CBF doesn't like Shell garage.

[2wheelLover51]

I use my bike regularly, at least 2 or 3 times a week (2008 CBF600SA) and yesterday I rode about 30 miles to do a bit of shopping. The bike was starting as usual, until I dropped into the Shell garage near me (Darby's Corner, Poole) when I tried to restart after filling up it wouldn't. I flicked the sidestand down and up again, turned the cutout switch on and off, nothing. Put it in gear, rocked the bike back and forward, etc.
Eventually it started, and I went about 100 yards and the bike just cutout. I coasted into a bus stop, flicked the cutout again, cussed, and the fuel injection light came on briefly and the bike restarted. I rode a bit up the road and stopped a few miles away. The bike restarted as per usual. I got home and sprayed some WD40 into the kill switch and the sidestand switch and gave it a good clean. The bike restarted normally.
The bikes' done this now 3 or 4 times at this garage, but restarts normally everywhere else. I remember a few years back reading about owners having problems with FI bikes near microwave towers or transmission masts of some sort. Does anyone remember the details?
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2WHEElLover1951

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[2wheelLover51]

Thanks Jimbo.
I think you're right about it being the alarm and not the ignition now I think back! I've never thought about it being contamination, but I'll check it out.
Thanks.
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2WHEElLover1951

[doggone]

If their fuel was contaminated it wouldn't cause an immediate issue starting at the pump.

[jaffa90]

I`ve read similar , maybe on here where the rider pushed his bike into another area / zone and it started.
I would use another fuel station first though.

[2wheelLover51]

That's what I thought. Contamination would take time to work its way through the fuel system. Funny enough I've just done a search for transmission masts and found that right opposite the garage is a large O3 mobile phone mast. Coincidence?
I've already made my mind up that I'll be using another gas station in future!
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2WHEElLover1951

[doggone]

It's possible that microwaves have some effect but not the regular phone antenna which actually run at quite low power.
Any networking dishes on the side emit a torch-like microwave beam which *might* effect some sensitive security devices

Years ago now the Fylingdales early warning station was updated to it's current pyramid design and a nearby pub had daily incidents of immobilisers not possible to turn off when customers came out.
The usual solution was call AA or local farmer and tow it round the hill.

It actually pulsed something like 10 times a second and if you repeatedly hit the key fob (this was late 80s early 90s) you could sometimes hit it between pulses by chance.
Screening by heavy lorry or van also sometimes helped

[Andy_Pagin]

I had exactly this problem with my previous Ford Explorer, there was a Sainsburys car park in Aylesbury where if I parked in one particular area, about four parking spaces wide, it wouldn't start again. Push the bloody two ton thing out of the parking space and it started fine. Also had the same problem at that big shopping complex near the Dartford tunnel, I couldn't park anywhere in the main car park, but no problems in the overflow car park.
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[2wheelLover51]

Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like it could be interference of some sort. I could maybe screen the EFI unit / wiring with heavy foil, and earth it to the frame, but probably easier to fill up elsewhere.
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2WHEElLover1951

[weasley]

I remember being told a tale many years ago. It started with a person stating that their car didn’t like strawberry ice cream.

A person would park their car outside a store and go in for ice cream. If they bought vanilla ice cream, when they returned to the car it would start ok. Occasionally they would decide, for a change, to have strawberry ice cream and when they did, the car wouldn’t start.

I’m sure it got told in more detail and better than that but the outcome/moral is that one should look at all the factors before assigning blame. In that case it turned out that the strawberry ice cream was kept in a freezer further back in the shop, meaning the car stood for longer before being restarted. Just enough extra time for heat soak to create a vapour lock.

I’m not saying this is happening here, but there could be some other factor associated with the Shell forecourt that is significant. You’ve thought about interference, which is worth testing further but don’t rule out anything until you have ruled it out.
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[2wheelLover51]

Mmm. Weasley, I understand where you're coming from with this story but think the possibilities are limited. The bike is usually an instant starter. It never spins over or coughs or splutters, just instant starting even in cold wet weather, at the first touch of the button .
I wonder if the electronics of the speaking pumps could combine with the microwaves or phone signals to give some sort of "super wave" which stuffs up my EFI!
Maybe I'll try the vanilla ice cream though..
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2WHEElLover1951

[Easy-X]

Reminds me of a story a mate told me...

"Yeah, I'd love an old-skool Vespa [takes all sorts but it was the first bike he had as a kid] and my mate Fred offered me his. Thing is, it's common knowledge that his bike goes 500 miles and then conks out... pretty consistent too, checking the clocks. He's had all the garages look at it and no one can figure it out."

Huh... how much was he asking?

"Three bags 'cos it's a classic..."

That doesn't work!

I had to question that. Surely, I reasoned, it must somehow start again if it regularly does this... whatever it is. Between us we guessed it got left for a bit to cool down and then off it went again.

Anyhoo, apply reason and logic. You stop off at this garage and the bike goes all weird. How about you stop at the garage just for a Mars bar or something and not fuel. See if it does the same thing?
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[2wheelLover51]

TBH I think I'll be keeping away for a while, at least until I regain my confidence that the bike is still running well, and then I might revisit to confirm it's definitely the location that's causing the problem.
The thing is it's the nearest station to me, and has nice friendly staff.
I've just recently moved to Poole, and the CBF is also fairly new to me (although it's my second CBF) only having had it for about 2 months.
I never mentioned that on my first visit to this station as I was filling up, water started pouring from the radiator area. I thought it was coolant and shut off, paid for my fuel, and then pushed it home (about a mile). When I took off the hoses and rad. I found the system was still full of bright green coolant. I know I can't blame this on microwaves, more likely an anti-biking poltergeist!
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2WHEElLover1951

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[Robby]

I used to have this problem with both of my Harleys. My local petrol station was next to a big transmitter tower. Harleys of the time used a wireless immobiliser fob. Bike wouldn't want to start after filling, and the alarm went off. I used a different petrol station.

[2wheelLover51]

I've just had a thought. Perhaps it's not the FI system itself but rather the signal is interfering with the HISS imobiliser system.. hmmm a definite maybe!
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2WHEElLover1951

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

In a toss up between the death ray and strawberry ice cream scenarios I'd focus on the ice creams. What do you do at the fuel stop that you don't do elsewhere? Open the fuel cap. Restart after a 5 minute stop. If you ever visit other fuel stations does it work fine?

[2wheelLover51]

Hi Jimbo.
I can't recall the bike ever not starting in other garages. I've been out today on it and deliberately stopped and restarted, at traffic lights etc. I've left it for 5 minutes and it restarts instantly.
If I remember correctly it has refused to start a few times after I've fluffed the start and left the side stand down or the kill switch in the off position, etc. After doing it, the hiss or FI system takes a few moments to catch up, but I think this is just the normal operation of the system. As I've said, although it's my second CBF it's a while back and I've been riding cruisers for the last few years. I do know that each time I've visited the Shell station I've had problems.
I'm now convinced it's the mast interacting with the Hiss system.
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2WHEElLover1951

[Easy-X]