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ok so the motor cuts out from time to time while riding
at the same time, the tach needle will make bigs swoops on the dial.
it runs ok most of the time....but when its having one of these 'episodes' the power is a bit 'off' and then it starts cutting out.
ive checked the ground on the battery but thats about it....next i think i need to check coils?
what do you think?

and also this got me thinking about engine heat on an aircooled bike...what are some guidelines for how to detect excessive heat? i mean, when its 85+ F outside, any wind you get feels like 'heat'. so how do you know if the mill is running hot?

any reply appreciated.

I don't think that 85 degree heat will give a problem especially if the bike is on the move. We get 100 degree weather down south, and it does not stop the bikes from going. Chances are the problem is electrical. Hope you find the answer.

If you have a wiring diagram for the bike, see which componenet powers both ignition and the tach. It's either a takeoff from the coil or it could possibly be an ignition sensor. Maybe a bad component, maybe loose wire.

thx, i'll look into that.
coils passed resitstance test.

Not sure, but you might check your plug wires - I was intermittently running on one cylinder when I first got my current bike running several months ago - turned out to be a bad plug wire.

Swifty, you also mentioned the heat in your area. Sometimes when coils heat up, they expand out, and any hairline cracks may open up and cause problems. It would be beneficial for you to ride or run the bike until the problem starts to occur and immediately test the coils...

Ok plug wires check all the same @1.6-1.8 ohms? Is that about right?
couldnt find a value for this in the book.

havent gotten a chance to test coil while the bike is messing up.

One of the coils had a weak orange spark. So $80 later i have a new one in there...and i thought it was fixed. Ran good for about 2 hrs. but left me stranded today.

when the bike decides to 'act up', it will either cut out intermitently but sort of keep limping, or it dies completely and will only idle and just burps when you gas it.

didnt test the cdi but it looks brand spanking new and all wired up solid.

Any other ideas on this one?

In an unrelated debacle i've lost my turn signals (also intermitently!) and my speedo if now non -operational as well...
kinda frustrating. so I'd appreciate any input on my electrical problem.

Have you checked into the fuel delivery at all? Try opening the fuel tank and restarting when it quits.