Intermittent Engine Shutting off. (not engine failure)

Yesterday on the way to work, my engine shut off and the check engine light came on. I was cruising at about 75 mph and was unable to restart on the move. I turned on flashers and coasted to a safe stopping location. After verifying there were no fluids pouring from the bike, I toggled the ignition and she fired back to life. I had been traveling for approximately 30 miles when this occurred. I drove the remaining 7 miles to work with no issue. On the way home, the same thing happened but it was much sooner into the trip (12-15 miles). Again, I was able to restart it only after turning the ignition off. I rode the rest of the trip home unimpeded. I have hooked up my tender but it informed me that I was already charged.
Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated. I’ll gladly offer any amplifying information if needed. I had/have fuel and there was no sputtering. I believe it is electrical in nature.
Regards,
Mark

2012 NC700X
23000 miles

When I saw "Engine failure" I had visions of a major blow up ! However I now see that it only cut out. My only suggestion is to bring it to a dealer who can hook up to a pc and read any diagnostics which will hopefully show the problem. That is the usual format with modern motorcycles where there is efi and similar electronics involved.

2 quick guesses:
1. accidentally toggling the kill switch or
2. Loose battery connection-did you check the tightness of the battery screws/bolts when connecting the battery charger? A loose battery connection could cause this issue.

I am keeping the trip to the dealer in my back pocket for now. My goal is to become self sufficient in regards to maintenance/repairs (with help from these interwebs) as I will be moving overseas and won't have a dealer nearby.

While I did try to select a title that would garner attention, an intermittent explosion was not the image I intended to convey.

Could be an ignition switch issue too. Start the bike, wiggle the key, see if it cuts off. How many (if any) other keys and what-not do you have on your ring that you have inserted into the ignition switch? Have you sprayed anything in there to lubricate it lately? Also just grasping at straws here without additional info. Is this the first occurrence of the issue? How long have you owned the bike? What's the mileage/year?

Could also be a vapor lock issue with the fuel tank. Any work done that could have pinched or blocked the vent tube?

I don't believe I accidentally toggled the kill switch twice in one day after never having done it before.
Battery connections are not loose.
I just started the bike and vigorously wiggled the key with no effect.
I washed the bike thoroughly over the weekend but didn't have this issue till Wednesday (yesterday).
The key has no ring or other keys attached to it.
I have never sprayed any lubricants in the ignition.
It happened twice yesterday but never prior to those occurrences.
I have owned the bike since February of 2013 (bought new).
Currently has 23,000 miles (~400/week).

Anything else I should add?

Disastrous said:

I don't believe I accidentally toggled the kill switch twice in one day after never having done it before.
Battery connections are not loose.
I just started the bike and vigorously wiggled the key with no effect.
I washed the bike thoroughly over the weekend but didn't have this issue till Wednesday (yesterday).
The key has no ring or other keys attached to it.
I have never sprayed any lubricants in the ignition.
It happened twice yesterday but never prior to those occurrences.
I have owned the bike since February of 2013 (bought new).
Currently has 23,000 miles (~400/week).

Anything else I should add?

Click to expand...

First, sorry about this weird thing, buddy! Second, curiously enough, koma posted here just the other day, about his bike flashing the check engine light, only after he had washed it. He didn't have the added insult of the bike stopping running, but it still strikes me as a strange occurrence.

Did you check to see if the clutch interlock and the sidestand interlock wires/plugs were well connected and undamaged? The clutch ones shouldn't have anything to do with it, but lord only knows in this day and age, how bizarrely electronic things controlled by computers, can be interconnected...

I would also check your bike's main ground wire attachment to the frame on the left side kinda below/in front of your knee area.

Maybe also undo and remove your right side kill switch pod, and look inside to see if there is a dirty or bad contact at the kill switch points.

Did you check for UFO's ?

Bank angle sensor gone wild? I have heard this happening on some bikes, a friend was out in the woods and had to cross wire it somehow to get the bike running again.

Disastrous said:

Anything else I should add?

Click to expand...

Not really...You only need three basic things for your engine to run:

Compression
Fuel
Spark

I doubt you have a compression problem. That leaves spark or fuel as the culprits. If I were a betting man, I would suggest you have an electrical issue. The "toggle the ignition" is a clue. Pretty sure anytime the engine is off and ignition on the "check engine light" is activated so I wouldn't read too much into that.

