Bike quits when wet

My bike is a 1984 Honda CB700SC Nighthawk S, and it quits when it gets
wet. (More specifically, it quits when the whole bike gets wet and I
let the rpm's drop below ~3-4000...if I keep it above that, it runs
ok.) I was thinking maybe the spark plug wires are letting in a
little water and shorting out (I don't think they've ever been
replaced), or maybe that the ignition coil is shorting out, but just
putting in new parts and crossing my fingers is ridiculously
expensive...a single spark plug wire costs $22... Just thought I'd
ask if anyone had any ideas?

Thanks,

George
gth782m - at - mail - dot - gatech - dot - edu

 

The plug caps are the parts that snap onto the plugs. They screw by
hand into the ends of the wires. Usually they contain resistors for
suppressing radio interference. Each cap has two rubber boots, one on
the wire end and one on the plug end. You can find caps at your local
shop for under $5 each or by mail for about $2 each. If the boots have
been leaking for awhile, the wires and the caps and even the coils may
be corroded.

Replacing or at least regapping your plugs is advisable if it's been a
while.

 

In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of
three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for
use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.

It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But
they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-
40—which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try—is still in
use today.

 

The stuff is great. I keep a can in the garage and in the house.

pierce

 

Lots of old(er) Hondas had this problem. As others suggest, WD40 works
well, but a more effective cure is to take off the coils and HT leads
and dry them out in an airing cupboard.

Then seal the coils in plastic bags, tied securely around where the
leads exit, with one or two of those sachets of desiccant (available
from camera and electronics shops) in each bag.