Help - Stage 2

Hi All - long time lurker, first time poster in need of help .. and yes .. I will introduce myself later  
After reading through all the 'just do it' talk on here and elsewhere, went ahead and purchased Dale Walker's Stage 2 kit.
Everything went fine on the install - even those little bastard screws!

Put it all back together and no bits left over.

Only mistake I made was to undo the Secondary Throttle Position (STP) sensor instead of just unplugging it.
Screwed it back up and lined up the paint mark so I guess around the mark.

Hit the start and woohoo - started straight up so went for a ride.

Now had done this with a low tank and you guessed it .. ran out of fuel - pushed to nearest servo and filled up (18.5l !).
Anyway, today, time for a ride - like a different bike - bloody fantastic .. until, after about 50kms .. engine cuts out and FI message comes up in display (not the light) - lucky I wasn't cranked over in a corner.

Turn the key, all the usual noises, nothing on the display and motor turns over but won't fire.
Disconnected TFI and stays the same.

Something to do with fuel maybe from running tank out? .. but I can smell fuel when it's cranking over.
Have no idea what else it could be and really could do with some sage advice before I have to resort to the dealer.

Jenks

Put it in dealer mode and see if there is a code error .

Woops - forgot to say - already did the dealer mode with a paper clip - _C000 - so no help there.

My guess /something to do with fuel pump and / or picked up some shit from running out of fuel . You could also check all relevant connections inc.electrical in-case something got bumped doing the job and came undone after a while .

TPS needs adjusting if the dash is at the bottom, could help..........

Instant cut out ?  Electrical would be my guess.

You have to put the bike in dealer mode when the fault occurs. Turning off the ignition clears the code. I would say fuel too. Is the fuel pump definitely pressurising? Have you pulled a plug and checked for spark?

Have eliminated fuel now - disconnected bottom fuel line and plenty coming out.
Spark next - just have to figure out how to get a plug out.
Also removed O2 eliminator and reconnected - getting desperate - no difference.

Have given up  
Off to the dealers.
Thanks for all the suggestions - I'll post up when I find out what the problem was.

Update: just heard back from the dealers.
He says "no compression on 3 cylinders and nothing relevant in the ECU".
I say "WTF!"

I don't believe this.
Bike just cut out and spat an FI error to the display - so must be something logged in the ECU.
It didn't splutter, cough or anything that would make you think that it had compression issues.
I'm convinced it's something electrical - tip over sensor maybe - manual says this cuts the injectors and the fuel pump.
Pump was still pressurising the fuel line when turning ignition on though.

Thinking I'll have to take it somewhere else for a second opinion.

That sounds like a load of BS/

Pick up bike and take it to another mechanic. Sounds like a load of horse shit to me

Find yourself a real mechanic dude

Jenks , as a proud Aprilia owner could you please remove that avatar pic of Edwards jumping off the APRILIA on fire .    
Any chance of a larger pic (the shame).

Check the big round connector to the injectors is seated properly, plus the connector under the throttle bodies. Both can fail to seat at times

Sorry about the avatar Gus ... didn't realise it was an Aprilia .. I'm sure it could never happen to yours .. though you never know.
Does carbon fibre burn  
Here's a bigger version.
Aprilia on fire

Heard back from the bike shop today.
Cam chain snapped - apparently there is a chain guide clipped into the rocker cover (not in the manual btw), and it somehow came loose, got stuck somewhere and caused the chain to snap which is now wedged somewhere in the bottom of the motor.
Rocker cover's only been off once by another shop for the 24k shim check and that was 6k kms ago.

They'll have to spit the motor to get it out and relieve me of around $1500 .. ouch.

In some ways I'm happy that it wasn't anything I did with the stage 2 - they did ask if I'd managed to leave a loose screw in the throttle bodies .. "of course not" I said and then quickly went to the shed to counts screws - 8 .. phew.

Seems a shame to spend so much on a bike that's probably only worth $6k or so (08 model), but no choice really.
Can't wait to get it back though .. the few k's that I did have with the stage 2 were great - fantastic mod.

CAM CHAIN SNAPPED?

So, are we talking bent valves and damaged pistons, or what?

No thank goodness - valves / pistons all ok.
Must have been a nice clean break and then just embedded itself without smashing around.

Jenks wrote:No thank goodness - valves / pistons all ok.
Must have been a nice clean break and then just embedded itself without smashing around.

Lucky!

Jenks wrote:No thank goodness - valves / pistons all ok.
Must have been a nice clean break and then just embedded itself without smashing around.

so they`ve already had the head off to make that call??

For the guide to come loose it can't have been replaced properly by the shop that did your valve clearances

Buckley's chance of getting the shop that did the valve clearance to own up to that.
Been talking with Dale Walker re stage 2 kit and let him know what happened.

"If the valve cover was ever removed, Im 99 % sure who ever worked on it let the center guide fall out from the valve cover. They always need to be glued in place"


Glued?!

Yep. High temp silicone so they don't get knocked off when the cover is slid into place. A US forum member had that occur and engine had to be stripped. It can't come loose unless it wasn't properly put on

mtbeerwah wrote:

Jenks wrote:No thank goodness - valves / pistons all ok.
Must have been a nice clean break and then just embedded itself without smashing around.

so they`ve already had the head off to make that call??

Probably good design (i.e. crash proof valves) rather than good luck

So can anyone confirm if the bandit 1250 is a non-interference (free running) engine. 

I know chain breakage is not as common as a timing belt breaking but it can still happen.

It'd be nice to know.