Take my bike...please

[tizod]

Hey y'all.  Long time no speak.

Well, my 82 Vision has been collecting a lot of dust and rust in my backyard and I cannot get anyone to buy it.

I found out today that the person who sold it to me completely lied to me about the title and the fact that it has almost $300 in back registration issues.

Add to this the fact that since I don't have a title for it I cannot even take it to a junkyard.

So...I thought maybe someone here might want to take it off of my hands and use it for parts or something.

Located in Los Angeles....first person to email me at buddasurfer@yahoo.com and can come pick it up can have it to do as they please.

[2VRoy]

Get your money back by parting it out! Would you ship to a Canuck! $$$

[dchakrab]

If you decide to part, I'd love the petcock. I'm in Chicago, IL, 60637...let me know.

  -Dave.

[Lucky]

Sorry Dave, the 82 petcock won't fit on the 83 tank.

there is another alternative if you just can't solve this problem, but it means losing the fuel guage or modding the tank:

get a tank & petcock from an 82, plumb a return fitting into the underside of the saddle to connect to the return on the carb (hose fittings at the top left side of the carbs, above the chokes).  this should work fine.

if your good with metal work, you can cut out your 83 tanks fuel sender mounting and weld it on the 82 tank.

--Lucky

[dchakrab]

Didn't notice it was an 82 :(

This petcock is turning into the Achilles' heel of this bike purchase. I'll re-order from Sirius again, and just try my luck at modding that kit to fit mine, with some help from this forum.

Then, assuming my titling woes have sorted themselves out (or I've gone nuts and burned down the DMV), I'll be just about ready to attempt to get licensed on this thing.

Not sure about using an 82 tank...no idea about welding, and it sounds like something I'd have to get someone else to do, which = more money. I'm VERY short right now...so short that if the titling becomes too expensive, I may have to just sell the bike for whatever I can get for it and eat the loss. I definitely can't afford to put much more money into the bike.

  -Dave.

[ProfessorRex]

There's an EASY FIX.  It's nothing special just a standard ball valve, installed inline after your petcock before the carb.  I use one to keep from loosing tankfulls of gas.

I can take a digi picture and email it to you, if you need it PM me

-Rex

:::EDIT:::
By the way, it's like a $3 fix!

[QBS]

My 83' has had  inline fuel cut valves installed in both the out bound and inbound fuel lines for at least the last 5 years.  This is the simple and cheap fix.  The only negative is that you must remember to close them when the bike isn't running.

These valves are available at small engine/lawn mower repair depos.  Cheers.

[Lucky]

I swear that was the first suggestion i gave when he got the bike!  I just can't find the post... (might have been an email though...)

[dchakrab]

I'm sure it was...I remember thinking about it, asking ACE hardware if they had anything like that, watching them scratch their heads in blank incomprehension, and then deciding to try to fix the thing instead. Totally forgot about the idea till right now, reading these posts...sorry!

Ok, so I've got the petcock rebuild kits ordered, and due to arrive soon from Sirius, and Lucky's manuals have arrived on CD (Thanks, Lucky!)...hopefully, I'm all set, other than titling issues.

If I install a one-way valve after the petcock, how does that keep the petcock from leaking? Doesn't fuel have to pass through the petcock anyway? If so, and the petcock is leaky, wouldn't it still be leaky?

  Thanks,

    Dave.

[ProfessorRex]

Yes the petcock still leaks, the valve stops the flow of gas to the carbs, and thus to the driveway.

I'm going to take a picture of mine later today (when I get to my digi cam) and Dave C. is going to host them for me.  Then everyone can see what the valve looks like and where it goes.

-Rex

[dchakrab]

Thanks Prof. Rex...I'll have the pics up tonight, as soon as I get them from Prof.

And then, theoretically, I'll have a valve sometime tomorrow, if I can find a place in Chicago that sells them. Do you guys think sears would have them, or should I try another Ace hardware? I haven't seen many lawnmower type places around downtown.

  -Dave.

