What to do if your motorcycle stalls on the highway | MotoDeal (2024)

/ Tips & Advice

Here’s a quick advice piece on what you should do if you’re bike stalls on the highway.

What to do if your motorcycle stalls on the highway | MotoDeal (2)

Motorcycles are all fun and games until your bike decides that the ride is over. Mechanical problems strike even the best and most meticulous of owners, and it could happen to you so it pays to be prepared no matter what. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’ve been on top of your motorcycle’s maintenance, it may happen to you.

It feels great to ride on the highway, but should your bike’s engine stall on you, here are a few things that you need to take note of if and when it does happen.

Don’t panic

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The last thing you need is to panic on your motorcycle while going at speed. Keep calm and make sure to stay on the bike. If you’re going at a decent-enough speed, try and steer it to the side of the road. If there’s a lay-by, then try to aim for it. By steer, we mean do not lean it over. Simply point the front and guide it in while remaining upright. Once you’re nearing to a stop, gently apply the brakes as needed.

Expect deceleration

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If your bike happens to stall while you’re at speed, expect deceleration due to the rear wheel and engine braking forces acting on your rear wheel. Even without your engine running, you can still control your speed via the clutch. Be sure to pull it in and release it slowly. Pull it in all the way if you want to coast, and release it if you want to slow down your motorcycle and engage the engine brake. Meanwhile,scooters don’t come with clutches, so you’re going to need to be on the brakes.

If your engine stalls, pull in the clutch slowly, and then aim for the next lay-by or the side of the road. You can slow down by releasing the clutch with a stalled engine or use your brakes. Just make sure to release or pull the lever progressively.

Get to safety

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Aim for a lay-by or the side of a road. Make sure that it is away from the flow of traffic, and make sure that you won’t get in the way of other drivers or riders. Remember, don’t lean your motorcycle to get to the side of the road. Check your mirrors, do a head check and make sure that nobody is behind you while pulling off to the side of the road.

Check the bike

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When you’ve come to a complete stop, engage the side-stand, and inspect your motorcycle.

Check the dashboard for any warning lights and indicators. If your motorcycle’s engine control unit (ECU). Be wary if you see something like a low-oil light, overheat, or low-battery indicator. Check your gauge cluster for any warning lights and then act from there. Try and restart your motorcycle’s engine. It could be that something threw off a sensor, making the bike freak out and stall, but do not ride it immediately after your motor comes back to life. Leave it running for a while and check if there are any errors displayed on the ECU. Rev up your motorcycle gently and check if there is any hessitation from the engine. If you do spot an error like a check engine light, but the bike is still running, there’s a big chance that your motor is in limp mode and won’t go past a certain engine speed. This mode forces you to take it easy as you bring your bike to the service center or back to your home.

For carbureted bikes, you don’t usually get the luxury of a check engine light if something happens to go wrong with your fueling or your motorcycle. If your bike starts but refuses to hold its engine idle speed, adjust the idle air control valve. If your bike still refuses to start up, it could be a problem with your spark plug or your fueling is not properly tuned.

Call for help

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There is only so much that you can do on the side of the road, and you don’t want to stay for long periods of time, so the best course of action is to call a towing service to bring your bike to the nearest service center where trained mechanics can have a look at it.

Either that or call a friend with a pickup truck and a set of rails and tie-downs to make sure your motorcycle is secure.

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What to do if your motorcycle stalls on the highway | MotoDeal (2024)

FAQs

What to do if your motorcycle stalls on the highway | MotoDeal? ›

If your engine stalls, pull in the clutch slowly, and then aim for the next lay-by or the side of the road. You can slow down by releasing the clutch with a stalled engine or use your brakes. Just make sure to release or pull the lever progressively.

What to do when your motorcycle stalls? ›

For a beginner, here is what I would recommend:
  1. Put the bike in first gear. With both feet on the ground, slowly let out the clutch just enough that the bike begins to get power and starts to move forward. ...
  2. With both feet on the ground, put the bike in first and slowly let the clutch out.
Feb 28, 2022

What happens when you stall at high speed? ›

A: The most common cause of a car's engine stalling is a problem with the air-to-fuel ratio inside the engine. However, this issue most commonly causes low-speed engine stalls. When a car stalls at high speed, the most probable cause is an issue with the vehicle's charging or ignition systems.

