Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hey, I just thought I'd check here to see what you guys thought was likely the cause for something.

The other day after I took my bike to the car wash, it ran strangely for a while. I needed to prime the carbs (ie. ON/RES/PRI petcock setup) to start it even though I had just ridden it. Then at low RPM it sounded kind of clunky and if I let go of the throttle it would shut off.

This seemed to go away after a day or so, but obviously I wouldn't want this happening every time I take it to the wash. Was this probably caused by a few drops of water getting into the tank and I should check the seals in the gas cap area, or do you think it was something else?

Thanks for any advice!

Stay away from using high pressure water to clean your bike. Yes, water will find its way into many places...none good.
A bucket of water and a rag works for me, followed by a good polish.

Hey, thanks for the quick reply.

Don't worry, I know the drill and kept the spray away from all the important bits. I usually wash the bike manually but unfortunately the bucket and rag solution takes a small eternity to clean a bunch of nooks that a spray can get in a couple seconds.

But back on track, it is an older bike and I do suspect that the seals on top of the tank aren't what they used to be, so if it does sound like some water got in there I'll have a look. I try to keep her covered but it's no good if she can't stand to get wet at all!

I bet the water got into your intake or carbuerator, not into your gas tank.

Thanks for the input, I'll add another area to my list of those not to spray directly.

If anyone's still checking out this thread, I could still use some suggestions for the other problem I got after washing the bike (yeah, it's given me lots of fun - my girlfriend's dad hasn't had a problem washing his bike at the car wash, that's why I did it, sigh).

The thread for that is here: viewtopic.php?t=14268. It occurred to me afterward I should have posted it in this forum but oh well.

If the bike runs poorly after a trip to the car wash, there is a product called "wire dry" that you can spray on damp or wet plug wires and other electrical connections that you have hosed down. Also WD40 will displace moisture caused by the afore mentioned car wash debacle. Old bikes, old wires....water, it all adds up to trouble. XS