Bad petcock?

[mrprez]

I went through about 12 pages of petcock related posts but didn't see anything like what is happening to me.  I went out to get on the bike to ride to work this morning.  I checked the trip odometer to see how much gas I potentially had.  It read 50 miles, so should have had plenty of gas.  But, a few feet down the road and the bike is backfiring and acting all out of sorts.  I start to head back to the house but on a whim, switched the petcock to reserve and all the problems cleared up.  I went on to work.  I did notice a whiff of gas whenever I was stopped though.  I haven't gotten out there to check for a fuel leak as the patio is roughly the same temperature as the sun right now.  I'll get out there later when it cools off a bit to see if there is any fuel leaking.

New petcock in my future?

[Chrisj CMA]

I went through about 12 pages of petcock related posts but didn't see anything like what is happening to me.  I went out to get on the bike to ride to work this morning.  I checked the trip odometer to see how much gas I potentially had.  It read 50 miles, so should have had plenty of gas.  But, a few feet down the road and the bike is backfiring and acting all out of sorts.  I start to head back to the house but on a whim, switched the petcock to reserve and all the problems cleared up.  I went on to work.  I did notice a whiff of gas whenever I was stopped though.  I haven't gotten out there to check for a fuel leak as the patio is roughly the same temperature as the sun right now.  I'll get out there later when it cools off a bit to see if there is any fuel leaking.

New petcock in my future?

Well, in my opinion there is a new petcock in the future ef all Valkyrie owners with OEM petcocks.....but lets get to yours.  If it ran normal on reserve but not on "on"... the problem could be a gunked up in-tank fuel filter.  Id try running a good dose of techron gas treatment....half a big bottle should do

then Id test it on on and on reserve.  

Since you did smell more gas than usual......look very closely at the weep hole at the bottom of the vacuum side of the valve, thats where you normally start seeing a leak.  If its wet you need the cover set repair.  

Or, replace the whole dang thing like I did with a Pingel and never look back

[mrprez]

Well, in my opinion there is a new petcock in the future ef all Valkyrie owners with OEM petcocks.....but lets get to yours.  If it ran normal on reserve but not on "on"... the problem could be a gunked up in-tank fuel filter.  Id try running a good dose of techron gas treatment....half a big bottle should do

then Id test it on on and on reserve.  

Since you did smell more gas than usual......look very closely at the weep hole at the bottom of the vacuum side of the valve, thats where you normally start seeing a leak.  If its wet you need the cover set repair.  

Or, replace the whole dang thing like I did with a Pingel and never look back

Just ran out there and checked the weephole, it is dry, but would it still be leaking with just enough gas for reserve?

I'll try the techron as well.  Thanks for the tips.

John

[Ricky-D]

I went through about 12 pages of petcock related posts but didn't see anything like what is happening to me.  I went out to get on the bike to ride to work this morning.  I checked the trip odometer to see how much gas I potentially had.  It read 50 miles, so should have had plenty of gas.  But, a few feet down the road and the bike is backfiring and acting all out of sorts.  I start to head back to the house but on a whim, switched the petcock to reserve and all the problems cleared up.  I went on to work.  I did notice a whiff of gas whenever I was stopped though.  I haven't gotten out there to check for a fuel leak as the patio is roughly the same temperature as the sun right now.  I'll get out there later when it cools off a bit to see if there is any fuel leaking.

New petcock in my future?

I don't see any problem at all.

Your tank was low in gas,, you turned the petcock to (reserve) and all became "right".

The smell of gasoline is pretty common with a low level of gas in the tank and the hot environment and sun doing it's thing. The expansion in the tank makes expelling fumes a normal occurrence.

Many threads have been posted on exactly this subject.  See: gas tank gaskets needed!

***

[mrprez]

I don't see any problem at all.

Your tank was low in gas,, you turned the petcock to (reserve) and all became "right".

The smell of gasoline is pretty common with a low level of gas in the tank and the hot environment and sun doing it's thing. The expansion in the tank makes expelling fumes a normal occurrence.

Many threads have been posted on exactly this subject.  See: gas tank gaskets needed!

***

You don't see an problem with 50 miles on a full tank of gas and needing to go to reserve?  12.5 mpg?

I'll check the gasket threads though. 

[gordonv]

I also thought "time for reserve", nothing wrong. With my IS I went to reserve once at around 130 miles. With a std or T, less than a 100 to reserve wouldn't be an issue either.

That was a lot of hard thottle twisting.

I've said it before, once doesn't make a pattern. Let his same thing happen 2 or 3 times, and then you have a problem.

