Having finally got the tank back from the shop, and having to smooth out bubbles in the chrome green wrap (i was not charged for the tank wrapping), it was time to start the accents on the fairings. Note that whilte the side panel green appears to be different these are the same color and come from the same roll of vinyl wrap.
So I was sitting on the bike back on June 19 & feeling that satisfied feeling that you’ve fixed just about everything and you’re ready to roll, then something else happens. The something else was that as I sat on the bike with it running, on centerstand of course, I look down and there’s a puddle of something oozing its way towards my electric bike & charger. Not knowing what this is I turn off the bike, get down and stick my finger in this puddle. Not being careful I also use my left arm instead of my right and promptly burn my arm on the exhaust pipe. duh. Hot pipe = Hot, and Hot is hotter than the Arizona sun …
Turns out the puddle is gasoline … hmm … why is there gas coming out the bottom of my engine somehwere … ? Time to call it a day & look again next week … so, that was fast. Here we are next week , July 26, 2021. Sunny day, full of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, wonderful morning. Start the bike up again, wait for the gas to come out hte bottom, figure out it is coming from a small diameter black tube, trace it back to the … petcock? Really? What the heck? okay, there’s an overflow on the petcock. What’s it for? When does it leak? It is there to relieve gas build up when the diaphragm in the petcock ruptures …. great.
So … turns out the diaphragm is not flat, or spherical, it is round with a knob on each side, has a metal section in the middle, and another rubber side with a knob in the middle. See pictures below. Amazon/Ebay/the entire internet do not have rebuild kits specifically listing this model so what do I do? I spend $34 buying a new compatible full petcock. Not a bad idea as once i went to install it i found out the vacuum, relief, and output all face the wrong way compared to the current install. What good news is there? Well, the replacement petcock diaphragm section is the same as the existing one from 1981 … so i take it off and put it on the original … and it fits like a glove. Problem solved, now the inputs and output face the proper direction and i have a spare section so i can peruse the internet for similar looking pieces going forwards.
Finally got it re-registered and insured. Street legal now. Just need to finish some optics (wrap gas tank & other side panel i think), add a clip to pull the charging cable out through the gas tank lid, and install a chain slide and it is good to go. Actually the only real thing is to add the chain slide as I am using a smaller than stock sprocket so it will rub on the swing arm. Or i could just increase the front sprocket size, lengthen the chain, and get on with life also.
As I’m learning more about the bike and what is working and what’s not I realize there’s a fuel tank sensor. Apparently it does not work. Why doesn’t it work? Well 1) the wires connecting it to the tachometer gauge are missing, and b) look at the picture, apparently it was leaking gas so a previous decided to simply seal it in order to fix it. One of these days when I have a spare gas tank I might see if i can fix this …
