Water and Alarms
 

Yes I know I should not be riding in the wet, but with the weather being so changable there is sometimes no option:(

After heavy rain (or washing) I cant set the standard Datatool on my 03 999BP as it starts "ticking" and after a few minutes the alarm activates which really pleases the neighbours! :sing:

So today got the tub of vaseline and electrical contact cleaner and proceeded to spay and stuff every connector I could find -Happy with my mornings work I decided to test it and lightly hosed the bike and yes the alarm went off again.

Have I missed one? or do "THEY ALL DO THAT!!"

Ive seen posts on this before and ive searched but cant find them.

Help!!!

Yep. They are crap. I have similar issues with the Datatools on my road-going 800ss and on my Triumph. They don't like water - you might want to check the gasket sealing the alarm case. They can fail.

Mine went up in smoke after washing the bike down.

Its the main unit that lets the water in and its really hard to stop water getting in where the cables enter the unit. I might be a good idead to mount the unit where it cant get wet or cover it in cling-film, although it might not be that load then!!!

Andy

Conformal Coating
 

Once the alarm is installed and working correctly.
Carefully remove the lid (Torx) and seal up the cable entry as much as possible (Silicon sealer) then spray "Conformal coating" on both sides of the PCB and connector (with the wires attached). This will coat the electronics is a plastic coating making it much more waterproof. While your in there replace the NiMH battery for a new one at least 2100mAH size or better, £3-4 on Ebay. Any probs on the Conformal contact me.

Regards

Paul

Many thanks, ill open it up at the weekend and give it a good spray, Im surprised the alarm PCB is not encased already in plastic.

Whats the point of the bigger battery?

mine plays up as well. if it rained really heavy it would bleep once occasionally while i was riding and then randomly set itself off for an hour after i'd stopped.
spoke to datatool and they said...it's probably water in 1 of the connectors though not necessarily the alarm itself. it could be detecting a current change from water in 1 of the bikes connectors and triggering the alarm.
now if i pull after a heavy shower i let it tick over till the fans come on to try and evaporate the water, touch wood it hasn't done it since.

Lasts longer if they (thieves) disconnect the bike battery, generally the higer capacity batteries are from better manufacturers. They only have a good life of 2-3 years, 4 at the most.

Depending upon the model of alarm, there could be a few "upgrades" available.
The early evo + alarms suffered with water entering through the siren. There is a new cover available with a sealed unit fitted.
The later alarms have a potted circuit board that is very reliable. These are usually retro fitted under warranty circumstances. If the alarm is still warranted, it may be worth a call to your installer.