What I learned today

[Bixxer Bob]

I've only gotten round to doing a job I knew about when I was running round with my mum in hospital.  As I was about to ride home, I stopped to fill up in the rain and when I opened the filler cap I saw a good egg-cup full of water pour into the tank.  Drain hole blocked I thought.....

Anyway, it ran a bit rough for the first few miles then cleared and the rest of the 200 mile trip was uneventful.  so while I had the tank off, I thought I'd better get round to clearing it.  It turns out it was well blocked, and took a good few minutes poking around with various bits of wire and even a small drill to clear it.  When I did eventually get through, a fair bit of water ran out of the drain hole too.  

Next I completely drained the tank and got around five pints of fuel and about a cupful of water out - so I've had a problem for a while it seems.   Keeping the drain clear is such a simple task and yet I never thought to check it regularly  :?

Moral,  clean the drain regularly, at least once a month - you know it makes sense....

[haroldo_psf]

Can you help a newbie? :)

I've had the tank off a couple of times, both times I removed the panel with the fuel pump, filter, etc.

Where is this drain? You didn't take any pics, did you>?

[cosmo]

I believe he means the drain for the filler. You'll find it on the downside of the recess around the cap when it's open. It's a hole.

Cosmo

[John Stenhouse]

It drains to two pipes on the left hand side of the tank, which is where they clog up, had to do mine twice so far, come to think of it I must check that

[iansoady]

One pipe is the drain, the other is a breather (never quite sure why you should want to breathe all that muck down there). A simple hole in the cap is all my Flash needs.....

[tazshido]

Here's a tip. Camelbak makes a cleaning kit for their hydration systems. Part of this kit is a long flexible cleaning brush for the hydration tube. With a little trimming of the bristles it will make a great bore punch for that drain tube. Once a year punch that tube out with the brush and some good rubber-safe soap. Another method would be to fill a large syringe with warm water and squirt it through the tubes. You'd be amazed at the crap that will flow out of it.

[whisperquiet]

I bought a used '06 with the same problem....washed the bike three times and when I fueled up, there was water around the cap that would not drain.

A couple of days ago, I cleaned everything out by methods above=== used a small drill, a small screwdriver, and a small allen wrench to dig/drill out the debris.  It took quite a while and when cleaned out, about a 1/2 ounce of water flowed out.

I will be checking this frequently.....btw, I can use a piece of .080 weed whip line to keep it clear----it is stiff enough, yet won't injure anything in the drain tube.

Next on the list.....the free power mod by wiring the rectifier/regulator wiring directly to the battery.......I have to run the gas tank down near empty before I do this though.

[KuzzinKenny]

if you think there is water in yer tank, try this !! put a spoonfull of methylated spirits in with yer fuel, as far as i'm led to believe it binds the water and fuel together and goes through and out of the system !!  :?

but i would search up on it first just to make sure !!

KK

[Bixxer Bob]

I had heard of that KK but decided - since the tank was off and nearly empty anyway - to take off one of the black low pressure link pipes and shake it around until it was completely empty.  I'm guessing, judging by the fuel I got out, that the fuel pickup pipe doesn't go right to the bottom of the tank so the water was just below the pickup, otherwise it would still have been running rough wouldn't it?

[KuzzinKenny]

I don't think meths would have shifted that much water but at least you got it out before it went through yer system, eh !!

KK

[Advwannabe]

Ethonol is also Hygroscopic KK, I run a tankful of 10% Ethonol blended unleaded through my tank everynow and again, which seems to keep things clean