorrect order, which caused the piece to be crunched when the assembly was tightened down. He explained that the piece has 2 functions for the 2017 models. (1) It keeps track of clutch use and forces new mapping on the engine so as to no longer emit "pollution into the atmosphere" by high revving, (2) it also checks for neutral when starting the engine. Apparently the models previous to 2017 simply looked for a neutral gear when starting the engine. At least I'm pretty sure that is what he said. REALLY nice guy, but roughly 97% of what he was saying was so far over my head, I was struggling to keep up... which he caught onto near the end when he saw my eyes glossing over.
 
The one he pulled off of my bike had, as I said, had been crunched pretty badly. The detente portion that travels back and forth when the clutch is pulled in and released, was hanging up inside of the housing at odd intervals. He said that it was causing the engine mapping to basically stay in the "don't pollute the atmosphere" stage, and never really allowed for it to go back to the factory mapping. Good thing about all of this is that the dealer covered all of the cost, as well as the service tech telling me that before he "stumbled" onto the issue, he had replaced the spark plugs, calibrated some sensors somewhere and replaced several electrical connections and wiring harnesses. It was at that time he told how he figured out what the problem was, completely by accident, while he was replacing the wiring harnesses... which as I said, I told them about the possible issue when I first dropped it off for service. Live and learn.
 
Anyway, there it is. So IF someone else has a similar issue of wonky throttle drops, hopefully they can be saved the headache of dealing with a bike that suddenly becomes a dead stick in traffic. Oh, and I have to say, the smoothness of the RPMs now is as different as night and day. When I drove it home after my initial purchase, I just figured that the dipping RPMs were normal, especially since I had read on the forums and watched videos of how finicky the throttle can be on the FJ-09. Turns out... it was a $30 piece of stinking plastic that was causing the issue. But now, it is smooth as silk.
 
Sorry for the long winded update. Just thought you guys might be interested. Now I am off to plan my Saddlesore 1000 and Butt Burner 1500 for this Summer. Atlanta to the Alamo... suh-weet!
 
Have a blessed day,
-kmkenpo

[nsmiller]

People think that when they take their bike or car or whatever to the dealer, that they can magically tell what is wrong and fix it in a jiffy. For anything that is non-routine this is usually not the case. It comes down to the experience of the mechanic/technician.
 
I have a theory, formulated mostly by the hot air coming out of my butt, that there is not a lot of money in being a motorcycle mechanic, so as a result there aren't a lot of good mechanics at dealerships. Yes, these guys know how to do oil changes, lube the chain, change the brake pads, install a new tire.... but when it comes to actual trouble shooting, they can often be as clueless as the customer.
 
Glad you've got the problem resolved, OP.

[kmkenpo]

Well, as I said, the suggestion was pointed out... quite heavily... as to what the issue might be. Numerous phone calls to service department managers were made, until I had to finally go directly to the owner of the dealership. Apparently, when someone calls the owner of the dealership directly, there seems to be this magical flame which gets lit under some people... which was just about the time that the service technician said he "stumbled" upon the solution. Whatever the reasons as to why it took as long as it did, it is resolved now. Before I left I made certain to properly thank and shake the hands of both the service manager and the service tech. Maybe if this issue comes up in the future with someone else who drives an FJ-09, the stars will align more quickly, whether it be at that particular dealership or some other in a different state.