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I just bought a 2000 Shadow Sabre yesterday. It ran fine all day, I rode it for about 10 miles before I garaged it for the night. After the bike cooled down, I took the baffles out of the pipes. It has aftermarket Cobra pipes. I went for a short ride today and the bike seemed like it was losing power and then shut off. I could not get it to start again until about 3 minutes later. I rode it most of the way back home and had the same problem. It shut off 2 times in about a mile and a half. What would the baffles have to do with that? That is the only difference between todays ride and yesterdays. I am about to put the baffles back in and try it again. Any advice or theories would be welcome.

Now I'm not an expert but exhausts create backpressure, and some engines rely on this to run properly (I've only really experienced this in turbo engines, but I think it's possible in NAs too). Could be that?

Put the baffles in. If it runs fine you just answered your own question.
Why are you taking them out anyway? Getting your pipes to sound louder like that is total ghetto. Don't be that guy.

Taking out the baffle would create a lean condition unless you re-jet to compensate for the increased flow.

Did the fuel petcock get shut-off? When you open the gas cap is there a vacuum?

HYPERR wrote:Taking out the baffle would create a lean condition unless you re-jet to compensate for the increased flow.

+1

put the baffles back in

The whole problem with the egine cutting off, acting like it was out of fuel, was that the fuel was off. The new bike has a double prong fuel switch and my old one had a single prong. When I looked at it I automatically assumed that it was on. I know, I am an idiot.

You are not the first person to do that...but HAHAHAHAHA. (i spent two hours "troubleshooting" someone elses bike with the same problem last summer.)

Just wait til you go ride a friend's bike with that, and while on the on-ramp to the interstate it cuts out...

Don't I win a prize????