Why does a motorcycle lose power?

Isn’t it frustrating when you accelerate, and there is nothing there? What causes my motorcycle to cough and splutter when I try to accelerate?

There are many reasons why your motorcycle can lose engine power. Most of the reasons are quick fixes. Dirty air filters will not allow enough air into the mixture, causing a loss of power. Dirty spark plugs are another common culprit and can be rectified in minutes.

Why does my engine keep losing power?

Three are so many common reasons for a loss of power usually felt when you open the throttle to pull away.

Invariably you should look at the mixture first. Is your motorcycle running lean? When your engine is running lean, you have too much air and not enough fuel entering the combustion chamber.

Your engine needs enough fuel for you to accelerate to lose power. Symptoms are bluing exhaust, rough engine, loss of acceleration.

Running rich will produce precisely the same symptoms, but this time it has too much fuel and not enough air in the mixture.

Dirty spark plugs are responsible for a loss of power and poor performance, an easy fix for most riders.

If you have missed a service interval, you could have a clogged air filter that will reduce the performance of your motorcycle.

If you fail to maintain your motorcycle, you can expect performance issues, mostly easily maintained, or you can use a specialised mechanic to service your motorcycle.

Why is my bike not accelerating properly?

Have you checked your throttle cable lately? Throttle cables, like all cables, stretch over time with continual use.

If your throttle cable has stretched when you accelerate, you will not tension the cable enough and will experience a loss of power. However, it’s not the engine’s performance this time. It’s the mechanical link between the rider and engine that is faulty.

If your exhaust is at an average hot temperature, your mixture is fine. And there is another reason like the throttle cable. Some riders look for every other reason than stretched throttle cable.

Dirty fuel filters can cause problems. Dirty air filters, A blocked jet in your carburettor will impede fuel flow under acceleration.

Truthfully, most times, you experience a loss of power on a motorcycle. It’s down to poor maintenance, so get your motorcycle serviced regularly.

Why does my bike engine stop while driving?

This sounds serious, but often the problem is easily fixed. 

It’s unnerving to ride along at 50 mph, and for no rhyme or reason, your engine dies, and you coast to a halt.

Check your side stand switch; they can be problematic once covered in gunge from the road. If the side stand switch is faulty, it will cut your engine at random times and not let you restart the engine.

Loose battery terminals will produce the same problem, and it only needs to be slightly loose for your motorcycle engine to cut out.