Gas smell in my garage

[kdw623]

My garage reeks of gas since I got this bike. My buddy picked this up as a barn-find. 1983 in mint condition that sat in a barn for around 20 years. He cleaned everything up and got it running like a sewing machine. 11k original miles. Runs great and I bought it off of him. But when I leave it in my garage, it leaves my garage smelling like gas. I can’t find a petcock on it. Anyone have any solutions for this as I’m new to this bike?

Edited February 15, 2021 by kdw623

[SpencerPJ]

Nice bike.  My gas smell comes from the large rubber boots around the carbs that connect the air filter.  Reposition and get them right, much less of a smell. My 83 has no petcock either.  

Edited February 16, 2021 by SpencerPJ

[KayBur]

If I were you, I would contact a service that repairs bikes. They must do everything right there. It's better than disassembling the bike yourself if you don't know what the problem is.

[frankd]

The 83's (and also later) Ventures do have fuel shut-offs.     It's on the right side of the bike, at the bottom of the fuel tank.    As memory serves, on the 83 Ventures, the shut-off wasn't accessible  without removing the right side main cover.    Look at the lower part of the cover, and below the very bottom of the black section is where it's at.    On the 84's and later Yamaha put a notch in the lower edge of the cover so you could get to the shut-off without removing anything.    

When you turn the shut-off you've got to be careful or you will break the actuator, especially if it hasn't been moved in a long time.     I think I'd spray it with something like WD-40 and let it sit before moving it gently.   You may want to also check and make sure that it's turned to "RESERVE" so you can use the full capacity of the tank (5.4 gallons).

Get this fixed immediately.     You have a very dangerous situation.    Gasoline fumes can explode.      Any spark or even your gas hot water in your garage tank may cause ignition.    Also while turning off the shut-off is a good idea, if the leak is small it'll take a while for the trapped gas to run out.    What I would do is to put the bike on the center stand, remove both side covers, and get down and inspect the fuel line from the shut-off, thru the gas filter (under the gas tank) into and thru the fuel pump (also under the tank).    If you don't find any evidence of a leak, follow the red hose up to the carbs.   One clue might be does your fuel pump run quite a bit after sitting for a  few hours?

[Bob K.]

The extent of your fumes might determine whether you have a leak or whether this is "normal" evaporation out of the carbs.  I have no external leaks on my '93 but if I put a hot bike in a hot garage, I'll get evaporation out of the carbs that will give me a noticeable gassy smell in the garage.

The fuel system is pretty extensive.  If you think you have an external leak, you can trace the fuel lines from the tank to the filter to the fuel pump up to the top of the carbs.  Also check for carb leaks and for carb drain line leaks.  Should be able to see all the fuel lines and distribution on top of the carbs by removing the air filter box.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Bob K.