V7 stone stall question

[bri575]

I have a 2015 V7 stone with about 600 miles on it. The bike has run great since day 1, but a few weeks ago it stalled during a ride and I could not restart it. After going to neutral, the starter wouldn't turn over, no clicks. After I pushed the bike to the side of the road and put down the side stand, it started up and ran fine. The same thing happened a week later, it stalled and wouldn't start again until the sidestand was down.

Any ideas on what might be causing the stall? Maybe the sidestand relay switch is going bad?

I've had it to the dealer once for this but have to take it back again.  They couldn't find the problem since the bike didn't stall when it was there... very frustrating!

[guzzisteve]

Did you have the clutch lever pulled in? Is it cause the valves are not in spec(tight from factory).

Is the neutral light on?

[bri575]

Yes, the neutral light was on, don't remember if I pulled the clutch. What makes you think it could be the valves? I just had the first service done and the valves were adjusted. It had stalled once before the valves were adjusted and once after.

[guzzisteve]

Not all dealers do what the book says.

[JeffOlson]

OP, sorry for your troubles. I have nothing to add except apologies on behalf of MG. If this is your first Moto Guzzi, that is probably very frustrating for you. (I know I would be sorely put out and might look elsewhere for my next bike.) Hopefully someone with recommendations can chime in. Not a good start for a new Moto Guzzi...

[bri575]

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate it. I haven't given up on MG yet but having problems so soon was a turn off. That said, I was out on the V7 today and it ran beautifully, no troubles at all. I'll have to see how the next few rides go...

[jackson]

Sounds like a possible relay problem.  If you can isolate the relay that controls the side stand cutoff switch, you could see if it has any corrosion on the pins and/or, if they're all seated firmly.  I would also spray some contact cleaner in the relay connectors.
The piston that the side stand pushes when it's up and that releases when it's down (on the Breva 750 & V7 that I've owned) seems to collect a lot of road grime on and around it so I spray it with WD40 every couple of weeks and then wipe it down to remove the grime/then another short spray of WD40 to keep it lubed. 

Another thing to check: This happened on my Breva 750 was while I was doing around 45 mph and the bike just cut off.  Fortunately, I was near a church parking lot so I pulled in and discovered that the side stand had fallen just enough to let the piston that activates the switch had come out and cut off the engine.  Turned out to be a weak spring which I replaced with a stronger one.  I had noticed a week or two before that the stand wasn't staying all the way up but it wasn't dropping enough to trigger the switch. 

If you have a center stand, put the bike on it and see how much pressure it takes to pull down the side stand just a little bit.  If it comes too easily, the nut needs tightening or one of the springs on the side stand is weak.  If you don't have a center stand, get someone to hold the bike upright while you check it.
Hope you find your problem quickly.

[bri575]

 Thanks very much, I appreciate the tips. That's a good point about keeping the side stand piston clean, I will definitely do that. The side stand seems like it's staying up when riding but I'll check that too. Thanks again!

[Kev m]

The weird thing is that normally you'd expect the side stand switch to PREVENT the bike from starting if the stand is down (and in gear, and the clutch isn't held in).

But I'd still look at the switch first...

[sign216]

The problem seems related to the side stand safety switch . The side stand pivot joint needs to be kept lubricated, or the side stand will drop while riding, activating the safety switch and stalling the engine.  I like to use a Teflon spray, but you could use almost any spray lubricant. That's a quick and easy fix, to see if it solves the problem.

Another solution is to install a stronger spring. People normally use a spring from Moose Racing. I can look up the specific spring if you need it. Another solution is to install a copper collar around the pivot joint, to provide a better bearing surface. But try to lubricate first, as it's easy to do.

[Cam3512]

If you read the PO's first post, the bike starts again when he puts the sidestand DOWN.  Does sound related though.

[jackson]

If you read the PO's first post, the bike starts again when he puts the sidestand DOWN.  Does sound related though.

That is what he wrote but I suspected that he meant that he put it down & when he put it back up, it ran fine.  If the stand is sagging just enough while he's riding to trigger the cutoff switch and then he stops, puts the stand down and then puts it back up in the full travel (up) position, that would explain it.  But you're correct; that is what he said.  Maybe he'll come back to this thread and clarify.

[bri575]

When the bike first stalled, it started after I put the sidestand down. When it stalled, I first hit the starter button and nothing happened, no sound at all. Then I shifted to neutral and same thing, nothing when I pressed the starter. Since I was getting nothing when pressing the starter, this made me think an electrical bug of some kind. After putting down the sidestand while still in neutral, the bike started right up when I pressed the starter. It started easily and sounded fine.

So this made me think the problem had something to do with the sidestand switch, but I agree, it sounds strange that just putting down the sidestand would have made it start. Thanks again for the tips on lining the side stand switch, I will try that first. Any other ideas, I'm all ears!

[Dave Bell]

You did not mention if it had been raining.  I know with some bikes this is a common problem when the side stand switch gets wet.  It can be bypassed either temporarily or permanently. 

[jackson]

Either the V7 Stone series is wired differently than my 2010 V7 Classic or there's something wrong with one of our bikes because my bike will NOT start with the kickstand down......period.  Doesn't matter if it's in neutral or not (clutch pulled).  It gets absolutely no juice to turn the starter if the kickstand is down.
I also have to pull the clutch to start the bike, even when it's in neutral with the kickstand, up.

[Kev m]

Either the V7 Stone series is wired differently than my 2010 V7 Classic or there's something wrong with one of our bikes because my bike will NOT start with the kickstand down......period.  Doesn't matter if it's in neutral or not (clutch pulled).  It gets absolutely no juice to turn the starter if the kickstand is down.
I also have to pull the clutch to start the bike, even when it's in neutral with the kickstand, up.

Then yes, it's wired differently as I start mine on the sidestand all the time.

[jackson]

Then yes, it's wired differently as I start mine on the sidestand all the time.

Kev, I used to own a Breva 750 and I thought that I could start it in neutral with the kickstand down.  Since you can do this on your Stone, I wonder why they changed it on my present V7 and then went back to what yours does?  Maybe there's something screwy with my bike?  Interesting.
Thanks for posting this info.

[sib]

For V7's going back to at least 2013, you can start the bike in neutral with the side stand down, with or without the clutch lever pulled.  With the side stand up, you can start in neutral with or without the clutch lever pulled, and you can start in gear provided the clutch lever is pulled.  If you put the bike in gear with the side stand down, or if you put the side stand down with the bike in gear, the engine will quit, regardless of whether or not the clutch lever is pulled.

Sometimes, if the side stand doesn't stay all the way up, the engine can quit.  It's a sign you should fix the side stand problem. Better to do that than get into a nasty spill because of an unnoticed dragging side stand.

Some consider this to be nanny stuff, but I consider it to be a good safety system and it trains (forces) me to use the controls correctly.

[pyoungbl]

A few years ago I watched as a friend of mine did a face plant at about 45mph.  He was going into a left hand sweeper after getting on the bike and making two right hand turns.  He had bypassed the "nanny" side stand switch.  This damn near killed him.  The side stand augered in and threw the bike over the front wheel so quickly there was no way to compensate.  I'll leave the "nanny" switch intact and replace it when it fails.

Peter Y.