the klr who rained

Over the past couple weeks, I've done some things to try to solve my wet-weather problems. I hung out with Wes one day and installed the T-Mod, and cleaned the air filter, which was brutally caked with dirt, sand, and yes, even a rock sitting in the bottom in there. WTF? I need to be more dutiful about that crap. We also took the tank off and connected an external tank. We did this so we could get all the electrical connections wet. One by one with the engine running, we squirted each and every electrical connection to see if we could find the one making wet-weather riding impossible. Nothing.

A buddy suggested that my wet-weather stalling and not starting might be due to loss of compression. I went out to Chris' a few days ago and slapped a compression gauge on the KLR. Luckily, the compression is within range, so we can rule that out.

One problem I've discovered is that my petcock seems to be messed up. The nozzle that connects the hose leading to the carb actually comes off if you twist and pull just right. Wes and I are thinking that this may be the culprit causing the surging I'm getting while riding. Don't know if this could be my wet-weather problem.

Last night I left the KLR out all night in the rain. Got up early to see if she'd start, and she did. I checked every half-hour (in the rain) for about two hours: no problem. Took her out for a spin, around the block a few times. The rain seemed to not cause a problem. Hm.

So, I'm going to ride to work in the rain today and see what happens. Maybe the T-Mod is what it took.