Bike bogs down everytime it rains

[az3200]

I had issues in the past and even wrote a few threads about it here but the problem seems to come and go. Lately the problem is been happening more often. Now every time it rains my bought my bike bogs down really badly and I'm always getting rain in the gas tank.

At this point I have no idea how the water is getting into the tank. My latest attempt at keeping the water out was to cover the entire gas cap with tape before work today. During work it rained, when it was time to leave, I made it almost all the way home then it started bogging down really bad in my neighborhood. luckily I made it home.
This also happened 2 nights ago when it rained. Poured nearly an entire bottle of heat into about 2 1/2 gallons worth of gas in my tank to finally get it working so I could make it home.

I also don't understand why I'm able to ride almost 16 miles before it starts bogging?

What am I missing here? The seals look fine.

[Motofool]

Do you have a regular air box and filter?
Are all tube connections to that box sealed?
Is there a way for water to route down into the bowls of one or both carbs?

[az3200]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Do you have a regular air box and filter?
Are all tube connections to that box sealed?
Is there a way for water to route down into the bowls of one or both carbs?

Stock air box and air filter.
Haven't looked.

I do know that when this happens, I drain the carbs, try to start the bike, then drain the carbs again hopping that it will work. Options are limited on the side of the road. Sigh.

Thanks though, good points. I'll start checking that tomorrow morning.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by az3200

Stock air box and air filter.
Haven't looked.

I do know that when this happens, I drain the carbs, try to start the bike, then drain the carbs again hopping that it will work. Options are limited on the side of the road. Sigh.

Thanks though, good points. I'll start checking that tomorrow morning.

The water is either sneaking into the gas tank or into the bowls via the air intake or attached cables and hoses.

Once it reaches the bowls, it goes to the bottom and as the level goes up, it blocks the inlets of the jets (fuel can be sucked and vaporized by the Venturi effect, but water cannot).

Place the bike as you normally parked it (vertical or inclined) and think like water, ..........or, if you are bold enough, spray it with water section by section and watch.

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by az3200

... Poured nearly an entire bottle of heat into about 2 1/2 gallons worth of gas in my tank to finally get it working so I could make it home.

HEET is 99% alcohol. On bottle can treat 20 gals of fuel. If you are getting water in your tank, it's being pushed down to the bottom by all the alcohol (including the ethanol in the gas). That much alcohol may be your problem.
try adding more gas (Ethanol free if you can get it).

[az3200]

Didn't find out how the water is getting into my tank. Had to take the tank off and dump the old fuel out. Rode a bicycle for 5 miles to get some more gas, and I got it running for now.. I'm afraid of what happens next time it rains though. I had to call off from work again for this. They're not happy at all, I may get fired tomorrow. Sigh.

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

HEET is 99% alcohol. On bottle can treat 20 gals of fuel. If you are getting water in your tank, it's being pushed down to the bottom by all the alcohol (including the ethanol in the gas). That much alcohol may be your problem.
try adding more gas (Ethanol free if you can get it).

Hmm, this may be part of my problem. I thought heet worked by making the water combine with the gasoline so it is burned through the engine. So how exactly does heet work? If water is heavier than gas, how would adding more gas help? Both times this had happened I had around 2 gal of gas in the tank

[CZroe]

Sealing over the gas cap with tape can also cause a problem. It needs to breathe so that the tank doesn't form a vacuum as it drains.

I encountered rain right after leaving my hot bike running in a parking lot for almost an hour and the rapid cooling caused the air to contract, starving the carbs of fuel. I stalled only a couple blocks away.

I didn't dare open the fuel door in the downpour and ended up pushing it for almost a mile to a gas station where I found out that -SURPRISE!- I still had plenty of fuel. It started right up after opening the fuel door but I didn't figure out why until months later (initially thought I had just diluted bad gas with fresh gas).