Quote from: adidasguy on October 24, 2012, 12:39:49 PM
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QuoteYou are supposed to replace your fuel lines every 4 years. Who does that?

Hee hee....ask me about my 98 Moto Guzzi and it's "throbbing" fuel lines sometime!
(not here though, please, it looks as though I have already developed a (briefl) history as a "threadjacker....now where did I put that box cutter?)

QuoteThe fuel lines degrade, get clogged (oh, could that cause fuel starvation?) and develop pinched areas (can we say restricted fuel flow?)

AMEN BRO!!! Chit, you got one convert already to this new religion. Not been so lucky in the past getting in on the "ground floor" of religious opportunities....I once made a pilgrimage down to this place called Waco TX, but by the time I got there it had turned into a bit of a bad scene. Sure they had a fantastic mono color light show and some VERY trippy music blaring non-stop over the PA system, but if there's one thing I learned from one of my mentors, HS Thompson, hallucinogenics and firearms DO NOT mix well together! I skee-daddled the heck right on out of there!
(sorry, couldn't resist...another more or less sleepless night in "The City Too Busy to Hate")

But seriously...

If I may be so bold, the same applies to brake lines....sure, they may *look* fine on the outside, but how come it is you 'spose that over time brake fluid commences to get decidedly darker in color in a system that is pretty much completely sealed? (true, it is vented ever so slightly) If anyone doubts DOT 3/4 class brake fluid is at least slightly corrosive and not healthy for children and other living things, why <insert applicable example of something dumb to do with it>.
(in the interest of being as factual as I know how, the color change is undoubtedly also due in large part to the seals breaking down gradually over time...makes a strong case for a thorough cleaning of the exposed areas of caliper pistons/cylinders....dust from brake pads is abrasive as all get out....big surprise!)

Oh, and another thing, axe me (but not here!) about a certain 03 Suzuki DL1000 which once sat un-ridden for over a year with a half tank of fuel and no "fuel stabilizer" added to the fuel...criminal negligence to be sure, but I paid dearly for that one. Fortunately the fuel pump relay had coincidentally failed, which prevented my dumb @ss from pumping the toxic-smelling crap further down the line. Had I done that it would have no-doubt clogged/ruined the stupid little plastic "integrated" in-tank fuel filter, which costs over $200 if you can believe that! A very thorough cleaning, to include dismantling/testing the fuel pump output put everything more or less right again but the damage to the tank was permanent. There was a very distinct area of solid rust above the line where the fuel level was. The worst part,  I *knew better*, but I honestly thought the tank was full.

As to the topic currently being discussed, I am not real keen on the stock 07 set up but I have seen worse and mine has not given any problems. A well designed "vacuum shut-off" is a very good idea indeed on a motorcycle (IMHO). If nothing else, have heard/read that the GS carb float valve lacks sufficient strength to prevent fuel from leaking past if left sitting with the engine off and the valve left in the "prime" position. (is that true?) I already know where the fuel will end up if it does that....the float valve "stuck" on mine one day and all the float bowl tapping in the world wouldn't have un-stuck it. Oh well, I needed to pull the carbs off anyway to check whether the PO had changed the jetting the way he claimed he had (he had not, the float bowls had obviously never been removed)

Sorry, I really DO have issues with this whole concept of staying "on topic"....it's just how my brain works...not intentional and I don't do it just to pi$$ people off, maybe I got dropped on my head or something when I was a kid. I KNOW there's *something* wrong with me!
Hey A-G, You know that "condition" I mentioned to you offline? Well, fact is my bones are (in all probability) as brittle as those of a 90 year old woman. I guess some people would view it is nothing short of "crazy" for a person in my shoes to risk any manner of "preventable" fall. Well guess what, sometime during the coming week (or possibly today) I am going to be up on my roof tearing down the existing wooden chimney box cuz it leaks and the zoning folks are threatening to write me a $250 "certificate of accomplishment" unless I remove the tarp covering it, and since I ain't got the $250, I'm going the DIY route, yada yada yada....is *that* a preventable fall risk??? Which willful undertaking do you suppose is more fun or more likely to restore a modicum of sanity? Which is most likely to appease the county government? (wow....zing! "OFF-TOPIC-R-US!")

Here's a thought....why not do both!? Shoot yeah Cowboy!

I CAN NOT IMAGINE being without a motorcycle to ride!!! That my friend (to me) is to suggest a fate far worse than death.  Broken hip? Now *that* thought/prospect truly scares me. Ever been inside a nursing home? I haven't been inside of one for at least 30 years yet I still remember a certain smell....it is the collective smell of one foot in the grave! I associate broken hips with that smell. Go figure.

So why am I sitting here doing this when I should be out in the garage putting my bike back together and RIDING it?
That is as fine a question to briefly ponder on a Sunday as any and it looks like it is going to be a FINE day for a ride indeed! I just have to go someplace where everybody else *isn't* going, that's all. (which necessarily precludes the N. GA mountains....suicidal on weekends....didn't used to be that way, it is now though)

Yeah man, life rocks! Now that I have a motorcycle I can manage far more easily, chit, the future's so bright I gotta wear shades!

Play through....(I' pretty sure golfers say that, never played the game myself.)

Thanks guys (and gals? any females here?) I am looking forward to a long "warm and fuzzy" relationship with fellow GS owners/riders. I guess I lurked here for as long as I could stand it! Since owning my GS I've benefited from the collective wisdom on this forum a number of times.

For example, there's some DIY videos on youtube posted by a few of your regulars ....priceless!!! Not just for their educational value, but for their "down home" charm. One in particular comes to mind (but they're ALL good!) the owner/mechanic is trying to manipulate the valve shim removal tool so he can take the shim out...such patience! I LOVED it! That video convinced me that the one exhaust valve on mine that is a bit out of spec to the loose side is NOT worth messing with until this winter when the bike can sit for however long it takes to do the job in an unhurried fashion. Not that it's *that* big of a deal.

Well, I said I was done, now I am! Later! Thanks again. I was waiting for guidance on what to do about the loose epoxy, now I have it, no excuses left for not getting on with the job at hand. I will take a few more pix and maybe a short "walk around" video of the bike running afterwards. Once warmed up it truly runs like a sewing machine....uncanny, my heart warms just thinkin' about it!
-OT-