Turning off gas, necessary?

dualsportdave · 06-05-2006, 09:28 AM

Just a quick Noob question... The owner's manual states to turn off the fuel petcock, but about half the time I have been leaving them on, the carbs aren't overflowing. How many of you leave yours on all the time? Turn them off even during short stops? Or turn them off just when it is being parked for the night?

Just curious....

P.S. - what made me ask this question is a picture in another thread of a sticker inside the handguard of a PD, which says "Turn the gas on stupid" or something to that effect.....

bmwblake · 06-05-2006, 09:39 AM

i dont turn them off at every stop, but i do at the end of the day. i'm sure there are some who leave them on all the time, but i figure it makes my carbs lives easier when they're not having to act as a petcock as well as a carb.

Boojum · 06-05-2006, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmwblake

i dont turn them off at every stop, but i do at the end of the day. i'm sure there are some who leave them on all the time, but i figure it makes my carbs lives easier when they're not having to act as a petcock as well as a carb.

+1 Mr. Blake! Roger That!

Boojum!

camgregus · 06-05-2006, 10:29 AM

I dont turn mine off when I just go in a store or something.
But when I am at work like now they are off.

I dunno how much good it does but I feel safer.

SOLO LOBO · 06-05-2006, 10:33 AM

I turn mine off every time I stop the motor... it's a good habit to acquire. Unless you like the smell of gas

Gringo · 06-05-2006, 11:13 AM

I turn 'em off any time I'm gonna walk away from the bike. All it takes is one episode of a carb pissing the entire contents of the tank onto the ground to convince you this is the best practice (DAMHIK). The flipping of the petcock will quickly become reflex, a regular part of your pre-flight and parking routine.

Hltoppr · 06-05-2006, 11:19 AM

Turn mine off every stop...figure it can't hurt.

-H-

TxDieHart · 06-05-2006, 11:29 AM

I never turn mine off on my 94 GS, guess I'm asking for trouble. If you do turn it off and forget to turn it back on it could be a big problem, ever run out of gas in heavy traffic?
I've Never had a problem, yet.
Its not even a option on my 99 R1100 GS.

Kerry
94 R100

Spanish Bob · 06-05-2006, 11:35 AM

Never did on any airhead.

Until that night my old RS motorsport pissed the whole tank out onto the road - thank god to smokers walked past.

bob

jtwind · 06-05-2006, 11:40 AM

Get in the habit of turning them off. Sometime or other they will leak and you will regret not turning them off. Things start to wear, dirt gets caught in the float needle etc. I had Bing rebuild a set of carbs a number of years ago and they came back with a little note saying that carbs are not fuel shut off devices, turn off your petcocks. If you haven't and haven't had a problem yet, you are just lucky not smart or right. JT

SOLO LOBO · 06-05-2006, 12:13 PM

I've had all my airheads die on the road becuase I forgot to flip on the fuel... it's really good practive for needing to flip to reserve when you are heading down the interstate and go a few miles too many... no big thing, the engine just dies, you flip the lever, drop the clutch and keep riding...

Ever spill 5+ gallons of gas on your garage floor?, or worse it flowes through the carbs and ends up in the crankcase or cylinders and you bend a rod...

dualsportdave · 06-05-2006, 01:15 PM

Thanks! Mine are on right now, but I will get in the habit of turning them off while at work or for the evening... Are the two sides of the tank separate enough that one could be run on reserve the other on "on"? Or would it drain down to the reserve level on both sides? This is on the GS not the Paris Dakar model. My fuel levers are also kind of stiff, aside from taking them apart any suggestions? Just spray down with WD-40?

Spanish Bob · 06-05-2006, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dualsportdave

Thanks! Mine are on right now, but I will get in the habit of turning them off while at work or for the evening... Are the two sides of the tank separate enough that one could be run on reserve the other on "on"? Or would it drain down to the reserve level on both sides? This is on the GS not the Paris Dakar model. My fuel levers are also kind of stiff, aside from taking them apart any suggestions? Just spray down with WD-40?

my experience on the standard GS tank is that the first reserve lasts a fair while, the second lobe gives very little.

I would NOT advise trying this out too often, old bike means interior paint on tank starts to flake off plus shit in the fuel.... better that all doesn´t end up blocking a tap or the carbs.

bob

Gringo · 06-05-2006, 02:10 PM

ditto.

I've read these bikes have 3 reserves*, I've tried playing with that but I mostly just use the L petcock and hardly ever touch the R side at all. I've gone ~30+mi on L reserve, plenty of time to find gas where I usually ride.

(*if you haven't heard this, you start by going 'UP' on L side when it sputters, since your L hand is usually more available; as soon as you can free up your R hand, turn R to DOWN and switch L to OFF; when it sputters again go UP on L again, and switch to R UP and L to OFF again when you can; finally when R-UP goes dry you still have a little left on L UP position - and you know you're really screwed... Not very practical in real life...)

RocketJ · 06-05-2006, 06:46 PM

Got a hot water heater in your garage?

