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Stutter / Hesitation with small throttle inputs

19K views 43 replies 19 participants last post by  JCFZ9  
#1 ·
I have a 2016 XSR900 with an Akra Carbon full system, a PCV, and the Akra Carbon map.

recently have been experiencing an issue where, when accelerating moderately, or cruising at 20-30% throttle (as I often do in city traffic), the engine seems to cut out / hiccup / stutter / hesitate. It doesn't happen at high speeds, or at revs above 6000rpm. the best way to describe it, is it feels like I suddenly let off and then re-engaged the throttle, but I didn't.

There are a few threads on the FZ/MT-09 side of this board mentioning it. One lists the fix as disconnecting the O2 sensor (thus disabling "eco" mode), and the other lists the fix as needing to clean the APS and TPS connectors.

The thread mentioning the O2 sensor is from 2014, and i'm not sure if it applies to the XSR900. I went in yesterday to inspect the APS and TPS connectors. Couldn't get to the TPS connector without removing the Airbox, but the APS was completely clean with no corrosion. Threw some dielectric grease on the connector just for good measure, but it didn't have any affect on the issue.

some people seem to think this has to do with the bike going in and out of "eco" mode. I can't say for sure if that's what's happening for me, but it's definitely been in eco mode when the issue occurs. I'm usually busy watching the road lol.

I'm hesitant to disconnect the O2 sensor and make the MPG even worse with this bike's peanut sized tank.

Anyone else have any experience with this issue? Any recommendations? can I tune around it with the PCV? Should I take it in to get new APS and TPS sensors? should I just deal with it?
 
#5 ·
This seems to happen in any combination of Riding mode and TC mode.
I need to double check, but it's at less than 10k miles. I got it with ~6000mi during the pandemic and I haven't put too many miles on it since.

I also rode it yesterday and it ran totally smoothly. If it keeps cropping up, I'll go in to check the plugs, wires, etc.
 
#7 ·
I went through this recently on my FZ.... here are things that helped:

  • Lubed throttle cables.
  • Replaced front sprocket (old was pretty worn).
  • Repositioned the accelerator position sensor by a couple of degrees so it eases on better. Thread: Fix Choppy Throttle
I had come across that thread and video. I don't think the XSR has the same Diag mode as the FZ. I do have an OBD reader, so maybe I can see it that way.

I'm unclear what the guy in that video is going for though. the APS tops out at 101 in the beginning of the video, is the goal to get it lower? is it to get the APS and TPS ranges as close to each other as possible?
 
#8 ·
The goal is to just reduce the number by 2 or 3 points, the lower number is the lowest throttle input, when it isn't being turned, and the higher number is the full throttle. You want to reduce both (both numbers move when you adjust the sensor) just a couple points and it just reduces how quickly the gas comes on from 0 input to any input.
 
#12 ·
This may sound odd but... ...the battery died and when I replaced it, no more odd running issues.
Not odd at all. Makes sense. A sudden demand for power coupled with a slowly dying battery could cause stutters until the charging system picks up the slack. Good catch here, OP should check the health of the battery.
 
#19 ·
Embarrassingly enough, I haven't sorted this out yet. I've been super busy and the weather has been too poor to ride which is kind of needed to troubleshoot this issue.

I did resolve the issue with it not starting in 1st gear, that was a faulty clutch sensor. This took a while to resolve though because the screw holding in that sensor catastrophically stripped.

I took a ride the other day with the O2 sensor fully disconnected from both the PCV and the main wiring harness. The bike felt mostly normal, but with a little less bottom end power (this also could have been old gas), but the same stuttering issue returned on my way home.

I still have not inspected the TPS sensor, but judging from the behavior and some more info I found in this thread I think that may be either corroded or faulty so I'm going to focus my efforts on inspecting and/or replacing those next. Will post results here.
 
#20 ·
I'm keeping an eye on this thread now too. My bike seems to have developed an occasional hiccup below ~5000 rpm. It feels just like that, one short hiccup, then all is back to normal.

