petrol taps

[Steve Gee]

Hopefully a nice easy one, what was the left hand petrol tap on an IP2 for ? if I fit one will I be able to switch to reserve without losing control of throttle and brake, nine times out of ten mine needs reserve at the most awkard moment possible, normally through the nice twisty bits on the way to work !

[Malc]

Hi Steve,The reserve tap was removed to stop police riders leaving the fuel tap on and consequently allowing fuel to "wash the lubricant from the engine internal running faces and cause subsequent engine seizure" Quoted from service release IP 37 87Service release IP 42 87 goes on to detail the action taken to prevent this, which is to remove the existing prime position from R/H fuel tap, Delete L/H fuel tap, fit single feed fuel pipe and fit spacer under tank filler cap to ensure adequate breathing.In a nutshell, if you remember to turn the fuel off then no problem. You will probably find that any water of sediment collects in the L/H side of the tank though, and will pass down into the carbs. This was a problem when the police riders used to go onto reserve, sometimes the bike would have to come in as it was not running well due to said problems. I saw some modified SU carb bottems with drain screws in at the factory at this time in 1987 but once the L/H taps were removed, the problem went so they never saw production.I always file the tang off the vacuum tap escutcheon so as the prime works and refit the L/H tap on the bikes I have had. Malc

[MrB]

Hi Steve,I reset the trip meter everytime I fill up. Once I hit 150 I switch to reserve when convenient knowing that I must fill up soon. As I get towards 200 I stop cruising and seek a garage (probably a little conservative but I don't relish pushing). I did get a tap for the left side from Graham at Startright, which is adequate if a little small for the fuel pipe, so that I can access the last couple of litres in emergency. There's no way I'd be able to use it whilst riding though, far too hairy a prospect for me. You will also need the carb connector for the left side (G can supply that too).Johnny.

[gripper]

I fitted a tap to the LH side of my IP2 to access a couple of extra litres and prevent the build up of water. ( a friend of mine has 2 IP2 tanks that have rusted out on the LH side) Unfortunately the tap was not particularly good and allowed fuel to drain through the carb and fill the engine and exhaust with fuel. plugs out, crank the engine, start the engine. ERROR, engine nips up. Now the subject of a rebuild. The diamond shaped petrol taps seem much more reliable than the original brass conical item. My Commando regularly had an inlet port full of fuel with the original tap. You would think that a carb that was originally designed to operate with a pressure fed fuel system and viton tipped float needle would be good enough to stop the fuel under gravity only. Obviously not. If you end up with an engine full of fuel that has not picked up oil on its merry way, you will need to introduce a serious amount of oil into the combustion chambers (rotor housings)prior to starting.

[graham]

Hello,The fuel tap I have in stock for the left side is not ideal, the outlet is a bit small - at least it's cheap :-)http://www.startright.co.uk/index.php?m ... d=10124For those of you who trawl the net for such things, all MZ's older Guzzis Ducatis and BMW's use the same thread. As does the DKW Hercules W2000 ! Until I find a good high quality (European made) replacement, I recommend a S/H BMW unit along with a big glass clear filter fitted horizontally. That way you'll catch the water before it fills the carbs.I use the left tap on my bike to fill my petrol stove. Is there anyone on the forum remembers 'the flame thrower' from our visits to Scotland :-)To drain the water easily from the left side I use a quick-detachable fuel line:http://www.startright.co.uk/index.php?m ... =8mm+quick Graham