Pingel Petcock fitment question...with BONUS!

[Mark Walsh]

83 GS1100E, looking to open up the carbs on it once I get the o-rings from cycleorings.com BUT I want to be a bit proactive and replace my vacuum assisted petcock to avoid any future issues that may ( will ) arise. I've emailed Jeff at Z1 and he was on my side with going ahead to replace that craptastic vacuum deal but said there may be some fitment issues with some Pingel type petcocks.....Has anyone here replaced their OEM with the Pingel on an 83 GS1100E....I know I need what I believe to be a 44mm (??) pingel adapter BUT anyone know the right length petcock to get to avoid clearance issues with the #1 carb top?


Bonus: Now I've consulted the carb rebuild sticky on the forum, but have never really had to unscrew vital parts INSIDE a carb before. Now heres an off question...but what is the BEST way to count the turns...in to out(?) out to in (?) on the various jets etc. that YOU have found to work well? I have no idea what kind of jetting is on this thing, as I've never been in these carbs before, so I need to get back as close to the "starting point" as I can , as it idles nicely but in the range is very spotty...

[Baatfam]

Mark...I got mine from Z1...
Ordered these parts:

These products will be shipped to the above address:
1.
Product Name: Petcock Adapter Plate 44mm 3/8 NPT
Quantity: 1 Product ID: KL18-7216 Price: $20.28

2.
Product Name: Petcock - Pingel High-Flow Fuel Valve - Single Outlet 3/8 NPT
Quantity: 1 Product ID: SU009-305 Price: $72.61

No clearance issues as you can see, (sorry for the blurry shot, just took it)

[Mark Walsh]

Thanks Bob!

Perfect...exactly what I was looking for! also, answered my forgotten question of the best way to plug the vacuum/carb fitting!.

Thank you very much....easy install right?...pretty straight forward?

[seuadr]

question for you pingle guys.. i can get the OEM petcock from suzuki for 60 dollars, what's the benifit of paying more for a pingle?

[renobruce]

There is only one screw per carb that you need to count turns on. It's the pilot fuel screw. You want to count the revolutions IN to LIGHTLY seated. That screw has a point on it, and you dont want to bugger it up! Once everything is cleaned, LIGHTLY seat the screw and count the turns out.

[renobruce]

question for you pingle guys.. i can get the OEM petcock from suzuki for 60 dollars, what's the benefit of paying more for a pingle?

If your bike is stock, no benefit. If you are modded, the stock petcock can starve the carbs on hard acceleration.

[Baatfam]

question for you pingle guys.. i can get the OEM petcock from suzuki for 60 dollars, what's the benifit of paying more for a pingle?

First...it's simple and dependable. No vacumn line involved.
Second...it's what I'm used to.

All my life I've turned the gas on when I start a bike and off when I stop....
This whole leaving it on all the time and sometimes using prime confuses me....

Oh....and they look way, way cooler!!

[Mark Walsh]

benefit?

I don't think a 4-1 exhaust with whatever the carb was jetted to ( no clue ) would starve the carbs of fuel...but since I'm not a big fan of worrying about failures from rubber diaphragms ( OR cotraceptive diaphragms for that matter ) I see the lack of stuff to go wrong a benefit, so that is why I am replacing with the Pingel. OEM ..cheaper , definitely, more ways to fail and worse case seep gas into the sump, possibly.

Also, I could just be a bit overcautious as this is my first bike ownership and am amazed at how easy it is to work on these compared to a car...its like my little heaven when I'm wrenching...so perhaps I'm looking for things to worry about.

[chuckycheese]

For anyone else considering it, clearance is one of the issues that always arises. I don't think it's anything to worry about....except with the 1980 models. On them, it's always something to consider because clearance is very tight. That's the reason that the Japsters put on those foul, but famous and unique, no reserve 1980 petcocks.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I believe Pingle makes a vacuum operated petcock to !! If you wanted to go that way..

[chuckycheese]

I believe Pingle makes a vacuum operated petcock to !! If you wanted to go that way..

Yeah...I remember that also. I'll bet they're pretty dang good! I like the Pingel on my 750 but if it were vacuum operated, I'd probably even like it better.

[dpep]

The advantage for any after market petcock over OEM for any 1982 or later GS is that you might actually be able to use the damn thing. Starting in '82 they used a itty bitty petcock with an itty bitty lever that you can hardly get your finger on but requires about 150 lbs of torque to actually move. This is especially true if the PO didn't ever use his reserve.

On the 82/83 GSs I have bought, there was no way you could switch from main to reserve while riding on the bike. You pull off to the side of the road and get out a pair of pliers. I bought a brand new stock petcock for my GK about three years ago, and it was a little more usable for a while. But brand new it wasn't near as easy to turn as the 25 year old one on my 80 850. I hope they saved at least 59 cents per bike by substituting that pos for the functional petcock they had been using up through the 81 models.

[earlfor]

question for you pingle guys.. i can get the OEM petcock from suzuki for 60 dollars, what's the benifit of paying more for a pingle?

Buy a Pingel and you're done forever. You will never wonder if your petcock has started leaking. There will never be gas in your oil again. You will have no worries and never wonder. You will never need to buy another one. Best money I ever spent.

Downside..... if you cant remember to turn it on and off, dont buy one.

Earl

[BlackStar]

Buy a Pingel and you're done forever. You will never wonder if your petcock has started leaking. There will never be gas in your oil again. You will have no worries and never wonder. You will never need to buy another one. Best money I ever spent.

Downside..... if you cant remember to turn it on and off, dont buy one.

Earl

+1 Mine has been on for a year. Still buttery smooth and no seepage at all

[BlackandBlue]

Slight change of subject. Those who changed the petcock. Do you turn it off before stopping to allow the carb bowls to empty? I've been doing this on my dirt bikes for a while with success. I'm considering adding a shut off valve in line from the petcock to carbs on my 83 GS1100E.