My Motorbike is trying to kill me!!
 

OK This was NOT a fun ride about today.

Been down to Wet and windy St Albans today and filled up on Unleaded (95 Octane as the 97 stuff was out) and started home.

Got half way back to the Luton office when I suddenly started loosing power, slowing, slowing.
Put on more power and I just slowed down faster, shifted up a gear, made it worse, shifted down and I just revved through the roof and went nowhere.

Now making a lot of noise and down to about 20mph and traffic getting ****ed at me when the bike picks up again and flies off down the M1 (thank god that I've been in hairy spots before and a gap built up while I was faffing about or I'd be toast).
Bike picks up and tries to hurl me off but I get the front down and stop it just before I ram into the back of traffic and in serious red face mode limp home, with the power blipping all over the place, in the slow lane.

Even then I managed to almost get myself killed as I pulled into my slip road only to loose power and nearly get myself rear ended by a girl in a red car of some description and she had to slam the brakes on as I almost went over in front of her....

Anyone got any idea

A) Whats wrong
B) How I can make sure this NEVER EVER EVER!!! Happens EVER again...

If its wet, check the front plug could be soggy (assuming you're on an SV that is) or by the sound of it it's possibly fuel starvation/contamination. The difference between the octane rating should not make that much difference in bahaviour.

sounds like the infamous front cylinder cutting out in the wet (if you do a search there is loads of info on here) have you got a fenda extender???

It does sound either like the classic wet front plug or carb icing.

I've had both, front plug only once and the carb icing now and again. The last time I had the icing problem the bike was trying very hard to kick me off and I did come close a couple of times. But I filled up with the higher octane stuff and its been fine since.

Drain the tank and put some higher octane petrol in along with a little redex and see if that improves. Also try a fender extender as said above.

HTH

I might be missing something but if it was the front plug the bike wouldn't rev, would it?

I'm thinking something to do with the clutch. Hence, lots of revs but no movement and then flying off down the road.

Glad your alright, Psycho. Had the throttle stick open on my old RS125 and nearly shat myself! It's not nice when the bike won't do what you tell it to.

Wet today was it not?So front plug has to be favourit.Having said that,it could be a crap tank of fuel if it only happened after you filled up.

I bet you an entire scottish pound it was the front plug. Get a tube of servisol silicon grease from Maplin, best £4 you will ever spend- splatch it around the plug cap, it should never happen again.

...Where's the plug cap :)

Have you changed spark plugs before? If so, you'll know there's the long rubbery thing that goes into the cylinder head with the plug in the end of it. At the end of that, where the cable starts, there's a rubber seal that, well. Seals. Though not very well, so glomming nonconductive goop all over it keeps the rain out.