How many of you guys are still riding with that small black plastic fuel vent fitting that sits on top of the Berg's tank cap by a short piece of tubing? Please....heed this warning NOW!
Trash that POS vent cap fitting right now (BEFORE your next ride) and replace it with a vent line routed under the tank along the frame tube and then routed parallel with the carb vent lines (I zip tied my new tank vent line right to the carb vent lines). This way, any ported fuel would be routed fairly safely away from the exhaust system, under the frame and port relatively harmlessly onto the ground.
The reason why I say this is that I was out riding my new '05 FE650 today and hit one of those "magnetic ruts" that are so hard to avoid. You know, the ones that once you just look at them, they draw you over just to F**K with you. I hit one of those damn things on a serious hill climb this morning which caused my front wheel to twist and throw my *** off on a "low side". The only problem is that the bike landed right on top of me on it's LEFT side (the EXHAUST side). THEN. that friggen little plastic vent fitting started porting fuel all over my legs, jacket, down the tank and then RIGHT ON THE HOT exhaust head pipes (after being nearly WOT for the last 30 seconds too!!!) The fuel just sizzled, completely vaporizing as it poured onto the hot pipes while I was intently looking at it, all the while expecting everything to burst into flames at ANY second!!!
Well, I musta had a really powerful angel on my shoulder that knew it wasn't my time just yet....at least not leaving this planet THAT WAY right now! There is no reason on God's Green Earth why that spilled fuel shouldn't have been ignited by those red hot head pipes. All this time (it seemed like an eternity) I could see and smell the fuel vapor generated by the hot pipes as it just steamed off! Holly shieeet Batman.....I was almost a Krispy Kritter for sure!!! What if the fuel did ignite....well, the tank was chock full of even more fuel that would have just added 1000% to the soon to be inferno of me and my bike.
Even if I was quick enough to get out from under my bike before the tank caught fire (with my head already pointed downhill and all), I woulda been running away as a well oiled candle wick with all that fuel soaked into my clothes!!! Since the trail was hardpack and nearly all rocks, I had NO dirt available anywhere to help me put out any possible flames. I was DAMN LUCKY to say the least. Get rid of that vent fitting and route a new vent line UNDER the frame ASAP!!!
8O 8O 8O
Trash that POS vent cap fitting right now (BEFORE your next ride) and replace it with a vent line routed under the tank along the frame tube and then routed parallel with the carb vent lines (I zip tied my new tank vent line right to the carb vent lines). This way, any ported fuel would be routed fairly safely away from the exhaust system, under the frame and port relatively harmlessly onto the ground.
The reason why I say this is that I was out riding my new '05 FE650 today and hit one of those "magnetic ruts" that are so hard to avoid. You know, the ones that once you just look at them, they draw you over just to F**K with you. I hit one of those damn things on a serious hill climb this morning which caused my front wheel to twist and throw my *** off on a "low side". The only problem is that the bike landed right on top of me on it's LEFT side (the EXHAUST side). THEN. that friggen little plastic vent fitting started porting fuel all over my legs, jacket, down the tank and then RIGHT ON THE HOT exhaust head pipes (after being nearly WOT for the last 30 seconds too!!!) The fuel just sizzled, completely vaporizing as it poured onto the hot pipes while I was intently looking at it, all the while expecting everything to burst into flames at ANY second!!!
Well, I musta had a really powerful angel on my shoulder that knew it wasn't my time just yet....at least not leaving this planet THAT WAY right now! There is no reason on God's Green Earth why that spilled fuel shouldn't have been ignited by those red hot head pipes. All this time (it seemed like an eternity) I could see and smell the fuel vapor generated by the hot pipes as it just steamed off! Holly shieeet Batman.....I was almost a Krispy Kritter for sure!!! What if the fuel did ignite....well, the tank was chock full of even more fuel that would have just added 1000% to the soon to be inferno of me and my bike.
Even if I was quick enough to get out from under my bike before the tank caught fire (with my head already pointed downhill and all), I woulda been running away as a well oiled candle wick with all that fuel soaked into my clothes!!! Since the trail was hardpack and nearly all rocks, I had NO dirt available anywhere to help me put out any possible flames. I was DAMN LUCKY to say the least. Get rid of that vent fitting and route a new vent line UNDER the frame ASAP!!!
8O 8O 8O
