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Bike not liking the wet

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  • #1

    Bike not liking the wet

    My '81 special has never really liked wet weather. At first I thought it might be the cracked exhaust, but I had that replaced this year. Someone suggested that it might be water on the plugs, but I've checked those and applied dielectric grease to insure that no water is getting into those and causing any arcing. I've done a visual inspection of the coils and there doesn't appear to be any damage or cracking to them. Today, following a very wet and rainy night, conditions were damp and drizzly. Bike was hard to start and when I got going it would sputter occasionally. Usually she'll kick the kinks out so I kept going. Get up on the highway at 80mph and 5k RPM and she just dies like she's out of gas. I had filled the tank the night before. Pull over to the side, wait for a little bit, then open the enricher and crank the starter until she starts again. I wait a bit to let the engine warm up, then get going again. Go a few miles and the same happens again. At this point, because it dies like it's out of gas, I think there may be an issue with the fuel line. So I put the petcocks on reserve and start her up again. I get going again and have a little sputtering, but no more stalling.

    So what could be with the fuel line that is causing this problem?
    1981 XS1100SH
    Tags: None
  • #2
    What you're describing sounds a lot like what I was dealing with when my coil was cracked and letting in moisture. However, there is always the possibility that your fuel supply might be an issue too. Have you checked the vent in the fuel cap? It can get semi-clogged, causing a resistance to the flow of fuel. If you stop and let the air equalize, fuel will flow again until the vacuum builds up in the tank again. I doubt that's the issue if it only happens when wet, but maybe the moisture is enough to add to the seal in the fuel cap.
    1980 XS850SG - Sold
    1981 XS1100LH Midnight Special (Sold) - purchased 9/29/08
    Fully Vetterized and Dynojet Kit added, Heated Grips, Truck-Lite LED headlight, Accel Coils, Irridium plugs, TKAT Fork Brace, XS850LH Final Drive & Black SS Brake lines from Chacal.
    Here's my web page devoted to my bike! XS/XJ User's Manuals there, and the XJ1100 Service Manual and both XS1100 Service manuals (free download!).

    Whether you think you can, or you think you cannot - You're right.
    -H. Ford

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    • #3
      Along the electrical line, start the bike in the dark and start spraying the coils and plug wires and plugs with water and watch for sparks. After that dump some water on the wire loom down by the neutral safety switch wire by the timing cover. Can get water on the pickupwire connections and the sparks could be jumping and not making it to the tci.
      Nathan
      KD9ARL

      μολὼν λαβέ

      1978 XS1100E
      K&N Filter
      #45 pilot Jet, #137.5 Main Jet
      OEM Exhaust
      ATK Fork Brace
      LED Dash lights
      Ammeter, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, and Volt Meters
      Green Monster Coils
      SS Brake Lines
      Vision 550 Auto Tensioner

      In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

      Theodore Roosevelt

      Comment

      • #4
        Had similar issues with mine. I got some marine sealant and sealed lots of stuff, cause I didn't know for sure where the water was getting in. Slightest moisture on the street would make it bog down. I think the culprit was the wire from the pickup coils to the TCI. I sealed the cloth insulation where it comes out of the engine, and I sealed the gap in the plastic cover where the neutral switch wire goes in. Of course, I also covered the coils where I had opened them up to replace plug wires, sealed the back of all the electrical plugs that faced forward, sealed the top of the ballast resistor. Don't know which helped, but something did. Rode 2 days in serious rain this weekend, never missed a beat. Before, any amount of rain, or washing the bike would make it run poorly.
        1980 XS 11 Special: The King of Kong, 9th wonder of the world. Pacifico fairing, chopped shield, Yamaha hard bags, Diamond seat, T-Kat fork brace, XJ top end, YICS Eliminator, '80 carbs from Spyder Cycle Works, K&N Air filter, Fuse block, stainless steel valves & reg/rect from Oregon MC Parts. Raptor CCT, XJ air shocks, 850 FD, Sportster mufflers, Standard handle bar, Tusk Bar Risers, SS braided brake lines. Cat Eye speedometer. HID projector beam headlight, LED running lights.

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        • #5
          When sealing the cloth insulation works where the pick-up coil wires come out of the housing, this is an indication the rubber insulation on one or more of those wires is cracked. This is how a bit of water getting in there shorts out a wire, causing the same problem as a broken wire. If the insulation is cracked, it is a hint to watch for a potential broken or corroding/breaking wire.
          Ken Talbot

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          • #6
            Thanks, Ken. I will take a look at that.
            1980 XS 11 Special: The King of Kong, 9th wonder of the world. Pacifico fairing, chopped shield, Yamaha hard bags, Diamond seat, T-Kat fork brace, XJ top end, YICS Eliminator, '80 carbs from Spyder Cycle Works, K&N Air filter, Fuse block, stainless steel valves & reg/rect from Oregon MC Parts. Raptor CCT, XJ air shocks, 850 FD, Sportster mufflers, Standard handle bar, Tusk Bar Risers, SS braided brake lines. Cat Eye speedometer. HID projector beam headlight, LED running lights.

            Comment

            • #7
              Did you ever get anything solved with your problems?
              Nathan
              KD9ARL

              μολὼν λαβέ

              1978 XS1100E
              K&N Filter
              #45 pilot Jet, #137.5 Main Jet
              OEM Exhaust
              ATK Fork Brace
              LED Dash lights
              Ammeter, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, and Volt Meters
              Green Monster Coils
              SS Brake Lines
              Vision 550 Auto Tensioner

              In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

              Theodore Roosevelt

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by natemoen View Post
                Did you ever get anything solved with your problems?
                No, it's been too wet here to work on it.
                1981 XS1100SH

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by malber View Post
                  No, it's been too wet here to work on it.
                  Isn't that exactly the conditions to be working and testing it in? Unless of course you don't have a garage or covered carport.
                  Cy

                  1980 XS1100G (Brutus) w/81H Engine
                  Duplicolor Mirage Paint Job (Purple/Green)
                  Vetter Windjammer IV
                  Vetter hard bags & Trunk
                  OEM Luggage Rack
                  Jardine Spaghetti 4-2 exhaust system
                  Spade Fuse Box
                  Turn Signal Auto Cancel Mod
                  750 FD Mod
                  TC Spin on Oil Filter Adapter (temp removed)
                  XJ1100 Front Footpegs
                  XJ1100 Shocks

                  I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one.

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