Fix for Acerbis (OMG) petcock, left and right ones now point the right way!!

[One Less Harley]

Some of you might recall my issues with the left and right acerbis petcock levers pointing the opposite way when off or reserve.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550703




Well I decided that the problem could be fixed.

1st unthread the plastic strainer from the left valve body, grasp it with your fingers next to the body.




Then pull the long tube out of the body and insert it to the other hole. The front opposite of the barbed fitting.



Ok now the easy part is done.

Now remove the two screws which hold the lever retaining ring. Pull out the guts.

Sorry for the lack of pictures next, but take the valve guts and use a dremel tool to cut a grove in the body this new grove will allow you relocate the lever 180 degrees. You can see where the old grove was. It's the area with the filled in epoxy. I cut the new grove first, also roughen the original grove to give the epoxy something the bite to. Once filled in and allowed to harden overnite the valve was sanded with 220 dry sandpaper and worked down to 600 grit. Place paper on a flat surface and sand the back side of the body. Make sure surface is free of any voids or scratches.





Before putting petcock back together sand off the "OFF" and "RES" letters from lever retaining ring. Then w/ a dremel engrave "OFF" and "RES" in the new locations.

Put valve in body, then spring, and place lever on valve 180 degrees out, place a little blue loctight on the two screws for the lever retaining ring. Then tighten up the lever retaning ring.

[bgoodsoil]

well thank you very much now I have another thing to put on my bike's "to do" list.

[One Less Harley]

Hey at least your ridding yours!!!! I did get the G/S out last Sunday for some gravel riding at Mammoth Cave, it's dirty once again! Only four gravel roads to ride there, got a sore throat from the cool air, had that all week. Hopefully ride tomorrow cause I don't want my sore throat to go away!!

The HPN tank doesn't feel as heavy as I thought, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE 250 MILES ON IT AND HAVE ABOUT 150 LEFT!!! Keeps some cold air off the legs too. Love that big ugly thing!!


Be very careful cutting the grove as if the cutting bit slips.........you'll bugger up the flat surface of the valve body. I wasted three dremel bits on the soft pot metal (maybe aluminum). I hope the epoxy doesn't let loose..

WTF- didn't the manuf just make two other parts to make the valve RIGHT!!!! It's only one stamped piece of steel with letters on it and another valve body cam thingy. I don't get it.

BTW-how's that trany holding up?

[bgoodsoil]

the gearbox is doing good! Man, having a first gear is really nice. I can pull away from stop lights and everything. I guess it's like any other luxury item--now that I've got one, I don't know how I lived without it for so long.

[One Less Harley]

My fix with the epoxy was temporary. Should have known better than use epoxy. The epoxy should have held up to gasoline, but didn't. I noticed the left petcock was leaking.

So I removed the "valve" and took it to a machinist so he could make two of them. The old altered one is on the right, see the black epoxy. New one on the left has centering scribe marks which were sanded down flat w/ 220 then 500 grit. The original is a cast part the new is machined billet AL.

[Rucksta]

Thanks for the heads up on the expoxy.
I've been holding off doing this and now know how to proceed.

Great idea. I use reserve on the Acerbis tank so infrequently I'm still unfamilliar with it.
When I need it I'm usually fatigued and prone to making errors esp with confusing one way or the other valves..