What can cause a motorcycle to shut off while driving? ›

Loose battery connections, faulty wiring, or a failing ignition switch can disrupt the flow of electricity to critical components, resulting in engine shutdown. Riders should periodically inspect their motorcycle's electrical system and address any issues promptly to prevent potential breakdowns.

What are the first two thing you do if you engine stalls while driving? ›

Your first course of action should be to apply the foot brake and steer gradually over to the side of the road. Then, turn on your hazard lights and try to restart your car. If you can't restart it, call an auto mechanic or friend with jumper cables for help.

Why would a motorcycle stall? ›

Issues with the idle control valve, throttle position sensor, or fuel injectors can also cause stalling. Human error such as abrupt throttle control, letting the clutch out too quickly or too slowly, or over-revving the engine can cause motorcycle stalling.

What to do if you stall on the highway? ›

Quickly but carefully move to the right as far as possible, ideally onto the shoulder if it is safe to do so. Engage your vehicle's hazard lights to warn drivers behind you that you are having problems with your vehicle. Once your vehicle is stopped, make sure your hazard lights remain engaged.

What happens if you stall on the freeway? ›

If you are not able to pull over to the side of the road before the vehicle stalls, do not exit the car. Instead, turn on your hazard lights. Then, call for a tow truck, roadside assistance or some other type of help.

How to recover from stalling? ›

Follow this process to recover from a stall:
  1. Put your foot on the brake.
  2. Put the clutch all the way in.
  3. Put the car in neutral.
  4. Restart the engine.
  5. Select 1st gear.
  6. Check your mirrors and over your shoulder to see if any cars are trying to pass you. If not, drive on forward.

Why is it hard for motorcycle to stop? ›

This is because braking on a motorcycle requires an entirely different technique from car braking. Most motorcycles have two braking systems – one for each wheel. Improper braking can cause the front or rear wheel to lock, decreasing stability. An unstable motorcycle can veer off the road or crash.

Why does my motorbike cut out when I stop? ›

It could be a lot of things. If it is an older carbureted bike, it could be a dirty, or misadjusted carb. It could be an improperly adjusted throttle cable. If it is a newer fuel injected bike, it could be dirty or faulty fuel injectors, or a failing fuel pump.

Why do motorcycles rev at stop? ›

And, after reading a whole bunch of stuff about the matter, I found a pretty clear online consensus: Motorcyclists rev their engines because they don't want to stall — especially with new or recently repaired engines that have not been “broken in” yet — or, in the cases when that probably isn't an issue, because they' ...

Is it bad to hold in the clutch on a motorcycle? ›

Even with a steady throttle, continually squeezing and releasing the clutch will cause abruptness and instability. It should be avoided in normal, straight-line riding.

Do I need to downshift when slowing down on a motorcycle? ›

Getting the downshift(s) done early in the braking will help mask any slight mistakes you make in matching the engine speed. This also lets you focus on setting your corner entry speed and getting off the brakes at the proper time. The rider's toe is pressing down on the shifter against the transmission's resistance.

Is it bad if your engine stalls? ›

A stalled car can be a serious safety problem. The vehicle could be stuck in moving traffic, raising the risk of crashes, injuries, or worse.

Why does my motorcycle stall when I accelerate? ›

Carbon, oil residue and pitting on the spark plug electrodes will cause a weak or inconsistent spark, resulting in poor ignition and poor acceleration. A clogged air filter may not allow a sufficient amount of air into the combustion chamber, making the air/fuel mixture overly rich and causing poor acceleration.

What causes a motorcycle to bog down when accelerating? ›

Internal Engine Issues: Various internal engine problems can cause bogging on acceleration. Issues such as air box mounting errors, damaged or worn-out vacuum lines, cracked manifolds, or improperly secured manifold bands can impact engine efficiency.

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