can anyone help ? about 3 weeks ago i decided to wash my streetbob due to it being neglected for a lot of last year due to ill health. i have had 2 bikes, the first was a 1200 custom sporty which i never ever washed but was in showroom condition because i detail the bike after every ride. i have had my streetbob for about 2 years, and i bought it with 650km on the clock but the owner had no idea about keeping a bike clean so it was filthy for my standards so i gave it a wash when i got it home.
my problem is after i washed it 3 weeks ago i took it for a ride to get rid of any moisture still on the bike after i wiped it down and i got about 1km from home when it started to break down ( splutter, backfire, cough etc) until finally it just stopped and would not start again. i had to put it in the back of the ute to get it home.
when i washed it i put a plastic bag around the SE air filter and only had the hose on a gentle spray the whole time i was wetting it before the subs and the rinse off. it is now 3 weeks since i washed it and it is still running very rough. the bike has a power commander v which probably got wet because it is under the seat.
Has anyone had the same problem?
If it was going fine right after you washed it but only started having issues on the return, it may just be coincidence, the wash may have nothing to do with it. And I would have thought any electrical shorts due to water in connectors would have gone after three weeks. Have you checked your fuel? If water got into the tank you may need to drain it and put new fuel in. Unlikely, but it would still be a problem after a few weeks if water got into the fuel. I would syphon the tank and put new fuel in.
i rode it yesterday, and after the initial start up with a couple of splutters it seemed to clear itself when i rode it around the block a couple of times.
i rode it straight down to the servo and filled it up with 98 and as soon as i started it for the trip home it started again and barely got me home about 3-4km away. i rang the boys at QLD bikes sales In Nerang and they thought it would probably be water in the fuel so i drained every drop i could get out of it with a fuel evacuator and then poured about a cup of metholated spirits in the tank to try and evaporate and fuel out of it.
i poured 5L of 98 that i got this afternoon, and now it wont even start, it just winds over and then flumes pop out the exhaust every now and then. it does not even sound like it is going to fire up, so i removed the SE air cleaner to find what looked like water on the very bottom of the filter and the filter base plate. even tried airo start but that didnt work either. i replaced the spark plugs as well. Nothing.
Sounds like the bike gremlins have got into it. You will have to buy a guardian bell!
I have given everything i could possible think of a spray with WD-40 to see if there is some water in something, but to no avail. the bike is 2009 and has a PCV, which is only 12-18 months old but i have an awful suspision that the PCV has shit it self. i am planning on taking it to the boys at Bike Sales in Nerang in the next couple of days to see what they can find.
Hi Hogbag,
mate did your friends PC3 work again after it had dried out or was it cactus ?
