ST1100 dead on side of OK freeway

On the 2nd day of my ride to CT/RI I have just passed 2 pickups, a duelly with a trailer and a semi so I'm going East at a *spirited* pace when suddenly the bike begins to slow.
A quick check shows a falling tach and all the appropriate gauge readings (i.e. plenty of gas).
I twist the throttle; but, continue to slow; so, in comes the clutch and I coast to the top of the rise where I pull over and stop as the bike dies.
I get off and look at the bike... and then around me... not good...
I start thinking (not always a *smart* idea! )...
It's cold and rainy... carb icing?
The bike has 82000 miles...
1) Rick's fuel filter?
2) The vacuum fuel shutoff?

If it is carb icing the bike will start working a bit after the ice melts...
I don't have a spare fuel filter (but, I might change the one that is installed!).
If it is the shutoff I will need to strip the bike so... I start stripping.
I get everything off and I check for carb icing by trying to start the bike. No go... it does sputter but, not enough to make me think it was iced.
So I reroute around the vacuum shutoff, hit the starter, it turns for a bit and roars to life. YES!!!!

Thanks Big Tom for your descripton of your failure when you trailered the bike and then fixed it at home!

Mark

Always glad to be of service Really glad that is what it was.

That's using you noggin! Glad you got it going and back on the road!!

PO pulled the vac fuel valve, I recently pulled the Air pump system. I like "simple"!

BigTom said:

Always glad to be of service Really glad that is what it was.

Click to expand...

You can't even *imagine* how pleased I was to hear that engine catch!

(well maybe you can... middle of nowhere, 2nd day of an 11 day trip and supposed to meet Joe at a freeway gas station in 3 hours...)

You are "THE MAN!" I like to tinker with my bike, but I would have NEVER thought of doing what you did!

Great job!

Mark:

You should have called. I'm in the RAN list. More than happy to help any way I can with you or anyone else stranded in Oklahoma.

Glad you got it sorted out.

Steve

stellarpod said:

Mark:

You should have called. I'm in the RAN list. More than happy to help any way I can with you or anyone else stranded in Oklahoma.

Glad you got it sorted out.

Steve

Click to expand...

Thanks.
I had the RAN list; but, I wasn't on the side of the road long enough...

If it hadn't caught I would have called!
Trust me; I was really working through *all* the possibilities as I coasted to a stop...

PopJack said:

You are "THE MAN!" I like to tinker with my bike, but I would have NEVER thought of doing what you did!

Great job!

Click to expand...

To fracture someone else's metaphor: "Neccessity focuses the mind gloriously"...

stellarpod said:

Mark:

You should have called. I'm in the RAN list. More than happy to help any way I can with you or anyone else stranded in Oklahoma.

Glad you got it sorted out.

Steve

Click to expand...

same here!

so what was wrong with it?

The diaphram fails.
When it fails the engine vacuum isn't; so... no gas flows...

Mark said:

The diaphram fails.
When it fails the engine vacuum isn't; so... no gas flows...

Click to expand...

so the fix is to disconnect the vacuum and reconnect in a different position?

Yup.
Look at the 1st two pictures.
You'll see the fuel filter connected directly to a line that disappears under the airbox.
You'll also see one line that originally connected to the fuel filter and an open connector at the top of the cutoff unit.
I pulled the lines off the fuel filter (bottom line on unit that is still connected) and top connector (seen open at top of unit).

Nice work, Mark !

Good stuff Mark! That's the kind of self reliant story I love to read.

stellarpod said:

Mark:

You should have called. I'm in the RAN list. More than happy to help any way I can with you or anyone else stranded in Oklahoma.

Glad you got it sorted out.

Steve

Click to expand...

Same here. Glad you got it going. I have a pickup and tools also.

You guys are the beST!

Really!

Mark

Mark:

Where exactly did you have your side-of-the-road interlude?

Steve

stellarpod said:

Mark:

Where exactly did you have your side-of-the-road interlude?

Steve

Click to expand...

Good question!
The road was no longer straight, there were some hills and the wind was coming from the right!
I only know the next city of any size was Weatherford.
On 40 and as near as I can tell somewhere between Erick and Foss...

Thinking about this I note this is when a GPS would be *really* nice to have!
And suspect I'll buy a pocket model so I can use it as an emergency locator in the future.

Good work Mark. :bow1: I hope this is the last of the problems. Is this something to keep in mind as a possible problem on the ST1100? Mine is 95, so it has more years, so some parts are older than yours. This way I do not need to remove all the plastic to compare the design between the two models. I expect that it is the same. Mama-Honda sticks with proven product.

Ride safe and may the roads and weather be good to you.

Petar :tools1: