Hello All,
First I hydro locked the engine and now...

The mechanic says it's bad gas but- my bike sputters in 1st on take off and then 'evens out' when I give it more gas. It does the same when I shift into 2nd gear- big power loss. I took it to the shop and $300 later the mechanic says the air filter was extremely dirty and the sparkplugs needed to be replaced. The bike ran fine for a little while, but less than $1,000 miles later, same thing. I asked if he checked the fuel pump or the injectors and he says he doubts that is the issue. He suggested a fuel management system (Cobra). He said there is really no way to check the injectors except they either open or they don't. I know the PC3 or Cobra will be cheaper to reace than the injectors but does that really fix the problem or just put a bandaid on it?
Things I did prior to taking it to the shop- ran Sea Foam through the system with a tank of gas. Ran 1/2 tank of 110 octane through the bike, ran fuel injector cleaner through the bike. Not sure what else to do...

08 zx14 with 35,000 miles on it. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Hey there....sounds pretty funky.Stock engine...injector cleaner would have probably done good for it.Bad gas....that could be the problem.110 octane?not so sure THAT's a good thing or not.Does this bike have a Muzzy ignition advancer on it?Any codes at all when this starts happening?Does the engine actually die if it's idling?How about the exhaust...sounding any different...or,the engine heating up when it shouldn't be?Will the engine die IF you don't add or take away throttle when it starts losing power?What about start up behavior.Taking a long time to fire while cranking?,or starting right up with a few cranks(at one time).Any smoke at all?If so...what color.

Where is your idle set?1100 rpms or thereabout?(warmed up idle).

You say a "big power loss" when shifting to second...okay....when you notice the "power loss"...what do you do with the throttle?Open it up hard...add more fuel?If so,what does it do then?Will it die if you don't open the throttle more?

Does it start fine one time,then the next,go nutso not starting?

I think checking the injectors would be Hub's area maybe....electrical inputs and such to different sensors and all.Could be a bad part of the harness?IDK.Maybe a short under the tank where the ignition harness runs along the top of the valve cover.Really,I'm just guessing now.Could be lots of things...OR...maybe...something VERY SIMPLE.You DO need to find out though SOON if you do have a manual ignition advancer on there.It sounds VERY similar to what happened with mine(took me almost two weeks to finally narrow the problem down,even with a mechanic "trying to figure it out"(BTW...he never DID)...If you really don't know....you can pull the timing cover off fairly easily and just look at the timing wheel.You'll see if it's factory or aftermarket.That's where I would start.Seriously.You'll need to pull the right side belly fairing off....no big deal.That rectangular cover right there just at the front(right) side of the engine.That's your ignition unit in there.Pull that off carefully so you don't break the rubber O-Ring gasket on it...then take a look.If it's aftermarket,there'll be three tiny set screws holding the outer wheel to the inner bolted part.If it IS aftermarket,see if you can turn that outer ring by hand.If so....EUREKA!You've most likely found your gremlin!Just reset...4 degrees advance...tighten those screws down using some red loctite on there.Button her up and let er sit overnight so they dry really well.DO NOT START your engine until they are set(min 8 hours at least).

One other thing here...while she's running,and you're driving along....what fuel mileage numbers are you getting?High for a bit,then suddenly,lousy...then good again...then...lousy?In the same trip?(Display needs to be on "avg mpg" setting).Normal cruising...no kooky hard gasses or anything like that.Just nice and normal.

Hope this helps ya...good luck!You will get an answer here soon if my suggestion(s) doesn't pan out.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/29/2011 @ 7:24 PM *

How are you, Blue!? you helped me with my hydrolock situation and i appreciate it!

my engine is stock- had the flies removed over 2 years ago without any issues. i have a slip on exhaust and no ignition advancer or PC3. my bike starts without any issue. it idles fine (around 1100 rpm). i did notice that it has 'hiccups' at idle and will jump up a few hundred RPMs. the power loss i mentioned happens when the bike is 'chugging / sputtering.' Once the sputter has passed and i roll more on the throttle, it rides as though nothing is wrong. It mostly sputters in the first 2 gears. at wide open throttle in 4th, 5th, and 6th gear, no issues. just seems like its not getting enough gas. clogged fuel filter? pinched line?

