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Bike stalls while riding/shifting gears....

23K views 63 replies 35 participants last post by  lionofjudea 
#1 ·
I have a 2011 XC and when I down shift I have a habit of revving the engine slightly just prior to dropping the bike into the next lower gear and releasing the clutch. I've shifted this way on every bike I have ever owned and have never had a bike stall on me before. My cross country stalls almost every time. Has anyone else experienced this? What is wrong with my Victory?

I purchased this bike used and have owned it for two weeks now. I appreciate any help.
 
#2 ·
Once the bike's fully broken in, you will be able to blip the throttle a bit more, but do a slow blip compared to what you're used to. Do a fast one, and it will shut off. Breaking it in along with you getting used to the kind of blip you can do will take care of the issue.
 
#3 ·
The bike has 15k miles on it so I would expect it to be broken in at this point. I've also tried giving it small "blips" and it still cuts the engine off. This is my first Victory so I'm still trying to figure the bike out. There are some other anomalies which I find a little odd as as well.

I know I need a new battery would this cause it to stall?
 
#4 ·
Stop doing that. The problem should go away. It is nothing but a "bad" habit and has no function for a Vic.

If you get the stall with the clutch, there is a switch in there somewhere that needs to be fixed. Only you can tell the difference.
 
#5 ·
Mods?

Is the bike stock. Does it have customized exhaust. IF it has modified or aftermarket mufflers and air filter was the fuel system reflashed or stage 1 installed at least. If not the bike may be running to lean.
 
#12 ·
Is the bike stock. Does it have customized exhaust. IF it has modified or aftermarket mufflers and air filter was the fuel system reflashed or stage 1 installed at least. If not the bike may be running to lean.

The bike has its stock pipes installed but they were definately altered to sound louder than stock. I don't know what what was done to the pipes and I'm sure no re-mapping was done to compensate for the pipe mod.

As for blipping the throttle when down shifting, I don't agree that it's a bad habit and after 20 years of riding I've never had a bike stall when doing it and it does allow for smoother down shifting IME, So this issue will need to get resolved... My bike idles at around 8-900 RPM's and I up shift between 3K and 3.5K RPM's and cruise at around 2k to 2.5K. When the bike stalls it happens as soon as I twist the throttle, like the throttle us cutting the engine off. This doesn't happen every time but it has happened enough to annoy the **** out of me. I have also noticed that if I rev the throttle after it has been idled for a few minutes that the idle starts to cycle between 900 and 1200 RPM's. This is with the engine warm.

I think I'll run the bike up tot he dealer this week and have them check everything out. Appreciate the responses.
 
#6 ·
if you try to blip the throttle on my 2011 xr it makes the engine cough. i just quit doing it.
 
#16 ·
howdy
my 2010 has been doing since new and still does...i call it a "cough"...i really can catch me at a rolling stop-turn when she coughs when i am in a lean....REALLY gets your attention....i am at 26k miles and so nothing is gonna change....i fella here way back said it might be caused by the "ECI" calculating an "infinite" accelleration and going to rev-limit ...although i have no hands-on skill in this area, this makes sense to me as every "sensor" will have a lag in the sample time and every processor based control system has a sample time....

to close...if i have to blip...it is just a little and never when beginning a turn....especially at gas stations around the cement posts...
cheers
 
#7 ·
newoldrider,
I installed a Llodz IAV that helped that situation on my XR. I also raised the idle speed to 1,000 by adjusting the stop screw behind the right cheese wedge and near the front jug.
I'm curious as to what RPMs you use for shifting. Too many use revs that are too low. Try @ 3,000 if you are one of the many.
 
#9 ·
I can and do "blip" my throttle as a regular practice.I have to just to downshift. It would die sometimes when I first got it, but after I had it tuned correctly I haven't had that problem since. Sorry guys, but the engine dieing like that is not normal.
 
#13 ·
I read this on "another Victory website" :rolleyes: and thought it might help

I have had my Cross country tour since march. From the begining it has had a stalling issue. As I was slowing and down shifting the bike would simply shut off. This had happened about twelve to fifteen times in 2500 miles. The shop could not duplicate the problem at the first service. I took it in again last week. Before I did, I contacted Victory customer service. They had not heard of this problem. So they gave me the regional dealership that over sees my area. They thought it might be the injectors leaking. the injector seals or maybe even the intake. They did not have any technical service bulletins but they had heard of the problem. The test showed the seals and intake to be okay. The next idea lead to the clutch switch. Since the stalling happened as I down shifted. The shop replaced the clutch switch and this fixed the problem. Seems simple, but there was never anything definate pointing towards the switch. I think I've read a couple of other people with similar problems of stalling. As I said, this condition was from day one for me. So right from the start it had a bad switch. The computer and trans were not communicating correctly. By the way, I live in Illinois and my regional dealer is in PA.
 
