TCI or pickup coils? 750 SECA

OK, I did some searching of past postings, so I got some clues, but let's rehash it anyway.
Background: My 750 was running great last Sept., but after a couple weeks lay off, it got hard to start, corresponded with rainy weather. Ran bad, some cylinders not firing. After long warm up at medium RPMs would eventually run well. Got worse through the winter.
New plugs this spring and it started like a champ, sunny, cool weather.
Another few weeks lay off, rainy weather again. Same bad pattern, can get it started but cuts out flat after 30-60 secs.
It gets plenty of gas, but it cuts out suddenly. I'm convinced it's ignition electrical.
Up to date: I have a multimeter but the ohm reading is faulty. (Need new multimeter).
Here is one test clue, I checked to see if the ignition coils were getting 12 volts at the connectors. R/W to frame gives 12 volts, R/W to Grey gives 12 volts, R/W to Orange gives no reading. R/W to Grey or Orange should give the same reading, am I right? Can anybody interpret my voltage test? Continuity tests show no break in wires.
I know I have to get a good ohm meter for testing the pickup coils.

 

The R/W should always be hot with the key on.

The TCI grounds the gray and orange. The coils fire when the TCI interrupts the ground.

The tricky part is the TCI ungrounds the gray and orange if there is no signal from the pick up coils for a few seconds. This is to protect the coils from overheating if the key is on and the engine isn't running.

So unless you checked the R/W to gray really quick I'd look for gray being shorted to ground or a faulty TCI.

 

Are you eliminating the pickup coils as a cause?
Thanks!

 

Update: I tested the TCI in another bike (550SECA), it worked.
I tested the TCI from the 550 in the 750, same behavior, some firing but will not run.
I guess this leaves the pickup coils to be tested.

 

Why are you looking at the pickup coils and not the ignition coils? Especially the weather-related behavior you described sounds much more like cracks and weathering in one or both ignition coils, caps, or wiring.

Pickup coils basically work or don't. If you have spark on only one pair of plugs due to a bad pickup coil, swapping orange and gray from them to the TCI should swap the spark to the other pair of coils.

 

I'm getting spark from both coils.
Externally the coils and wires look good.
Should I go back to the carbs?