Bogging down in the rain

[tkurt]

The pineapple express caught me this morning

After 10-15 mins of problem-free riding in the rain, my bike started bogging and stalling. I made it to work by giving it lots of throttle and (over)using the clutch. EDIT: also, there was an aweful lot of steam coming from around the valve covers or coils

I'm running close to all stock, including air boxes, ignition and charging. Everything works fine normally (with expected maintenance) and my digital voltmeter showed ~14V throughout the ride this morning.

I know there is a previous thread on this issue but I couldn't find a good resolution, so thought I'd ask again before I spray my plug wires and coils with wd-40 or dielectric grease.

previous posts suggested causes:
-wet pod filters (don't have 'em)
-plug wires or coil grounding out in the rain. (my plug wires and caps are about a yr old, from MikesXS. not sure about the coils)

Suggestions?

thanks!

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

How 'bout:

Clean and reseat the ignition connectors at the top motor mount
Clean the points
Reset the timing
Watch for point arcing while it's running (compromised condensers)

 

[tkurt]

Hi TwoMany,
Thanks for the tips, I'll give that try. So you don't think its the plug wires/coils?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Yeah, thinkin' electrikal. Water hittin' hot parts makes 'em cool-down and suck-in water.
Can also crack things, from thermal stress. So, inspecting the plastic coil enclosures for cracks would be prudent.
Plus, your ignition connectors may be somewhat corroded, and high humidity and moisture doesn't help there.
Lastly, condensers are always the wild card...

 

[5twins]

When I assemble new plug wires, I coat the ends of the wires with dielectric grease before inserting them into the coils and plug caps. I also smear some of the grease on the outside of the wire where it enters the plug cap and coil before sliding the protective rubber boot into place. If you put your new wires together dry, you might want to do this.

 

[mrkil]

Also yoou can start the bike and test with a spray bottle to see if any specific part makes it bog when wet.
make sure it's nicely warmed up on a dry day.

 

[tkurt]

Hi 2Many,
I cleaned up the connectors at the top motor mount, cleaned the points and set the timing. I didn't see any point arcing with the bike running in the dark. Everything things fine when dry.

5Twins- thanks for the suggestions, I definitely hadn't used dielectric grease when I installed the wires so I'll do that.

and mrkil I thought about taking a garden hose to it
This only happened when the bike was getting drenched continuously while riding - its never happened in a light rain or just riding on wet roads.

thanks again, I'll let you guys know what happens

 

[jamesgs4]

had the same prob with my original plug wires in heavy rain/wet snow. Bought a can of wd40 from the gas station and sprayed them down to make it home. Mine were 30+ years old so I wasn't surprised. I wasn't sure it was the problem at first, but once it started shocking my inner thigh through my pants I knew they were the cause.

 

[tkurt]

hi jamesgs,

that's kindof what i was thinking, except my plug wires are not that old...
anyway I applied the dielectric grease to the ends as 5twins suggested. It might rain tomorrow, so maybe I'll have another opportunity to test this out

EDIT: well, i ran the bike for a bit today and thoroughly sprayed everything down with water - the coils, condenser, plug wires, plugs, ignition, - basically everything. Could not re-create this problem. So hopefully the dielectric grease and points/timing fixed it.