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New GT 750 killed by weather

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    New GT 750 killed by weather

    In 1974 I was in the Air Force at Charleston S.C. Had a new GT 750 water buffalo that I just got and had maybe 500 miles on. On the way home from the base I was on a two lane small hiway when I got hit by a massive thunderstorm. They usually happen daily in the summer and this was the first time I'd ridden in one. It was 95 degrees and 90% humidity before the rain.A few seconds into it and the bike dies at about 60 mph. So I coast a hundred yards to a very convenient overpass dead in the water so to speak. Rain came down so hard it was bouncing off the road. Tried a couple of cranks but obvious it wasn't having it. Checked the kill switch which was still on and other than that I didn't have a clue. So sitting there in my fatigues watching cars and trying to figure it out,had full tank of gas and injection oil, nothing obvious I got to thinking about the ignition.Pulled a plug, laid it on the block and cranked. Nothing. So I pulled the points cover, yes breaker points in 1974,and it was full of condensation water. I'm thinking the drastic change in temp caused the condensation since the point cover was well sealed.I happened to have a napkin in my pocket so I dried it out best I could. Good enough as it fired and ran smoothly. About 30 minutes total I was there and the rain had passed, the road was dry.Wow.After that I carried a small can of wd40. It only happened one other time and the wd spritz worked.Something I realized about riding in those intense high heat/humidity downpours is it really did a nice job of washing the bike.

    #2
    Interesting story. Reminds me of 1960s vintage cars, the points were quaintly mid century tech.
    "Only fe' collected the old way, has any value." from His Majesty O'Keefe (1954 film)
    1982 GS1100G- road bike, body, seat and suspension modded
    1990 GSX750F-(1127cc '92 GSXR engine) track bike, much re-engineered
    1987 Honda CBR600F Hurricane; hooligan bike, restored

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