Dale124 Posted June 10, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 10, 2015 Well, as Venture West approaches, I figured I should get my bike serviced, so today was the day. I left it with the dealership for about 5 hours, and when I picked it up, off I went. About 3 minutes later, on a busy freeway, my bike started to sputter, then quit. Thankfully, I was near an off ramp, so I coasted up it and was just able to pull over out of the traffic stream. I then looked at my petcock, and sure enough, it was in the off position. I was greatful that I was able to pull off safely, but still, this could have been very dangerous, and it pissed me off. Just wanted to vent a little to my VR family. Dale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcswjoe Posted June 10, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 10, 2015 Never had my bike serviced at a dealer. Is it standard practice to turn off the fuel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert2006 Posted June 11, 2015 Share #3 Posted June 11, 2015 Depends what they do. If it involves removing the tank or anything around fuel system I could see it needing to be shut off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tooch Posted June 11, 2015 Share #4 Posted June 11, 2015 I guess the SOB has read the owners manual........ PARKING When parking, stop the engine, re-move the key from the main switch, and then turn the fuel cock lever to "OFF" Who knew?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vzuden Posted June 11, 2015 Share #5 Posted June 11, 2015 By no means to defend the dealer but I turn off the fuel every time I shut off the bike, without exception. Just a habit I have had on every bike I've owned since I had a hydro lock on one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted June 11, 2015 Share #6 Posted June 11, 2015 I shut them off at my shop, although not usually if it isn't expected to stay over night. Sometimes carbureted bikes leak and it's a fire hazard. Also, it's also not fun when the landlord calls at 3AM because other tenants are complaining of a gasoline smell. We do try and remember to turn them back on before the customer leaves. It's embarrassing for everyone involved when the customer pushes the bike back two blocks complaining that it "cut out". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motiv Posted June 11, 2015 Share #7 Posted June 11, 2015 Don't be too hard on them Dale, to many it is standard practice to shut it off when left unattended. They also stressed shutting off at the MSF classes.. I was spoiled by the vacuum petcock on my Suzuki. Glad you were able to pull over ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarFan Posted June 11, 2015 Share #8 Posted June 11, 2015 Just a human mistake. I shut my petcock off whenever I park the bike for overnight - that is when I do not forget to . As a rule I always check the petcock before I turn the key and take off. Learned a lesson getting into the same situation you got in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale124 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted June 11, 2015 Interesting thoughts, guys. So far, I have only shut mine off when storing it for the winter. I think that if I were to shut it off every time I park, that I would eventually forget to turn it back on, leading to another issue in traffic. I will certainly be more aware of this when I next have it serviced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great White Posted June 11, 2015 Share #10 Posted June 11, 2015 It's important to do a "pre-flight wallkaround" when anyone besides yourself has had hands on your machine. I've caught all sorts of things by doing so. Missing oil caps, rad caps, low fluid levels, etc. Trust, but verify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YamahaLarry Posted June 11, 2015 Share #11 Posted June 11, 2015 I only shut mine off for maintenance reasons, such as removing the tank, and I would have probably done the same as you. While you and I would think it is silly to close the petcock, I know there are many that do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor Posted June 11, 2015 Share #12 Posted June 11, 2015 Due to a faulty fuel gauge I have become adept at reaching down and switching from fuel to reserve while riding. Got to get that fixed one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoarizona Posted June 11, 2015 Share #13 Posted June 11, 2015 GW has it in a few words..."pre-flight wallkaround" . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted June 11, 2015 Share #14 Posted June 11, 2015 No petcock on a Vic ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted June 11, 2015 Share #15 Posted June 11, 2015 No petcock on any fuel injected bike that I know of. I actually liked having one for a number of reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted June 11, 2015 Share #16 Posted June 11, 2015 No petcock on any fuel injected bike that I know of. I wuz gonna say that but I like bragging about my Vic ... LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill1 Posted June 11, 2015 Share #17 Posted June 11, 2015 Ha man-up get over it . Better than a crankcase full of gasoline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin-vic-b.c. Posted June 12, 2015 Share #18 Posted June 12, 2015 Stored for the winter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saddlebum Posted June 13, 2015 Share #19 Posted June 13, 2015 You mean those shut off thingy's are actually supposed to move. and here I thought it was just there as window dressing. Actually mine has been seized from the day I bought the bike and so it never gets moved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeray Posted June 13, 2015 Share #20 Posted June 13, 2015 No petcock on any fuel injected bike that I know of. I actually liked having one for a number of reasons. Hmmm what do you do when the tank needs to come off. Drain the fregen tank? Don't suppose the design engineer has any common sense. 🍺😜 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoarizona Posted June 13, 2015 Share #21 Posted June 13, 2015 yep....good alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted June 13, 2015 Share #22 Posted June 13, 2015 My guess is that with the high pressure of a FI system, it is almost a guaranteed leak to have a petcock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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