#14 ·
An update

I replaced my dead battery a few days ago and today I decided to take the bike out for a ride. She didn't stall at all but I was intentionally blipping the throttle above 2,000 RPM's. I also did some searching around the internet and this seems to be a well documented occurrence. To me it's a nuisance but I don't think anything is mechanically wrong with the bike.
 
#15 ·
I replaced my dead battery a few days ago and today I decided to take the bike out for a ride. She didn't stall at all but I was intentionally blipping the throttle above 2,000 RPM's. I also did some searching around the internet and this seems to be a well documented occurrence. To me it's a nuisance but I don't think anything is mechanically wrong with the bike.
I agree. A weak battery or battery connections can cause all kinds of havoc with new Vic's.
 
#18 ·
My 2012 Cross Country Tour has done this literally since day one. Happened about 3-4 times on my way home from the dealership.


Once the bike's fully broken in, you will be able to blip the throttle a bit more, but do a slow blip compared to what you're used to. Do a fast one, and it will shut off. Breaking it in along with you getting used to the kind of blip you can do will take care of the issue.
I now have 7,000 miles on her and it's still happening.


Stop doing that. The problem should go away. It is nothing but a "bad" habit and has no function for a Vic.
How is this a "bad" habit? I have also done this with every motorcycle I've ever ridden and never had a problem. Quite the opposite when I first started riding and I wasn't blipping my back tire went into a slide.

Additionally every single MSF course I have taken and every instructor I have spoken to about this have advised to blip the throttle when downshifting to avoid a sudden decrease in speed. Are these professional instructors giving bad advise? If so what facts or studies do you have to back up your statement?


Is the bike stock. Does it have customized exhaust. IF it has modified or aftermarket mufflers and air filter was the fuel system reflashed or stage 1 installed at least. If not the bike may be running to lean.
I have no aftermarket engine or exhaust parts on the bike.
 
#19 · (Edited)
My 2012 Cross Country Tour has done this literally since day one. Happened about 3-4 times on my way home from the dealership.

How is this a "bad" habit? I have also done this with every motorcycle I've ever ridden and never had a problem. Quite the opposite when I first started riding and I wasn't blipping my back tire went into a slide.

Additionally every single MSF course I have taken and every instructor I have spoken to about this have advised to blip the throttle when downshifting to avoid a sudden decrease in speed. Are these professional instructors giving bad advise? If so what facts or studies do you have to back up your statement?

.
Since replacing my battery I haven't had any issues with the bike stalling when blipping the throttle. I did notice that the positive terminal was loose when I was removing the old battery and I'm starting to believe this was the culprit. Check you battery connections. I'm curious to know if yours are loose or not.

I've intentionally avoided turning this thread into a debate on riding technique which is why (until now) I've mainly left the bad habit comments alone. The bad habit comments are all opinion based and have no bearing on the mechanics of the bike. However, the mechanics of the bike for whatever reason seem to suggest that blipping the throttle isn't effective on Vics. This doesn't make blipping a bad habit though.
 
#22 · (Edited)
This is a well known and established issue on the X bikes. CR and I have been trying educate as many folks as we can over the last couple of years. On a new bike the ECM is learning as we ride but if the battery terminal connections are loose; this can throw everything off so those need to be the first thing to check.

When my XC was new it died a few times when I blipped it so I learned to be more conscious of when and how much I did it. After a while the ECM learned that the engine was not running WOT with the clutch pulled. After a while I could blip to my hearts content without it dying. If the bike gets a new flash like a Stage 1 or a re-flash of the original; it will likely need to be taught all over again. A little patience and making sure the battery connections are not the culprit will make you and your bike happy riding buddies again. :D

BTW; I highly recommend the star washers for the battery terminals and a liberal coating of dielectric grease. The dielectric grease also works great in your plug wires and coaxial terminals for cable going to and from your tv. ;) Actually, if you live near the ocean or just a humid climate, it's exceptionally good for all your connections that routinely get separated like the fuel pump when removing the tank or headlight and signal wires when removing the fairing. The more we can do to minimize electrical problems; the better.

 
#24 · (Edited)
This is a well known and established issue on the X bikes. CR and I have been trying educate as many folks as we can over the last couple of years. On a new bike the ECM is learning as we ride but if the battery terminal connections are loose; this can throw everything off so those need to be the first thing to check.

