| Author | Message | ||
     Bott |
only 174 miles on my r. January 09 build date. Boiling fuel and dripping out the vent. thought this issue was resolved...please tell me it is just "teething pains"...its only like 70 degrees out. | ||
| Carbonbigfoot |
Winter Gas. Apparently it has a lower boiling point than Summer Formulation. In most vehicles it's not an issue, but give it a few tanks, and try getting fuel at a different station. The one and only time my 09 CR has done that was on a 60-65 degree day just after I fueled up at a station that I don't normally use. R | ||
| Ds_tiger |
My 09 runs great- 100% great! And the fuel "boils" - you can hear it after every ride Did I say my bike runs great? Sort of the air scoop (missing right side) debate on the XB's Ride that bike!  | ||
| Brapbrapbrap |
Ds_tiger Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009 - 11:12 pm: My 09 runs great- 100% great! And the fuel "boils" - you can hear it after every ride Did I say my bike runs great? Sort of the air scoop (missing right side) debate on the XB's Ride that bike! wow, I read that four times and Im still not sure what it means. My XB's Fuel don't boil, what that a problem on them too? | ||
| Unibear12r |
Actually last summer when my 1125 boiled fuel so bad I started paying close attention to my Uly and other guys XBs I rode with to compare. Turns out that they all boiled fuel, it's just that the other Buells didn't make it nearly as obvious. | ||
| Bott |
was a pretty consistent drip out the vent. thats what makes me nervous... | ||
| Ponti1 |
Mine will drip when parked right after a ride until everything cools off a bit. I end up with a spot on the ground anywhere from the size of a quarter to the size of a baseball. My solution has been to just leave it in the driveway while cooling so as not to get the fumes in the garage. Beyond that, I have no worries. | ||
| Hellgate |
They boil fuel. There is no winter formula gas where I live and it just plain boils fuel. | ||
| Bigschwerm |
Mine is a late Dec 08 build and it boiled fuel before also i noticed that it was only when i bought gas at different gas stations than normal. | ||
| Ds_tiger |
Brap- My point is the fuel "boils"- so what? Bike runs great regardless. There was an eternal never ending debate on the XB board about the right side of the XB motor needing its own air scoop> when in reality it was designed with one, guys have jillions of miles on bikes regardless of the "omitted by Buell" right side air scoop. RIDE!!  | ||
| Palmer |
hello guys, I have a question since long time: what does it mean that the fuel boils? Does this mean that the gasoline in the tank boils like the water for the maccheroni (i'm Italian  )? How can I realize that? thanks for the answers, sometimes I need some explications.. (Message edited by palmer on April 25, 2009) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
You can usually put your ear close to the tank and hear it boiling. Or open the tank (be very careful as it's sorta like opening a boiling radiator) and really listen to it. | ||
| Palmer |
You can usually put your ear close to the tank and hear it boiling. Or open the tank (be very careful as it's sorta like opening a boiling radiator) and really listen to it. sh!t!  and what involve that? I mean which problems? Does this happen even whit the xb's? | ||
| Cataract2 |
Just and FYI about this. I was going into work and passed a Kawi ZX-14. I hear this hissing and what sounds like, boiling. Get closer and sure enough. I can hear the fuel boiling in it's tank and can see a wet residue running from where the gas cap is. What's the point of this? Well, we're not the only ones. This was happening with a bike who's tank is above the engine. Hmmm.... | ||
| Brapbrapbrap |
I fond little comfort in the misery loves company they do it too. Sorry, It's not normal for bikes to do this. | ||
| Unibear12r |
Brap ALL motorcycles boil fuel at some time or another under the right conditions. Like I said above the XBs do it a LOT more than their owners think because it's not as obvious. But if you look hard enough you can tell it does it. I didn't know my Uly boiled fuel for three years until the 1125 made me look for it. Sense the last re-flash my 08 1125 runs cool enough now so that it doesn't boil fuel any more than my Uly does. | ||
