Engine dies while riding and will crank back up after cycling the ignition off to on again.

[cw'sGWGL19881500]

Two days ago I had road around 54 miles when I hit a rough spot on the interstate at around 65 mph and the engine died. I engaged the clutch and pulled to the emergency lane to check and make sure I did not smell, see, or hear anything out of sort. And within 10 or 15 seconds I turn the ignition off and back on and it fired right back up. Meet with a friend and we road over a 150 miles and I hit another rough spot on the interstate on my way back home and it did the same thing again. Only this time I just reached up and cycled the ignition switch off and on again and let out on the clutch and it fired right back up again. I've already delt with a kill switch problem so I know that's not the problem because I've bypassed the kill switch. I'm leaning towards the bank angle sensor. I really do not want to chase gremlins so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Especially from someone that has had a similar problem and solved it.

[Charlie1Horse]

Sounds like the Bank Angle Sensor. Honda has a recall on these. I had my 92 BAS replaced for free by Honda because if the bike is still on the road, the recall is still active. I'm not sure if your 88 is in the recall but you can check with your local dealer and they can run your VIN to tell you if it has been done. If it is in the recall and has not been replaced, the dealer will order one and change it for you for free. Other than that it could be a bad connection somewhere but if that were the case you wouldn't have to cycle the ignition off/on.
Russell

Just checked and 88 is in the recall. 88 to 93 and if it has been done there should be an 'X' in the frame by the starter relay.

[Andy Cote]

BAS is suspect one. Kick stand switch would be my second guess. After that, kill switch, ignition switch. Tough thing to track down. Good luck.

[cw'sGWGL19881500]

My first thought was the kick stand and still might replace it. And I've already bypassed the kill switch last year. And when the kill switch went bad there was no starting the engine. The engine would turn over all day but until I bypassed the kill switch it would not start. I'm going with a bad BAS. I thank you for the info on the recall. I will check the frame for an x. I thank you both Russell and Andy for your response. Ever little bit of info you can get on these machines always helps.

[WingAdmin]

Two days ago I had road around 54 miles when I hit a rough spot on the interstate at around 65 mph and the engine died. I engaged the clutch and pulled to the emergency lane to check and make sure I did not smell, see, or hear anything out of sort. And within 10 or 15 seconds I turn the ignition off and back on and it fired right back up. Meet with a friend and we road over a 150 miles and I hit another rough spot on the interstate on my way back home and it did the same thing again. Only this time I just reached up and cycled the ignition switch off and on again and let out on the clutch and it fired right back up again. I've already delt with a kill switch problem so I know that's not the problem because I've bypassed the kill switch. I'm leaning towards the bank angle sensor. I really do not want to chase gremlins so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Especially from someone that has had a similar problem and solved it.

There's an easy way to tell if it is the BAS or the kickstand.

If the bike starts back up without cycling the ignition, it's the kickstand. If you MUST cycle the ignition before the bike starts up again, it's the bank angle switch.

[cw'sGWGL19881500]

Awesome! Thanks for the info WingAdm. I'm going to take my Vin down to the dealership and see if it's been serviced on the BAS recall. I'm also replacing the rear tire at the moment and learned that you do not have to remove any of the storage compartments. What are your thoughts on a set of timing belts that only have 38,000 miles on them but are 35 yrs old. I see no cracks in the belts but they are 35 years old. And do have a knew set of belts sitting here. But you cannot get a full set of timing sprockets for this model from Honda anymore. And I haven't been able to locate a full set of timing sprockets for it in aftermarket products either. I would hate throwing these new belts on old sprockets. Of course this bike only has a little over 38000 original miles on it.

[Rambozo]

There is also a date code on the BAS itself. Sometimes these were replaced without getting the "X" stamp on the frame. You should change the belts. That is too many years. Typically, the sprockets are not changed, so don't worry about that. However, you do need to check the idlers. If the bearings are bad, you can replace or rebuild them. You can search here for instructions on how that is done.

[cw'sGWGL19881500]

That's great to hear about the sprockets Rambozo. I have aquired a new shop manual for this model from Honda and it wasn't cheap either. I've had mixed feedback about changing the belts and several keep saying don't worry about them. My response is if one brakes the engine is junk! I'm with you on that one. I just don't like not being able to put new sprockets on as well. At this point I don't have much choice though. Going to go ahead and do the swap. And yes I love the fact that you can find these step by step procedures on this site. Most everything I've learned about this bike has come from this site. Thanks again for the positive feedback Rambozo. Ride free and stay safe man!