Triumphrat

08-09-2006

Hi everyone. This is my first time posting on the forum, but I've been reading it for a while now. Last May, I bought a new 06 Bonnie black, and it now has just over 1000 miles on it. Until today, I've had no problems with it whatsoever. I rode it to work this morning, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong. However, about an hour after I parked in the company's garage, I got a call from security saying my bike had leaked gas all over the place. When I went down to check, the tank, which had been full, was empty and gas was all over the floor. I had left the fuel valve on this morning (i usually remember to turn it off when I park) but it had only sat about an hour. Any ideas as to what could be wrong? I don't know if this is related or not, but a couple days ago I let the engine warm up for about 4-5 minutes with the choke on. I left the garage briefly and when I came back the header pipes were starting to glow. I've already called a couple dealers, and one said the leak could be related to using ethanol gas. Ethanol apparently attracts water, which would in turn corrode the carbs. He also said that, if this was the case, it's not covered by warranty :???: Needless to say, I'm not taking the bike to that dealer. Anyways, any advice you guys could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Shorty · 08-09-2006

Check by your airfilter and see if the airbox has gas in it. I had something similar happen a few months ago and I believe the left carburator float or valve was sticking, noticed gas dripping from behind the left side panel with a big puddle on the ground. Opened it up and the air filter was sitting in gas. I was just getting ready to go for a ride, had turned the petcock to "On" and went inside to finish my coffee. In less than 15 minutes I probably lost 1/4 tank of gas.

Shorty

[ This message was edited by: Shorty on 2006-08-09 08:25 ]

08-09-2006

Hard to tell at this point. The garage is pretty dark, and security is down there right now cleaning up the mess...I should be able to give it a look over pretty soon though.

08-09-2006

Thanks Shorty, it sounds like we've encountered the same problem. Just out of curiousity, how did you resolve it? I'm planning on taking the bike to the dealer this afternoon, just to be safe. I went down to the garage again to check the bike, and it appears the reserve is still there--I'm going to see if it starts, hit a gas station, and go the 11 miles to the dealer with a tow truck number and cell phone on hand.

cobra935o · 08-09-2006

Did you just see the biker build off and what happened to Billy Lane after he had a leaking gas tank? Whole bike up in flames. It was a shame cause he would have kicked Russel Mitchells ass with that bike!!!

Unless you know where it is coming from exactly, I might just let the dealer come get it, and find another way home. But then how sporting would that be, hehe.

Nathan

JMV2006 · 08-09-2006

"Owners Handbook"
Check the WARNING on the page 34 bottom right.
They alert for the possibility of the leak happening if you leave the fuel ON.
If you didn’t leave it in RES probably you still had fuel enough to go and refuel it.
More than likely it is not a big problem.

Check the WARNING on page 43 bottom left.

Check the paragraph Fuel Grade on page 32 top left.

Sorry. This must be personal “professional deformation” :wink:

Shorty · 08-09-2006

VS...I took off the carb bowls and found contamination sediment in the bowl. Sprayed the carb and float assembly down with carb cleaner and purchased a better in-line gas filter to replace the one I have installed right behind the petcock. I also always turn off the gas when I'm not riding and now finish my coffee before I get the bike ready to go cruising :-D .

Shorty

PS: Check your air filter and make sure it's not damaged from being soaked in gas. I have the Uni filter so all I had to do was clean and re-oil it. I'm sure a paperfilter element might get buggered-up if it soaks in fuel for too long.

ravnhaus · 08-09-2006

When I took my Bonnie to the dealer to have a cam cover gasket replaced I left the fuel lever on. The mech chastised me. He said he had one recently where the float stuck, gas leaked into the air box and got into the crankcase diluting the oil.
Always turn off the fuel lever!

[ This message was edited by: ravnhaus on 2006-08-09 20:45 ]

badrufus · 08-09-2006

Until you know for sure what caused such a leak, or deluge, I would strongly recommend against riding the bike. You're going to need to check a lot of places to find the leak source, and as important, where all the gas went, aside from what was on the floor. I had such an event with a bike that had been improperly stored for a long time, such that there were numerous sources of gas leaks from the rubber parts of the carbs. Before I realized what exactly was going on, the crankcase oil was seriously contaminated with gas. Gravity, and in that case a fuel pump, pushed the gas through the carbs and into the engine proper. I had to change the oil twice to get all the gas out of the crankcase, and then find a place to take gas-contaminated oil. Trying to figure out where the gas came from and where it went in a dark garage would be, well, difficult. Get a dealer to come pick it up and find out what happened. Possibilities seem to me to start with a major leak in the petcock, a stuck float such that the open petcock kept flowing gas through the carbs, into the crankcase and then (?) out via the crankcase breaker hose that goes through the airbox, a leak in a rubber component of the carbs that either allowed gas to flow from carb to crankcase to airbox to floor, or such a leak that just flowed directly to the floor, and finally, a leak in the gas tank itself, ala Billy Lane. I've not heard of a report of the last on a Bonnieville, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

08-09-2006

thanks for all the responses, guys. I just checked the oil level and it seemed higher than it was before the incident, so I'm not going to attempt a ride to the dealer. I was hoping I could avoid the $135 they charge for a tow in DC, but alas. Now I've got to worry about whether this is covered under warranty.