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Watching one of the You Tubes recently, the tech said to use caution in the fuel fill, too much and there's an overflow pipe that will allow fuel to flow to the canister. As a result, some, or all of the gas tanks that hold 6 gallons are only good for about 5..... That just doesn't sound normal, can someone clarify that?
[QUOTE=bikerbillone;635890]Watching one of the You Tubes recently, the tech said to use caution in the fuel fill, too much and there's an overflow pipe that will allow fuel to flow to the canister. As a result, some, or all of the gas tanks that hold 6 gallons are only good for about 5..... That just doesn't sound normal, can someone clarify that?[/QUOTE]
My ex-spyder's [08] 6 gallon tank held 6 gal's....Plus or Minus a tenth or two... :Shrug:
Forget about the amount the tank holds. The warning is valid. If you try to top it off hoping to get every last drop possible in there, it will go into the canister that's part of the fuel/smog junk required by the EPA now. Makes no difference if it's a 5 gallon or 6 gallon. When it clicks off when filling, that's your warning that going further risks overflow into that canister. It's a poor design as far as I'm concerned but there it is. We've never had a problem finding a gas station when needed and never pay a bit of attention about total capacity. It just isn't worth risking future problems by pushing it to get the max in.
Cowboy, that's pretty much what You Tube suggested, but at the point where the auto shutoff kicked in, it was about 5 gallons, not sure the truth to that, but if it's five instead of 6, then that's a problem on a road trip. Not a criticism, just an inquiry.
There were a few things affecting the overflow. It is much more of a problem on the 998cc Soyders than on the 1330's.
On the RT version of the Spyders as the tank is under the seat, sort of like the Goldwings. The F3 models have the tank in the normal motorcycle position.
On the 998cc 2 cylinder RTs up until 2013 the way the gas tank, catalytic converter and engine were positioned a lot of heat from the engine and the catalytic converter would heat up the gas, the gas would expand and be forced out the evaporative tube into the evap tank. There are reports on Spyder forums that gas would boil. There are instructions on those forums for an "evepectomy" to remove the tank so the gas would vent to atmosphere.
The 1330cc 3 cylinder version of the RT is set up a bit different, and the gas heating problem is less of a factor, as apparently the overflow tube and the evap tank position are different in relation to the engine and cat. It is still best not to top off the tank too much when filling it (actually on any vehicle) as it is easy to overfill and spill gas on the under seat area and bodywork.
From what I understand on my wife's 2016 RT Limited, the tank is 6.9 gallons but only 6.2 usable due to design limitations. We also just recently purchased a F3 Limited and again, from what I understand, it has a 7.1 gallon tank and we've been told that only 6.4 is usable. But I have no idea where the overflow and tube to canister is. But this was all based on the original Spyders before 2013 that had a 6.2 tank and 5.5 usable, a difference of .7. And I question the new F3's because on them the fill cap is on top of the tank instead of the side. Logically they should have even less headspace but we are sticking to where the nozzle clicks off or hear gurgling, which every happens first. [COLOR=#CCCCCC]But I have heard also that starting in 2014 you could change that to .5 headspace. To me, staying on the safe side, 6.2 or 6.4 is still plenty of fuel. My Indian and both Spyders can go the same distance when we are on the road which is what counts for us. It's tank full to tank full now. That wasn't the case with our 2012. We had to stop early for it. So we now can go 200 miles easily where we start looking. This works great for us. I need to take a break about that time anyway.[/COLOR]
Interesting, guess there is serious validity to the You Tube, this on about the 998. The tech mentioned that ya could reach in with your fingers and feel the overflow, I know gotta be careful about the splash back, I'm always doing the sight and fill thing get the last drop in my Wing, maybe I should not be doing that. I have no clue how my 2005 GW is designed, I've never seen it discussed or to have been a problem in any of the forums. I suppose my thought is, why would the engineers design the over flow so that fuel would run into the canister with charcoal, that's a problem waiting to happen. In my mind, the canister is designed for fumes, or for a re-burn. Oh well, I haven't been riding lately and I'm getting a little drifty.
When I fill mine and the filler is all the way into the hole and stops filling I back it out a bit and put maybe another half gallon in or so. Had no issues with over filling or my EPA filter which is all the way on the rear of the RT.
Thanks Mutha, what year is your RT? Not sure if there's two pipes, an overflow, and a EPA, which would be the catalytic. Maybe I'm making too much of this.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]65454[/ATTACH]I have the 14 RT. I just fill and ride as mentioned. Got rid of the Cat.(Cat bypass was installed) But that was my choice to do that.
I really have heard nobody else having over filling issues. Maybe the older models and if there was I havent heard anything recently.
And the canister is on the back end of the bike. When I changed mine is was still looking good.
I attached a picture of the fuel system if you can see it??? #60 is the fuel EPA filter/Breather
Yes, I see #60, impossible to see where the respective vent tubes attach to the fuel tank. By the way, good idea getting rid of the cat converter, in my opinion. I thank you for your patience.
I fill just like trikermutha does, fill and do a careful top-off. There is a sort of splashguard in the RT tanks '14 and up, maybe earlier, a metal plate with a hole just big enough for the filler nozzle and 2 pressure relief slots. The trick is to make sure the nozzle is as deep into the filler tube as possible so it will shut off before it gets too full and splashes out of the vent holes. Then you can pull the nozzle back and carefully top off the tank.
On the Spyder sites there are quite a few stories about a hot smell after a ride. Happens on some, not on others, but our RTL does this. It is kind of a hot rubber/wire smell, easiest to smell at the back of the seat. Can hardly smell it from under the saddle bags in back of the rear wheel or around the muffler. General consensus is that it is the catalytic converter stinking, some folks get it right away, some after miles are logged, sometimes the smell seems to go away sometimes or keep smelling other times. As far as I can tell the cat delete ends the smell according to most people posting about it. Deleting the cat also seems to lessen the heat felt by the rider, and stuff in the glovebox stays cooler. We have one set to pick up at the Lamonster Garage in Springfield, MO
Thanks Ozark, seems the later models have improved significantly. Merry Christmas to you Sir, along with the rest of Spyder Lovers.
[QUOTE=bikerbillone;636114]Interesting, guess there is serious validity to the You Tube, this on about the 998. The tech mentioned that ya could reach in with your fingers and feel the overflow, I know gotta be careful about the splash back, I'm always doing the sight and fill thing get the last drop in my Wing, maybe I should not be doing that. I have no clue how my 2005 GW is designed, I've never seen it discussed or to have been a problem in any of the forums. [B] I suppose my thought is, why would the engineers design the over flow so that fuel would run into the canister with charcoal, that's a problem waiting to happen. [/B] In my mind, the canister is designed for fumes, or for a re-burn. Oh well, I haven't been riding lately and I'm getting a little drifty.[/QUOTE]
Not only is it a potential problem, there have been a few that caught on fire with the 2013's. But yes, any of them could end up like that. It was a serious oversight. Not sure but I think they moved the canister in the 14 and later models. Looks like they solved the problem on the F3's with fill cap on top of the tank now but original versions are still on the side so care must be taken with them.