The fuel pump IS the fuel filter on these.You know....this may be a tad strange.If I'm in 1st gear....and I just barely open the throttle...you know,just enough to be rolling(barely,or maybe 2-3 mph),my bike will "lurch" kinda.It's not missing or anything...it just acts like it wants to go or stop...either one.It's not lugging.But it FEELS like it may be.So basically...when it does that....I just pull in the clutch and blip the throttle and let out the clutch.Smoothly.Settles her right down.It's ONLY when I'm just barely rolling like in a parking lot or sitting at a takeoff behind someone...kinda just moving forward slowly you know.Is THAT what you're talking about?

It "hiccups" at idle...jumping a few hundred rpms sometimes.Okay...that's something.It should not be jumping around at idle.Secondly,you said..."the power loss is WHEN THE BIKE IS CHUGGING/SPUTTERING"....clue #2.Okay.....Hub asked what rpm this "chugging/sputtering" is starting at.Same here....what rpm does this start at.Slowing down?or holding steady?or mild acceleration.It's not occurring in 4th,5th or 6th...hard throttle.I know you said "idles fine"...but really,it's not if the idle is going up and down "a few hundred rpms".

Okay....going back a bit...is the display showing an FI ERROR at any time this is occurring,or just before this starts?IF you were to shut the engine off just as the rpms are "jumping"...could you see a code(FI ERROR)on the dash?How about taking it to a safe area.Getting it to chug/sputter.Immediately when it does that,hit the kill switch.Pull in the clutch and stop.NOW look at the dash...any code on there?Turn the kill switch back on.Try to start the engine.(leave the key ON)(make sure she's in neutral).What happens now?Does it start like a brand new bike?OR....is it having problems firing(maybe with a dash code on there as well now).See what happens....you try that .

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/29/2011 @ 10:40 PM *

one of the coils , spark plugs, TPS just out of ajustment. Just a thought

* Last updated by: xxxses on 7/30/2011 @ 9:20 AM *

hello again All,

i am away from my bike for the next few days but i did shoot a short video clip of the 'hiccups' from when the problem first arose. check out the below link please and let me know what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnN26JTIToI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

this is the bike at idle after a ride and right before parking it for the nite. i am not touching the throttle at all... there have been no error codes. thank you all for your help and patience!

Someone should recognize that here.IDK what that is.Definitely NOT okay.My buddy's busa used to do a similar thing at idle...he had an Alienhead and PC on there.It ran great...but idled...well...like yours.It sounds kinda like it's pulsing at a certain "time".IDK.

How many miles do you have on your plugs?
Take your fairings off start it as soon as it turns over shut it down now check each exhaust pipe if you find a cold pipe it’s a bad plug or coil.

Ya...funky.Sounds like a loss of spark...or "gain" of one.Don't have a short goin on above the valve cover somewhere do ya?Maybe a wire's rubbed itself bare on there someplace?Any clicking sounds at the top of the engine when she jumps like that?I guess a short would be more rythmic though...not pulsing like that.The pipe touch deal is a good start fer sure.

Here's a REALLY dumb question....does it do this with a full tank of fuel?

* Last updated by: blue07 on 8/3/2011 @ 12:32 AM *

zx1441xz; Not trying to bust yer chops while you're having problems, but it's not good to run your tank that low, especially when you're parking it for the night. You're sucking up any crap in the bottom of the tank, and it's not good for the fuel pump. Not to mention condensation. Hope you figure out the problem.

I'd check for a short. mine was doing that and I had a bad ground. you should put a PC, a good map and set the TPS asap!

Interesting...ya...installed new plugs just the other day.She ran PERFECT.Till just this morning...I noticed the idle was a tad low.And a bit of smoothness had disappeared while riding.Ya...I was kinda upset...just a bit.Filled her today again.Problem....gone.Smooth as glass again!Ya just never know what's floatin around in there sometimes!I'm chalkin this one up to gas.

You know..I was lookin at that video again...it just may be bad fuel...or dirty.Alg8er's right about lettin her get that low...you never know.

