Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all,

I've got a 2011 RE Bullet that has suddenly started misfiring even on light acceleration. It will start and idle as normal, but anything greater than 10-20% throttle will cause it to splutter and misfire. The MIL light will flicker as this happens. If you allow it to splutter for too long, the MIL light will come on for the usual 2-3 seconds as though the kill switch had been flicked off and back on. Just to be clear, the MIL light doesn't come on permanently at any stage.

The problem started suddenly. I'd been driving for half an hour or so at around 40, dropped a gear and accelerated reasonably hard. Instead of pulling away the bike began to splutter as described above. I did some roadside checks for loose connections and eventually ended up coaxing the thing home slowly in high gear (fortunately it was mostly downhill!).

I changed the plug and tested the ignition coil. The primary was around 6ohms (fine), and the secondary was 17.6k (outside the 12.5-16k specified in the workshop manual).

My question is: does this seem like enough of a difference to cause the problem above? On the one hand, it seems like a relatively minor difference. On the other, it could explain why the bike idles fine but has trouble when I put any load on it.

Great to get your thoughts on this, and anything I might have missed!

Those symptoms sound similar to how my 2010 Electra behaved when the regulator rectifier packed up at 15,000 miles. I don't know what your numbers mean, but there are loads of You Tube videos on how to test a R/R. Might be worth a try.

My 2011 Classic C5 suffered exactly the same, rough running, pharting and banging and absolutely no power. After exhausting just about every avenue I changed the battery and it ran fine again. The pd was showing 12.6v (manual says it must have >10.4v) and the lights came on, it started OK so I assumed the battery was fine. It was only after reading other threads on here that I went back to take another look at the battery and decided to replace it.

Certainly sounds like it could be the battery, the R/R unit or the easiest and cheapest thing to check

a loose connector between the two.

Flying some kites -


This cough-splutter, won't run is similar to running out of fuel. Check for fuel blockage.


Check the air inlet is clear, maybe squirt some carb cleaner through the throttle body though.


Blocked injector jet, same carb cleaner but also add RedEx to tank (twice what is says on the bottle?)


Blocked fuel filter or fuel line? enough fuel getting through to run idle but not on opened throttle.


Note the fuel pump is "294kPa" = 43 psi, so if you disconnect the petrol hose and switch on to check you get a lot of petrol squirted out, a lot; use a bucket not a rag. The pump is controlled by the ecu. Good news there is only one fuel filter, bad news it is part of the fuel pump. A double dosage of RedEx may help clear the filter.


Check electrical connectors to injector, TPS and MAP, pull plugs off, put them back on.


Did you use a new plug when you changed it or an old one? If the porcelain is grubby on the outside the HT can track to ground with weak or no spark inside. Double check HT lead and HT cap secure. Do check HT cap is electrically connected to HT lead not just pushed on.



A brand new battery has six cells of 2.1 Volts each = 12.6 Volts with no load. Hence charging voltage should be 13.7V to 14.7V. Lead acid batteries can drop sediment to the bottom which can short a cell out. Do check the battery is topped up. If it can spin the starter nicely (or power all the lights) you have enough volts for sparks.



MIL codes - grounding the black ecu wire (Level 2 Test Pin) will make the MIL blink but only produce a code that indicates a faulty sensor; Long 0 Short 6 is TPS throttle, Long 0 Short 9 is MAP. Not terribly useful if you don't have a faulty sensor. The dealer's DOL tool does the same thing. Your MIL is not glowing continuously = no fault.



If the ecu has got it knickers in a twist (limp mode) then try an ecu reset - Switch off. Switch on key and kill switch on, wait >10 seconds, open throttle 100% for >10 sec, close throttle to 0% and wait ~5 sec, MIL will "blink continuously twice" (I have no idea what that means), reset completes. Switch off and wait >3 sec for MIL to complete. Switch on and start engine (wait for MIL to go out before pushing the starter). This probably resets the throttle position (TPS) too.

Eollover sensor = MIL will glow continuous, Engine will NOT Start but will crank. Long 1 Short 5 on test pin

Possible silly one - do check you have all three lamps in the MIL cluster working not blown. I had one bulb blow there which took out all three, made the MIL act up and then blew the fuse. The blub had blown in a way that shorted the system.. For access, the MIL cluster eases out with a non-scratch paint-can opener*, silicone sqwirt helps the rubber.



More likely - That your MIL comes on and then fades in making me think dodgy electrical connection from sensor to ecu. The slugs and pockets do self-loosen, the connector do corrode. Remedy is pull apart and push back together. This could be the MAP, TPS, even the injector or the fuel pump (blocked); check the lot. Fuel blockage!




* plastic bicycle tyre levers, they won't get a bicycle tyre off but don't scratch paint.

Having just read jefrs incredibly comprehensive reply to this post I thank my lucky stars I have an old iron barrel bullet. I would be totally lost trying to sort out a modern bullet, and I take my hat off to those who understand such comp!icated stuff. Gone are the days of adjusting the points to the thickness of a fag packet!

Sometimes the answer is more complicated than the problem.😉😉

Flying kites means throwing ideas about. They all arrive at once but are presented in no particular order