Hard rain!

[Bodeen]

Got home from a ride through very hard rain. Lightning too. Saw a transformer on a pole blowup as I drove past! Very exciting! Anyway, driving rain, to the point of it actually hurting. Got home ok. After a couple hours we were going out for awhile and the bike acted as if it the battery was dead when I tried to start it. Turned it off and tried it a couple of times. Still acted as if the battery had died (new battery). I tried to blow the horn and it sounded like a dead battery horn (Blaaaaaah). Went to the garage fifteen minutes later and turned on the switch, it started right up like it always does.
My question is. Do you think its just water in the ignition switch or somewhere else? I'm talking Florida downpour type rain (frog strangler). Water in everything that can accept water, type of rain.

TIA,

Bodeen

 

[Bodeen]

Thanks Tank. I figured on taking the console apart and having a look in there tomorrow. Just to see if I can tell if this may be the problem.

Bodeen

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

In high humidity and wet environs, use dielectric grease to create an anticorrosion barrier (when all connections are dried and cleaned with tuner/control wash from electronics store like RadioShack or similar.

Dry everything throughly one terminal/connector at a time, all the way back to the fuses and relays. Don't forget the outlying signal pods etc.

 

[eleft36]

:newsmile04:

In high humidity and wet environs, use dielectric grease to create an anti corrosion barrier (when all connections are dried and cleaned with tuner/control wash from electronics store like Radio Shack or similar.

Dry everything thoroughly one terminal/connector at a time, all the way back to the fuses and relays. Don't forget the outlying signal pods etc.

Include the ECM connection

Al

:USA
:CONNECTICUT

 

[glider]

Remove/clean and reinstall the battery connections, NEG off first and on last.

 

[jaceddie]

Got home from a ride through very hard rain. Lightning too. Saw a transformer on a pole blowup as I drove past! Very exciting! Anyway, driving rain, to the point of it actually hurting. Got home ok. After a couple hours we were going out for awhile and the bike acted as if it the battery was dead when I tried to start it. Turned it off and tried it a couple of times. Still acted as if the battery had died (new battery). I tried to blow the horn and it sounded like a dead battery horn (Blaaaaaah). Went to the garage fifteen minutes later and turned on the switch, it started right up like it always does.
My question is. Do you think its just water in the ignition switch or somewhere else? I'm talking Florida downpour type rain (frog strangler). Water in everything that can accept water, type of rain.

TIA,

Bodeen

I've rode in a lot of rain storms, but I don't think I've ridden in a "frog strangler" before.

 

[Spade5]

We call them frog chokers in my neck of the woods but it is most likely the same thing. The only time I have seen anything as bad were the monsoons in Nam.

 

[Jack Klarich]

7 mile bridge in The Keys got me in February, got back to Key West and used air hose to dry the bike, the next day all was good, but the rain was sooooo bad I thought I was done for welcome to Florida now I know why Smitty ran away from here LOL

 

[path2doyle]

My Road King dies and I need to turn the ingnition switch on and off or tap it to get it to light up again and restart.

This is unacceptable. I am going to replace this toy part with a real ignition switch and get back with the group on the end product.

The Harely designer was stoned when he designed a key hole facing up into the rain. Even dark ages illiterate designers have horizontal key holes for the last 600 years. Harley can't pass up an opportunity to do things wrong.

I had a disasterous experience with fuel lines last year I posted on here.

 

[cedarbrook63]

most sports bikes have vertical key holes that face up into the rain on the top yokes as well so HD are not alone

True that - my Bandit GT has an up top ignition like one of those frogs waiting to choke . My Sportster, however, has it's ignition 90 degrees to the vertical!
1-0 to the Sporty again.