Well, it seems to be Poll season so here's my attempt....

Do you leave your Petcock turned on all the time? Are you paranoid (like me) and turn it off whenever the engine is not running? Are you the relaxed sensible kind of dude who only shuts it off when leaving the bike for a while or doing maintenance? Do you have any idea what I am talking about?

 

Turn mine off all the time, had major problems last year with a yam XS750 triple and gasoil, if you have had it you will know, if you dont know what it is----------------ignorance is bliss

 

The early models had an electric fuel pump - I don't know if fuel could still run out under gravity when the engine is off. But the FK onwards models had a vacuum controlled valve and the fuel was gravity fed. When the engine is off, there is no vacuum and the fuel supply valve is shut. So on these later models, I can't see the point of switching the fuel to 'off'. If anyone has a reason, please let me know!

 

I switch mine to off when I'm leaving it in a parking lot. I figure that if someone tries to steal it, they won't get very far on the gas avaliable.

 

Gasoil is the reason you should always turn it off, seals in vacuum petcock can fail allowing fuel to flow all the time, this itself is not the end of the world but if the float valves in carbs are a bit iffy fuel can flood straight into engine-----result gasoil -----more petrol than oil in the engine, first you know is a strong smell of petrol and oil level in engine is much higher than it should be, proper pain in the ****, much easier to just turn em off

 

My vacuum switch failed a while ago, and I didn't know because the float valves are good.
I had the carbs off a few times messing with jets etc. and my fuel lines must have been a bit stretched and stiff at the ends. The result was half a tank of fuel all over the shed floor!
The thing is that the fuel was leaking onto the exhaust system, and if I'd turned the tap off I wouldn't have known about the fuel leaking onto the exhaust!
I changed the switch and the fuel lines, and all is well, but I still leave my fuel turned on because I know I'll forget to turn it back on and make a tool of myself overtaking someone!
I think it's a good idea, if you have had the carbs off, to test for leaks by getting a short bit of pipe (the stuff for aquarium bubblers works well), put it on the switch and suck on it so the valve opens. You can hear it click open and look for leaks.
Sometimes a "safety feature" can be quite the opposite!
Dave.

 

Help me here guys - was that a yes or a no?

 

The guy I bought my bike from had redone the seat and I can't get to it with the seat on so it is on reserve at all times. I just keep a really close eye on my trip mileage so I don't run dry.

MDFF

 

Never thought of that one mdff. Respect.

 

Now that I think it trough I should probally just leave it set to "on" and not reserve. That would probally be safer... can always take the seat off, can't always get roadside assistance.

MDFF