Wet charging problem

[red lion]

I took my 1997 1100 sport out yesterday, It than started to drizzle fairly heavy. First my Tac stopped working, then the neutral light went out. Then the head light went out,  Then the bike started to run poorly, The longer I rode the bike stated missing and then died and left my stranded. After having it towed home I found that the battery was dead. What could have gotten wet to cause a charging problem? The bike ran fine in dry conditions. This was the first time that I rode when it was wet. The bike is fairly new to me, I rode it about 900 mile since I bought it. The battery was fine before the ride.

[docc]

This is classic Relay#2 failure ("headlight" relay) on a V11. You have four relays on your 1997 1100 Sport-i (the V11 has one more to accommodate the sidestand safety /Neutral Switch function).  One of your relays is equivalent to the V11 Relay#2: headlight, brake light, tachometer, dash warning lights for battery and oil pressure, and likely also the "charging reference"  (which is why your battery went dead).

Score some of those High Current G8HE OMRON micro-ISO relays and inspect the bases the relays plug into (inspect, clean, treat with Caig DeOxit®).

[red lion]

So you don"t think the wet conditions had anything to do with the relay failure? Also witch relay would  #2 be?

[docc]

5 minutes ago, red lion said:

So you don"t think the wet conditions had anything to do with the relay failure? Also witch relay would  #2 be?

Yep, pretty sure the 1100 Sport relay bases are more exposed to rear tire spray than the V11, but I can't be certain about that. Possibly, you just have a matter of drying those relay connections out and taking electronics cleaner to the relay bases, from above with the relay removed and below up into the wiring and connectors, then treat with something to keep the moisture out and maintain good connectivity. I have become  a huge fan of Caig DeOxit Gold. It would be difficult to get Vaseline® (or an equivalent) up into those spaces, IMO.

Not sure which relay is the "Headlight Relay" on your '97 Sport-i. On the V11, it is #2 (from the front).  Perhaps you could dry out the area with a hair dryer until your headlight comes back on, then see which relay defeats the headlight when pulled out. Otherwise, we'll have to wait for a member with 1100 Sport-i experience to post. . . .

 

[red lion]

Hey Docc  You hit the nail on the head. I pulled the relays dried with hair drier, Sprayed them for now with Ams oil metal protector. Lights came on and bike started up. The #2 relay is the 2nd from the rear of the bike.   Thanks for the help.

[Chuck]