Kelum Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Hi there, It's heavy rain season here...roads get flooded easily..I was on my way home the other day when I was caught up in a heavy rain..I didnt want to wait till rain cease so rode in rain..roads were flooded and I noticed heavy knocks in the engine...like I was on a single piston, one wasnt working for some reason, bike wouldnt move fast in high gears so mostly I had to ride in first or second..bike was slowing remarkably and sometimes I had to open throttle to the max but still bike was slowing...but at that point once I shift gears to first or second the bike would accelerate... Muffler seemed to have water inside and vaporized water created some smoke... Same thing happens after I washed the bike... My problems are.. What causes this issue? Bikes should not be ridden in heavy rains? I think wet spark plugs causing the issue..if so why dont bike manufacturers at least cover plugs? Are there commercially available covers for xv125. What is the specialty in Iridium plugs? When bike is wet electrical system can get wet. What about components such as rectifier? Have they been made water-proof? CDI unit can cause issues when wet? I know there is a computer in every vehicle..do bikes have some electronic piece to control ignition sequence etc..? Help me, lets discuss this.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 With electrics, it's always best to give a dose of WD-40 underneath the spark plug cables, battery terminals, and any other electrics that may need protection from water. As for your engine problem - I can't really help. I ride, rain, shine, or ever SNOW!, and i've never expereinced anything similar... was it cold? Was the bike warm? The electrical system should be relatively insulated but may be worth checking. Are your lights/ignition/horn working fine? Hope it helps a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted November 29, 2010 Moderator Share Posted November 29, 2010 When the bike was brand new it would have been fully capable of running in very wet conditions. All you need is some WD40 or similar water dispersant lube. Spray liberally on all the ignition components and any other wiring that will suffer from water, that should fix it. I had a Suzuki GSX600 that at 2 years old started to missfire in rain, good spray of WD40 at each service, all fixed, never did it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulwhite Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Hi there, My problems are.. What causes this issue? Bikes should not be ridden in heavy rains? I think wet spark plugs causing the issue..if so why dont bike manufacturers at least cover plugs? Are there commercially available covers for xv125. What is the specialty in Iridium plugs? When bike is wet electrical system can get wet. What about components such as rectifier? Have they been made water-proof? CDI unit can cause issues when wet? I know there is a computer in every vehicle..do bikes have some electronic piece to control ignition sequence etc..? Help me, lets discuss this.. the bike is just well used, spray the spark plug caps with wd-40 or what ever you have to get rid of any water.(sounds like a bit of water got in there and stoped it from sparking hence the loss of power) iridium plugs are a waste of money for your bike m8 as there mainly for sports bikes over 250cc but they would improve combustion but you wont notice anything. the rectifier is water proof but the cables going into it could get trapped water in them in extreme conditions. the cdi is also a sealed unit but if you disconnect the cables then spray with wd-40 then re-connect them it should sort out the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelum Posted November 29, 2010 Author Share Posted November 29, 2010 Thank you guys, will address the issue, missfiring of course not an engine issue, its water on plugs for sure as it happens every time I wash my bike.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelum Posted November 29, 2010 Author Share Posted November 29, 2010 SEEMS wd 40 not available in sri lanka.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted November 29, 2010 Moderator Share Posted November 29, 2010 SEEMS wd 40 not available in sri lanka.. vaseline on the ceramic (the white bit) of the plug NOT the connection at the top and over the outside of the cap will do at a push, just wont last as long as wd 40 and harder to apply. I used to do it to my land rover if i had to go wading deep water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkwindjammer Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 In heavy downpours you'd be better sticking with the camel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Hi there, It's heavy rain season here...roads get flooded easily..I was on my way home the other day when I was caught up in a heavy rain..I didnt want to wait till rain cease so rode in rain..roads were flooded and I noticed heavy knocks in the engine...like I was on a single piston, one wasnt working for some reason, bike wouldnt move fast in high gears so mostly I had to ride in first or second..bike was slowing remarkably and sometimes I had to open throttle to the max but still bike was slowing...but at that point once I shift gears to first or second the bike would accelerate... Muffler seemed to have water inside and vaporized water created some smoke... Same thing happens after I washed the bike... My problems are.. What causes this issue? Bikes should not be ridden in heavy rains? I think wet spark plugs causing the issue..if so why dont bike manufacturers at least cover plugs? Are there commercially available covers for xv125. What is the specialty in Iridium plugs? When bike is wet electrical system can get wet. What about components such as rectifier? Have they been made water-proof? CDI unit can cause issues when wet? I know there is a computer in every vehicle..do bikes have some electronic piece to control ignition sequence etc..? Help me, lets discuss this.. Hi Kelum Be sure to let the bike dry out thoroughly before spraying with WD40 (or whatever your local equivelant is). I wouldn't advise riding it in Monsoon storms, you may have some trouble with seized brake pistons later, and dont forget to keep your chain lubricated if it's getting wet. Forget the Iridium plugs, no performance improvement but might last longer. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reservoir-dog Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Try TRANSIL is American made and is the same wwd 40. I'm sure is avaiable there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofeser Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 There's loads of decent substitutes for WD-40, just need to look around. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelum Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 Ok guys, thanks a lot for the useful tips...I should remove all the covers and have a good look...wires, connectors as well as plugs.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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