Prevent fuel line fraying

[THOMASPIN]

I use braided cloth covered fuel line on my R90/6 and came across this handy tip in a decade old posting on the Adventure Rider forum.

A short length of heat shrink tubing is installed over the end of the line - I find that the fuel hose connection to the gas tank is the first to fray as that gets most on/off action as the gas tank has to be removed to access the brake fluid reservoir for periodic maintenance.

Here's how my frayed end looks (top) along with a length of heat shrink tubing, available in your choice of color on https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=heat+shrink+tubing:

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The outside diameter of the braided fuel line is 0.46" (12mm) so you want tubing with an inside diameter slightly larger.

With the fuel line removed from the bike for safety, a few seconds with a heat gun does the trick. Probably best to avoid open flame heat sources for the sake of safety; a hair dryer should also do the trick:

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Here's the fuel hose installed on the bike - it makes for a neat look:

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At the time the original post was written on the Adventure Rider site, the poster stated he had had 5 years trouble free use from this fix.

 

[ebeeby]

Very nice.

 

[tanker4me]

That is a clean look.
I replace fuel line every 2 years and leave about an inch extra slack between the crossover/in-line filter and petcock. Then if it gets frayed it can be trimmed off.
An alternative to heat shrink is a dab of liquid tape.
Also a washer between the petcock and hose makes the hose easier to remove, and your fingers aren't touching the fabric to cause it to fray.
Bill

 

[happy wanderer]

That metal washer on your petcock will wear through the soft petcock metal eventually. I realized this after doing the same thing for a season and noticed the washer were notching out my petcock outlets. I bought some thick black nylon ones to replace the metal ones. Works just as well and does not wear the petcock metal. Gel black ones. Much like white zip ties the sun will get them. Black ones last much much longer in the sun.

 

[ebeeby]

That metal washer on your petcock will wear through the soft petcock metal eventually. I realized this after doing the same thing for a season and noticed the washer were notching out my petcock outlets. I bought some thick black nylon ones to replace the metal ones. Works just as well and does not wear the petcock metal. Gel black ones. Much like white zip ties the sun will get them. Black ones last much much longer in the sun.

Brilliant

 

[Omega Man]

And.....not just for Airheads
om

 

[tanker4me]

The washer in the photo is copper, it is on a Heinrich tank petcock with horizontal barb. I haven't seen any damage to either petcock yet. (it's a tight fit)
I have used nylon, delrin, neoprene, and regular/stainless steel washers for 47+ years without any noticeable damage to vertical barb petcocks.
There are Delrin washers on my GSPD.
Bill

 

[happy wanderer]

The washer in the photo is copper, it is on a Heinrich tank petcock with horizontal barb. I haven't seen any damage to either petcock yet. (it's a tight fit)
I have used nylon, delrin, neoprene, and regular/stainless steel washers for 47+ years without any noticeable damage to vertical barb petcocks.
Bill

View attachment 72526

I read about this problem in an email on the AirList by Tom Cutter who has replaced petcocks that had metal washers on them. So I took a look at mine and there was indeed wear on the spigots. I was using galvanized metal washers. I've checked them again after two years with the plastic ones and no wear.

For me, seeing is believing. Vibration probably plays a role here I really don't know.

But copper IS quite soft and probably softer than the alloy the petcocks are made of.
But since copper is more expensive than plastic... some crusty airheads might complain it's not a proper "airhead" solution.

 

[52184]

A non-metallic washer on the petcock makes that particular connection easier to separate, but one still has to struggle with the other connections at carb and tee. This tool simplifies hose removal at those locations as well as the petcock and eliminates most of the hose and fitting damage: https://www.amazon.com/Car-Hose-Rem...549247514&sr=8-4&keywords=Hose+removal+pliers


Best,
DG

 

[RPGR90s]

Fuel line

I use braided cloth covered fuel line on my R90/6 and came across this handy tip in a decade old posting on the Adventure Rider forum.

