Troubles in the rain?

[beromn]

I have a 94 600 Kat. I ride it most every day to and from school (roughly 10 mi each way) and park it outside infront of the school. About 5 weeks ago it rained ALL DAY. On the way in, bike was fine. On the way back just a mile or so in I noticed it was starting to idle a bit low and irregular. then it started to misfire, jerk around a bit as i let off the clutch and then became rather nonresponsive to the throttle. It died about 3/4 the way home.

I figured it was the plugs (hadn't changed them in a while) so my buddy and i tossed the kat in the back of his truck and took it home. Next day i change the plugs. The old plugs acutally looked pretty good as I swapped them out but after they were replaced the bike ran again like normal so I thought i had solved the problem.

So today it rains ALL DAY again (1st time its rained the whole day since the previous incident). My Kat is covered at home but sits exposed to the elements all day during school. so once again on the way in, the bike ran fine. But on the way back I start getting the same symptoms but not till later in the ride and i was able to make it all the way back.

Any ideas what it might be? is the water just coincidental? is it the carbs? plug wires? water somehow getting in the tank? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[scottynoface]

Hey man, I'm assuming you're parking either by the Student Center or in the huge lot behind the Chem/Phys building. If you have an M pass for UK you SHOULD be able to park in the garage on Rose St. right across from the Biological Sciences Building.

As for the rain, check to ensure your battery connections are remaining dry and firmly attached. My bike loved the rain, ran perfect.

[beromn]

I'm a dental student so I park right behind the HSRB (literally steps from the dental school). If all else fails, I could park in the covered lot on Rose st (would pain me as that would add a ~5 minute walk).

Hadn't considered the battery conections...would that cause more problems than just starting the bike? both times it started up fine and even ran well for the first couple miles.

never had any problems with the rain until recently. Seems to hold up fine to light rain, but the all day downpours (like today) are now causing a problem

[rexazz2]

I would guess the spark plug wires or cracked coil
I would suggest when it acts up spraying the wires with WD-40
It was designed to expell water/moisture
MAKE SURE IT IS NOT RUNNING WHEN YOU SPRAY DOWN WITH WD-40 IT WILL CATCH FIRE IF THERE IS ANY ARCING
Try letting the engine warm up more before departing this will also help dry things out

[Slofuze]

Perhaps this sounds trite......but have you considered buying a cover for the bike??? (I Know theft might be an issue.)Or you may want to consider buying gas-line de-icer in case moisture is getting into your tank.

[beromn]

I would guess the spark plug wires or cracked coil
I would suggest when it acts up spraying the wires with WD-40
It was designed to expell water/moisture
MAKE SURE IT IS NOT RUNNING WHEN YOU SPRAY DOWN WITH WD-40 IT WILL CATCH FIRE IF THERE IS ANY ARCING
Try letting the engine warm up more before departing this will also help dry things out

I thought about replacing the wires and coils when i did the plugs, but opted to try the $5 fix first. The WD-40 sounds like a really good idea so I'll give it a try. If that doesn't solve it then I think you're right and the wires and coils should be next on the list.

Perhaps this sounds trite......but have you considered buying a cover for the bike??? (I Know theft might be an issue.)Or you may want to consider buying gas-line de-icer in case moisture is getting into your tank.

I have a cover for it but not sure how practical it would be seeing as i would have to lug it up and back. plus it's only heat resistant so i would have to let the pipes cool down for a couple minutes before i put it on...but still a good option non-the-less.

[IndyGunner]

ya get a cover.

[Kreylyn]

Walmart has a $20 universal cover that will work for the Kats, light weight, easily fit in a tank bag, and has it's own case.

Krey

[Michwolv60]

on thing i noticed on my pre is the way the airbox sits between the tank and seat. I understand why they do it, for easy access for air, but in the rain i think the filter will get wet and then it runs rich and fouls the plugs. Next time it acts up check the air filter, if its wet that could very well do it.

[Helmet_Hair]

Hard to tell, but wondering if maybe it has nothing to do with the bike sitting in the rain, and maybe more to do with the actual ride in the rain. Starts up and runs fine to begin with after sitting out like that, and then acts up part way into the ride. Water is getting up into something. The air box is a good culprit given your description of the symptoms. Electrical problems usually either are intermittant, causing the bike to buck and surge or constant, causing the bike to lose power altogether.

[md86]

I used to ride mine in the rain often . I had no choice all of one year . Stayed outside under a cover (still got wet under the cover) , and ran fine . Then once it died on me in the rain on the highway . Later I found my signal generator was on the outs . But here's what you can do .... get you some dielectric grease and do up all the electrical connections with it . Remember , bikes ARE a motor vehicle , and as such are designed to work in inclimate times .

[The CyberPoet]

My best guess: water going into a connector, such as the run-stop switch on the control pod or one of the pigtail connectors for the bike. Time to rain-proof it:

See http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=94288 for today's post on how to (electrical spray cleaner, inspect/clean-further/repair-as-necessary, pack with dielectric grease, reassemble).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

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CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[hardlydangerous]

Change your plug wires, plugs, clean ans grease all electrical connections

Your engine should be able to run under water ( providing the intake is open with not so much as a sputter. the ignition wires or connections are usually to blame

[beromn]

Thanks for the advice...you guys are great! Went out and got some electric cleaner and dielectric grease. Went through and cleaned out all the connectors and repacked them with the grease. They all appeared to be in good condition, so hopefully this takes care of the problem. I guess we'll see next time it rains...

[scottynoface]

I guess we'll see next time it rains...

Since you're in Lexington, just wait 30 minutes and the rain will come