06-05-2006, 09:28 AM	#1
dualsportdave ^OP Adventurer Joined: May 2006 Location: The Dry Side of Washington State - USA Oddometer: 93	Turning off gas, necessary? Just a quick Noob question... The owner's manual states to turn off the fuel petcock, but about half the time I have been leaving them on, the carbs aren't overflowing. How many of you leave yours on all the time? Turn them off even during short stops? Or turn them off just when it is being parked for the night? Just curious.... P.S. - what made me ask this question is a picture in another thread of a sticker inside the handguard of a PD, which says "Turn the gas on stupid" or something to that effect.....

06-05-2006, 11:13 AM	#6
Gringo simple by nature Joined: Jun 2003 Location: a small drinking village with a fishing problem Oddometer: 1,348	I turn 'em off any time I'm gonna walk away from the bike. All it takes is one episode of a carb pissing the entire contents of the tank onto the ground to convince you this is the best practice (DAMHIK). The flipping of the petcock will quickly become reflex, a regular part of your pre-flight and parking routine. __________________ - Gringo ____________________________________________ "I mean seriously, what is funnier than Helen Keller" - Mutineer "Ah, yes, Greasing the nipples is really the cure all for a whole host of ailments." - Stagehand

06-05-2006, 11:19 AM	#7
Hltoppr GS Adventurer Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Northern Arizona Oddometer: 500	Turn mine off every stop...figure it can't hurt. -H- __________________ Quamquam ridentem dicere verum quid vetat? -Horace, Satires 1 2003 BMW R1150GS Adventure *Overland Certified* www.OverlandTraining.com

06-05-2006, 11:29 AM	#8
TxDieHart Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas No Hills but we have a Beach Oddometer: 147	Never I never turn mine off on my 94 GS, guess I'm asking for trouble. If you do turn it off and forget to turn it back on it could be a big problem, ever run out of gas in heavy traffic? I've Never had a problem, yet. Its not even a option on my 99 R1100 GS. Kerry 94 R100

06-05-2006, 11:35 AM	#9
Spanish Bob I dont know where I am. Joined: Jan 2003 Location: Barcelona, Spain Oddometer: 2,081	Never did on any airhead. Until that night my old RS motorsport pissed the whole tank out onto the road - thank god to smokers walked past. bob __________________

06-05-2006, 09:39 AM	#2
bmwblake upside down parker Joined: Mar 2004 Location: nashville, tn Oddometer: 3,238	i dont turn them off at every stop, but i do at the end of the day. i'm sure there are some who leave them on all the time, but i figure it makes my carbs lives easier when they're not having to act as a petcock as well as a carb.

06-05-2006, 10:29 AM	#4
camgregus riding gently now Joined: Feb 2006 Location: on the banks of the mighty mississippi, AR side Oddometer: 2,946	I dont turn mine off when I just go in a store or something. *But when I am at work like now they are off.* I dunno how much good it does but I feel safer.

06-05-2006, 11:40 AM	#10
jtwind Wisconsin Airhead Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Madison WI Oddometer: 3,450	Get in the habit of turning them off. Sometime or other they will leak and you will regret not turning them off. Things start to wear, dirt gets caught in the float needle etc. I had Bing rebuild a set of carbs a number of years ago and they came back with a little note saying that carbs are not fuel shut off devices, turn off your petcocks. If you haven't and haven't had a problem yet, you are just lucky not smart or right. JT

06-05-2006, 01:15 PM	#12
dualsportdave ^OP Adventurer Joined: May 2006 Location: The Dry Side of Washington State - USA Oddometer: 93	Thanks! Mine are on right now, but I will get in the habit of turning them off while at work or for the evening... Are the two sides of the tank separate enough that one could be run on reserve the other on "on"? Or would it drain down to the reserve level on both sides? This is on the GS not the Paris Dakar model. My fuel levers are also kind of stiff, aside from taking them apart any suggestions? Just spray down with WD-40?

06-05-2006, 02:10 PM	#14
Gringo simple by nature Joined: Jun 2003 Location: a small drinking village with a fishing problem Oddometer: 1,348	ditto. I've read these bikes have 3 reserves, I've tried playing with that but I mostly just use the L petcock and hardly ever touch the R side at all. I've gone ~30+mi on L reserve, plenty of time to find gas where I usually ride. (if you haven't heard this, you start by going 'UP' on L side when it sputters, since your L hand is usually more available; as soon as you can free up your R hand, turn R to DOWN and switch L to OFF; when it sputters again go UP on L again, and switch to R UP and L to OFF again when you can; finally when R-UP goes dry you still have a little left on L UP position - and you know you're really screwed... Not very practical in real life...) __________________ - Gringo ____________________________________________ "I mean seriously, what is funnier than Helen Keller" - Mutineer "Ah, yes, Greasing the nipples is really the cure all for a whole host of ailments." - Stagehand

06-05-2006, 06:46 PM	#15
RocketJ Studly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2005 Oddometer: 674	Got a hot water heater in your garage?

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