2000 sv650 bogging in heavy rain.

[froymot]

i was riding the SV in some pretty monsoonish conditions yesterday and it started to bog down and splutter quite badly after about an hour of it, i havent checked anything out on it yet or had time to ride it since but i had the same issue on my last bike ( a two stroke) and never got to the bottom of it after checking the airbox ect for any obvious way rain could be getting in.
has any one else had this issue? any help would be mucho appreciated :smt028

[TamSV]

Probably water getting at the front plug, causing the bike to run on one cylinder. Very common and documented alot on here - have a search.

There's a drain hole on the RHS of the front cylinder so make sure that's clear.

Long term fix is a fender extender on the front mudguard and waterproof grease around the front plug cap.

[Fallout]

As above. Short term fix mid ride if to steal someone elses visor cleaning rag, rip it up, whip off the cap and shove it in the hole to soak up all the water. Tomor will testify to the success of that, and I will testify to how annoying it is to only have half a torn visor cleaning rag in my boot.

[Jayneflakes]

Also, well worth carrying a can of WD40 under your pillion pad, using this this can aid the drying out of the plug port and prevent the plug earthing out. I have also experienced this issue and have had to give in to the fender extender and extra sealing around the front plug.

Good luck.

[speedyandypandy]

I always find a small pipe cleaner and give the drain hole a squirt off degreaser and a rinse before long trips, just in case something greasy have gotten in and could stop the flow.

[froymot]

You sirs, are all geniuses.:smt050
cheeerz!

[Tomor]

As Fallout says, a bit of j-cloth does wonders in an emergency :) Fenda extenda fixed it permanently and it a small expense for saving a lot of hassle (think running 16.5 bhp up a hill with lorries overtaking you :( )

[Spank86]

I still think the main problem is not thrashing it enough.

Give it the beans every time all the time, that shold dry out the water a bit faster.

[yorkie_chris]

I still think the main problem is not thrashing it enough.

Give it the beans every time all the time, that shold dry out the water a bit faster.

Nah doesn't help, tried that.

[froymot]

hahaha yeah i gave that a lil go too :P

[widepants]

Nah doesn't help, tried that.
And then you gaffer taped some guttering on the end of your mudguard

[yorkie_chris]

Yes, yes I did. This was in around 2008 I think.

Since then I've done about 75000 miles with that mudguard. I did have to replace some of the tape the other year though.

[Vinc]

Probably water getting at the front plug, causing the bike to run on one cylinder. Very common and documented alot on here - have a search.

There's a drain hole on the RHS of the front cylinder so make sure that's clear.

Long term fix is a fender extender on the front mudguard and waterproof grease around the front plug cap.

I had the exact same problem yesterday. And as someone suggested, thrashing it kept it alive and running on the motorway, but it was a crappy situation.

I will have a look after this drainhole tonight.
Where can I get the waterproof grease and would you apply it to the spark plug? Wouldn't the grease just fry?

Does anyone know where I can get the fender extender as discussed?

[yorkie_chris]

Pop the HT cap off, blow air (if you've a compressor) or just WD with the straw up the drain hole to make sure it's clear.

Grease isn't an exact art.
Just get a gopping great lump of it and splatter it around where the HT lead seals(or doesn't) into the top of the cylinder head cover.

This can be very effective and combined with a fender extender completely solves the issue.


Fender extenders are available various places online, or you can just gaffer tape a bit of plastic to the back of the mudguard for the moment, works a treat.

[Biker Biggles]

You put the waterproof grease around the rubber grommet that pushes into the top of the plug recess and holds the plastic plug cap in the cylinder head.So the fender extenda stops the jet of water coming off the wheel straight at the front plug,and the waterproofing deals with any remaining water that still gets in the wrong place.If that doesnt solve it,you may need a new HT lead as well.

[Vinc]

Thanks guys.

HT?

[Biker Biggles]

HT---High Tension-----The thick wire that runs from the coil to the spark plug.They wear well but ultimately if the thick coating starts to leak the leccy out they fail.If you run your engine in pitch darkness look at the HT leads and see if you can spot any sparking along them.If so they are leaking leccy.