To prevent mine, I now fuel up at Chevron, rather than my local Husky/Mohawk with 5-10% alcohol, even though I never had a problem

[mrprez]

I also thought "time for reserve", nothing wrong. With my IS I went to reserve once at around 130 miles. With a std or T, less than a 100 to reserve wouldn't be an issue either.

That was a lot of hard thottle twisting.

I've said it before, once doesn't make a pattern. Let his same thing happen 2 or 3 times, and then you have a problem.

To prevent mine, I now fuel up at Chevron, rather than my local Husky/Mohawk with 5-10% alcohol, even though I never had a problem

Worst mileage ive ever had was 23mpg and that was running hard on the interstate.  Ill fill it up with good gas and see if it happens again.  Hopefully a fluke...

[Ricky-D]

You don't see an problem with 50 miles on a full tank of gas and needing to go to reserve?  12.5 mpg?

Seems to me that the bike is Ok and you simply made some kind of error regarding the amount of gasoline remaining in the tank.

You do not follow up with how much gasoline it took to fill up the tank after going on reserve.

That would have been the definitive answer.

***

[mrprez]

Haven't been to the gas station yet.  My last fill up was in Bay Minette AL which is 40 miles from here depending on which exit I was at.  So the 50 miles on the trip odometer are correct.

OK, so just got back from filling it up.  64 miles on the trip and took 2.9 gallons.  22mpg.  Probably about right as I had the hammer down on that last leg to get to the house and out of the heat.

So, not a problem with the petcock, bad fuel maybe?  I was sick for a week after I got back home and did not ride it at all.  Ended up in the hospital for dehydration.  Hopefully a fluke.  Ran like a top today.

[BIG--T]

When I hear her starting to skip, sputter and running out of gas, I put it on reserve and it may take a mile running 60 mph before she gets gas and clears up. I know it shouldn't take more than a few seconds to get gas to the carbs.

If I ran it on reserve with Techron would this help- if trash is the problem?

Thanks 

[Chrisj CMA]

When I hear her starting to skip, sputter and running out of gas, I put it on reserve and it may take a mile running 60 mph before she gets gas and clears up. I know it shouldn't take more than a few seconds to get gas to the carbs.

If I ran it on reserve with Techron would this help- if trash is the problem?

Thanks 

Taking longer to recover (reserve) is a classic sign......petcock wearing out.  You can try rebuilding it.........I wasnt happy when I did, so I went with a Pingel

[BIG--T]

When I hear her starting to skip, sputter and running out of gas, I put it on reserve and it may take a mile running 60 mph before she gets gas and clears up. I know it shouldn't take more than a few seconds to get gas to the carbs.

If I ran it on reserve with Techron would this help- if trash is the problem?

Thanks 

Taking longer to recover (reserve) is a classic sign......petcock wearing out.  You can try rebuilding it.........I wasnt happy when I did, so I went with a Pingel
[/quote

Yep that's exactly what a friend told me a while back, but was hoping it just needed a good cleaning. Also I notice if I'm running 85 mph and give WOT she slows down til I back off the throttle a bit , then picks up. Soooo, I guess that spells petcock!! 

[Chrisj CMA]

fraid so....that fuel starving at high speeds yeppers I had that too, it will only get worse....I think petcock is spelled P I N G E L but thats just me.....costs about the same as OEM, and only 1 moving part, no vacuum, no springs, no balls, do diaphrams......just ON OFF and RESERVE.....reserve is a tad short but I use the trip guage to determine gas stops not the reserve

[mrprez]

fraid so....that fuel starving at high speeds yeppers I had that too, it will only get worse....I think petcock is spelled P I N G E L but thats just me.....costs about the same as OEM, and only 1 moving part, no vacuum, no springs, no balls, do diaphrams......just ON OFF and RESERVE.....reserve is a tad short but I use the trip guage to determine gas stops not the reserve

Did you do the electric fuel shutoff as well?  I see that you aren't too far from me over here in Mobile.

[BIG--T]

fraid so....that fuel starving at high speeds yeppers I had that too, it will only get worse....I think petcock is spelled P I N G E L but thats just me.....costs about the same as OEM, and only 1 moving part, no vacuum, no springs, no balls, do diaphrams......just ON OFF and RESERVE.....reserve is a tad short but I use the trip guage to determine gas stops not the reserve
[/quote

Just don't seem right with only 15k, but it's also 14 yrs old. I guess it's ordering time before I evently get stranded...especially out off state!

