Very expensive bike wash

[garyahouse]

Took the forum's advice and am in the middle of a tour across the country. Highly recommend 262 just out of Little Switzerland on the Blue Ridge Parkway. My Soul!!

Anyway, washed my 05 with soap and water, rinsed with hose. Next morning: no start: it was cold and rainy in upstate NY for days. So I changed out the plugs, but bike was still ALMOST starting, just hitting a little on one or two cyl's. Took it into Gable's bike shop in Cobleskill, NY. One of their techs, Jimmie found wet coils with corroded terminals. Pulled 'em, dried them, cleaned 'em and reinstalled with di-electric grease, and sent me on my way. My thanks to the fine staff there who took me inspite of a 6 day backlog of customer bikes, and the skill of a good Yammie mechanic. Wish I'da thought of that. So, 165 dollars later, I'm on my way. At least I got the factory plugs changed @ 11k miles.

That was one very expensive bike wash, and a lesson learned. Careful how and where ya spray???

Gary

darksider #44

 

[MrM0t0]

Took the forum's advice and am in the middle of a tour across the country. Highly recommend 262 just out of Little Switzerland on the Blue Ridge Parkway. My Soul!!

Anyway, washed my 05 with soap and water, rinsed with hose. Next morning: no start: it was cold and rainy in upstate NY for days. So I changed out the plugs, but bike was still ALMOST starting, just hitting a little on one or two cyl's. Took it into Gable's bike shop in Cobleskill, NY. One of their techs, Jimmie found wet coils with corroded terminals. Pulled 'em, dried them, cleaned 'em and reinstalled with di-electric grease, and sent me on my way. My thanks to the fine staff there who took me inspite of a 6 day backlog of customer bikes, and the skill of a good Yammie mechanic. Wish I'da thought of that. So, 165 dollars later, I'm on my way. At least I got the factory plugs changed @ 11k miles.

That was one very expensive bike wash, and a lesson learned. Careful how and where ya spray???

Gary

darksider #44

Your post is proof of the advice I've been given to never use ANY pressure from a hose on your bike. Rinse with a clean rag from a bucket and chamois or towel dry. These guys that use pressure washers are just asking for trouble. Blows out grease from where it belongs, blows water into places it doesn't.

I've started using Original Bike Spirits and it actually takes less elbow grease than soap and water. Looks freshly waxed when you're done too.

 

[LowAndSilent]

I don't stick the spray hose down every nook and cranny or put it on full-blast. Just get a drizzle on what needs to be wet, suds it up, and rinse it off. Never had a problem with any of my bikes, and don't expect to. I've rode frequently in the rain (not in "frog chokers" every day, just the Seattle mist with some good ol' rainy days here and there) for the past 2 and a half years, and have never encountered an issue.

Weird that washing it led to wet coils.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

This link shows the Coil pictures and their potential exposure:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=126721&view=findpost&p=714281

 

[stew71]

Anyway, washed my 05 with soap and water, rinsed with hose.

What is this "washing" thing of which you speak? :blink:

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Don't Ride Without The Slide

 

[Papa Georgio]

Great pics in the link.

I had no idea where the coil was.

If I had to find it I would have been paging through my manual for 1/2 hour

 

[SkooterG]

Weird that a wash did that. I have washed my FJR more times than I can count with no ill effects. I NEVER use a high pressure spray wash, and I do keep my own hose nozzle on low pressure, but I am not shy with the water. Have never had an issue. Is it because I live in such a low humidity environment?

Guess yuu never know where a little Gremlin is going to strike. Must be bad karma catching up to you from using a car tire.

 

[Crash Cash]

Anyway, washed my 05 with soap and water, rinsed with hose.

What is this "washing" thing of which you speak? :blink:

No kidding. I haven't washed mine since I bought it, except to get the bugs off the windshield and headlight. I'm not gay and it's not a Harley.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Great pics in the link.

I had no idea where the coil was.

If I had to find it I would have been paging through my manual for 1/2 hour

You're Welcome... I took these while looking around for some Electronic Gremlins and Isolating any Wire to Metal or Wire to Wire Contact.

 

During this process found how easily one could Bend the Tangs while putting on the Plastic and Could cause some Shorting Situation. It does not take much to bend these Tangs.

 

[ionbeam]

Next warm day, put your favorite washing nozzle on your hose and have someone spray you. Next rotten day when it is raining pretty hard take a ride, then at 65 mph open your face shield while the windshield is down. Let us know which you feel is the much milder, less wet experience. I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that riding in the rain wets a bike more thoroughly and completely than a garden hose. Add to that the steam coming off the head pipes and exhaust. Plus the finely atomized droplets caused by motorcycle destroying rain drops, then having the atomized droplets inducted throughout the faring and body of the motorcycle driven by a 65 mph wind.

