Do you shut your fuel off?

[fergie]

do you have to turn your fuell off at the tap? used to do it relgiously with bikes of old,but is it ncessary?

[Hitcher]

Tap? What tap?

[WRT]

Off road - yes, always.

On road - tap, what tap? Haven't had a road bike with a fuel tap since about '00 - but on the road bikes I've owned that did have one, I never turned it off.

Edit - Hitcher, you beat me to it

[vifferman]

No.
No tap.
But (however) the fuel pump in the tank shuts off when the rail's up to pressure and trips the fuel cut relay.

Is it necessary? Only if there's something wrong; on old bikes with stuffed/dirty needle valves in the fuel bowl(s) leaving the tap on might result in all the petrol escaping (eventually) or leaking into the sump, but then a better option is to have that fixed.

[Coldrider]

Newer road bikes (1993) onwards do not have to have the fuel tap turned off, they are run with a vacuum or fuel pumps.
Trailies as someone else stated probably so as the gravity pressure is put on the needle seat, but will only be an issue when the seat is worn or there is a bit of *hit stopping it from seating, leaving fuel pissing all down the MB onto the ground.

[WRT]

The dirt bike doesnt leak when sitting by itself, but I figure why take the chance when its bouncing down gravel roads on the back of a trailer?

[vifferman]

Newer road bikes (1993) onwards do not have to have the fuel tap turned off, they are run with a vacuum.

That's actually been around for longer - my '85 VF500 had a vacuum-operated fuel tap (as well as manual). The trouble is that if the diaphragm goes, the fuel can leak around/through it anyway.

[NotaGoth]

I always turn my fuel tap off when my bikes parked up... It got drilled into me by my old lady (don't ask why) Now its just habit...

[McJim]

My Ducati has a fuel tap that requires you to lift the tank up to get at it. Either that or you train a small monkey to climb into the frame and do it for you.

Manual says to only turn it off in transit or if the bike is stored for a long time.

[Coldrider]

1987 CBR 600 had fuel pumps, with the electrical contacts emmersed in the petrol, (no air to gas & burn), but some of them burnt to the ground in the USA of course. I had a 1993 one, pumps had been dropped for vacuum.

[cynna]

i never turn mine off because i always forget to turn it back on. lame excuse i know but.........

i have never had a problem with leaving it on so cant see any reson why not to

[imdying]

A fuel tap? How quaint!

[surfer]

A big fat YES, turn that sucker off dude.

I don't have a fuel pump or vacumn pump so it is all down by gravity.

If you leave the tap on when you are not using your bike you run the risk of fuel filling up the carbs and then dribbling down through the cylinders into the engine itself. When it gets to settle in the engine it mixes with the oil and you end up with an oil/petrol mix to lubricate your moving parts. If this happens and you leave it like this without changing the oil then you will wear your engine out quicker and possibly sieze it up. You will know a bit before a seize as the engine will make loud banging sounds as metal tears on metal.

Every now and then have a feel of the viscosity of the oil, if it feels gritty you have petrol in there and you should change it.

As to leaving the tap on because you forget to turn it on when you get going again instead try hard and remember. So you stall it a few hundred metres up the road and lose a few cool points trying to figure what what is up until you finally click and remember. Better this than stuffing up your engine.

So my 2c worth turn it off.

[avgas]

Yeh i would still do it if i had a tap.
Learnt my lesson well on the RG with carbs as flooded and china. 4000 kicks later and she still wouldnt start.
I had to kick another 2000 times with the tap off to clear and then she went.
Ditto with the GB and ZXR.
FZ and the 955 were the only bikes i didnt have a tap

[Cave Cleaner]

do you have to turn your fuell off at the tap? used to do it relgiously with bikes of old,but is it ncessary?

Everyone has their opinion on that matter, but from my point of view, if I am using the bike every day, I leave it on. If im not using the bike every day, then i will turn it off while its sitting there.