When I first started the bike this year had bit of rough running, thought I'd need to balance throttle bodies and such but it seemed to calm down. Just brimmed the tank and within 500m of the garage the bike stalled and stopped, almost as if I had put diesel in! I checked 5 times and confirmed it was indeed full of petrol. My thinking is that any sediment/liquid heavier than petrol would have been shaken up and sucked into the fuelpump and therefore into the engine. Was going to go for an extensive ride but decided to just get home, engine must have cut out 27 times it always felt like the fuel wasn't getting though, wouldn't rev when asked and idle would be erratic to the extent where it would cut out if left, fuel pump was priming fine. After about a mile through town and 200m from the house it suddenly started to behave, got off the bike and its merrily idling away outside... Any ideas?
Would have been my first port of call if it had not been changed a week before the bike "went to bed". Reading up on it, the bits in petrol that make it volatile evaporate over time, as the tank is vented the bits that make the petrol go bang evaporate away. You're left with petrol that might make the engine run but not much more, kinda explains my symptoms. Putting the fresh petrol in has been diluted with the older stuff. Off to halfrauds to buy an octane booster to be on the safe side, and after this lot of petrol going to take the tank off, clean it out and change the fuel filter for good measure. (I should have just Googled it, sorry. But was in a bit of a rage induced flap!)
All be no doubt be revealed if you remove the tank to clean it and replace the filter. You could have a split internal fuel line!
Just took the fuel cap off the tank and checked the breather hose and it would appear its blocked, not totally but would be enough to cause a vacume and starve the engine but then equalize after the engine was stopped for 10 seconds or so. Many thanks to Borgo Panigale for the pm! Once this load of fuel goes through I'll be taking the tank off the bike and servicing it, checking/replacing hoses, fuel filter and will inspect the fuel pump too, also wash out the tank and get rid of any sediment lurking in the bottom! 3 cotton buds, a drill bit (used by hand) and an eyeball full of rust later and I'm off to go try it out!
