calnalu
Off shore and glassy
Got back from a weekend ride and decided to wash bugs and road grime from my 99 R1100R. I'm always careful about using a water stream with pressure on my bike for fear of getting moisture into the electronics but it appears I may have done so. Or so I'm guessing.
Next day, Monday morning commute: bike starts normally and I get about 1 mile from my house when the engine sputters once and dies. I coast to the side of the road, make a couple attempts to restart. Nothing. Gas is low but not low enough to trigger the low level light but it could be out of gas or maybe the low level light is busted. Call AAA for some gas. Three gallons in. Still no start. Electronics (lights, gauges) seem to be OK, just won't crank over and start.
Have bike towed home. Check fuses (OK), check spark plugs and connections (OK), check external wiring as much as I can see (all OK). Notice that when I turn the key on the tach needle is flicking up and down.
Thusly puzzled, I have my bike towed to BMW dealer for diagnosis and my service dude tries to start it unsuccessfully, notices the tach flicker, and tells me they'll get to it the next day and warns me it could be "up to five hours of diagnostic work" to figure out what's wrong.
Next day: BMW calls to tell me that they tried starting it again and it started. They turned off the engine and restarted it, four times. They rode it around the block a few times, no stalls, and it restarted normally back at the shop.
My question to the group is: If I indeed incurred some water intrusion or condensation from washing my ride, where exactly might that have occurred (and don't say in my driveway)? If I was able to ride about a mile and then had the engine shut down, is there a possibility a puddle of water was sitting on my bike or engine somewhere post washing and trickled down into the electrics? I've ridden in rain storms and through a foot of standing water before with no intrusion problems.
And if it wasn't a water intrusion problem, then what?!?!
Immediate lesson learned: won't wash bike again. But still interested in figuring out what happened.
Any thoughts or insights from esteemed peers would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Marty
Next day, Monday morning commute: bike starts normally and I get about 1 mile from my house when the engine sputters once and dies. I coast to the side of the road, make a couple attempts to restart. Nothing. Gas is low but not low enough to trigger the low level light but it could be out of gas or maybe the low level light is busted. Call AAA for some gas. Three gallons in. Still no start. Electronics (lights, gauges) seem to be OK, just won't crank over and start.
Have bike towed home. Check fuses (OK), check spark plugs and connections (OK), check external wiring as much as I can see (all OK). Notice that when I turn the key on the tach needle is flicking up and down.
Thusly puzzled, I have my bike towed to BMW dealer for diagnosis and my service dude tries to start it unsuccessfully, notices the tach flicker, and tells me they'll get to it the next day and warns me it could be "up to five hours of diagnostic work" to figure out what's wrong.
Next day: BMW calls to tell me that they tried starting it again and it started. They turned off the engine and restarted it, four times. They rode it around the block a few times, no stalls, and it restarted normally back at the shop.
My question to the group is: If I indeed incurred some water intrusion or condensation from washing my ride, where exactly might that have occurred (and don't say in my driveway)? If I was able to ride about a mile and then had the engine shut down, is there a possibility a puddle of water was sitting on my bike or engine somewhere post washing and trickled down into the electrics? I've ridden in rain storms and through a foot of standing water before with no intrusion problems.
And if it wasn't a water intrusion problem, then what?!?!
Immediate lesson learned: won't wash bike again. But still interested in figuring out what happened.
Any thoughts or insights from esteemed peers would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Marty