NHTSA Complaint #11506810 — 1983 HONDA CB650

WHILE OUT RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE I TRAVELED ABOUTJUST LITTLE OVER A MILE FROM MY HOME WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, MY ENGINE SHUT OFF. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OF TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET AND TRIED TO RE-START THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE WOULD CRANK HOWEVER, IT WOULD NOT START. I TURNED OFF THE KEY AND LET THE CYCLES ENGINE COOL FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. AFTER WAITING FOR FIVE TO TEN MINUTES, I ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENGINE AND AGAIN THE ENGINE WOULD'T START. ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY, THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE LOW TO MID- NINITIES DEGREES. AFTER WAITING ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES, I TRIED TO START THE BIKE ONCE AGAIN AND THIS TIME THE ENGINE IDLED. AFTER TURNING THE BIKE AROUND TOWARDS THE DIRECTION THAT I CAME FROM. I CAREFULLY RODE THE BIKE TO THE CLOSEST INTERSECTION AND STOPPED AT THE POSTED SIGN. I SIGNALED FOR A LEFT TURN AND IMMEDIATELY HEADED WEST TO THE NEXT INTERSECTION AND SIGNALED ANOTHER LEFT TURN AFTER THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL CHANGED TO GREEN AND THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC CAME TO A STOP. i PROCEEDED TO THE NEXT INTERSECTION AND THE ENGINE STALLED ONCE AGAIN, LEAVING ME IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THIS TIME WITH THE HEAVY TRAFFIC APPROACHING ME FROM BEHIND, I TRIED TO GET THE BIKE AND MYSELF OFF OF THE STREET BECAUSE, I FEARED THAT I WOULD BE STRUCT FROM THE REAR, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE SIDEWALK AND CURB WERE TOO HIGH FOR ME TO RAISE THE BIKE, TO THE HEIGHT REQUIRED TO CLEAR THE WALKWAY, ESTIMATED TO BE A EIGHTEEN INCHES TALL. IT WAS DARK AND I HAD MY LIGHTS ON AND TURN SIGNALS FLASHING. I REALLY HAD TRAFFIC SPEEDING TOO CLOSE TO ME AND ALMOST WAS STRUCK BY THE IMPATIENT MOTORISTS. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, I MADE IT TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND HAD APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER MILE TO WALK THE BIKE TO MY HOME, WHICH WAS SOMEWHAT DOWN HILL. BEFORE i STARTED TO PUSH THE 434 LBS., OF WEIGHT HOME. I NOTIFIED SOME WRECKER SERVICES FOR A FLATBED, BUT NO SERVICES WERE AVAILABLE. I WAS TOTALLY EXHAUSTED WHEN I ARRIVED HOME.