[fudgie]

fraid so....that fuel starving at high speeds yeppers I had that too, it will only get worse....I think petcock is spelled P I N G E L but thats just me.....costs about the same as OEM, and only 1 moving part, no vacuum, no springs, no balls, do diaphrams......just ON OFF and RESERVE.....reserve is a tad short but I use the trip guage to determine gas stops not the reserve

[gordonv]

mrprez, so you are getting 50 miles to reserve? Repeatedly?

Then I would suggest ride to reserve, then grab a gas can, and drive to empty (or drain your tank manually). See how many more miles you get on reserve.

I checked the manual, the C/CT has a 5.3 gal tank, with 1.14 gal reserve. So you should only be getting about 12 miles more to empty.

[mrprez]

If I stop and fill up shortly after going to reserve, I can usually put ~4 gallons into the tank.

[gordonv]

Then 5.3 gal - 1.14 gal = 4.16 gal usable to reserve.

I suggest there is nothing wrong with your reserve "pipe", and you have a fuel consumption problem. 12 MPG.

Others would give better advise, but I would start with the things that are changable. Visibly inspect that the carb enricher is off (chock off). What is the thing you can adjust in the carbs, the needle valves, 2 1/4 turns? Then insure your idle is set at the right RPM. Everything back to basics.

[mrprez]

Check post #8, when I filled up to find out what was actually in the tank, I figured I was getting 22mpg on that tank.  So, the problem I was having, backfiring and low power is still a mystery.  And why it went away as soon as I turned it to reserve adds to that mystery.

I did find out from the PO that the bike was jetted and has a trigger wheel.  He didn't know much about how it was jetted so one of these days I'll have to figure that out.

Now I'm trying to find out more about this trigger wheel.

[Gryphon Rider]

If the vacuum function of your petcock is failing, you will have the bike sputter like it's running out of gas and flipping to reserve WILL make it run better for a little while.  Please read my post below for a full explanation of this problem and its solution.
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,37577.0.html

[Chrisj CMA]

12-22 mpg is not acceptable (to me anyways) not unless you are winning drag races and thats all you want the bike for

[mrprez]

12-22 mpg is not acceptable (to me anyways) not unless you are winning drag races and thats all you want the bike for

To me either.  The 12 never happened though.  I assumed 12 due to the fact that when I went to reserve I only had 50 miles on that tank.  22 is still pretty bad but I was running 85 mph in that 50 miles trying to get home in a hurry.

[BIG--T]

When I run 70,75 mph and 80 ocassionally on the slab i get 26-29 mpg. Is that normal  for a Std?

[Chrisj CMA]

When I run 70,75 mph and 80 ocassionally on the slab i get 26-29 mpg. Is that normal  for a Std?

quite normal

[BIG--T]

When I run 70,75 mph and 80 ocassionally on the slab i get 26-29 mpg. Is that normal  for a Std?

quite normal

Wow I love my Valk but the mileage stinks! My 1800 gets around 38 at 75-80!!  

[Willow]

When I run 70,75 mph and 80 ocassionally on the slab i get 26-29 mpg. Is that normal  for a Std?

Not for my Standard, it isn't.  I get around 33 at eighty indicated.

[SANDMAN5]

My 98 STD rarely gets less than 30 unless I stay close to triple digits
or upper rpm range. I generally get upper 30's....lower 30's on big roads.

[mrprez]

My 98 STD rarely gets less than 30 unless I stay close to triple digits
or upper rpm range. I generally get upper 30's....lower 30's on big roads.

Is yours jetted and running a trigger wheel?  I'm going to try some higher grade gasoline and see if that helps with the mileage.  If not, I see no reason to keep the advanced trigger wheel and will go back to stock.

[SANDMAN5]

Is yours jetted and running a trigger wheel?  I'm going to try some higher grade gasoline and see if that helps with the mileage.  If not, I see no reason to keep the advanced trigger wheel and will go back to stock.

K&N, no pre-filter, 38 slow jets. No trigger wheel unless the PO put it in. I've tried higher
octane.....only difference is it costs more. YMMV. 

[mrprez]

Is yours jetted and running a trigger wheel?  I'm going to try some higher grade gasoline and see if that helps with the mileage.  If not, I see no reason to keep the advanced trigger wheel and will go back to stock.

K&N, no pre-filter, 38 slow jets. No trigger wheel unless the PO put it in. I've tried higher
octane.....only difference is it costs more. YMMV. 

The reason for wanting to try higher octane is the advanced trigger wheel.  From what I've been able to read about them is that they will return a few more MPG for higher octane.  For me, it doesn't seem worth it.  On the hunt now for a stocker.

[BIG--T]

When I run 70,75 mph and 80 ocassionally on the slab i get 26-29 mpg. Is that normal  for a Std?

Not for my Standard, it isn't.  I get around 33 at eighty indicated.