The only thing different that I've done is install a fuse block along with a few LEDs and heated grips. They draw such a negligible amount and I can see my battery voltage is still reading ~14.1 - 14.4 while riding so at this point I doubt that's the cause.

Anyways... I'll keep riding and trying to find commonalities to this little hiccup and at some point I'll see if disconnecting the fuse block heals it all.
 
#31 ·
I'm keeping an eye on this thread now too. My bike seems to have developed an occasional hiccup below ~5000 rpm. It feels just like that, one short hiccup, then all is back to normal.

The only thing different that I've done is install a fuse block along with a few LEDs and heated grips. They draw such a negligible amount and I can see my battery voltage is still reading ~14.1 - 14.4 while riding so at this point I doubt that's the cause.

Anyways... I'll keep riding and trying to find commonalities to this little hiccup and at some point I'll see if disconnecting the fuse block heals it all.
How do you disconnect the fuze block?, and also how are you reading the battery voltage...is that in the menu settings somewhere?
 
#26 ·
Hi Anyone had an update on this? I've had this issue for a few weeks now. I can be riding fine and then at some point I brake and come of the power and it just starts to hiccup and then stutter. trying to accelerate with this almost feels like your running out of fuel. I took it to the dealer as its still in warranty they looked at it and adjust something which got it working okay for two days or so and then it came back. I have a Akrapovic race line exhaust installed and the dealer sad it was because of this and the bike should be remapped to fix the problem. I have now installed the DNA Stage 2 filter on it and went for a ride and it was running lovely for about 30mins before it started playing up again. The dealer has told me to remap it to fix the issue but I'm not sure that it will but what do I know. if anyone found the cause of the issue it would be great to know
 
#28 ·
Based on the symptoms you're experiencing, I would look at fuel pressure as the culprit.
Because this appears to be an intermittent issue, it would need to have a pressure tester attached and positioned so you can ride the bike while observing what the pressure is doing when the symptom reappears. I know it's a PIA, but it should point you in the right direction. Possible issue with the fuel pump or wiring.
 
#33 ·
not really. I finally opted to just take it in to a shop. It's an OEM Yamaha shop, and I'm in CA so, there wasn't a ton they could do because of my mods (full akra carbon, block off plates, PCV).

Mechanic recommended running it with the secondary air intake reinstalled and without the PCV to at least see if it runs more smoothly, even though it will probably backfire. I never picked up the stock parts from the guy I bought it from, but I hit him up and he said he may still have them. So, I'm going to start there. This will at least remove some variables. if this does make it run more smoothly, I'll likely opt to just flash my ECU and not use the PCV.

After riding it around more the last few weeks, I'm not really convinced that it's solely a throttle response issue, if at all. When I'm experiencing poor throttle response, it sometimes also sounds weird. Kinda farty, like maybe it's running rich.

One thing he did point out was that with the block off plates installed, the bike ignores the O2 sensor and defaults to it's regional fuel map. I feel like this could actually explain why sometimes it runs totally normally. I ride all over the SF Bay Area, which has pretty extreme micro climates and elevation changes, so the O2 sensor not functioning could make things inconsistent.
 
#34 ·
Got mine finally resolve af far as I can feel it after several rides. Yamaha service center’s diagnosis said it was probably a fuel system issue since it was intermittent.

They suggested to similarly do a major tune-up. 1. removed my current fuel from the system
2. Cleaned the injectors
3. Cleaned the throttle bodies
4. I also asked to clean the TPS and APS terminals which has no signs of corrosion and well sealed as they showed to me. (They say it’s impossible for moisture to penetrate it - which I trust them since the terminals has some kind of o-ringa in between and snug fit)

I currently reside in the Philippines and we have cheap fuels here. They suggested that i should avoid those fuels and try to use a higher octane which they said it’s cleaner than the 95 octanes. Now Im using 98 octanes. They say it is more clean than the 95 - the latter contains more additives that produces some kind of build up in the fueling system. Not sure if that’s a thing, but hey - it got my Sorted out. so far my bike runs smooth