Hi guys-
I have a 98' SHawk and every once in a while (twice in last 300 miles) I will be riding around at speeds around 50 mph and the low oil pressure light will come on and kill the engine. It seems to happen when pulling the clutch in to downshift for a stop. If I re-engauge the clutch the engine kicks back up,the light goes off and she runs perfect again. The odd thing is that I had an 03' CBR600RR that did the same exact thing after about 14 months of ownership. On my RR It happend mostly when cold during the first minute or two of riding. Oil/filter has recently been changed and filled to correct level. I'm guessing it is the sensor or oil pump. Other than that bike runs fantastic. Any info on what this might be would be great. thx

 

low idle speed could cause a drop in pressure and kick the light on... does the idle seem to drop below spec when you pull in the clutch? I have seen some bikes and other vehicles drop below idle spec when you let off the throttle - usually it seemed due to idle mixture. My '92 Nighthawk 750 did this a few times when stopping for a traffic light.

 

I will check to see if it does drop below idle speed the next time it happens. I had not thought of that. I appreciate the help!

 

when you pull the clutch in on this bike and coast on this bike i think it is over 25mph the bike turns off for some reason they all do this im not sure why. So i suggest not holding the clutchin so long when going that fast

 

This is one of the "qualities" of the Superhawk. If you pull in the clutch at anything over about 30mph, the engine will want to die. It depends slightly on idle setting, but not much. Back when this was discovered in '98, I did a little experiment on a back road by coasting from different speeds. About 30 the idle would go down. Pulling the clutch in at 50 will kill it no matter what the idle speed was (up to 1500 rpm). I didn't see any point of raising idle above that since nobody would ride around like that. The cause has something to do with the ECU (black box) but nobody ever really complained about it to Honda, so they never fixed it. The true answer is just not to pull in the clutch and coast at speed. Downshift and use the engine braking. Wish I had a better answer for you, or rather a fix to the problem, since this is about as complete of an answer as you will get.

 

Thanks a bunch, guys. It helps knowing that it is a "quality" of the bike. I was worried about going on a long trip and having an issue, but not now. thx!

 

I'm bringin this one up again because my light is on. I took my '01 to the local shop and got them to change my chain and sprokets. When I went to pick it up the light was on and it would not turn off. I checked the level and it's ok. What do you guys think, a sensor? Has anyone ever had this kind of problem before??

 

I have never had this happen on my 2000 SH, I have pulled the clutch in at 75 and at 25 and every speed in between and she idled just fine. Everything stock, and idle is at IIRC ~700rpm

 

The light is on when I start it and when I turn it off. It doesn't change when I let the clutch in and let it out. Also it seems to be running fine. It never died on me when I drove it home, but I am too afraid of the consequences if I drive it with the light on.

 

Is the light on while the engine is actually running? Or does it come on after the engine dies? If the 2nd, don't worry about it. That light will be on any time the engine is not running. If the engine is actually running and the light is on, that is a problem.

 

Yes, when I start it up and let it idle it's on. The bike doesn't run rough or dies, chokes, nothing. It seems to run fine, so I am thinking maybe it's just the sensor.

 

Check your oil sensor connections. The oil sensor is on the left side, just under the stator cover. Has a little rubber cover over it. If you disconnect the wire there should be NO continuity between it and ground. If there is continuity then you have a shorted wire somewhere. If everything checks out there then you need to check your oil pressure with a guage. Spec is 85psi. If pressure is good then you need to replace the sensor.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try.