I don't understand unless it's the flat lands of Kansas.    I can never run 65 or over 3K rpm and get good mileage, I got 36 one time running 45-50!! That was the best ever!     

[BIG--T]

Is yours jetted and running a trigger wheel?  I'm going to try some higher grade gasoline and see if that helps with the mileage.  If not, I see no reason to keep the advanced trigger wheel and will go back to stock.

K&N, no pre-filter, 38 slow jets. No trigger wheel unless the PO put it in. I've tried higher
octane.....only difference is it costs more. YMMV. 

Bob maybe i should put a K&N on. It sure helped the X in MPG and power, I can get 45 mpg. I've got a K&N for the Valk just ain't put it on yet. I'm still debating if I should go with the pre filter. There are a lot of opinions here. I seems it would breathe easier without.   

[SANDMAN5]

Bob maybe i should put a K&N on. It sure helped the X in MPG and power, I can get 45 mpg. I've got a K&N for the Valk just ain't put it on yet. I'm still debating if I should go with the pre filter. There are a lot of opinions here. I seems it would breathe easier without.

I can't say for sure if it will help or not....but if you've already got one
it'd be worth a try!

P.S.  I think MOST people don't use the pre-filter.

[BIG--T]

Bob maybe i should put a K&N on. It sure helped the X in MPG and power, I can get 45 mpg. I've got a K&N for the Valk just ain't put it on yet. I'm still debating if I should go with the pre filter. There are a lot of opinions here. I seems it would breathe easier without.

I can't say for sure if it will help or not....but if you've already got one
it'd be worth a try!

P.S.  I think MOST people don't use the pre-filter.

I'll give it a try and see, I don't wanna have to keep pulling the tank so maybe I'll get lucky! lol
Ppl can say want they want about a V twinkie as some call them, but I can replace mine in one minute and one screw! 

[John U.]

Is yours jetted and running a trigger wheel?  I'm going to try some higher grade gasoline and see if that helps with the mileage.  If not, I see no reason to keep the advanced trigger wheel and will go back to stock.

K&N, no pre-filter, 38 slow jets. No trigger wheel unless the PO put it in. I've tried higher
octane.....only difference is it costs more. YMMV. 

The reason for wanting to try higher octane is the advanced trigger wheel.  From what I've been able to read about them is that they will return a few more MPG for higher octane.  For me, it doesn't seem worth it.  On the hunt now for a stocker.

I favor the ECT mod. If you install the potentiometer you can control how much advance from 0 to 10 dergrees you are running. I keep mine about 1/2 on or about 5 degrees on a tourer.

I use midgrade gas to avoid pinging. Yes I pay about 8 or 9% more for it but I get that back in mpg increase plus more power when I want it. With only a 5.3 gallon tank, the extra mpg will get you farther down the road before walking. That might not often be a problem but at times the extra mpg is a big advantage.

[mrprez]

Maybe it is because of the pipes, but I've never noticed any pinging with regular gas.  If it ever stops raining, I'll burn up this tank and try a better grade of gas.

[Willow]

When I run 70,75 mph and 80 ocassionally on the slab i get 26-29 mpg. Is that normal  for a Std?

Not for my Standard, it isn't.  I get around 33 at eighty indicated.

I don't understand unless it's the flat lands of Kansas.    I can never run 65 or over 3K rpm and get good mileage, I got 36 one time running 45-50!! That was the best ever!     

I get improved fuel mileage when I ride in the Ozarks, and much better fuel mileage when I ride in the Smokies.

I don't believe it's because of the "flat lands of Kansas".

[BIG--T]

When I run 70,75 mph and 80 ocassionally on the slab i get 26-29 mpg. Is that normal  for a Std?

Not for my Standard, it isn't.  I get around 33 at eighty indicated.

I don't understand unless it's the flat lands of Kansas.    I can never run 65 or over 3K rpm and get good mileage, I got 36 one time running 45-50!! That was the best ever!     

I get improved fuel mileage when I ride in the Ozarks, and much better fuel mileage when I ride in the Smokies.

I don't believe it's because of the "flat lands of Kansas".

Well I live in the Smokies going up and down, round and round so now I'm really confused!!  It does seem like straight flat roads maintaining a certain speed would equal better mileage. 

Then again my brother-in-law is in central FL and he gets bad mileage too!    

[Mildew]

Got between 25 and 27 mpg on my recent trip to key West. Took my windshield off (put it in my friends trailer) it made no difference. We were moving between 80/90. Got over 40mpg in the smokies put put ing all day. I've done the manual petcock thing several years ago with the jb weld that was mentioned here. Never had a problem with it since