Melting Fuel Lines

[Ironride]

I took the carbs off of my 79 XS11 and quickly noticed the fuel lines were very swollen and cracking near the fittings, also the rubber was very spongy. I have seen this many times in the past and know that it is caused by a chemical reaction between the compound the fuel line is made of and the additives that is found in today's gasoline. What surprises me is how quickly this happened and that it would happen with what I thought was quality fuel line. Five months ago I had a fuel leak from one of the fuel lines and decided to go ahead and replace them all…to do the job right. I bought 3/16 fuel line from the local NAPA store and noticed it was made by Good Year. Good stuff I thought, but apparently in this application it doesn’t hold up. After this amount of time I doubt that NAPA would be willing to do much about it and to be honest I really wouldn't expect them to. I started looking through my suppliers catalogs and found Tygon fuel line in almost all of them. For those who never heard of Tygon it is a yellow colored, semi-clear polymer tubing that the maker clams is excellent for fuel line. I myself never used it on a bike and was wondering if any of you have, and if so what kind of luck have you had with it? Thanks

[Dennyz]

I have had very good results with the colored plastic fuel line found on dirtbikes. I prefer black, but it comes in a lot of colors.

I replaced my rubber lines 3 years (30kmiles+) ago and they still look like new. The stuff holds on to the carb and pertcock fittings great,. So good that clamps are not needed, although I put them on. The only way to get them off it to pry them off with a bladded screw driver. They also make tight bends without crimping.

[crunchbird]

I stole a lot of Tygon from work (chemistry lab) when the carbs were coming off every few days, but it gets very hard after a few months and it can start to leak at the fitting even with clamps. I like the flexible gray stuff from the dealer, though its like $2 a foot.

[nashville_bill]

I tried several types of fuel line and finally ordered and installed stainless steel armored fuel line from Summit Racing. It was a larger outsinde diameter and very hard to work with but it won't kink and should last for awile. You have to cover the surface with tape and cut with a Dremmel tool using cut off wheel to get nice clean cuts on the braiding. I used clamps everywhere except on the petcocks. There isn't room for clamps there.

[Jerry]

First, am surprised to hear the Goodyear stuff whent bad so quickly. Are you sure you got fuel line and not vacuum hose? Second, I've had good luck with fuel line sold for snowmobiles. Tends to be a little more flexible than standard gas line, comes in colors. Many cases I don't need clamps...have to cut the tubing to get it off the carb and tank nipples in many cases. Stuff grips very well. Make sure you get the better quality stuff, though, advertised as flexible in colder temps.

Having said that, have not had to replace the lines on the XJ, which I have had for 3 years now and put on a lot of miles. Probably needs to be done...I'll check them again in the next week or two.

Did have a problem with a cage line. Hose was swelling up on the inside, restricting gas flow. Looked good from the outside. Replaced the line and stumble/hesitation went away.

[Ironride]

Thanks for the heads up on the Tygon. I decided not to try it. I gave careful consideration to going with braded but decided not to as I like to run in-line fuel filters. I'm still trying to find something through the shop I work at but I may have to hit the Dennis Kirk catalog. Thanks to all for your input.

[stevec5000]

I got a roll of the yellow Tygon line to try. Apache Reclaimation in Phoenix has tons of it. It is supposed to be good for fuel according to the description on the box. In the past I had to replace the fuel lines at least once a year due to the heat and was hoping the Tygon would hold up longer. It stretches more than other kinds I've tried and may tend to leak. It seems to be lasting longer so far but is changing color from the heat, getting stiffer and stretching out some. It seems to be reacting badly to gasoline also but still works and has been on longer than the previous kinds. I guess it will last a little longer but not much. At least it's easy to change.

[Meista007]

I was looking to replace my gas line does any one have a sight where I can find "the good stuff."