Not that anything is really waterproof, but anyway...

Had another really wet ride today - rained the whole time and puddles/low areas were overflowing. I ran thru a couple a bit harder than I should have, and aside from me soaking up even more water, the bike started to stutter a bit. At low end off idle, almost like a plug starting to foul. I headed for home and it gradually started to get better, but was still doing it a little off & on when I ran the bike inside. So, when my tank finally gets here and I get around to replacing that, I now also want to spend some effort on improving water resistance. Way back when I had a 2 stroke, I used to stuff the plug cap full of dielectric, along with the other end of the wire where it plugged into the CDI box. Seemed to work pretty good, never had any issues, never did anything else. So I will find some dielectric somewhere, and at least do the boot. Likely get a new plug too. Where else should I do that, or what else should I do? Everyone's personal experiences and what they have done with this & this bike would be appreciated.

 

There's usually not much to do with the connectors. I've seen a lot of attempts at little homemade boots, silicone sealant applied to every possible orifice, and elaborate electric tape efforts with that good 3M stuff. Here was the problem. If one tiny bit of water got into those setups, it had no place else to go and little chance to evaporate quickly. That little bit of water sitting inside an almost perfectly sealed system and with the sauna engine heat under a gas tank would usually start some serious corrosion.

There are some exotic and military grade connectors and wiring that are around, but sizing can be a problem with the ones I've seen, as they were fairly bulky if they contained a few separate wires.

When I raced enduros, and they always tried to run you through creeks and mudholes, this was a major problem. Even as bikes got better and the wiring/connectors got better, it could still be a problem. Old timers put me on to dielectric grease. Initially if you read the instructions on most dielectric grease products, it says that you don't put the grease on the actual pins, blades, sockets, or whatever connectors you're dealing with. However, there are decades and decades of proven use of these products being used on the actual connector material in situations where exposure to the elements, especially water, causes conductive problems later on due to corrosion. Dielectric grease is nonconductive so it won't cause a short. Some believe it will inhibit the conductivity between the actual metal connectors because it is nonconductive. The truth is that whatever small interference "might" occur with the grease is small to nonexistent compared to the immediate exposure to water or the long term after effects from corrosion. Water is shed or sealed away from the pin connectors with dielectric grease.

There may be no better example for the use of dielectric grease than the lowly boat trailer connector. Many of these folks slather dielectric grease on the inside and outside of every opening on both ends of trailer plug. Without it most of these plugs quit working in weeks or a few months. With it most of them continue functioning without issue for years.

All of this being said, that's not to say that your problem couldn't also have been caused by water getting into the airbox or another issue.