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I think my NC700X is dying - major loss of power

How many miles on bike? I'd be extremely surprised if this turned out to be a mechanical engine problem. Only way I could see engine failure is if it wasn't ran with correct oil volume or when changing air filter you somehow didn't get the filter seated right or airbox closed right and it let debris bypass the filter. I have never messed with filter on my bike so it may be pretty failsafe to change one, I just don't know. An example of what I described was notorious on some Polaris Ranger models, the airbox was hard to close back correctly after being opened. Several reports of complete engine failure due to debris bypassing filter inside air box.

But like I said, hard for me to believe one of these engines would fail. Surely it's something electronic somewhere.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Here is a link to a thread that may be an interesting read. The symptoms described in the thread don’t match the OP’s exactly, but it stills story of an elusive engine problem and the things done to attempt repair. Maybe there are some useful ideas contained therein.

Engine Fluttering Sound
 
TacomaJD said:
How many miles on bike? I'd be extremely surprised if this turned out to be a mechanical engine problem. Only way I could see engine failure is if it wasn't ran with correct oil volume or when changing air filter you somehow didn't get the filter seated right or airbox closed right and it let debris bypass the filter. I have never messed with filter on my bike so it may be pretty failsafe to change one, I just don't know. An example of what I described was notorious on some Polaris Ranger models, the airbox was hard to close back correctly after being opened. Several reports of complete engine failure due to debris bypassing filter inside air box.

But like I said, hard for me to believe one of these engines would fail. Surely it's something electronic somewhere.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

The bike has 31k miles on it now.
I have tried the compression test. I think I am doing something wrong. I took both spark plugs out and screwed the compression tester into one of the holes. Then I tried starting the bike...
...NOTHING AT ALL.
I am obvious missing something here.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Key on. ?
Battery charged, all connections connected , lights come on ?
In Neutral ?
Engine kill switch in the run position ?

Hit the starter button engine should crank over.

Warm engine, throttle open during cranking ......compression should be about 190 psi
 
Seems I recall the NC engine shares a common intake tract and has a slight amount of valve timing overlap. Try replacing one spark plug when checking the other cylinder’s compression.
 
dduelin said:
Seems I recall the NC engine shares a common intake tract and has a slight amount of valve timing overlap. Try replacing one spark plug when checking the other cylinder’s compression.
Click to expand...


Not necessary, both plugs out, crank it over with the throttle open. The procedure was confirmed in prior thread. If the throttle is not open the compression reading will lower than spec.
 
I am an idiot on mechanical stuff, but is it possible your chain is loose, bad, slipping, or stretched?
 
Hello all,
I hope you have all had a great Christmas.
Today I replaced the fuel pump and filter assembly.
I also replaced the injectors.
No difference at all.
I tried to video what happens on start up but it is dark here now.
The bike starts and idles exactly as it always has.
I put it into first, with the clutch in it still sounds great.
I can release the clutch and the bike will crawl with very little power.
Giving it throttle does very little. The revs on the clock go up as expected but no transfer of power.
I can stop the bike with just my feet on the ground and without brakes.
It doesn't stall.
Back into neutral and idle is fine again.
I'm worried this is going to have to go into a garage and cost me a small fortune.
Thank you again for all your comments and help.
 
I've never had a clutch go on a bike before. I've had two go on cars though.
I'm guessing bike clutches are different.
I'm not noticing any difference in shifting gears. The clutch lever pulls in fine, and I can change to neutral and back ok.
The fact I can release the lever and don't get power or stall does make me consider the clutch now.
 
If there is no power (no revs) it's the engine. If the engine revs but the bike doesn't go it's the clutch. It could be the clutch cable adjustment, the mechanism, or the plates themselves. A slipping clutch should be obvious as the engine speed is no longer linked to the wheel speed.
 
pmjones79 said:
I'm worried this is going to have to go into a garage and cost me a small fortune.
Thank you again for all your comments and help.
Click to expand...

Not a slam.......but.......there’s a high cost to DIY when it’s does not work out.......unfortunately that’s the risk for DIY diagnostics and repair when the guess goes wrong. Obviously the parts are not cheap and not returnable.
In hind sight a dealer clutch repair ( if that’s the issue) would have been less than the fuel pump and injectors parts ?

The clutch test is engine running, bike standing still, select third gear, with front wheel against a brick wall, brakes applied, let the clutch out quickly while applying throttle . The engine should die instantly. If the engine revs clutch is slipping. This is a quick test, does require some skill and knowledge.
 
Last edited:
Well,

Thanks to all you wonderful people my bike is alive again.

Today I replaced the clutch and it did the job.

I am chuffed to bits that i finally got there. I had so much help from all of you.

I must admit I do feel a bit stupid for changing things that turns out didn't need to be changed.

Like I've said before I have learnt some new diagnostic skills and purchased some new tools that will aid me in the future.

Thanks again to each one of you.
 
pmjones79. I'm glad you fixed the problem and leaned quite a bit in the process. Keep those used parts they may come handy in the future.

Just out of curiosity I checked the entire tread. It underscores the difficulty and limitations of written communication. And I have to be careful here because I may sound like the wise guy doing Monday morning quarterbacking...
But, how many times have we gotten ourselves into troubles just because of simple misunderstanding?
Good lessons for all here.

First entry on Nov 15
The bike seemed to lose all torque. It could be a long list of issues many of which were discussed

Nov 16
The clutch seems responsive.
I would try riding up a hill in a high gear but the bike has so little power that it struggles to ride into double figures on the flat.
When I try pulling into my garage I give it some throttle, like I normally would, the revs seem normal on the dash. However, the bike doesn't respond as it should even if I do give it a handful. By the second day of the discussion it seems fairly obvious in retrospect what the problem was.

Dec 27
I can release the clutch and the bike will crawl with very little power.
Giving it throttle does very little. The revs on the clock go up as expected but no transfer of power.
Yet it took a month and much work/expense to come up with the reason.

Happy 2020!
 
I had a similar problem with an older Suzuki GS500 twin. The issue was a disconnected coil wire that was only allowing 1 cylinder to fire. Once that was reconnected the bike ran great.
 
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