[Retired Guy]

When it quits, check the fuel pump right then and see if its still working. Drove me nuts (explains a lot) trying to figure out what was happening on a Ninja a few years ago.

Sometimes I could ride all day with no problems. Next day I might not get a quarter mile and it would quit. Then it might quit twice more trying to get home. I thought it was something electrical because when it quit, it was like turning the key off. It was the fuel pump.

Good luck with it.

 

[Retired Guy]

I had to replace the fuel pump on my Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe. While doing that, I found my fuel filter. It was in a place that it would be hard to find and it made no sense to me why it was tucked away like it was. It looked old.

I bought new fuel line and "re-plumbed" the fuel lines. Now when the seat is removed, the new fuel filter can easily be inspected as its in plain sight.

I also learned my bike doesn't even need a fuel pump until it gets down to about a half tank of fuel. (Its got carburetors). So now I carry a piece of fuel hose in my left saddle bag. Petcock to carburetors, if above half tank, start up and go.

 

[Retired Guy]

When the problem first happened, and I suspected the fuel pump, I read how to just run a line from the petcock to the carburetors, and if above a half tank, the bike should run. Before doing that, everything was factory, as far as I know, (I bought the bike used).

This was supposed to be one way of diagnosing a faulty fuel pump. I think it was on a Yamaha Venture forum where I read about this. So I got two, two and a half feet of fuel line and tried it. It worked, above half tank it would run, drain it to less than a half tank, it wouldn't run, at least not very long.

It was then I got a new fuel pump (and filter) and re-plumbed everything so the fuel filter was easily seen. So I don't believe I created the situation. Why bypass the fuel pump? I don't know. Maybe fuel won't flow through a faulty pump? I do know if the pump quits again, I can bypass it with a short piece of hose to get me back on the road.

So, like carrying a plug kit in case of a flat tire, I'll carry a short piece of hose in case of another fuel pump issue. Coiled up and laying in the bottom of a saddle bag, it doesn't take up much room.

 

[Retired Guy]

Bypassing the fuel pump only works if there is more than 1/2 tank of fuel.

 

[Retired Guy]

My dealer wanted $232 for a new fuel pump. I didn't have an extra $232 laying around at the time. So I went to O'Reilly's Auto Parts and bought a low pressure fuel pump for about $65 (if I remember right) and a new fuel filter.

They've been working for over a year now. I don't know how much pressure is needed on a fuel injected bike, but that info shouldn't be too hard to find out.

 

[Retired Guy]

$400 from the dealer, $40 from Amazon. That's a bargain!