These bikes have 10 cent ignition key switches.....Easily the worst I've ever seen on a motorcycle. I would start my troubleshooting there..

Disastrous .........you posted in another thread your made rear shock adjustments, any other modifications lately ???

FIRST thing you should check is all the areas you working on in the last week......looking for....A soft set connector aka a partial plugged in connection or corrector that is not fully seated or latched would be a prime suspect

Reading the FI codes would also yield some important information....... BUT........a loose connection may or may not show as code.

.

If you had an "intermittent engine failure," it would mean your engine suffered severe mechanical damage several times which caused it to stop running each time. What you have is an intermittent electrical problem.

hojo said:

Bank angle sensor gone wild? I have heard this happening on some bikes, a friend was out in the woods and had to cross wire it somehow to get the bike running again.

Click to expand...

I dropped my NC in slick mud and had to hit the kill switch to stop engine. What is this bank angle switch I keep reading about here? Do we really have one on NCs? If so why would mine keep running with the bike past horizontal?

Your NC does indeed have a "Bank Angle Sensor"!! It should have shut off your engine when it was down!! I'm not sure if there is a delay but there may be, , , which, , if the case, would be the reason yours didn't shut off immediately!!

I'd have to look at my Service Manual to see if there is a "Test" for that sensor. Tomorrow I'll check!!

Fuzzy said:

I dropped my NC in slick mud and had to hit the kill switch to stop engine. What is this bank angle switch I keep reading about here? Do we really have one on NCs? If so why would mine keep running with the bike past horizontal?

Click to expand...

Griff said:

When I saw "Engine failure" I had visions of a major blow up ! However I now see that it only cut out. My only suggestion is to bring it to a dealer who can hook up to a pc and read any diagnostics which will hopefully show the problem. That is the usual format with modern motorcycles where there is efi and similar electronics involved.

Click to expand...

DirtFlier said:

If you had an "intermittent engine failure," it would mean your engine suffered severe mechanical damage several times which caused it to stop running each time. What you have is an intermittent electrical problem.

Click to expand...

Both are you correct the title of this thread is just plain wrong and misleading.

The title has been modified to better reflect the real concern.

Well I'm glad we got the title sorted out...

showkey said:

the title of this thread is just plain wrong and misleading.

Click to expand...

Intermittent Engine Failure

Intermittent – occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady
Engine 1 – a machine with moving parts that convert power into motion
Failure 3 – the action or state of not functioning

While I truly don’t care what we use for a title to this thread as long as it doesn’t interfere with the purpose – to get help; I do object to your premise that the title was wrong and misleading. Not understanding a words meaning doesn’t make the word wrong, merely your understanding of the word.

Perhaps I should have titled it: My machine with moving parts was in a state of not functioning at irregular intervals.

I do appreciate the actual help that has been offered and have not as yet been able to identify any causation for the symptoms.
Regards,
Mark

A friend on a er6f had intermittent bank angle failure with symptoms like yours
Almost certainly electrical
the nc does have this device
Possibly worth removing all panels and giving gentle wiggle to all visible connections ,checking for wear also, while bike running to see if the symptom can be repeated .
No one likes riding with intermittent faults . I am on 41000 miles in the worst that Scottish weather can throw at me in winter and have no problems so I believe the NC is inherently a `solid` machine
As mentioned before a dealer plug in fault reader ( a connection above the battery I believe) will reveal some intermittent faults ..I had intermittent O2 sensor causing engine management light to come on . Quickly fixed for free when next passing a dealer ..was just a loose connection.

Disastrous said:

Well I'm glad we got the title sorted out...

Click to expand...

We all are ..........

Sometimes if you ask the right question .......you might get the right answer or at least some meaningful information.

And for the people that come along later might use the information assuming or hoping they can find it because it was not lost in the discription.

Fuzzy said:

I dropped my NC in slick mud and had to hit the kill switch to stop engine. What is this bank angle switch I keep reading about here? Do we really have one on NCs? If so why would mine keep running with the bike past horizontal?

Click to expand...

Was the bike in neutral at the time? Were you holding the clutch?

I dropped my bike the the garage, I managed to set her down relatively gently, still holding on the to the left handlebar, clutch still engaged, the bike didn't die until I released the clutch.