"pri" "res" "run"

[drew]

Hi all,

I have newly acquired an 82 GS400 and haven't been able to track down a manual yet. The guy who sold it to me told me that the petcock won't run in reserve. The bike I learnt on was a newer Honda with settings "Res" [reserve], "On", and "Off".

On the GS, I'm assuming "Res" is reserve, that "Run" is the regular "on" position, but what is "PRI"?

Should being told "it won't run in reserve" scare me?

Thanks again - I've been doing a lot of reading on the forum lately and am learning a lot!

[Can_O_Tuna]

Pri stand for primary. It bypasses the vac and gives you a straight gas flow that will fill your oil pan with gas if you forget to shut it off ,if you leave it on when the bike is off. Have you tried to run the bike with it set to res?

[kalessin]

The petcock is vacuum-activated for the "run" and "res" positions, which means that it has a second, narrower line for the vacuum that comes up from the carbs and goes to a second nipple on the petcock body.

The "pri" position is used for priming the carburators if they have no gas in them, if the bowls have been drained or the bike has sat for a long time.

[quakeholio]

If you can't use the Pri then the carbs can still be filled, but you have to turn the engine over until the carbs have enough gas in them to fire the engine off. Not the greatest idea in the world.

[jimcor]

Pri stand for primary.

Actually it stands for 'Prime'.