| Hellgate |
ALL mc's boil fuel??? Bologna Sandwiches!!! BS!!! I've owned many bikes lived in AZ and TX, the 1125 is the ONLY bike that has boiled fuel on me, on an 80 degree day. That includes a 124 degree day in Phoenix on my air cooled GS1100E.} | ||
| Helicon |
The boiling gas wouldn't bother me if I didn't end up with a puddle of gasoline under my motorcycle every time I ride. My garage is then overwhelmed by the smell of gas fumes. What is sad is that we're are talking about a 65 degree spring day ... not a 90 degree summer day. | ||
| Unibear12r |
I'll stand by what I stated. "At some time or another under the right conditions" makes it a true statement. It might be a bold statement but it would still be a true one.  The 1125 IS the worst I've seen for pushing droplets out the line. Most appear to push just vapor. Yes, last spring it was obvious my 1125 boiled fuel on days at around 80 degrees too. Last week on days in the mid 90s there was no obvious boiling. I did notice last year when the temps were in the 90s or higher that many bikes were boiling fuel but unless you were really looking for it you didn't notice it. Most of those bikes never dribbled re-condensed fuel drops out of the overflow tubes, just vapor. On the other hand there Hellgate, considering that it's often VERY hard to tell when other bikes are boiling fuel, and that boiling fuel was likely the least thing on your mind while riding that GS11 I'll say that your statement is even bolder than mine. I do remember boiling fuel in Triumphs was a "hot" topic of some of their boards last summer. | ||
| Palmer |
but could this be dangerous? Maybe not, but standing at the traffic light on a hot summer day, with the bike pissing fuel out of the line on the exhaust, or if the line is broken on the motor, well that doesn't make me feel safe! I don't want to get BBQ'd! | ||
| Smoke |
i recently noticed this (the sound of bubbling)for the first and only time so far on my 08 and was not sure of what was going on. i opened the gas cap to see and there was quite a lot of pressure in the tank. right after opening the cap there was no more bubbling noise. similar to a pressure cooker, water boils sooner under pressure-gas does same? has not happened again. tim | ||
| Puzzled |
A small catch can/overflow tank would work fine to combat the actual liquid coming out of the breather line. Coming from many years worth of Harley V-Twins these types of overflow tanks are common. They usually aren't much bigger than your fist and have a way to drain off fluid while allowing vapors to escape. | ||
| Buellhusker |
Smoke Water does not boil sooner under pressure, just the opposite. Higher pressure will allow water to get to a higher temperature before boiling, hence the pressure cap on your radiator to keep water from boiling. | ||
| Bott |
*knocks on wood* filled mine up with sunoco ultra yesterday , which was a 90 degree day, and it did NOT drip out the vent | ||
| Hellgate |
Unibear - I think we are talking two different things here. Yeah you can vapor lock, boiling fuel in the fuel delivery system, but to boil in the fuel tank? I suspect that the 11's are perhaps the only bikes that do. I've open my gas cap and the fuel is roiling and full boil. Now it only seems to happen in stop and go traffic but not cruising on a hot day or at the track. | ||
| Bikejunky |
First go to google and type in motorcycle boiling fuel. I just did and there were several different models and makes that have a vapor lock/boiling fuel problems on just the first page. Second the boiling point of ethanol (which is in most pump gas around the nation) is 178.3 degrees Fahrenheit. This is well inside the the operating temp range of your 1125. Also gasoline depending on the additives boils anywhere between 100 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Third This is not a problem strictly encountered with Buell Motorcycles. In fact it happens on most perimeter frame sport bikes at one time or another. Depending on the gas, your bike sitting still in the sun on a hot day could boil the fuel. That being said, The Buell XB and Loki platforms are more likely to encounter this because the fuel is located around the motor and with limited air flow such as slow traffic or stop and go driving, the heat can not be as readily moved away from the frame as on some bikes with top mounted fuel tanks. In summation The real question is, do you want to give up the advantages of no fuel slosh in hard corners, and a lower center of gravity to avoid smelling a little gas now and again? | ||
