Air Box Temp Sensor

[dlbushey]

I have a '99 LT with the 'old' motronic. Today was a beautiful day for a ride. It actually got up to over 80 degrees. I know this because the 'ole girl experienced the dreaded warm weather engine hesitation. I know that I need to unplug the Air Box Temp Sensor to cure it, and that effectively does the same thing that cutting the brown wire or pulling the Cat Plug does on newer models.

However, with any medication, there are side effects. So my question is this: Is there anything I should be aware of when I pull this connector? How will it affect the operation of the bike other than cure the hesitation in warm weather?

Inquiring minds want to know....

[CharlieVT]

I have a '99 LT with the 'old' motronic. Today was a beautiful day for a ride. It actually got up to over 80 degrees. I know this because the 'ole girl experienced the dreaded warm weather engine hesitation. I know that I need to unplug the Air Box Temp Sensor to cure it, and that effectively does the same thing that cutting the brown wire or pulling the Cat Plug does on newer models.

However, with any medication, there are side effects. So my question is this: Is there anything I should be aware of when I pull this connector? How will it affect the operation of the bike other than cure the hesitation in warm weather?

Inquiring minds want to know....

If I recall correctly, the only concern is that you do not run regular gas. As long as you alway run higher octane (premium) gas there are no side effects.
Running in hot temps with low octance gas could cause pre-ignition (detonation) which in the worst case could burn a hole in a piston or cause other top end damage. The air temp sensor causes the computer to retard the ignition timing to reduce detonation at higher ambient temps. By running high test gas, you eliminate the problem without the side effects of the retarded timing.

If I didn't get this right, someone else will chime in I am sure.

[andy]

I had the sensor cut off, warm or cold for more than 50k miles on my 01, and never had any negative impact that I knew of. at 60k miles when I was shot down from the bike she was still going as strong as on the first day.