A short length of heat shrink tubing is installed over the end of the line - I find that the fuel hose connection to the gas tank is the first to fray as that gets most on/off action as the gas tank has to be removed to access the brake fluid reservoir for periodic maintenance.

Here's how my frayed end looks (top) along with a length of heat shrink tubing, available in your choice of color on https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=heat+shrink+tubing:

View attachment 72478​

The outside diameter of the braided fuel line is 0.46" (12mm) so you want tubing with an inside diameter slightly larger.

With the fuel line removed from the bike for safety, a few seconds with a heat gun does the trick. Probably best to avoid open flame heat sources for the sake of safety; a hair dryer should also do the trick:

View attachment 72477​

Here's the fuel hose installed on the bike - it makes for a neat look:

View attachment 72476​

At the time the original post was written on the Adventure Rider site, the poster stated he had had 5 years trouble free use from this fix.

Really nice look

 

[jagarra]

What I used to cover the fraying ends were the crimp finals that are used when making hoses. You can get them at a shop that makes custom hoses, pretty inexpensive. They slip right over the ends, the only mod I had to make was to enlarge the hole on the end a bit to fit over the barb.

 

[chunk]

Or, use Tygon fuel line. Soft, stays pliable, and fits tight without need for clamps. Just another option, i got tired of the braided stuff hiding the rotten rubber underneath, until it started to leak. I think the Tygon resists the ethanol better than the braided stuff too. My take on it. YMMV.

 

[lmo1131]

I'll just throw is this for general information.

The left side petcock is subject to damage by the choke cables. I found mine as a result of a wet boot.


with apologies for the horrible image...

 

[47512]

Get some real 6mm rubber fuel hose and forget that fabric covered crap.

 

[THOMASPIN]

I'll just throw is this for general information.

The left side petcock is subject to damage by the choke cables. I found mine as a result of a wet boot.

You can mitigate that issue by placing a small length of fuel line over the offending choke cable. I split mine longitudinally to install, along with a couple of cable ties.

 

[happy wanderer]

Get some real 6mm rubber fuel hose and forget that fabric covered crap.

AFAIK Airhead fuel line is 7mm, not 6. At least it is for my RS and G/S.

I see a lot of inch size fuel line on Airheads because it is easy to find in auto part stores and it's cheap. But it never fits properly...

 

[nickrides]

FWIW which is not much
I like the the old VW cloth covered fuel line.
I just like the way it feels and looks.
YMMV

 

[happy wanderer]

I know a lot of people have had issues with the BAI fuel line sold by the Bing Agency. In my case, it was the best fuel line purchases I've made. I bought a couple lengths of it at the Bing booth in Redmond OR during the MOA rally there in 2010.

I put it on my RS that same year and on my G/S a couple years later. Both bikes still have those black BAI fuel lines on them. It has never cracked, split, deformed or failed me in any way. Although I've read a LOT of posts here and on ADV stating it is crap and will not last etc etc this has simply never happened on my bikes.

I am at a loss to explain this other than I wonder if there is a LOT more ethanol in the gas in places where the failures seem to happen consistently. I know Anton in Virginia has mentioned failures and many eastern Airheads won't use it but also in places out west. We have 10% ethanol in all our gas up here in Canada except here in BC where 94 Octane non ethanol fuel is available at Chevron and Shell stations. My G/S is lower compression and designed to run on just about anything you can find all over the world. It runs just fine on regular ethanol laced gas.

I like the fit, the look and how easy it is to remove when you need the tank off. I just put nylon washers between the line end and the petcock. Push it backwards, it expands the line a bit and it slide off like butter. It will not come off if you just yank on it and requires no clamps whatsoever. What's not to like? Well, all those failures and split lines at inconvenient places for sure but again, it is just not happening in my case.

Go figure!

 

[happy wanderer]

FWIW which is not much
I like the the old VW cloth covered fuel line.
I just like the way it feels and looks.
YMMV

It is also 7mm and fits properly. I keep a good length of it in my parts stash in case my BAI line fails but so far so good.