Petcock comparison

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Nashville Kat

Nashville Kat

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2009
1,501
55
48
Jacksonville, Florida
I was changing my tank last month on build 1 and working on build 2- I noticed when I got the tank off that the original brass petcock from the first kit dripped a little bit even closed so I decided to get that hefty one at Sick Bicycles-

the second build kit came with the other sort of petcock- so I got the three together and tok some pictures

here they are-

i'm just getting to use the second type (in the middle here) and it seems to be working fine and not leaking- it just seems a little bit more sure than the original brass one, whose handle turns with almost no pressure- I think I like it better.

Anybody else have opinions?

The new hefty deal from Sick is obviously the better machined- slightly heavier, a nice lever, and has a ball bearing closure- the long brass slleeve at the bottom probably does a better job of sealing the line by sheer length alone, but a downside might be the total length if the tank is already in the path of good old peddlin....

mine has just enough clearance-

final verdict?
It's worth the ten bucks if you're having trouble with a kit valve
(^)
 

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culvercityclassic

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2009
3,115
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Culver City, Ca
Hey Kat thanks for this post; I am having issues with the kit petcocks and was checking out the SBP PC and they looked nice. The length was my only issues. I may try them and just shorten the barbed end.

CCC
 
bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
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living the dream in southern california
i never tried the first one, but the second one is the worst piece of junk that ever passed gas.:)

every one of those i've had have leaked. two of them leaked right out of the box. and i don't mean dripped, they poured fuel out like they weren't even there.

they also have a very low flow capacity. i believe they are a major cause of WOT sputtering, because after i changed mine it went away, but that's still open to argument: http://motorbicycling.com/f34/your-bike-losing-power-top-speed-24880.html

i've never tried the SBP one but it's probably pretty good.

i prefer the old Tecumseh style:

 
5

5-7HEAVEN

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2008
2,661
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I used the original petcock on the Happy Time fuel tank on all my MB projects. I failed to realize that this mediocre piece of equipment was the cause of fuel delivery issues with my twin-engined monster. At top speed, one engine would be starving until my large FRAM filter would fill. I went so far as to install an electric fuel pump to cure my fuel problems, to no avail.
On my present build, my 5hp GP460 engine started bogging at high speed and on hills. When I pulled my large, automotive-style FRAM fuel filter, gas flowed like a saline solution drip with the Chinese petcock. Upon removing the fuel valve, gas flowed normally.
When my SBP fuel valve arrived, I inspected it and found that its fuel port was almost as large as its its fitting! It's huge! Fuel delivery issues are now a thing of the past. My large FRAM filter fills very quickly and stays filled.
The SBP fuel valve looks like a quality piece and works very well. It also allows my engine to vent thru the Happy Time's lockng gas cap's keyhole very well.
 
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