Flambayed Gonads.

[Hilts]

I spent £3.5k during the winter part of which was a new fuel tank with an 'Airline filler' fuel cap.......................snag is, the ferker pisses out unleaded from the fuel cap. Not wanting toasted gonads etc suggestions anyone..............???

[kevscrivener]

Do you mean when you're filling the tank, or when you're riding the bike?

The short answer is that if it's leaking and you've installed it correctly, then it's not fit for purpose and you should be able to get your money back.

[PMK]

I'm with Kev

All fuel fillers should seal and not leak.

A leak will actually fail the MOT too.

Is coming from the flip up part or the part that sits on the tank?

[BigKev]

First thing to do Dave, is take it back to the guys who fitted it and see what they say.

I'm sure they would appreciate being the first point of contact, not the last

[Hilts]

Originally Posted by BigKev

First thing to do Dave, is take it back to the guys who fitted it and see what they say.

I'm sure they would appreciate being the first point of contact, not the last

I have spoken to them & they're sending me a cap to try, I got the feeling they weren't too sure so I thought I'd see if anyone here had a view. The fuel comes out of the centre of the cap, not the housing. It doesn't leak all the time, when the tank is full and you park up you can hear it gurgling away, then I guess the pressure builds and it hisses outta the cap. Bit disconcerting when you're bimbling along to see petrol running down the tank.


I've attached a pic. If the new cap doesn't work, I guess remove the bolt on housing and weld in a spigot, add a thread and fit a standard screw cap.................??

[kevscrivener]

Originally Posted by Hilts

If the new cap doesn't work, I guess remove the bolt on housing and weld in a spigot, add a thread and fit a standard screw cap.................??

Sounds to me like a classic case of form over function. Only way fuel should come out of a modern tank is through the delivery pipe.

I would still suggest that the whole lot isn't fit for purpose and you should claim your money back. If I was to spend that kind of money on a bike I'd want it absolutely perfect not a potentially lethal bodge job.

[girlyglide]

Can't see from the picture whether the tank has two caps or just the one or where in relation to the tank the cap is situated - centre, left, right etc.

If it's the only filler then the cap needs a vent and I'm wondering whether the fuel is coming out of the vent. This could be the tank being overfull, cap position in tank or indeed a faulty cap.

Either way get the supplier/fitter to resolve the problem and don't attempt a repair yourself. If they fitted it then it is up to them to resolve it; especially with what looks like an expensive custom paint job on the tank.

[PMK]

That hole looks like the vent. The bike won't run with out it.

It probably warrants a look under the hole to see if there's a tube that projects down into the tank. under the full mark. It may well be siphoning up the tube and depositing it on your tackle, which is obviously bad for you!!

Does it do it all the time or only on a fullish tank?

[The Yukon Sizzler]

Does the tank have a separate breather pipe ??
If not then the cap may have a breather "hole", this prevents the tank vacuuming up, or , vents a build up of pressure.
Remember, when filling up at a gas station the fuel comes up cold from underground tanks, within a few mins of being in your tank, a hot engine underneath coupled with warm sunshine will lead to the expansion of the fuel , Could just be a question of not filling up right to the brim , be a shame to fcuk up that tasty paintjob.

[Limey_Dave]

I think Phil and Vince have it,you're not leaving enough room when you fill up.
I don't know if all models are the same,but on the Tourers,there's an insert in the neck to prevent the use of a leaded pump nozle.This is about an inch below the neck,so even if you fill to the base of the insert,you still have plenty of expansion room.If it does spit out,it goes out the vent pipe,so even if you smell it,you don't see it.
I would have thought that breather hole should have some type of baffle to prevent fuel just slopping out,if you can push a probe through the hole into the fuel like a dip stick,it's made wrong.
The old Brit vented caps had the top and bottom vent holes offset to prevent this.The Eaton caps used on earley Harley models had an inner and outer skin,and the tank breathed between the two.