fuel shut off?
 

I am a new member. I am wondering why there is no fuel shut off. Is there a replacement petcock so the fuel may be completely shut off? This may be the best control of carb gum ups and "no starts"

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Welcome, newbie! :rawk:

Is the GZ your first bike......or just the first one in a long time?

For about 20 years or so, the fuel shutoff on bikes has been automatic; it is inside the petcock and is vacume controlled; there is a little hose on the back of the petcock going to the "intake manifold".

In the ON and RES settings, the automatic cutoff works. In the PRIme setting, it does not; that is, fuel flows even when the engine is OFF. SO.......unless you leave it on the PRIme setting during storage, an excess amount of fuel will NOT evaporate in the carb (bowl)........unless the petcock is broken, that is.

Browse around a bit; I'm sure you will find other things interesting and informative......and some things funny and a few depressing. If you can ignore the BS, it really is a good place to hang out. :tup:

Re: fuel shut off?
 

yes, it is my first bike. I had a phone converstion with my brother and he said it should have a shut off....he has a Harley and it has a shutoff. So I stand corrected. Does anyone think that "gas stabilizer" actually keeps the carb from gumming up?

Re: fuel shut off?
 

I might use a fuel stabilizer if the bike is going to be sitting/stored for months at a time with fuel in it. It is better to drain the fuel in that case. For normal use I just use regular gas, with the addition of 1 ounce of "seafoam" or the like for each gallon of gas once every third or fourth tankful. As Easy Rider explained, the GZ does have a shut off, called a petcock in techno speak, that operates automatically as a safety feature.

http://www.postimage.org/gx1aPNqi.jpg
In this photo the petcock is in "RUN" position.

Re: fuel shut off?
 

The overwhelming consensus is that draining the tank is NOT a good thing to do.......unless maybe the bike is stored in a temp. controlled environment. In your typical garage, the temp. and humidity changes enough to cause water to condense INSIDE the gas tank. Once it starts rusting, you have a serious problem. The recommendation is to fill it as full as possible and use stabilizer. Draining the float bowls is not a bad idea though.

Fuel stabilizer is recommeneded only for gas that will be stored more than 30 days, in or out of a vehicle. I agree with occasional use of carb CLEANER to keep things from gumming up. :tup:

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Riding it often is usually the best way to keep the carb from "gumming up" though. Keep a regular flow of fresh gas through it and everything should be fine.

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Well.....DUH !!! :roll: :biggrin:

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Good point on the empty tank rusting up Easy Rider. I had heard that before. Brain Cramp!

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Not only is rust a possibility with an empty tank stored for an extended period in cold weather, but you can accumulate small amounts of water in the fuel tank, sitting on the bottom, which is not a good idea.

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Can anyone tell me how to drain the float bowl? The manual tells how to remove it, but not how to just drain it. I did a search here on the forums and couldn't find anything either.
Thanks!

Re: fuel shut off?
 

disconnect the vacuum line an run the bike until the engine stop

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Wow, its that easy? I was looking all over the place under there for a drain screw, lol.

If I'm going to store the bike for the winter, is it better to drain the bowl, or leave it full of gas/stabilizer mix? Where I live its not unusual to see -40C during the winter, and the bike will basically be outside under a tarp.

Edited to add: As stabilzer, I basically added about a quarter can of Seafoam to the tank, then filled it to the very top and drove it the few km home.

Re: fuel shut off?
 

You are better off leaving it as is,filled & SeaFoam added.
:) :2tup:

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Take the time to remove the battery and store it inside in a warm place. You should also order a Battery Tender and top up the battery once a month for an hour of so. A Tender is a lot cheaper than a new battery every Spring. Don't ask me how I know. :whistle:
You also may want to lube the chain for protection against the elements. You will be ready to go in the Spring once you top up the tires to the right pressure.

Almost forgot. Cap or plug the end of the muffler too. The muffler could be a great winter home for small critters.

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Do you have a camera at my house? I did all of those things this very afternoon! Even the rag shoved in the muffler - that is definitely a good call.
But yah, battery is in the basement, and I have a tender as well.

Thanks for the tips, guys. Looks like my bike is ready for the winter!

Re: fuel shut off?
 

No camera till spring. I don't want to leave foot prints in the snow. :biggrin:

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Ha, if you're in Squamish, you might just see snow before us here in Ottawa! (on top of that giant cliff there anyways) :)

Re: fuel shut off?
 

Raining here now with too much cloud cover to see the mountains. The giant cliff is The Chief. 2nd largest piece of solid granite in the world. The Chief has over 50 climbs to choose from on it's west face. I personally have met the record holder for fastest climb. Oh boy is he in good physical shape. Peder is one of our home grown locals who is world reknown in the climbing circles. Peder has been know to do the climb 4 times in one day by running down the back side of the Chief and starting over again. He called it training for a real climb elsewhere in the world. SAY WHAT !!!!!!
Walking the backside footpath is on my bucket list. The bottom half is the hard part and Lynda managed that earlier this year with a friend before running out of energy.
The pic was taken from the Chief but I can't remember who took it. I do know it wasn't me. :lol: