Bike: 2006 /1700 Silverado ....Fuel line question

[K9blueman]

Bike: 2006 /1700 Silverado ....Can I use a simple straight through 5/16 fuel line from fuel Pump to Carb with no problems? Also will most of these fuel lines stand up to the E-10 Gas? that is usually found at pumps. Also will I need to wrap some sort of
Heat Tape around it?

[Tcontrol]

Not sure of fuel line size at the moment but to answer your questions…

Yes… you can run fuel line straight to the carb from the tank… research “going pumpless” on this forum… there are plenty of articles that refer to this..

fuel line from an auto parts store will tolerate the E-10 gasoline easily… i have been using the same fuel line since i replaced it in 2008… a gentle slope from the tank to the carb avoiding low spots is the best method to run your fuel line.. some people use a heat shield on the fuel line… some do not.. i just used the original spring from the fuel pump set-up between the piston cylinders to help stabilize the fuel line and maintain that “gentle slope” previously discussed… it has worked just fine for me…

a lot of people will change the carb float needle valve to a unit that is a bit more “free flowing”… i believe this “free flowing” float needle valve is called a “pingle valve”… you may want to google that information…

there are some other things that help with the transition to a “pumpless” setup which have been discussed by several members at various times on the clinic… again… search for the forum articles that discuss “going pumpless”

i have been running my bike pumpless since 2008 with very few issues…

[Father Pobasturd]

It's not a Pingle valve, it's a Grizzly valve, it goes in a Yamaha Grizzly. Pingle is an aftermarket petcock which is very nice to have, but expensive, and not needed to go pumpless. The stock petcock works fine. You should do the Grizzly valve if going pumpless, and also vent the gas cap or find some other way to vent the tank.. Also, correct routing of the fuel line is important for good flow. Any fuel line will handle E-10. I'm pumpless since 2015 with no issues.

[Lug Nut]

Yes 5/16 since fuel line and best to use the fuel injection line because it's stiffer and more resistant to heat and wear. There is a whole lot more to going pumpless successfully than just running a line from the petcock to the carb.....many steps to take to ensure that you get good results

[K9blueman]

Actually Gentlemen..I think there is a slight misread of my original Statement. My pump is working fine...so my set up is OEM Petcock to Filter, to Pump and then to Carb...the hose going from pump to Carb is cracked and needs replacing.but does not leak. I notice it kind of bends around a bit to get from pump to carb. plus there is what I assume to be duct tape wrapped around the hose to protect from engine heat which I know prevents vapor locks within the hose....Doing some further research this evening, I found the best fuel line hose is one that is made of PTFE [I'm not gonna spell that out...lol] Rated R30 I thank you guys.for the great answers.

I'm new with this bike [couple of months] . It was pretty neglected over the years. Put new tires, Oil Change with K&N 303 filter, and new NGK spark plugs, Cleaned Air Intake and filter [K&N air filter] The problem I'm having is Gas Puking on a hot day, when engine is hot and I shut down to go to store or something when I restart it, it at times would puke fuel. But it seemed to run fine....then lately I would start it and while riding and things heating up it would start missing and Stuttering...and then suddenly I would lose power...I could still slowly get up to highway speed but it would run rough and like it's 2 shy of the six pack. and I'm using a lot more fuel to keep up the speed. Bike idles and does not shut down on me...but when I hit throttle you can hear and tell the lack of power. There is also a strong smell of gas while riding.
I checked the Plugs...which are brand new and all 4 are fining [I checked for spark as well]. I'm was thinking because of the original crack in that one fuel line I want to replace it...as it is not leaking yet. so that is not the problem My guess which would explain the puking? is that the Float and needle valve are sticking to a point that when engine heats up more fuel is causing flooding? which costs power? other than that idea I don't know why it is happening. I even put some Gummout Carb cleaner in fuel hoping to clean out the carb a bit...but no cigar. Anyone ever have this problem.

[Lug Nut]

If you want to get rid of carb puke, you have to go pumpless.

[davej]

Lower the float about 1mm and change the line from the pump to the carb to rubber line. Putting a little heat wrap on the line between the jugs is just good insurance to keep that line cooler. I have found that lowering the float level along with replacing the metal fuel line with rubber line takes care of the carb puke

[K9blueman]

Thanks for the great answers gentlemen...davej hits it on the nail......will this adress the other problem of lack of power?

[davej]

the stumble sounds like it may be flooding at speed. You might want to also check the float needle and pull the needle seat to check the Oring on it to make sure fuel isn't leaking past that Oring.

[Shotround]

and if you go that far, might as well replace it with the grizzly valve since it comes with oring. at least the one i got did. since carb is off might as well see what jets are in there. might as well clean the passages in there. then its only two screws to figure out what needle you have. after all that, you only have to remove the pump since you got new tubing.

check to see if petcock is clogged from ethanol. mine was pretty bad as it sat for 12 years.

[K9blueman]

Petcock is clean...New Fuel filter as well....Checked fuel Pump...Pull out the Fuel line from pump to Carb....original metal one with Heat wrap that looks something like Duct tape. Gonna put in a new Rubber R30 line with a heat sleeve. I guess I need to pull off the Carb and Clean and put in new o rings, seat, and Needle. I've worked on Harley CV Carbs and SS but never on Mikunis...looks a little intimidating.

[Lug Nut]

Mikuni 40mm is a cv carb....shouldn't have any issues honestly...

[K9blueman]

Will an S&S Carb fit/work with this bike?

[K9blueman]

Update: Put in New Fuel Filter, and new Fuel line [SAE 30/R14] Its rated for Fuel Injection systems and will withstand all types of Fuels and ethenols. I put a Heat Sleeve around the line to avoid the engine heat causing Vapor locks...So far Bike is running great.
Thanks to everyone that helped here.