| Unibear12r |
Thanks Junky, I didn't wan't to be the only nerd on this thread!  Palmer this has been going on in gasoline powered vehicles for over a hundred years. In fact this was part of the big sales pitch to women 100 years ago for electric cars then. I've seen our local fire department boil off an open pan of gasoline with an electric charcoal grill igniter to prove a point. It's sparks and flame with a proper mix of fuel and air you have to worry about and the amounts that comes out of your vent tube are not a problem. Buell's right side scoop and vapor lock are directly related to this subject but are long subjects in them selves. Helgate boiling in the tank and in the fuel line occur for the same reason. You have put enough heat into the gasoline to get it to boil at the pressure it's contained at. The fuel tank is close to the ambient air pressure. The fuel line is at many times that pressure and takes a LOT more heat to boil but is still a big concern to manufacturers. Remember that motorcycles do not consume enough fuel to be considered much by fuel refiners so gasoline is formulated for autos not motorcycles and the operating differences are greater than you might at first think. There appears to not be any one chemical in gasoline that makes it gasoline. The main chemical used in one brands gas may not even be in a competitors gasoline at all. In fact the formulation of gasoline from the same refiner can vary over time due to the supply of chemicals on hand. The chemicals can be mixed, matched and substituted around to meet either specific or the same needs. There appears to be about 20 chemicals that are generally used in forming gasoline. Out of the 10 most common chemicals only a handful of those many be in the fuel you are currently buying. The most common chemical in gasoline is Toluene (the huffers delight) which may be up to 35% of the fuel, or not there at all. Toluene boils at 231F. Most common chemicals in gasoline: Toluene-35%-231F Xylene-25%-281F Pentane-20%-97F Isopentane-20%-82F Trimethylbenzene-7%-338F Benzene-5%-176F Naphthalene-1.1%-424F Notice that some of those chemicals have some low boiling points. Some other chemicals often used: Cyclohexane-5%-177F Heptane-2%-209F Ethyl Benzene-5%-277F N-Hexane-8%-156F N-octane-1%-258F A few of those could boil in a motorcycle on a hot day. In cold climates for winter it is common for refiners to add: Butane-12%-31F Then we have the mandated oxygenating chemicals. MTBE-18%-131F Methyl Alcohol-?-148F Ethanol-20%-173F Ethanol is currently used at about 6% (when present) in the US because of supply but has been labeled at up to 10% at the pump because that's the amount previously allowed by law. The law has changed or will soon change to 20% If on a sunny 124 degree day you pulled your bike (any) out into the sun (without starting it) and THEN went in to put on your gear, by the time you got back out to your bike some of your fuel was boiling off. It might be a very light boil, but a boil all the same.  (Message edited by unibear12r on April 26, 2009) | ||
| Unibear12r |
Lol, I forgot some bikes have their fuel tank under the seat. So my last statement above would be incorrect for at least a few motorcycles. Bologna Sandwiches!!! BS!!! (That's what I get for being too bold! ) I also forgot to mention that all the above info is from a number of on line sites pertaining to gasoline and cross referenced to some of the refiner's on line MSDS sheets and Wiki. Easy to find and kill four hours over so that was a very condensed version of the information. | ||
| Smoke |
thanks buellhusker, i had that a$$-backwards thing going on again.  Do you think the bubbling could be the tank vent valve cycling? trying to figure out why it stopped when i opened the cap. tim | ||
| Jaimec |
It hit over 90 in some spots here yesterday. I was on a good, hard 144 mile back road poker run in New York and for the FIRST time I saw a small puddle of fuel by the left side of the rear tire. No biggie... that's why there IS a vent hose in the first place, right? |