[ProfessorRex]

Sears might, if not Try McMaster-Carr //www.McMaster.com

They have EVERYTHING

-Rex

[dchakrab]

...is that what I'm looking for?

It's about 6.50 before shipping on Mcmaster.com. I'm assuming I need one of these?

Which hose would I connect it to? At this point, I haven't managed to figure out which is the fuel hose, which is the vaccuum hose, and what the random other connection is on this petcock assembly; Lucky's manual has images from (I assume) the 82, which has a different petcock, and with my caveman's understanding of motorcycles I'm still scratching my head at it.

Called around...Sears claims to have no clue, and is the only place open on Sunday, so it looks like i'm going to order it online. What size do i need...Mcmaster's has 1/8 and 1/4 inch. I'm assuming I need male to male?

  Thanks,

    Dave.

[ProfessorRex]

mine is female to female and then I used male hose barbs on each side.

-Rex

[dchakrab]

Couldn't I just insert the hoses over the male ends of the valve, on either end? I'm assuming I would have to cut the hose somewhere between the petcock and the carb, and then install the valve in the middle. If I got an inline fuel filter as well (since that seems to be recommended) where would I install that? Same place?

  Thanks,

    Dave.

[ProfessorRex]

Yes you are correct.  I didn't have time to get pictures today, I'll try to tomorro.

-Rex

[dchakrab]

What size do I need? 1/4 or 1/8?

  Thanks,

    Dave.

Edit: I can put a 7 mm wrench over the nozzle on the petcock, and it fits about right, so I'm guessing it's 6-7 mm. At 25 mm to the inch, that's between 1/3 of an inch and 1/4 of an inch. Will a 1/4 inch valve work, or is that going to be too small? The other valve models have a 1/3 inch size as well. Which one?

[hfarley]

Ok this is going to sound really weird, but if you can find out if McMaster Carr's NewYork-NJ location which is on Ridge road in Dayton, NJ allows customers to pick up their orders. (It is a warehouse where they send out the parts you order. I tried to get a job there once so I saw the insdie of the building.)Then if shipping is cheaper to do it yourself through USPS or something. I would be willingly to pick it up, put the package together and mail it for you. The reason why I am saying this is
1. if I can help a fellow vision owner save some money that would be cool.
2. McMaster Carr is literally across the street from me.
3. Their parking lot is where I practice riding my Vision. LOL!

Just a thought!
You can email me at: hfarley1@aol.com if I can help.
-Heather

[dchakrab]

Thanks for the offer, Heather.

I just put the order in for two 1/4 inch valves (measure it at Ace Hardware to be sure, and they're 1/4 inch), male to male. The site didn't tell me my shipping cost...I submitted the order, thinking it would be on the next page, but the order just went through.

So I was annoyed, and called, thinking they probably wouldn't be there (it's 9 on the east coast)...not only did I get someone, but he said shipping was $3.50, it would go out tomorrow morning, and I'd get it same day (I think they're shipping from Elmhurst, IL).

If that's true, all I can say is wow...definitely no complaints!

  -Dave.

[QBS]

Dave: On your '83 petcock the hose that plugs into the bottom of the petcock is the outbound(goes to the fuel pump) fuel line, the hose that plugs into the upper section of the petcock is the fuel return line(come from the carbs).  The small line that plugs into the small spigot that grows out of the aprrox 1'' square flat surface is the vacume line that comes from the engine and sometimes supposedly controls fuel flow through the petcock.

FYI: My installation of inline fuel cut off valves in both the inbound and outbound fuel lines, I placed both valves(using short pieces of fuel) as close as possible to the petcock so that they would be easier to reach with the fairing lowers in place.  My inline fuel filter is mounted right after the outbound cut off valve(again using a short piece of fuel line).  After the filter I made long looping return to the factory fuel line guide and then on to the fuel pump.

The fairing lower hides the loop.  The purpose of the long loop is to avoid kinking the line while attemping to route it to and through the factory fuel line guide.  Works for me.  Hope it helps you. Cheers.