FI Ninja stalled - possible problem?

[Christofini]

Howdy,
on the way to the shop for a tire change, and my '08 FI Ninja (14,800km on the clock) dies while coasting down a hill. It ran fine for around 40km, temperature was well below halfway to red and I didn't push it too hard...shift at 6.5-7,000 RPMs and cruise at 8-9,000.

I took a right turn, pull in the clutch and roll down the hill. I approached a roundabout at the bottom so I slowly let out the clutch (still moving at about 20kph) and it just dies. Oil light and FI light pop on and it refuses to start.

Oil was good, and I didn't see any obvious damage / leaks. It did start a few times in neutral, but died instantly when I kicked it down. Luckily I was across the street from my shop so I roll it in and try to start it again - it starts, and I take it for a trip around the parking lot. Revs freely, all gears work and no obvious signs of any problems.

It did need a bit of cranking to get going at the shop, I tried perhaps 3-4 times before it sprang to life.

Tires are now getting changed and I also asked for an oil change, just in case. I'm hoping they'll fail to start it and find what the problem may be...

Should I be worried? I've had the bike for just over a year now, it seems the previous owner didn't maintain it as much as I would like (he was a mechanic ) and it's my only vehicle.

I searched the web and came up with an '09 636 that had a similar issue...died with oil light / FI light and didnt crank. Started after 5 minutes only to die again shortly after. Quick call to my mechanic says I need a new ECU and / or regulator...costing €40 and €110 respectively. He also said it might have been a one-off thing.

Opinions / suggestions are appreciated! :-)
(Apologies for the long post)

Edit: Not sure if this makes any difference. I usually only start her up after the pump cycles. After turning the key and disengaging the killswitch I hear a short whirring. After that I hit the ignition.

[Somchai]

Hello Chris,

maybe this could be your prob, please take a look here http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=109357

Good luck

[Christofini]

Thanks for the hasty reply Somchai.

I did read that post and asked my mechanic about it. He said my VIN number was outside of the groups listed. I did have problems with the turn signals loosening up and not flashing while riding, but they'd fix themselves. The roads here are crazy bumpy so it's strange that the issue would only show itself now.

I suppose I'll wait until they replace her sandals and test her on the way back to work. Hopefully she doesn't die on the way up...it's 9km up a 30º incline...
Cash is short so I'd like to steer clear of the shop unless I can't diagnose / repair it myself.

[Christofini]

Update on the Ninja Turtle:

Drove her to my mechanic after the shop replaced the oil and fitted the tires.
Ran fine, however I was told the shop fitted the rear tire on backwards and didn't tighten the rectangular heads on the swingarm. Apparently these could have popped off and taken the wheel with them, or gotten stuck in the brake disc and torn the swingarm apart. They also filled the oil up right to the top with 4T 30w-50 oil, used in cars. When the bike was on its side the sightglass didn't have any air bubble whatsoever.

Unfortunately it was too late to work on it, and as my only form of transport I chanced the ride home keeping revs below 4,000 for the nearly 35km ride.
5 minutes before my house I saw the FI light start flashing, throttle input stopped and she died.

She's at my mechanic's today getting tires re-mounted and balanced, oil changed, engine flushed and checking the error codes.

I'll be dropping by the shop tomorrow demanding my money back, and all the expenses for the second maintenance covered. Possibly even compensation for being out of a vehicle for two days.

Welcome to Málaga