fuel line question from this IDIOT!!!

[tconroy]

Ok, so what do ya have to take off to change the #@$%#fuel line!!!!!!! I cant even see where it hooks up I know I have to pull the tank off but will that give me access to it?or I'm I gonna have to pull the air intakes off just to change it?MAN I FEEL STUPID.........or maybe just tired.Please answer this and I will try tommorrow.

[duaneage]

Relax!

Pull it off the fuel valve (known as the petcock) and remove the tank. Follow the line to the carbs. Re-use the screen around the fuel line as it protects it from the engine heat. Replace the metal clamps if they are missing or damaged.

I run a small filter in my line, some people do not. That is your choice.

[tconroy]

i have a small filter on now but it feels as if the fuel line has "hardened"plus i have never replaced it since I've owned it and I'm sure the guy who had it before me didnt either.just trying to get winter maintenance done early in case the weather gets better and I want to ride!

[JayH]

Make sure it doesn't have one of those small wire clamps on one of the ends of the line. Sometimes it is hard to see them cause they have been covered over by oil, grime, etc.

[Hoomgar]

i have a small filter on now but it feels as if the fuel line has "hardened"plus i have never replaced it since I've owned it and I'm sure the guy who had it before me didnt either.just trying to get winter maintenance done early in case the weather gets better and I want to ride!

Just get some new hose my friend. Any auto parts store can hook you up. Take your old stuff in for proper sizing.

[bwringer]

This bluish-green polyurethane fuel line from Cycle Recycle II is pure magic:

http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/fuel_lines.htm

It doesn't harden or deteriorate, it pushes onto the fittings easily (use a drop of engine oil to make it even easier) yet holds firmly with no clamp needed (really!), and it's the perfect combination of flexible and firm to avoid collapsing.

You'll need the 5/16" (8mm) size.

Honestly, I never thought fuel line could make life so much better.

[Jethro]

This bluish-green polyurethane fuel line from Cycle Recycle II is pure magic:

I've been meaning to order some of that stuff. It is definitely the bomb.

Every year or two I buy 6 feet of 5/16 hose. It's like .79 cents/ft or something. I use it for everything and replace it whenever the clamp wears the hose a little.

Big T, I make it a little easier to mess with the fuel lines and crap by undoing the rear tank mounts first, and proping the rear of the tank up with a 4" piece of 4"x"4" pressure treated post. Then undo the clamp, pull the fuel line off, disconnect the fuel sender gauge lines, and pull the tank off. With the tank should come the sender unit vent hose, which isn't attached to anything. It's just threaded past the motor.

[tconroy]

thanks for the info. Friday I plan one fogging her and pulling the tank off to start my winter maintenance,just in time too,its getting really cold here in Kansas City.

[Hoomgar]

This bluish-green polyurethane fuel line from Cycle Recycle II is pure magic:

http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/fuel_lines.htm

Ohhh nice stuff. Thanks Brian. I'll be ordering me some of that

[bwringer]

Believe it or not, I normally don't use a clamp with the Magical Blue CRC2 Fuel Line. The MBCRC2FL is stiff, yet elastic enough to install easily, seal perfectly, and stay in place with no clamp. If you use a fuel filter or have a longer run, you might want the extra insurance of some sort of clamp.

If I do need a clamp on a small hose, I usually just use a zip-tie. I can just nip it off with small wire cutters when needed and replace. E-Z. For example, I put a zip tie on the carb fitting on my bike. That way, if I forget to disconnect the fuel and vacuum lines and yank the tank off, it will pop off at the tank end with no damage and stay on the hard-to-reach carb end.

Worm drive metal clamps have sharp edges and almost everyone overtightens them and damages the hose, so I consider them very dangerous on fuel lines. On a low pressure fuel line fitting, the function of the clamp is simply to keep the hose from sliding or pulling off -- the shape of the fitting and the elasticity of the hose form the seal, not the clamp. The MBCRC2FL does not lose elasticity like rubber fuel line, so you can install and remove it for years without losing its ability to hang on to the fitting and form a perfect seal.

If you just can't relax without a metal clamp, use the "fuel injection" clamps, which are not perforated and have rolled edges so they don't cut into the hose.

I've also seen plastic clamps that just squeeze together, but I haven't found a source for them. They sometimes come in the box with new car fuel filters.