LOL Tom. Ya gotta post a pic of that bike to complete the mental imageI had a bike, since sold it, that my knee would hit the petcock and turn it off. Care to guess how I found out what was happening?
So embarrassing to be cruising down the street, fat dumb and happy, pretending you're Peter Fonda and have the engine sputter and die only to look down and see that little lever in the horizontal position.
All of my bikes since that one have the petcock where my knee doesn't touch it.
Tom
2 funny Allen. My very first China Girl did that. Took me a month to figure out to tighten the screw holding it.I used to have a problem with the choke screw loosening up. I'd be motoring along, the the engine would start sounding weird and abruptly die.
I'd dither with it for twenty minutes or so, finding nothing. I'd try starting her again - and she'd start! But then die a moment later. WTF?
Boy I felt so stupid when I finally figured it out. Then I bought a nylock nut.
FD, I quoted you in school today. Was too funny. For the life of me I couldn't do the trig to make an angle on a clamp. They deliberately didn't give the angle on the drawing. So the poor dumb Son Of a Bicyclist had to do the math. After three tries, I gave up and put a protractor on the drawing. I was 15 minutes and zero degrees wrong but well within tolerance. The guy (expletive math wiz) next to me was taking his time telling me how wrong it was that I took that approach.I'm happy to find out I'm not the only person in the world that felt a little silly over a petcock or a choke. With the choke, If it won't stay tight, I just take it off. I live in California and it hardly ever gets all that cold. But if it ever gets so cold I need a choke I'm probably not riding my bike anyway.
And yeah, Same thing. Check plug, Check wires, Have a smoke, ect, ect.
I DID remember to check the petcock though.LOL.
fatdaddy.
i've done it so many times it's the first thing i check when my bike starts a-sputtering...And I'd wager there's a few of us who, even if we knew how often it happened to us, would be too embarrassed to say.
i've done it so many times it's the first thing i check when my bike starts a-sputtering...
My roommate has issues with gas leaking out his carb (bad gasket or something). So he turns his off. I, however, never do. I've never had a gas leak except when I didnt tighten my fuel line clamps (I'm not using the kit line) or when my bike fell over from other things... and even then it leaks out the gas cap and a bit out of the float bowl.Forgot to turnnit off on one of mine one time and yepnext day engine completely full and draining out exhaustpipe under bike in shop...... I saw it and knew exactly what I had done , pulled tje sprk plug turned entire bike upside down and finally got all tje fuel out, that probably cost me about $4.00 in gas and Opti2......!
So simple and so quick.....just turn the fuel off and back on when you're ready to ride.....
Glad you've had good luck so far, needle and seat ever fail to seal off and you will have an engine full of fuel and and possibly a big mess in the floor as well if gas tank is full when it happens if it ever does, hope your luck holds and you never have to worry with it, I just always turn mine off now because then I know Im good and dont have to worry aboit luck...lol!My roommate has issues with gas leaking out his carb (bad gasket or something). So he turns his off. I, however, never do. I've never had a gas leak except when I didnt tighten my fuel line clamps (I'm not using the kit line) or when my bike fell over from other things... and even then it leaks out the gas cap and a bit out of the float bowl.
Hmmm...is nylon fuel proof? Ya know, I'm not sure. Maybe I better check that nut. I haven't checked it in rather a long time. *crosses fingers*... Surprised it didnt affect the nylon. Maybe nylon is fuel proof? ...
Thanks Dan, I really do enjoy building and riding these things. And I'm glad to see any "know it all SOB" get put in his place. Good one.FD, I quoted you in school today. Was too funny. For the life of me I couldn't do the trig to make an angle on a clamp. They deliberately didn't give the angle on the drawing. So the poor dumb Son Of a Bicyclist had to do the math. After three tries, I gave up and put a protractor on the drawing. I was 15 minutes and zero degrees wrong but well within tolerance. The guy (expletive math wiz) next to me was taking his time telling me how wrong it was that I took that approach.
I looked at his part and said, "it is your clamp. Build it your way"
LOL, and he got the math wrong and was out of tolerance.
Really do enjoy your posts and your approach to building.
If it ain't fun, why bother?
Amen......!Thanks Dan, I really do enjoy building and riding these things. And I'm glad to see any "know it all SOB" get put in his place. Good one.
And I say if it ain't fun, Don't do it. And if it is fun. Do it again.
I don't have it as my signature, perhaps I should. I just stick it in if needed. Like now.
IT'S YOUR BIKE, BUILD IT YOUR WAY.
fatdaddy.