I suppose you COULD pour some 'heet' in there...I don't think it would hurt anything?Just to see what it does if your engine continues to run like that...and plugs as well like Cooter said.That'd be a big boost if ya haven't changed em in 30 something thousand miles.Trust me...you need plugs my man if they haven't been changed with your bike's mileage.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 8/5/2011 @ 11:45 PM *

All,

I appreciate all the replies. I have been away from my bike since the time I posted. I did ride it today-

* no leaks
* cranked right up
* no hiccups whatsoever
Rode the bike a block and got stopped at a stoplight. Temperature is 'normal,' no hiccups. Did a u-turn and rode 5 blocks home. By the time I ride less than a mile, the bike is chugging.

The bike seemed to ride perfectly until the temperature rose and then began the hiccups.

I will try some of the above suggestions to see if I can isolate the problem.

* the sparkplugs were replaced less than 1,000 miles ago. Ran fine for almost 1,000 miles and then hiccup.

An accurate description of the throttle is that it 'flutters'

Hmmm...wonder IF one of your temp sensors for the engine(atmospheric or whatever is in the airbox)is possibly disconnected or failing?Fine when cold.....sick when warm.Someone here should know what THAT is?Not me...never heard of it myself.But I'm kinda sure there IS some type of sensor that monitors the 'conditions' for fuel and stuff.Temperature included.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 8/10/2011 @ 8:13 PM *

IDK what it could be.I'm leaning towards short to ground somewhere...but it would most likely miss like it sounds or whatever it's doing all the time.Not just when it warms up.Something MAY be expanding somewhere along the harness....causing a rubbing on a wire somewhere?IDK.Any possibility of THAT happening?Maybe above the valve cover in the wiring in there?I think the crucial factor is the heat and then the problem.Geez....hope you get er done.
I know it sounds far-fetched...but ya never know.I listened again to your vid.When it 'flutters',it sounds to me as if she's actually running on all four.That's why she jumps in rpms...I'm guessing.The lower rpms are the misfire actually happening.Could I be misinterpreting this thing?Perhaps it's 'missing' out the gate,at startup...then as she warms up,she begins firing intermittantly on all four.Is that possible?

* Last updated by: blue07 on 8/10/2011 @ 10:05 PM *

You have a stock configured motor.You haven't removed the tank or anything have you 'before' this started happening?You don't suppose your timimg wheel has loosened a bit,letting the wheel waggle back and forth as it passes under the magnet.Long shot I know.Maybe check that out?I'm not suggesting she's going in and out of time...so you probably wouldn't get a code 'if' the magnet was 'sometimes' missing the wheel arm(s).The ecu would continue to correct something like that until it went TOO far from the ignition program(or until the wheel fully came off the spline shaft).

* Last updated by: blue07 on 8/10/2011 @ 10:15 PM *

Blue,
I had a radar installed but I don't think it required having the tank removed... The tank would have also been removed when I took it o the shop the first time and they cleaned the air filter and replaced the sparkplugs.

There is a sudden 'surge of (sporadic) power' during acceleration before it finally smooths out.

I don't have a PC installed but the mechanic said it would fix the problem.

The bike sounds like a V-twin

My bike was doing the same thing as in the video posted by zx1441xz bogging down below 4,000 rpm above that the engine smoothed out a bit and the power kicked in! It seemed to act up more when the bike got hotter and was sporadic at times and would run fine for a day then back to sounding like a V-twin!! What was weird was it seemed to act up on cold starts after it rained when the bike was outside and it was like I was getting water in my fuel. and after looking at the seal to the vent on my gas cap I noticed it had a rip in it and thought water was getting in the tank so I got a vortex v3 gas cap and ran that tank thru thinking that would fix the problem well it didn?t!! So I did what I stated above and started it cold for about 3-4 sec and sprayed water on the headers and found that one pipe was evaporating slightly slower than the other three so I pulled the plugs and noticed a slight bulge in the lower section of the suspect cylinder coil! So I replaced that coil and no more bogging!!!!! Just figured id give the solution to the problem so it can help someone out!!!!!

Thanks for the update COOTER!

Cooter, great info are you related to hub

Holly snap! What a solid diagnosis. Will need to shelve this answer in case I experience this.
Love this forum!