Misfiring in the rain

ex-viffer · Post by **ex-viffer** » Sun May 30, 2004 11:35 pm

I've had some problems recently with riding my FahrtSturm in the rain, as it don't like it. The last two times I've commuted in the wet, it's been damned near impossible to ride, with it misfiring, coughing, spluttering, and generally misbehaving. The last time was last Friday, and I was lucky ot get home at all, wrestling the misbehaving beast through really crap weather in rush-hour (what's up with that? There was no rushing to be had...) traffic.

Yesterday, I pulled the fairing off, lifted the tank, and checked everything out. I couldn't find anything suspicious, so I just sprayed all the critical ignition components and connectors with silicon, checked the tank vent hose (already disconnected), and put it all back together.

Any clues what to do? Anyone else had this problem?

RQ · Post by RQ » Mon May 31, 2004 10:07 am

Morning Viffer,
I suffer the same affliction of the Storm being a pain in the wet. (I stand back and wait for the jokes about my Storm being a pain all the time with all the rain in Ireland

).
This morning, first rain in weeks, and it was a bitch to keep running, throw in some low air temps, and the frustration really kicks in!! I wonder is the dampness getting in somewhere nasty it shouldnt?

RAINMAKER · Post by **RAINMAKER** » Mon May 31, 2004 11:27 am

Hi guys, I ride every day in all weathers, sun, rain, snow, you call it I ride it, I have no problems even in torrential rain, can't understand why you do.

I do give engine and electrics a squirt of WD40 (water repellant spray) under seat fuses, battery etc, maybe thats the key?

Good luck. Paul.

ex-viffer · Post by **ex-viffer** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 3:01 am

nhr22259 wrote:I do give engine and electrics a squirt of WD40 (water repellant spray) under seat fuses, battery etc, maybe thats the key?

Yeah, I already did that, Paul, and in fact the second time I experienced this problem I went to a service station and bought a can of silicon spray and sprayed everything that was likely to be getting wet. It made absolutely no difference.
So in the weekend, I pulled the fairing off, and spent some time spraying all the connectors in the ignition system, and any others that could conceivably cause problems, like the sidestand cutout switch, kill switch, neutral switch, etc.
It's been relatively dry since then, so the last 5 rides have been trouble free.

delmeekc · Post by **delmeekc** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 9:03 am

Err, check the front HT cap, they normally crack and break inside just on the bend at the top. It's a solid piece and once it's broke the contact is not good and only relying on the external rubber to hold it together. It's normally caused from being removed or installed where people pushem sideways slightly. The front seems to corrode inside really bad too, water must get it by the bucket load.

You can test it easy to see of it's gone. Just grab the top bend on the cap gently and give it a little pull to see if it moves without pulling the whole cap off. It'll probably feel crunchie too.

Del.

RAINMAKER · Post by **RAINMAKER** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 1:45 pm

Top Tip, I'll remember that one............

Pete.L · Post by **Pete.L** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 3:04 pm

The only time I've had a missfire problem the water had come in through the petrol cap. (my own fault. I drowned it with the hose

)
I.m always carefull around there now and it's not been a problem in the rain but it might be worth checking out and splashing a bit of grease around just in case.

Pete.l

faz · Post by **faz** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:53 pm

hi everyone, I am new to this forum (I frequent another new forum on U.S. side though.)

I have been on a few rainy day rides here in San Francisco area (not many rainy days here), and have enjoyed it a lot on my superhawk. (firestorm's name in U.S.)

One day last week I rode to work on a real stormy weather, in rush hour traffic, where I was being sprayed bucket fulls of water from cars/trucks around me. That is the only time I had the stalling problem... twice. Once early in the morning, right after warm up, as I was approaching a red light, the bike started to die on me and I could only keep it running with revving it (didn't want to rev either.)

Once in the evening, when I was returning home, again after initial warmup (not fully warmed up yet), and it was bad enough that I had to pull to the side of the highway, it turned itself off, and I had to start it up, which brought it right back up, and after a few seconds of idling, there was no problems for the rest of the ride home.

I have heard from a few other VTR owners here in this are that their VTRs do not like the rain that much either. I have also heared about similar problems from SV owners.

Most of you guys are in the land of rainy weather, and I was wondering how many of you have experienced (or regularly experience) unusual behaviour from your firestorms in rainy conditions?? Is the wd-40 spraying a good approach? any other sprays/etc. that can help?

Thanks in advance.
-faz