From:Jeff Roth e-mail:Indnrdr@yahoo.com
Subject:RE: petcocks and fuel lines Date:Mon Nov 15 15:19:04 2010
Response to:3127
Marty,

If you want to park near other Hendersons, with a modicum of dignity, you're going to have to lose the rubber hose fuel lines.

I don't think you'll be happy with compression fittings. Those hardware store nuts aren't tapered like pipe thread and you run the risk of stripping the male threads.

For a good fit and correct appearance you need the properly sized ferrules and nuts, which Tom Fickau has been planning to supply, see Message 2563 from August. Easy Russ puts them on Ebay from time to time. The ferrules and nuts differ slightly as between petcocks (sometimes available from Conrad Lytle) and the float bowl, if I remember correctly.

You can get a vintage Harley "Y" to join the two lines together before they reach the carburetor.

The lines are finished in nickel, and normally not left in raw copper.

They'll be durable as evidenced by the some of the original condition Hendersons. Just get those ferrules and the "Y" soldered on good.


How's the digital photo coming for this web site's front page? Surely you have an envious neighbor with a digital camera who would oblige you. We'd like to see the new Henderson some day...with either rubber or nickel fuel lines.

Dave Hennessey (at the bottom of the front page) can give you some tips if you need help emailing a digital photo.

JR










----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS -----
Ok,
I have been looking at the petcocks and fuel lines on my bike, and they look pretty funky.
So, my question is;
Do you go for reliability with modern petcocks and rubber hoses, fastened with worm gear clamps. Or, do you go for museum quality and run with copper tubing with compression fittings?
The petcocks on my bike look like they came from a Polaris Snowmobile and the rubber hoses are pretty ungainly.

The set up that I have actually works really well, and I do want to be able to ride with an assurance of safety and reliability, so I am torn as to whether I should just leave well enough alone, or make the bike look pretty even if that does mean that it might not be as durable out on the road.
Any suggestions on this would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Marty