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It's a fuel injected bike (no carbs, no float bowls), and the gas in it is 6 months old. I charged the battery, mostly for good practice (the battery charger showed that took charge fine and was healthy). I started the bike after winter and it fired right up. I rode it around the block, and it felt a little bit different, but I could not pinpoint what it was. I warmed it up and rode it down the freeway for a couple of miles, at which point it started what felt like e misfiring and sounded like backfires. I pulled off the freeway and topped of the tank with some fresh gas. At this point the bike had trouble starting and would stall at idle. As I was riding it back home things got progressively worse, it would stall every time I roll off the throttle. The bike stalled a few times, but I was able to restart it by opening up throttle about 1/3 to half-way and hitting the starter. It ran at a little less than half throttle, but stalled if I closed it.
Last summer it hesitated to start once or twice, but started fine later, so I never figured it out.
I have tow working theories:
1. Charging system problem. When the voltage drops below 12.5 on these the ECU freaks out and the bike runs like crap. Should be easy enough to check, I'll charge the battery overnight and if the bike starts and runs fine tomorrow morning, I know it's a charging system issue.
2. A legitimate problem with either spark or fuel. Since the bike sat all winter, it could be an electrical issue, but I doubt it because initially it started and ran fine. It could also be a legitimate fuel system issue, like fuel pump going bad. I think it's less likely, because in my experience fuel pumps usually (not always) fail completely and cause no running at all.
Any ideas on what to look for are welcome. I have no clue how to pull the codes on these (I have lots of car OBDII gear, never needed it for bikes until now). Is there a DIY-friendly option for bikes?
Also, any recommendations for motorcycle repair shops in the Bedord/Burlington area would be appreciated. If there is a really good shop outside of the area, I'd like to know that too. Unless the root cause turns out to be a charging problem, I am renting a u-haul trailer and bringing it to the shop on a trailer.
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