need hep - fuel lines for '80 GS850GT

[newbie851519]

i'm looking to replace all of my fuel lines and hoses because some are cracked and i figure why not replace them all.
i have a '80 GS850GT.

What sizes fuel lines and breather hoses do I need?

I took in my old lines and hoses to my Auto Parts Store, and they couldn't help. The nearest Bike shop is too far away, so I have to order them online.

Can I measure the old ones? Or does anyone know what sizes I should be getting?

Thanks!

[t3rmin]

My auto parts store has a rack of spools of hoses. Can't you take the old ones in and visually match them yourself against the available hoses?

Your fuel line is probably 5/16 (if it's the same as mine).

[chef1366]

The fuel line is 5/16" and the vacuum line is 1/4"
If you can't find these at a local auto parts store they are boneheads.

[beergood]

I replaced mine over the weekend. Murrays auto parts (which means Pep Boys and Autozone will have them in the same place), in the fuel filter aisle. 3 feet of 5/16 hose and 4 ring clamps came to about $5.

It's not a high pressure system, so I think that anything that will fit snug, not leak, be resistant to gas and heat should work fine. I don't know if your bike has an in-line fuel filter, but for three bucks, I'd throw one in if it doesn't.

[bwringer]

Automotive fuel line will work fine, but I love this blue polyurethane stuff from CRC2 -- I get a couple of hunks of it whenever I'm down there.

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

It has just the right combination of elasticity and stiffness so that it doesn't kink, and a clamp is not needed most of the time (really!). Great for anything carbureted.

I use a zip tie on the carburetor end and no clamp on the petcock end. That way, if I forget and yank the tank off before disconnecting one of the lines, it'll pop off the petcock and not the carbs.

It also doesn't harden or stick over time like other fuel line, and it's translucent, because sometimes it's good to be able to see if fuel is flowing or not.

Plus it looks cool. Gotta look cool.

[beergood]

Plus it looks cool. Gotta look cool.

Nice! I immediately regret butting on the black hosing.

[SqDancerLynn1]

DON'T use a filter

[knotzilla]

I second that remark. Do not use an inline filter. It will starve your carbs. The filter screen on your petcock will do a great job. Ted

[beergood]

I am curious about the filter issue. The filter I put on there flows pretty freely, I didn't notice any slowing of fuel flow. Do you really think if the filter is in good enough condition that the carbs will still manage to deplete the bowls enough to create a fuel starvation issue? That seams a little extreme to me. If your bowls were always on the verge of being empty, then I think they would be designed with bigger bowls, or a more efficient/free flowing fuel delivery system would be in place.

If you are worried about the filter getting clogged, and then starving the carb of fuel, well, then I would consider that a good reason to put a filter in there and check it often.

I am not claiming to be an expert on this issue (relating to the GS's), I am just curious as to the reasoning behind no filter.

[tconroy]

I got my polyurethane fuel line at a yamaha dealer.Thye carry the 5/16ths.I did have an inline fuel filter and a 1/4"fuel line but switched to 5/16th's and no fuel filter.Have not noticed a bit of difference in performance.

[tkent02]

Filters are fine if you get the right kind...

One made for a bike, which is gravity fed and get it big enough for your engine. The car ones are made to work with a little bit of pump pressure, they may not flow enough by gravity alone. So just get it at a bike shop. If you put it on and your engine starves for fuel, you did something wrong. Run it wide open a few minutes to test. When you find out it works, buy a spare and throw it under the seat someplace. Get the clear kind so you can see what's inside. If it stays clean you didn't need a filter. If it gets stuff in it you just saved yourself a lot of work.

I run them on everything, dozens of bikes of all kinds and have never had a problem until they get clogged. At that point I would gladly take two minutes to replace it with the spare, and not have petcock or carburetor issues ever.

[newbie851519]

thanks

great guys, thanks for the good advice. I'll stick with the filter for now, and try it without to compare performance. got the CRC2 blue stuff. looks like a good option.