When my XC was new it died a few times when I blipped it so I learned to be more conscious of when and how much I did it. After a while the ECM learned that the engine was not running WOT with the clutch pulled. After a while I could blip to my hearts content without it dying. If the bike gets a new flash like a Stage 1 or a re-flash of the original; it will likely need to be taught all over again. A little patience and making sure the battery connections are not the culprit will make you and your bike happy riding buddies again. :D

BTW; I highly recommend the star washers for the battery terminals and a liberal coating of dielectric grease. The dielectric grease also works great in your plug wires and coaxial terminals for cable going to and from your tv. ;) Actually, if you live near the ocean or just a humid climate, it's exceptionally good for all your connections that routinely get separated like the fuel pump when removing the tank or headlight and signal wires when removing the fairing. The more we can do to minimize electrical problems; the better.
I think you're right on the money that a loose battery cable is a contributing factor. My cable was definitely loose and the battery being weak was just adding to the problem IMO. The battery was two years old as the bike was purchased back in 2010 as soon as the 11 models were released. The battery was two years old with 15K miles on it, so not that unusual for it to require replacement. Today I was blipping the throttle every-time I down shifted and it didn't stall once. As far as I'm concerned the problem has been resolved by replacing the battery and ensuring the cables are good and snug. I'll pick up some star washers and Di-electric grease tomorrow.

I appreciate the response BBob.

R/Greg
 
#23 ·
battery Warranty no such thing. Up to dealer if they want to.
After you clean terminals and add star washer spray terminals with hair spray they will "never" get dirty then. Even do your car.

If victory would go to a flexible battery cable like Harley has our cables would never come loose.
 

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#33 ·
Victory will replace a battery.

battery Warranty no such thing. Up to dealer if they want to.
Wrong. Mine was replaced under warranty last year.
Carried in my dead one, dealer tested it and sent warranty claim to Victory.
Got a call the next morning to come get my new battery, no charge.
 
#25 ·
I was at HD picking up the hardware to secure my saddlebags and was about to pick up a couple of star washers. I realized that I don't really know what size I need. Does anybody hear know what size in metric or sae that I need? Thanks.
 
#27 ·
i used lockwashers on mine. 1/4 i think.
 
#28 ·
Everyone seems to be getting a little too technical. Mine was doing the same thing and I had the dealer check it over under warranty and nothing. Then while I was talking to him in the parking lot, we noticed that while rolling the throttle, it was sticking. I purchased some aftermarket grips and have not had an issue with it since. The problem was when you blipped the throttle, it wasn't rolling off all the way and flooding out and dying. Problem solved.
 
#30 ·
my dealer also told me the star washers are better to use than
lock washers. im assuming more surface area to contact.--irv
 
#32 ·
so, all you gurus. may have asked this before but seeing it
just mentioned, would there be any benefit at all to have the
stage 1 download done to a totally stock bike[o2 sensors
disconnected]? except for the sucking of money from my wallet
to the dealer? i would still have to buy the download and
have it installed. around 225.00 i was told. i have no complaints
about the running of the bike now. might go wth hipo or lloyds
filter. will never have other than stock pipesor other mods.
i have never had the motor stall like some of you have experienced.
been a great ride so far w/about 8500 mi last year. 99% 2 up
and still mid 40's for mileage.
 
#35 ·
I never understood the "need" to blip the throttle on a fuel injected bike. When I see people doing that, I figured it was just a habit that riders brought with them from riding carbureted bikes.
 
#36 · (Edited)
I do it to smooth out my deceleration. The sudden jerk when dropping the clutch on a downshift (read going into a skid) can't possibly be good for the transmission, belt, rear tire, or my driving a record if I were to get a ticket for reckless driving.

I understand that everyone has an opinion about 'blipping' the throttle on a downshift. Maybe the Victory doesn't need it. I can say with 100% honesty that I have NEVER had this problem with any other vehicle (motorcycle or automobile, carb or fuel injected, gasoline or diesel). Based on the 100s of responses I've seen on the Forum as well as others (a lot of them are probably the same folks) this isn't a small problem nor something that customers are willing accept.

If Ma' Victory is reading this post please understand that several customers have stated they WILL NOT purchase another Victory unless/until this issue is resolved. How many detractors do you think you are creating with these issues? How much money are you loosing when one customer posts a complaint on FaceBook? How about 20 customers? (Recommend that Ma' Victory read the book "The Ultimate Question - Driving Good Profits and True Growth" by Fred Reichheld to see how these "little" problems can cost the company millions of dollars in lost revenue).

People are getting HURT due to their bikes stalling in a turn when they have downshifted. No motorcycle is perfect but at least with a new HD, BMW, Triumph, etc I don't have to worry about dumping my bike in a turn due to the engine stalling.
 
#44 ·
The First 2 weeks had the XC stalled and missed gears (usually 3rd) several times .. Not that don't have enough experience rode them all .. Just something that comes with a new XC I guess .. Have not done it since had the 500 miles service back in early November 2012..
 
#45 ·
I've never experienced the stalling when blipping the throttle while decelerating although I find that it's not necessary to blip the throttle all the time, it just depends on where you are in the rpm range when you downshift.

Now, when I downshift say two gears knowing that the rpm is going to jump way up I add throttle and hold it as this really smoothes out the acceleration when I'm having some fun getting on the throttle. You have to have some experience as to what gear your in and where the rpm is to determine how much throttle to add to get that perfect mesh of acceleration and still have room for that new gear to whine out some before having to upshift.

I tried to explain this the best I could so I hope it makes sense.
 
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