Bike running fine, then the engine cut out and there was a poof of smoke

Hey VFR gurus...need help!

I was riding home the other day and about to turn into my parking space when the engine cut out and there was a small amount of white smoke coming from the air box area near the middle tree.

I have not done the RR upgrade but I will once I know what the problem is here. i have a power commander 5 and HID headlights with ballasts (recently replaced the low beam bulbs that burnt out).

I have taken all the fairings off and thats as far as Ive gotten.

Input would be much appreciated.

Ryan

 

check that battery voltage is correct. about 12.6 is good.

check all your fuses, and find out where any smoke came from.

 

What stopped working?

 

Hmm - Your mention of the need to "replace blown low beam bulbs" rather suggests you have an issue with your RR and possibly other electrical components in the charging system. If you have not seen it yet please refer to this thread -

https://vfrworld.com/threads/how-to-fix-common-regulator-stator-failures.39277/

As you will see see many many others have encountered charging system issues with these bikes - and if you look at post #9 will see "the Drill" to check out the charging system . Important this needs to be done TWICE. A check with the bike cold may come out OK but insulation in the RR, loom and on stator windings can fail when hot. If you find one component needs replacement then do repeat the tests TWICE straight after doing so - just in case a dead RR has done other damage which may leave you stranded at the roadside once the battery is drained.

An obvious cause of blown bulbs is when the "regulator" diode within the RR fails thereby allowing voltages to rise alarmingly - NB at higher revs your stator can be putting out 60v plus - so if 60v+ passes into a notional 12v system it can blow bulbs and cause other damage. Also high current flows can start to melt loom wiring and connectors (that white smoke) or even blow the main fuse.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.


SkiMad

 

The engine cut off. Then there was a poof of white smoke. I was concerned so i immediately turned the bike off. Ive begun taking the fairings off and inspecting the connections and fuses. Because the smoke came from the centre im taking airbox off and whatever else is needed to inspect the wiring down there. Im hoping that ill be able to find what caused the smoke and go from there. Stay tuned.

Thanks for taking the time

 

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I understand the reg rec issues. I will buy the shengen and do that upgrade.

As mentioned the bike is a 2009. At some point it got an HID headlight upgrade. One headlight went out after a couple years of ownership and a short while later the other one went. I just assumed they ran their lifespan. I used the high beams while i waited for the replacements. I replaced the low beam bulbs a month ago.