More on the topic of fuel lines...

[Rollin668]

Anyone know what negative effects would arise from running a 3/16" fuel line instead of the 5/16" fuel line I'm finding popping up everywhere?

The reason I ask is I can only seem to find (at least readily available...) a 3/16" shut-off valve and I'd REALLY rather not try to crimp down a 5/16" fuel line onto a 3/16" fuel valve nozzle!!!

Thanks.



Rolly
(FYI - got my Katana 750 shock in the mail today, now just to mount the thing and see how it feels - hopefully a bit stiffer and higher than stock... next step is working on the forks...)

[Kerry]

I would think that 3/16" fuel line could only exacerbate the fuel starvation problems that have been mentioned by several members.

In the recent thread Fuel Starvation Issue? 1990 GS500 I posted pictures of a couple different 1/4" shut-off valves.  Is there some reason you can't get a valve similar to one of those?

[Rollin668]

Oops - no reason other than nothing appears to be readily available - I'm checking 2 other bike shops in San Diego this afternoon and then run by a Lowe's a bit later (Home Depot doesn't carry anything useful for this application...).  The local bike shop had a 3/16" fuel valve, so I was considering trying that one, but no that I've seen your post, I'll look first at the other bike shops and then try Lowe's and then a Lawnmower shop right around the corner from my house... thanks a million...

Guess I should keep up with my own posts, 'eh?    


Rolly

[Kerry]

Heh - I didn't even realize that the other thread was yours!

Let us know what you try, and what results you get.

[Rollin668]

I've got an issue now with the RESERVE and the ON fuel hoses as they connect to the fuel chicken... I guess once I ditch the petcock, it really won't matter anyway...

I've got a CLYMER SUZUKI MANUAL and according to Chapter 8 it shows on the FUEL chicken that the hose on the bottom (or far RIGHT) of the FUEL chicken is the "RESERVE FUEL HOSE" and the hose from the left side of the FUEL chicken is the "ON FUEL HOSE".  According to BikeBandit - it's in reverse.  So my question... where does the reserve hose from the engine (which is the longer of the 2 nozzles) go into the petcock and where does the on hose go into the petcock...

I've been trying to follow the manual, but since it goes COMPLETELY against what BikeBandit lists, I'm a bit confused... but again it won't matter much if I change the whole set-up anyway...

Anyone else ever notice something wrong with the Clymer manuals???

Thanks again...


Rolly
(I'll get the whole thing figure out after work today and let you know how it turns out...)

[Sportbilly]

Not sure if they'd have specifically what you're asking for, but http://www.mcmaster.com have *just about* everything you could ever need.  They don't tell you up front what shipping costs, but they're yet to charge me anything, I doubt they'll rip you off.  Run a search on valve and I'm sure a few pages of stuff will pop up.

I could post that link in a thousand boards, without it being considered off-topic LOL

[Kerry]

I don't have my Clymer on-hand, but the BikeBandit diagram shows you the fuel tank petcock from the right-hand side of the bike.  (Go back to your other thread, work your way backwards to the busted pitcock thread where Piper5177 supplied a diagram from BikeBandit, and then read my post a little further down.)

Also, check out the old thread fuel line routing info?.  My post lists the fuel-related hose connections in what I hope is a clear explanation.

[Rollin668]

The BikeBandit schematic has it wrong on the frame mounted petcock... it shows the ON hose coming from the right side of the petcock and the RES line coming from the front mounted nozzle on the left of the petcock...

Anyway, it would seem NO bike shop in San Diego has a fuel valve in stock that will work, so hopefully, the Lawnmower shop will be helpful...

If anything, one bikeshop said they could get the part in 2-3 days is I ordered it...


Rolly

[Kerry]

OK, one more time.

The BikeBandit diagram is CORRECT as far as where the hoses attach - assuming that we're talking about the same diagram.  My comments are about the following diagram: 1996 SUZUKI GS500E FUEL chicken.

What throws you off is the fact that, in the diagram, the fuel tank shutoff valve has been twisted around 180 degrees.  The on/off shutoff slot actually faces to the RIGHT (the INSIDE of the bike), not to the left as shown.  And the longer (RES) tube is really in the FRONT, not the REAR.

In your mind, twist the fuel tank shutoff valve 180 degrees counterclockwise.  Then everything will line up and you will see that the hoses, as depicted, are hooked to the correct junctions.

EDIT: Fixed the invalid BikeBandit link.

[MattN]

Hi Kerry,

I hate to question this yet again, but if you're correct that the reserve hose connects to the longer tube on the tank fuel chicken and the down position (right hand) side of the remote fuel chicken, then the bike bandit diagram is wrong. As it labels this fuel line "5 - HOSE, Fuel "ON"".

I am actually very interested in finally figuring out the proper routing, as I believe my fuel lines have been hooked up incorrectly for some time now. The tank fuel chicken is actually labelled R & O on each of the respective tubes, but I've been unsure as to how they should be connected to the remote fuel chicken.

The position I have setup now, follows plumbing valve labelling practices. So with the ON position being down, I have connected ON to the (right hand side) down on the petcock, Reserve being in the middle (level with the earth) I have connected it to the outter most left side of the remote petcock. And I believe both the vacuum and main fuel like to the carb are setup correctly.

If you have a chance can you review your bike bandit schematic and part numbers and just confirm that the bike bandit diagram is correct, ignoring the fact that the tank petcock should be turned around. I just want to verify the connections between the long and short tubes on the tank petcock to their connections on the remote petcock.

Thanks,

Matt

[Kerry]

Thanks for pointing out the discrepancy in the text of the BikeBandit diagram - I had never noticed that before!

All I know is that both my '96 and my '99, although slightly used when I bought them, came with the hoses the way I have described them.  And I have run them each into the REServe many times, and gotten extra mileage when switching the remote petcock from ON to RES.

So in my experience, the pictorial part of the BikeBandit diagram is correct, the legend is incorrect, and it's anybody's guess which hoses those 2 part numbers go to.  Maybe we should consult the diagrams for other years....

Wanna know what I think?  Whoever decided to "spin" the fuel tank shutoff valve around in the diagram ended up confusing those responsible for labeling it.  We're not the only ones who can't make sense of it!