An odd story about my motorcycle

So last week while riding around Nashville, my check engine light came on. The bike was running fine, but I wanted a diagnosis so I didn’t inadvertently blow it up while riding home that night.

As soon as I got back to Dell, I bent a paper clip into a U shape and shorted the two main pins of the data port under the seat. Turn the key, hit the engine cutoff switch, and saw:

Blinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblink……….blink…blink………..blink……….Blinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblink

For those who don’t speak fluent Buell, what I did was cause the computer to display the error code(s) that were causing the check engine light to show by blinking the check engine light repeatedly. The first six fast blinks mean “pay attention, error code coming”, followed by two blinks (2), a pause, and a single blink (1), then another six fast blinks meaning “end of message”. So whatever was wrong was sending error code 21.

I called Bumpus Murfreesboro to see if they could look up that code, and it turned out to be the Exhaust Controller.

1200cc Buells are basically built with two exhaust systems in one muffler. One for low rpm-lower pressure use, and another for high rpm-high pressure use. The engine computer tells the exhaust controller when to open a valve in the exhaust to switch between these two modes, and it pulls a length of cable to actuate the valve.

Apparently my controller was malfunctioning.

So early Saturday morning, I took the bike down to Bumpus Murfreesboro to get checked out. They called yesterday to let me know that the work was finished. It was then that the story got a bit more interesting. My conversation with Dave, the service manager, went something like this:

Dave: “Did you buy this bike used?”

Me: “No, I bought it new from you guys”

Dave: “Has it had an aftermarket exhaust on it?”

Me: “No. It’s all stock”

Dave: “The reason I ask is because the cable that opens the valve in the exhaust has been removed”

Me: “Could it have been removed when it was rebuilt last year after I dropped it last year?”

Dave: “No, we wouldn’t have removed it for that….. Wait…. Did we do a dealer trade for you?”

Me: “Yes. I think it was a dealer in Alabama”

Dave: “Ah. That explains it. They may have been messing around with an exhaust before trading it to us”

So. I think my Uly has a fully functioning exhaust for the first time since I’ve had it. I’m picking the bike up from the dealer today and I wonder if I’ll be able to notice the difference.

I originally posted this on the Badweb forum, but decided to post it here as well.