I got electrocuted by my bike!!

[jdsmithinc]

I was going to take my bike out today for a ride, and I reached down to idle it up a hair, and the damn thing shocked me. It is like the coils are sending fire to the carbs!! I thought it may have been static electricity or something but I touched the pod filters and there actually was some juice there. What I dont understand is that the pod filters are rubber where they connect to the carbs, and there are no wires touching them. What the heck is going on here?

[trbig]

First thing I'd start with is your main ground. On the top rear screw of your middle drive, there should be a grounding strap going from there to the frame. Pull that off and clean it really well and re-install. It sounds to me like your bike is trying to use you as a ground.

Tod

[prometheus578]

Hhmmm...

High voltage spark.. or 12 volt battery spark?
Odd....
Like TRBIG stated... engine in search of a ground.
Spark will travel a lot farther than just jumping the gap of a spark plug. The wider the gap, the hotter the spark.
You bike may have been ground searching for a while and you just now have become more convenient for it.
Due to the rubber cored motor mounts, the engine is pretty well isolated and a ground strap is needed. That should clear up your problem.
I suggest, for the sake of science, that you try to duplicate this phenomenom. Start the bike, grab bare metal with one hand, and start poking around the carbs with your other hand. I feel that it's really vital that we all understand what's going on here.

Pod filters, if you followed the instructions properly, would have been oiled with a filter oil of some sort. That would allow easy spark flow across the normally non-conducting filter element till it found a water/carbon based element... such as yourself to complete it's path.

[Guy_b_g]

"I suggest, for the sake of science, that you try to duplicate this phenomenom. Start the bike, grab bare metal with one hand, and start poking around the carbs with your other hand. I feel that it's really vital that we all understand what's going on here."

LOL...uh huh...and maybe check any faulty looking insulation or bare wire you see by grabbing it to see if it's really live!

Also..you might try doing this in the dark so you can better see where the spark that lit you up came from.

[79XS11F]

This could be leakage from a plug wire if any of them are contacting the valve cover. being damp like after a wash or wet weather ride will enhance leakage.
Rob

[81xsproject]

Man, I was checking my MSD for spark and instead of jumping to the case, I was chosen as a 'path of least resistance.' WOW!! I have gotten spark plug shock before, but the MSD really shocked the bejesus out of me.

[Winterhawk]

Usually DC current will burn you so it must be off the secondary wires somewhere.

[jdsmithinc]

You guys aint funny!! LOL. I sure as heck am not gonna try it again. I did find that the ground strap was acually a little on the dirty side. I cleaned it up a little and fired it up. Luckily I had a buddy over that had drank more than his share of the beer last night. I had him do the test, and it didnt affect him at all. So after he poked and prodded around on it for a minute I decided it was ok for me to try it. Problem fixed. Thanks to an alcoholic buddy!! I know, I know. I was taking advantage of an apparently vulnerable individual. He brought it on himself trust me. Thanks guys once again you have saved the day.

[Guy_b_g]

Good thinking, exactly the method I would have employed, did you provide the beer...or was the fix entirely free? (pics!)

PS: If you have plenty of band-aids you could save the cost of a spray bottle and the same method could be used for the "which is the dead cylinder exhaust heat test"

[jdsmithinc]

I actually provided the brew, but regretably I didnt get any pics. Sure as heck was funny to watch him at first. I was a little hammered myself and couldnt stop laughing. I really wish I had left the ground strap a little loose to see him scream like a little girl when it shocked him, just kidding, hes a good guy.

[fredintoon]

You gotta be quick though

" If you have plenty of band-aids you could save the cost of a spray bottle and the same method could be used for the "which is the dead cylinder exhaust heat test"

Hi Guy,
I learned this trick as a child watching my mum iron dad's shirts. (This was before mum had a steam iron, or even an electric iron, at that time hers had a chimney up through it and was heated on a special gas burner) To see if the iron was hot enough mum would lick her finger and dab it on the iron. If the spit boiled off from under her finger with a little Sppttz sound the iron was hot enough. This also works for exhaust pipes and don't raise a blister or hurt at all so long as you do it quick.

[BrianB]

Reach down and grab that pipe and tell me if it hurts.

HERE'S YOUR SIGN.......

[Erik the Red]

Re: You gotta be quick though

Originally posted by fredintoon
To see if the iron was hot enough mum would lick her finger and dab it on the iron. If the spit boiled off from under her finger with a little Sppttz sound the iron was hot enough. This also works for exhaust pipes and don't raise a blister or hurt at all so long as you do it quick.

ADDITIONALLY... If you're checking all 4 pipes, ya gotta make sure to lick your finger before EACH one. If one's not quite firing, don't just assume that there's enough spit left on that finger to do the next.

Just a word of caution from the kid who had to spray the electric fence with the hose to find out why his parents told him not to spray the electric fence with the hose.

[fredintoon]

Lucky Erik

"Just a word of caution from the kid who had to spray the electric fence with the hose to find out why his parents told him not to spray the electric fence with the hose. "

Just as well that your parents were too polite to tell you not to pee on it, right?

[Erik the Red]

Re: Lucky Erik

Originally posted by fredintoon

Just as well that your parents were too polite to tell you not to pee on it, right?

Too true. No matter how bad a situation seems, it could always be worse.