Honda-SOHC
Other Stuff => Misc / Open => Topic started by: MrDavo on July 14, 2022, 04:53:34 PM
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Do yourself a favour, go and check your fuel pipes are holding up OK without cracking, lest your bike stops or combusts.
It's only a couple of years since I got my CL450 barn find project back on the road, so I was shocked to find out how badly one of the (then) new fuel pipes had rotted and cracked when it failed yesterday. Despite having only a fleeting sense of smell since I had Covid last year, I suddenly smelled petrol, and looked down to see this:
(https://i.postimg.cc/PxRhY0D6/IMG-6616.jpg)
I limped home on 1.5 cylinders (luckily I wasn't far away) and replaced the pipes to both carbs as I had some left over from doing the Z1A.
As with any barn find, the original fuel pipes had turned to stone, but were useful as patterns to cut new pipes to the right length. I had used new (allegedly) nitrile fuel pipe bought from eBay, if my purchase records go back that far I'll find the details. The bike hasn't been left in the sun for any significant time, and I assume that if the ethanol in modern petrol is doing damage it would be from the inside, and that wouldn't explain the cracking on the outside that you can see in the photo.
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"The bike hasn't been left in the sun for any significant time, and I assume that if the ethanol in modern petrol is doing damage it would be from the inside, and that wouldn't explain the cracking on the outside that you can see in the photo."
There's some shockingly poor materials about that don't even meet the most basic of specification for durability, not just fuel line either.
I bought a long air line extension that's similar and rubber construction with swaged ends as wanted it flexible to move round vehicle with from static compressor. No fuel at all and it literally fell apart within 18 months, more or less just the strengthening mesh structure survived with the rubber just perishing to cracks and falling off in chunks. Mostly kept in fairly low uv light too, no good at all.
Fuel often blamed but some examples are no good at all even without use ::)
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Don't always blame the sun or fuel, I fitted an after market battery strap on my 400/4 from a larger on line vendor, and it was cracked and rotting before the bike left my garage. I think some manufacturers see profit before suitable material for our old but loved machines.
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I am of the view that there is so much pressure on prices due in no small part to the advent of the Internet that even previously good quality brands have had to dumb down to the cheapest suppliers for raw materials causing a drop in quality. Many brand names have been bought out of insolvency or "Flat Pack" agreeements they are just trading on the old name bearing no resemblence to the original product quality.
When we were looking for a replacement sofa I had read good past reviews about Lazy-Boy products from the USA only to find out that they are no longer even the same manufacturer here in the UK but are made under a licence agreement in China for the likes of SCS outlets. We ended up paying more buying a quality British product elsewhere.
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I have a remote petrol tank that I use for starting up a bike in 'test' mode. The 'nitrile' pipe from it has hardened in the space of a few months. The same pipe that has NOT been in contact with fuel remains flexible. (both stored in the same place) Not sure what the issue is but it's pointing to the fuel. BTW, the Fuel was Esso E5 which claims to have even less ethanol...
Matt
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You can buy various sizes of genuine Honda fuel tube from DS packaged in meter lengths.
It's not cheap, but it does the job correctly and won't perish, crack or harden.
Plus it has the correct and original Honda lettering and numbers printed on.
Genuine Honda Fuel and vacuum tube in 1 Meter lengths
Fuel tube - 1 Metre long
Part number - Inside dia - Appearance
95001-3500160M - 3.5mm - Black
95001-3500150M - 3.5mm - Black, braided exterior
95001-4500160M - 4.5mm - Black
95001-4500150M - 4.5mm - Black, braided exterior
95001-5500160M - 5.5mm - Black
95001-5500150M - 5.5mm - Black, braided exterior
95001-7500160M - 7.5mm - Black
95001-7500150M - 7.5mm - Black, braided exterior
Vacuum tube - 1 Metre long
Part number - Inside dia - Appearance
95005-3500120M - 3.5mm - Grey
95005-4500120M - 4.5mm - Grey
95005-5000130M - 5.0mm - Black
95005-5500120M - 5.5mm - Grey
95005-7000150M - 7.0mm - Black
95005-7500120M - 7.5mm - Grey
95005-8000120M - 8.0mm - Grey
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I can confirm too. I bought genuine Honda pipe several years ago and it’s still fine. It is stretchy and grippy enough not to need clips on the fuel tap. Worth the extra cost.
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Yes, and I ended up with a genuine Honda battery strap!