Fixed leaking petcock; Don't buy a new one yet!

[alantf]

Originally Posted by gzlocal

Yes, such considerate "friends" to chop your starter cable. I haven't looked, but can those be fashioned out of like normal small battery cables or is it semi-proprietary?

It was chopped so close to the lug that I was able to crimp another lug on, then slightly reroute the cable to give me an extra couple of inches to rebolt it. I reckon I know who did it. The day before, I had to go down to one of the other apartments to complain about the noise. There are 18 apartments in the block. We all own our own, except for 5 which are rented. For some reason the owner always seems to rent to scum. This one was rented to a guy who works in a mechanic's, so I reckon he'd have the heavy bolt cutter that's needed to give the cut pattern that was on the cable. I reported it to the police & told them what I suspected. Not enough to get him arrested, but at least he knew that the police were involved.

[Gz Rider]

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[gzlocal]

Originally Posted by Gz Rider

No, someone wanted to sell you a whole bike, you just cuaght the problem too soon!

"Oh sir, I so terribly sorry to hear that. Well, you're in luck, we do have a replacement oil plug in stock for you for $3.96, but may I ask why you're going through all that trouble to replace your oil plug when we have a brand new Virago 250 here?" O_o

[Gz Rider]

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[gzlocal]

Ha! To them, 1000cc is a sissy bike. They like to push the 1400's on people for the profit margins, although they sell a crap ton of 250's there. They just don't make much off of them.

[gzlocal]

So, another update. It's been two months and the petcock is still leak free!

On another sad note, I will be selling my GZ250 this week to upgrade to a...........DUM DUM DUM!!!!!!...........Honda. :itsokay: Got a brand new CBR250r for three grand. I had to do it!

I'll still be around the forum whenever I can be. School has me pretty tied up, but I know the bike like the back of my hand, so I'll be glad to help where I can!

[gzlocal]

Originally Posted by Gz Rider

Thanks for the update. I would have liked to see it's success longer term but I think if had that leak again, I'd give it a try. Enjoy your new bike!

Well, I'm sure if it leaks when this guy tries the valve adjustment next time, I'll be getting a phone call. I made it clear for us to stay in touch so I could help him if he ran into any issues. What was most important to me was this bike would be taken care of. So, like I said, I will constantly be around this forum, so if I hear it started leaking again, I will let the forum know! Even if a new o-ring only lasts a year, getting a pack of that size from lowes for $3.49 is enough to last for 5 years. And from what I saw come out of that thing, I'm sure those silicone o-rings are much higher quality than what came in the petcock from the factory.... :rawk:

Good to see you again 'rider! :2tup:

[gzlocal]

Hello again all! Sad to see GZ Rider has departed since my last visit, but things happen...

Anyway, three months and no leaks. So at the request of the late GZ Rider, this seems to be a perfectly successful repair. I recommend trying this before buying a new (expensive) petcock!

[wacio]

I do have the patcock described in original post as manual alternative (linked on eBay). It wouldn't fit GZ without some modifications. The knob in reserve position will interfere with the tank weld seam. There might be similar petcock with distance from knob to mounting flange larger that is more suitable for GZ as non vacuum operated replacement.


I purchased this one. Not sure if the screws are same distance but gave it shot. Will let you know if it works. It looks like valve it further from mounting flange:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321479366875...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT