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hschisler
Jun 29th, 2008, 9:15 am
I did some searching and founds questions similar to this one but thought I'd post this to glean any additional insight you might have.

Riding on the interstate last night in a very heavy rain the radio controls stopped functioning. I have ridden many times in rain, and in rain equally as heavy as that experienced last night. The radio was still on, but not one control would work (power, volume, mute, tuner, source selector, etc., etc.). The passenger radio controls did not work either. I pulled the fuse and it kept on playing! We disconnected our helmet leads from the Baehr intercom so we didn't have to listen to the static after we left the station's broadcast area.

When I got home I disconnected the battery and the radio quit instantly.

What I got from the other posts was this:

This happens to some radios, not to others.
It happens to some people once, and many times to others.
For some people, letting the radio dry out (no intervention) took care of the problem. For others, they had to take the stingray apart and dry the contacts, use dielectric grease, etc.
Some people have found that hitting the roundel with the hand or first fixes the issue.
Some owners had to remove the fuse inside the stingray to get it to stop.
Is there any additional wisdom to be added to this issue?
Should I be concerned that this will be my radio's new standard reaction to rain?

RVB1019
Jun 29th, 2008, 10:29 am
Not so fast Grasshopper! It may not be the radio but the radio controller.

If you remember, just before I left for April's STC, I washed the LT and my radio would not turn off. The controls would not work either. The controller got soaked by the bike wash.

Luckily for me, I had recently won on ebay a new radio/dashboard setup that included the controller. Swapped it out and problem solved.

So, one possible solution is to replace the controller. A used one should set you back $100 verses the $300 for a new tape deck.

Good Luck!!!!

DavidTaylor
Jun 29th, 2008, 11:10 am
I think the drying out naturally and/or pulling the stingray to dry, clean and grease the conections are the best options to start with. As I recall that tends to address about 90% of the bikes that experience this annoying phenomenon. Start there since that's the cheapest solution in front of you at this point.

hschisler
Jun 29th, 2008, 2:31 pm
Not so fast Grasshopper! It may not be the radio but the radio controller.

If you remember, just before I left for April's STC, I washed the LT and my radio would not turn off. The controls would not work either. The controller got soaked by the bike wash.

Luckily for me, I had recently won on ebay a new radio/dashboard setup that included the controller. Swapped it out and problem solved.

So, one possible solution is to replace the controller. A used one should set you back $100 verses the $300 for a new tape deck.

Good Luck!!!!Now that you mention that, Rob, I recall your story. I'm liking David's idea better -- at least for now. :)

hschisler
Jun 29th, 2008, 2:33 pm
I think the drying out naturally and/or pulling the stingray to dry, clean and grease the conections are the best options to start with. As I recall that tends to address about 90% of the bikes that experience this annoying phenomenon. Start there since that's the cheapest solution in front of you at this point.I let it dry out overnight and through this afternoon. Just reconnected the battery and it's working normally. So, for now at least, it has been a no-cost "fix". If it happens again I may be forced to remove the stingray, but that really sounds like something I don't want to get into without an expert looking over my shoulder. Thanks.

DavidTaylor
Jun 30th, 2008, 12:23 am
I let it dry out overnight and through this afternoon. Just reconnected the battery and it's working normally. So, for now at least, it has been a no-cost "fix". If it happens again I may be forced to remove the stingray, but that really sounds like something I don't want to get into without an expert looking over my shoulder. Thanks.

I'm glad you are "whole" again. :D Next time you're doing some service work I would suggest pulling the stingray to clean out the connectors and apply some dielectric grease in all of them. I did it every time I had the stingray off any of my LTs and never had a single problem in the rain. It's not hard and the connectors are all different so it's virtually impossible to hook it back up wrong.

mgbmw2002
Jun 30th, 2008, 8:19 am
Had radio unit replaced 5 (five!) times under warranty by 3 different dealers. Finally, Daytona BMW figured out it was a short in the wiring harness. Replaced it with a used one and no problems in 2-1/2 years. MG