Help!. I have a 2006 vn800 drifter and love it!. Only has 12k miles. Suddenly this week on the freeway, it acted like I ran out of gas. I pulled over , but it started again. Went a bit farther and did it again. My tank is full. it seems like it is being starved for gas and actually runs out...but if i pull over it starts again?,,,,Are there fuel filters on this bike? ???
Mine is a 2006 800 also, and it does the same thing, especially at speeds above 80. I have been told that it has something to do with the gas tank vent and I know the vent makes noise because it is not as open as it should be. I have not found a filter for the gas but plan on adding one.
I have been told that over filling your Drifter 800 gas tank will cause this problem. I always leave an air gap below the filler neck when I fill up. Have never experienced a problem similar to yours. I do not think the Drifter 800 has a fuel filter.
Hoppy
I had forgotten all about that...
If you overfill, there is the potential for vapor lock of the system. The bike will act as if it is running out of fuel. Open the gas cap, relieve the vapor lock and the bike will start, but you will continue to have the problem until the fuel is below the silver "cylinder" in the tank.
That said, your gas cap could have a venting problem ... Sometimes fuel or obstructions get into the venting system causing a blockage. With fuel, it will eventually evaporate if you let the bike sit. You can try blowing out the tank vent and the cap vent and see if that helps.
You can put an extra key in the gas cap lock and ride a bit - if you get the sputtering problem, stop and pop the cap. If the engine comes back to life you know you have a vacuum lock problem.
i had a similar issue with my yamaha royal star. the tank would build up way too much pressure because the vent would allow enough air out when it got really hot(florida,go figure).i drilled a very tiny hole in the cap. never had an issue again. oh, there is no filter,just a screen in the petcock.
Yeah, on vulcans you routinely get a whistle from the venting process... I think they undersized the vent hole. There is a mod for increasing the size of the vent hole.
My Nomad had a whistle from the gas cap as a lot of them do. I took the cap apart and removed the little plastic waffer and no more whistle.
has your problem gone away. what has been the results?