She let me down in the rain

[vexlak]

Going home from Poconos last night got me... Good amount of rain. While we did this together several times, this time she caught couple of times. Then the engine stopped on the Bear Mountain. Restarted while still in motion. Completely down on Palisades PKWY on exit 15. Tried restart after some time, nothing. Called friend to pick me up (state trooper was not really helpful he was in rush after speeding cars) and after he confirmed to come, I tried several times until the battery went really weak. Nothing, just turn and turn with no signs of life... Loaded on pick-up truck (that baby is heavy!) brought it to streets of NYC. Just tried and nothing again. Any suggestions?
Please?

[Sunbeemer]

Sorry to hear of your trouble, especially on a busy road in the rain.
Did you happen to notice if your tachometer swung wildly when the engine misfired which is a symptom often noticed when a Hall Effect Sensor (cranshaft position sensor) fails.

There is a primer complete with instructions how to build a small test rig to check them here:
http://users.rcn.com/dehager/service/oi ... ensors.pdf

Good luck. It could be something else, too, like wet plugs or wires.

[vexlak]

No the speedometer looked just fine. I was watching it. It sounded more like she ran out of gas which was not the case. I did some searching around and came up with nice description from cyclerob trying to revive similar wet soul some time ago. I am leaving for few days I cannot do anything right now. However as soon as I am back I have to try to fix her. Hopefully I will find the source of the problem.

[sstein]

Here's a humble thought from a new-to-R1150R rider:

My old Honda CB900 custom died in the rain once as well - like it was out of gas although tank was full. Turns out water was getting into the (old and cracked) ignition coils which sit just below the tank on the CB900. Replaced them and was good to go. I don't know where the coils are on the R.

Just a thought.

[sweatmark]

As mentioned above, it's your tach that's related to possible Hall sensor (and wiring) problem, not speedometer.

But help us out here: what exactly are the bike's symptoms? Any evidence of battery/charging system weakness? Sporadic engine cut-outs? Any RPM-related rough running, or is it occasionally running rough but otherwise ok?

[omg1010]

I would evaluate 2 things: the killswitch and the side-stand switch. I once had a problem with my switches in heavy rain when my horn was on constantly. Some electronic spray cured the problem. And the side-stand switch is also known to cause problems and this switch also acts as a kill-switch.

Brgds
Oliver

[vexlak]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will start with the sidekick switch. I clearly remember running in a puddle of water that splashed pretty nicely from below. It was that channel of water on road worn by cars. That splashed pretty nicely and that was it. As of now, the battery is drained from all the starting. I had hoped to do some work until today (raining for 2 days in NYC couldn’t do anything) but I am leaving for few days so I cannot do anything. However will post updates and ask for more when I am back. Thank you all again.

[CRazyCam]

Hi vexlak.

For what it's worth, your symptoms match exactly what I saw when my bike had a similar problem.

It turned out to be the Hall Effect Sensor.

When the bike is dry, it may well start, run for a few seconds then die.

regards,CrazyCam

[Sunbeemer]

In case you determine that your Hall Effect Sensor is malfunctioning, it might help to know that it is not usually the sensors that fail but the wiring leading to them. Heat deteriorates the insulation of the four or five wires inside the outer jacket of the wiring loom running down the front of the engine (beside the alternator belt) and they can short out when they get wet. There are some previous posts about this you can search for, and some have been replaced with more heat-resistant teflon-insulated wires.

Maybe you could fix your bike cheaper and make it better by replacing the wiring?

[towerworker]

Before I 'd get all worried and such I'd put bike on a charger and get the battery up to snuff. AND let the complete beast dry out! At first guess I'd say the ignition system got water in it somewhere and it simply got drowned out. Let it dry out thoroughly and give 'er another try.


Wayne

[vexlak]

Update:
Came back few days ago. Connected my darling on charger nicely covered and protected from the elements. Tried to start her 2 days ago, would start... It coughed up once, otherwise nothing until the battery got weak again... So I started to look around for a manual to change or alter the hall sensor. There is a good pdf file out there which among other things telling you to listen to the fuel pump before the actual start.
Now the interesting part:
Today I actually tried to listen to the fuel pump and it sounded unusual. Because of that I did not crank which I am mad at myself that I didn’t. For whatever reason I never looked into the tank since she failed. I filled up the tank before my trip and had 73 miles when she gave up. I assumed that there was plenty of gasoline, no need to look in the dark and rain. Since the pump sounded funny I opened the tank and found "lots" of water. The drain was clogged. There was so much water that good amount leaked into the tank. Now I tried to start and she came back to life immediately!!! Like in 1 turn and she was running like nothing happened. I took her for a ride to the gas station where she coughed and died, however started right up. Topped off the tank with premium and she drove fine after that. I had no time to ride for longer time but she felt fine for the short trip. Added good old Seafoam and let her rest until tomorrow. I will take her for a spin around the Manhattan Island. I am hoping that there was some sort of vacuum in the tank that could have caused this. Or it may be the hall sensor after all and get bad only in rain. Now I cannot ride in the rain...
Any opinions?

[me&mybmw]

I had similar troubles on a trip to Canadian East Coast,ran into rain and bike would not run. Thought Hall Sensor, found garage, finally tech jumped right in and found the problem.....wires for side stand had rubbed together enough behind a clip to bare them. Add the rain, instant short, and no fuel pump. 02 RT. Good luck.