I wonder what would have happened if garyahouse had tried the flooded bike starting procedure.

I continue to be amazed that packing electrical connectors with electrically insulating grease is considered the bees knees as a cure for electrical problems. Dielectric grease has its place, but this isn't one of them IMO.

 

[roger dodger]

I ride in the rain, but it mostly gets the plastic dirty...not the coils.

After washing ANYTHING metal, you might want to dry it off! I was always told that to dry a bike...ride it around and get it up to operating temp to dry out all the little orifices and cavities that water can sit in.

Plus you get another excuse to 'wind it out' a little (careful on wet tires) in the name of good bike maintenance.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that riding in the rain wets a bike more thoroughly and completely than a garden hose. Add to that the steam coming off the head pipes and exhaust. Plus the finely atomized droplets caused by motorcycle destroying rain drops, then having the atomized droplets inducted throughout the faring and body of the motorcycle driven by a 65 mph wind.

I wonder what would have happened if garyahouse had tried the flooded bike starting procedure.

My thoughts exactly as I was reading this thread.

 

[Geezer]

I don't wash my bike often, but when I do it is with a bucket, sponge, and garden hose. I am careful to not spray water into places from an unnatural direction. The fairing is designed to keep certain parts dry when riding in the rain and spraying water in hard from the sides, bottom, or back may get water in places where it would not normally go.

 

[Crash Cash]

I continue to be amazed that packing electrical connectors with electrically insulating grease is considered the bees knees as a cure for electrical problems. Dielectric grease has its place, but this isn't one of them IMO.

Well, personally I assumed that the grease displaced water, and that the physical wiping action of the contacts removed it from the contacts so the dielectric property wasn't an issue there, and you sure don't want to pack a connector with electrically conductive grease because that would cause shorts. Where am I off base here?

I don't use it myself, but I have opened up motorcycle electrical connectors all the way back to my CB450SC and had water pour out of them, including ones that are supposedly waterproof with the fancy labyrinthine rubber seals, and these are on bikes that have never been near a pressure washer.

I did fail electrical physics in college.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Anyway, washed my 05 with soap and water, rinsed with hose.

What is this "washing" thing of which you speak? :blink:

:withstupidsmiley:

 

[JET]

There is a difference between "coating" an electrical connection and slapping on a butt load of di-electric grease. Like anything else, moderation is the key.

I've had classes on preventative corrosion control maintenance, worked with electronics on a carrier, spent several years on a tug boat, all my life on the water. Di-electric grease is your friend when it comes to water and electricity! There is also some stuff called conformal coating that is used on pc boards. It can be used to protect electrical connections too. But it's more like a "clear coat" paint tht dries and prevents air and moisture from getting to the connection. It can't short out like di-electric grease because it is non-conductive but provides a coating to the parts that are applied with it.

 

[Thug]

Pressure washers are ok as long as you don't go silly with them. I do a light pressure spray...spray and coating of CT18 truck wash or similar...let sit for a few minutes....pressure spray off being careful of the radiator and the horns (which I pack with a soft cloth to stop any water getting in) I leave my seats on when I do this. Never had an issue. Then once washed I take off the seats and blow dry it with a petrol blower....comes up a treat and starts every time! The key is:

1. Don't be silly with the pressure

2. Wash off the cleaning agent quickly

3. dry it quickly

I always start it too when I finish blowing (Air-dirty fuckers)

Oh and the coil is under the right side of the fairing join line for the upper and lower cowlings....

 

[garyahouse]

Wow, what a response. Just to add a little more information to Monday's dilemma, it was beginning to rain as I finished up washing the bike, and the garden hose was set on a medium spray, I certainly didn't do any blasting. I simply gave it a quick rinse,being careful not to use any more water than necessary, just like most other guys would do. I'm certainly aware of the foolishness of blasting water where it doesn't belong. I left the bike out in a light rain for about 15 minutes to rinse the crummy well water off. I wheeled the bike a few feet forward into the garage, where I dried it off and it sat for about a day and a half. I've washed it about 20 times the same way (except for the rain) and had no issues. It has run perfectly up to this point. Just one of those things I guess, but thought the forum would like to know that this happened to one of us and the conditions that led up to it. I do appreciate the pics of the coil locations and the recommendations on clean up products.

Thanks guys.

Gary

darksider #44