Maybe the fuel line was the problem

I did a bunch of small things to my bike today. Finally replaced the battery ground with the correct cable, re-relocated my turn signals and changed the oil. When I was changing the oil I noticed that the where the fuel line was coming out of the petcock was all rotted. It wasn't dripping, but when I touched it I did get gas on my fingers. So I replaced it.

I'm a little disturbed because I took the bike into a dealership last fall to find out why it was sucking gas. Nothing wrong with it. Brought it to a different one before my trip to have all the lines and general stuff checked out. No problems. Sure, I could have done it myself, but I was running out of time. I know I should be looking at these things and finding them myself, but I felt like I was paying someone else to do that for me. This obviously didn't happen overnight.

Do you think this is what was causing my 25 MPG for the whole trip. :gah: I feel like such an idiot. I'm also wondering if this is what was causing my bike to act like it was out of gas on the Interstate the other day.

Any thoughts?

Well the new fuel line didn't help with the bike cutting out. I was heading up the Kancamagus Highway today, which is a mountain pass, and it started cutting out on me. I'd twist the throttle a few times and it would come back on temporarily. It was fine once I made it over the pass. It happened one more time after that in a similar situation. I think I'm going to drain the tank tomorrow and see if the filter's clogged up.

Would be a good idea to check out the carb...I had a issue one time where something stuck my needle opened,good thing I seen the gas flowing out of the overflow tube.....

It made it around town, but when I tried to take my friends down the river to have lunch at the covered bridge it didn't make it. Got about half way down and started up a long incline and it quit. I had to stop and let it settle for a while before it would start again. I'm not going go have time to look at it until Wednesday, when I was supposed to be leading an evening ride. Oh well.

sounds like either the fuel filter or something blocking the fuel inlet to the carb above the needle and seat like part of the inside of the hose

Believe or not i just got a bad load of fuel at a respectable gas station, I still do not know what the sustance was in the fuel but it was heavier then the fuel and would not mix into the fuel. Was not water ,and when i poured the gas off as best as i could without disturbing this substance it had an oily consistancy almost like antifreeze and a rust like color. All i know is it would start to fuel starve the motor accumulating in the carb bowl.
Tim

My story of the day

Went to the dealership this morning to get a new filter. Don't have any in stock. Didn't have the ground cable I needed after my trip either. I guess they don't stock parts. I did speak to one of the the techs who thought it might be the vacuum pressure to the carb. I looked at the manual and both poor fuel economy and failure to run at high speeds are caused by problems with the vacuum pressure. I took a look at it and just don't want to deal with it. I have a Mikuni, so my manual doesn't cover it. I called the dealership and made plans to take it in tomorrow.

I was still planning on leading the evening ride tonight at 6:30. At close to 4:00 the ex calls and needs a big favor. He's heading out to SD on Friday, had to work tonight, and would really appreciate it if I'd run over to Meredith to pick up a motor mount because our dealership ran out of them this morning. :angry: What DO they have behind that door anyway? I figured I could make it over there and back by 6:30 and I like the ride. I asked the ex if he'd take my bike with it's current condition and he said he would. Just don't get on the throttle too hard. No big deal.

Well I made it about 2 miles and it quit. I limped back about a mile and that was it. I was coasting downhill trying to pop the clutch to start the bike, but it just wasn't having it. I realized that I was using up the momentum I would need to carry me over the next hill so I stopped trying. No good. A guy stopped to see if I needed help and I told him if he could just help me push it over the hill, I could get it home from there. Ya know what? Home is a lot farther away when you're pushing a bike than when you're riding it. The clock was ticking and I was running and pushing the bike. It was getting a little heavy and I was having trouble holding it up, but I had to keep going. There was this guy that's gotta be close to 400 pounds standing on the side of the road smoking a cigarette. I swear if he had said one word to me I would have laid him out. Even if it was a friendly word. He could probably tell and didn't say anything.

I finally got it in the driveway and was in a big hurry to lock it up and get in the car and go. I had called the ex to tell him what was going on, and then I couldn't get the flashers to turn off. Something I've done a hundred times before but it just wasn't happening. You may find this hard to believe, but I went into psych-b*tch mode. I lost it. I was supposed to be leading this ride and meeting these guys to talk about chapter stuff at the ride and still had to get to Laconia to pick up the part, which is about an hour away, and I couldn't get the f'ing flashers to turn off. I finally got a grip and figured it all out. Got to the dealership 5 minutes before they closed and got the part. Didn't think to get the fuel filter I needed. The guy I called to lead the ride apparently went down there and told them all to go to my house - which is where I wasn't. :gah: Why would you do that?

So that's my story. Someone else is going to fix the stupid thing. I feel like I've run about 5 miles and done some heavy weight lifting. That adrenaline is some amazing stuff.

Man, and I thought I was the only one with luck like that!? Sorry for your bad chain of events. Maybe you should stay home and have a drink or read a book or something. Whatever would work to calm your nerves. Hope it gets better from here.....

Pushing a bike is a pain...had to push mine 3 miles once and up 2 hills...My luck, was the hotest day of the year,So I feel for you.....Hope eveything works out for you...

I saw "Wild Hogs" the other night and I was just really glad I wasn't pushing it down Highway 50 with a vulture following me down the road. :roflmao:

When I dropped the bike off this morning at the dealership, one of the HOG chapter members was driving by on his way to work. He had an Electra Glide of some sort, then bought a new one probably around '04. He made some comment about my bike getting trailered in and I said (thinking of the majority of chapter members who buy new bikes every other year), "Well, I'd rather fix mine than buy a new one every other year." Then the guy starts defending himself by saying that he had to trade his '07 (hadn't realized he'd bought an '07) for an '08 because of the vibration. Said that three other people he knew were doing the same thing for the same reason and that H-D refused to acknowledge that it's a problem. I don't know what I'd do in this case, but I wouldn't be all that pleasant about it, I'm sure.

Just an update ,
Pulled the fuel valve and strainer out of the tank , there was the source of the problem, some red sludge looking matter packed around the strainer about a quarter of an inch high from the bottom of the strainer. Have no idea what it is.
Tim

Yuck. Turns out mine was a bad petcock.

I was afraid you were going to say you kicked it over and stomped a few dents in the gas tank. This problem is obvious enough they ought to be able to fix you up pretty quick. Let us know what they find. Good luck!!