NHTSA Complaint #10566209 — 2007 KAWASAKI EN500C7F

I WAS RIDING WITHOUT A PASSENGER ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED (65-70 MPH) AND THE EXHAUST SUDDENLY POPPED A COUPLE OF TIMES AND THE ENGINE DIED WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS A VEHICLE FOLLOWING ME COULD COLLIDE WITH ME AS I SLOWED. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURRED I WAS ABLE TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY EXIT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY (ON A BRIDGE). PANICKED, I STOOD UP, POPPED THE FUEL CAP OPEN, CHECKED INSIDE THE FUEL TANK FOR GASOLINE. THE TANK WAS ALMOST FULL. I MOVED THE FUEL VALVE TO THE RESERVE POSITION, BYPASSING THE NORMAL FUEL FLOW. (***IMPORTANT: "I STOOD UP.") I SAT BACK DOWN TRIED TO START THE ENGINE AND IT STARTED AND RAN WELL UNTIL THE ENGINE DIED AGAIN SUDDENLY SEVERAL MILES DOWN THE ROAD. I THOUGHT THE FUEL TANK AIR VENT MUST BE PLUGGED BECAUSE EACH TIME THE ENGINE DIED I WOULD OPEN THE FUEL CAP, ETC. AND IT WOULD START AND RUN FINE. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED SEVERAL TIMES AT HIGH SPEEDS OVER SEVERAL DAYS. I FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS FUEL DID NOT FLOW FROM THE FUEL TANK TO THE ENGINE (CARBS). I COULD NEVER REPEAT THE ENGINE FAILURE UNLESS I WAS SITTING ON THE MOTORCYCLE. I EVENTUALLY REALIZED THE REASON FOR THE SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WAS SIMPLE. THE RUBBER FUEL LINE FROM THE FUEL TANK TO THE CARBS WAS ROUTED OVER A FRAME MEMBER AT THE REAR OF THE FUEL TANK AND THE SEAT SAT ON TOP OF THE RUBBER FUEL LINE. I COULD DUPLICATE MY ENGINE FAILURE BY SITTING FORWARD ON THE SEAT, THEREBY PINCHING THE FUEL LINE AND STOPPING THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE. I ADDED SPACERS TO THE FRAME THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE FRONT OF THE SEAT OFF OF THE FUEL LINE AND I HAVE NEVER AGAIN HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE. I SUSPECT THIS COULD EXPLAIN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY SUDDENLY SLOWING IN TRAFFIC ON A HIGHWAY AND BEING REAR ENDED. SUBSEQUENT ENGINE TESTS WOULD FIND NOTHING, E.G., OPERATOR ERROR? *TR