R100R 1993

[Major Softie]

Water can also be in the gas as you're pumping it into the bike, but that usually is enough water to really mess up how the bike runs.


There are "Fuel Dryer" products, which are simply alcohol that will absorb the water and allow it to mix with the fuel and get burnt up. If your pump fuel comes with alcohol already in it (E10, E15), and you still have such "bubbles," then it's enough water to fully saturate the alcohol and then precipitate out of the fuel. That means a lot of water and you should dump the fuel and start over.

[ME 109]

Dads car got water in the tank when I was about six.
I don't recall it raining that day, or there being anything obviously wrong with the cap.

[bbelk]

Dads car got water in the tank when I was about six.
I don't recall it raining that day, or there being anything obviously wrong with the cap.

Here in Texas it happens every winter due to rapid changes in temperature causing it to "rain" in the tank. The way to avoid the problem is to have full tanks with little or no air space. Its a problem for me and my boat which has a 40 gallon tank that I prefer to trailer empty. I have a big water separator filter which I change in the spring.

[Zombie Master]

Don't forget to run your bike on reserve every once in a while. It will help to pass small amount of water and send crap to the in-line filter that you installed.

[Souljer]

Hi,

Thanks guys. Glad I guessed correctly.
In the video I can see the droplets are tiny. Only when they start to collect into the corner of the pan as I tilt it do they start to join to become one small bead with a few tiny satellites.

It's been extra cold here and I noticed that dew was starting to settle on the helmet before I took off. Maybe this kind of weather is encouraging some internal condensation? The bike is kept in a garage but it's not heated.

I took the bike out briefly and it sounded better and did not leak. However that was not a regular thing, so I really don't know if opening up the bowl and letting the needle valve drain did anything. When it was seriously failing last ride, it started sounding like it was starving or flooding. It was leaking as I was riding but would stop when I stopped.

I did give the clutch cable a turn and the transmission seemed to go to Neutral easier now. A few times it would stop there for a visit before I encouraged it up to 2nd.

I recorded the ride in case I could review it and get some extra information that I might not be paying attention to during the ride. For the video I was just using my iPhone taped to my jacket. So far I learned that crappy equipment makes crappy video footage. It's pretty horrible and noisy. The sun was setting by the time I got on the road so the picture is mostly out of focus and under exposed. I'll try to make a better one tomorrow during the day if I have time. However when there is little or no wind blast, the bike sounds good to me.

[Souljer]

Hi,

Don't forget to run your bike on reserve every once in a while. It will help to pass small amount of water and send crap to the in-line filter that you installed.

What a great idea.
Thanks, I'll remember to do that.

[PITAPan]

Hi,

Don't forget to run your bike on reserve every once in a while. It will help to pass small amount of water and send crap to the in-line filter that you installed.

What a great idea.
Thanks, I'll remember to do that.

The reserve standpipe in the tank is high enough so unless there is a LOT of water is just stays in the tank rusting out the seams. You have to remove the petcock or just tank the tank off so you can tilt it around to flush it. Flush the gas into a clean gas can. The water will settle in minutes and you can pour the clean gas off the top and back into the tank.

Unless you have drops the size of a pea in the float bowls you don't have a problem--at least as far as running. Any water i the carb bowls indicates it's in the tank and damaging the tank. You can use Dri-gas or similar. it's simply alcohol. Alcohol mixes with gas, water will not. So you add alcohol and it mixes with the water to make weaker alcohol that then mixes with the gas. In places where it gets cold enough for water in a carb to freeze, you do this. You should not bother in a moderate climate. Some people have no idea what is or isn't hydroscopic---doesn't stop them from slinging the bull anyway. Bad gas comes from the gas station. There are some long shot other ways of getting water in the gas. Condensation is so long shot it's silly. Dew fall is not surface condensation and the volume of your tank is minicsule. The huge underground tanks (below the water table along the beach, right?) are another matter. The gas pumps have inline filter but they may not be maintained. Beware low lying gas stations and stations owned and run by first generation immigrants (lot of little cheapo stations like that).

You have identified amajor problem. Put the electronic toys away (fer crissakes already!!!) and fix the issues you have identified so far, then see where you are.



You have identified that the fuel level in one carb is so high the thing is over flowing on your boot. Hint: it won't run right. The bing carbs are known to have a float and/or needle hang up here and there, flooding the bowl and making a puddle. So you always turn off the petcocks when leaving the bike. But it should not happen when you are riding, or only extremely rarely. it is possible to get bit of crud in a float needle. You can flush this out. More often simple 'exercising' the float and needle resolves the issue. if it keeps coming back, pull the float needles and check the tips for hardening and wear.

Mark the correct fuel height on the insides of your bowls. A scribe line will do. Data on Snowbums site for the depth of the fuel in a freshly removed bowl. You can fill with water to that depth and make a line or do some measuring and calculating and then measure down from the bowl rim. I did the latter. The marks I made are very small pits done with the Dremel and a dental burr.

Check the carbs for air leaks between the carbs and heads, at the throttle shaft and enriches shaft and at the enricher cover.

Get a mechanics stethoscope (cheap) and listen to the engine. Start getting used to what things sound like through that, especially the timing chain and valves.

[khittner1]

PITA---what high-functioning adult Asperger's looks like online . . .

[PITAPan]

PITA---what high-functioning adult Asperger's looks like online . . .

khittner1--- what ordinary stupid looks like online. Bye.

[Souljer]

Hi,

Okay, so no doubt this will be a dumb question for some, but if products like Dri-Gas, etc. are alcohol to absorb the water, would it not be easier to simply add some ethanol? E85? Not a fill-up but just some? Last full tank I put in was 91 but I don't know if that has any ethanol or not.

When I drained the carb a few days ago I collected the gas in a metal tray. That's where I noticed the water droplets. I did not look in the float bowl that carefully. Maybe I'll take it apart again in the morning to double check. Then again, is this sort of normal and there are always some drops in the tank? Can you ever get rid of all of it?

I have noticed in a few rides that the carburetor was not leaking (so far) and the engine seemed to run fine ...as long as I remembered to turn the fuel taps back on...
I'll get the hang of this eventually!