WTF!

samz

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My 01 GS1150 has been laid up this most of this year for various reasons.
Today I decided to get it running and have a quick blast so wheeled it out on to the driveway. The Battery had been on a optimiser over night and the bike started easily, knocked the choke off and left it to idle whilst pottering about doing other stuff. After 5 mins or so I noticed petrol running pouring from the bottom of the bike, over the exhaust and on to the driveway! Turned it off sharpish!
Wheeled the bike back to the garage and set about investigating. Tank off, prod, poke and discovered the end of the rubber return (?) pipe split. Cut the end off, all back together, no leak, job done 😀
Back on the drive I discovered the tarmac had literally "melted" and two 8"x8" holes had appeared where the petrol had sat for no more than 15-20 mins. Got a bucket of water and swilled the drive and gave the drive a good yard brushing to try and neutralise the petrol.
This got me thinking, JUST WTF ARE THEY ADDING TO PETROL NOWADAYS? 😱
I've spilt petrol before and never had this happen.
 
Mwanwhile don't leave your GS idling for too long, otherwise melted tarmac will be the least of your worries ;)

They are meant to be started, then ridden.
 
Sometimes contractors use a retardant to extend the period asphalt remains malleable, which can cause subsequent problems. Once you have a pothole, or surface irregularity from damage/spillage, it will soon get worse once the weather gets into the surface structure, but a DIY fix should be possible.

These guys suggest some solutions, which might help ............. http://www.drivewayexpert.co.uk/how-repair-petrol-damaged-driveway.html
 
Both petrol and asphalt are byproducts of hydrocarbons. In the distillation process through the cracker the heated oil give off gases at the top of the column, liquids including petrol in the middle and at the bottom, heavier tar / bitumen products are taken out.
What the petrol on the asphalt ground is doing is softening / diluting the bitumen binder in the asphalt and leeching it out.


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Good old pikeys strike again!!!!.
 
Crude oil contains all variants of the fuel we use and the remainder is bitumen / tar once all the petrol/diesel/kerosene/35s oil etc etc have been removed by distillation.
Therefore petrol is a solvent to tar and will diffuse into it and "melt it", especially if its not "pure tar" and additives have been put in to improve workablity without using heat.

AND DONT LEAVE AN OILHEAD IDLING!!!!

The pressure buildsup in the system blowing the sightglass out and all the oil with it...they are not designed to be warmed up and left idling.
 
Crude oil contains all variants of the fuel we use and the remainder is bitumen / tar once all the petrol/diesel/kerosene/35s oil etc etc have been removed by distillation.
Therefore petrol is a solvent to tar and will diffuse into it and "melt it", especially if its not "pure tar" and additives have been put in to improve workablity without using heat.

AND DONT LEAVE AN OILHEAD IDLING!!!!

The pressure buildsup in the system blowing the sightglass out and all the oil with it...they are not designed to be warmed up and left idling.

I'm worrying now.... What system gets pressurised and how?
 
I'm worrying now.... What system gets pressurised and how?

Don't worry....it doesn't.

As its an air cooled engine, if you leave them idling when stationary, the temperature climbs and climbs until eventually you can cook the oil sight glass and make it fail.
Takes a while though - and its a pretty extreme situation.
Best idea is not to leave them running unattended in case you get distracted and forget.
 
Once again Rule One applies - R.T.F'ing M.
And Rule Two is:- No breaking Rule One.
If you care to look in your Rider's Handbook, it clearly states :-
"Don't Leave The Fecker Idling ! Get on it and Ride, you Bozo...."
 
I'm worrying now.... What system gets pressurised and how?

The crankcase where the bulk of the oil resides, there is a vent into the airbox that will discharge excess oil if you overfill.
In rare/extreme cases and probably a degree of negligence (though the oil level in an 1150 is somewhat unreliable) the breather could block up say with oil mixed with moisture no vent plus rising oil temperature = rising oil pressure = a pressfit sightglass being pushed out forcefully.

I'm sure there's been a case of a sight glass blowing out on here...but could be mistaken.

Don't worry....it doesn't.

It would if the breather was blocked.

As its an air cooled engine
,
With an oil cooler, that needs air to move through it to cool the oil as you know.

in case you get distracted and forget.
The crux of my point, wifes have a habbit of distracting husbands

Case in point....

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/367707-And-the-numpty-of-the-month-award-goes-to-ME!

Lesson / Hardway / Learned.

Different reason admitedly.
 
So, no pressure build up involved (for so long as your crankcase breather is functioning correctl), just excessive temperatures.

The internet - a bottomless pit of misinformation.:blagblah:blagblah:blagblah
 
The crankcase where the bulk of the oil resides

Nope, actually thats what the sump is for. The crankcase is where the bulk of the crank resides........

there is a vent into the airbox that will discharge excess oil if you overfill

There is, and it might I suppose if you have seriously seriously seriously overfilled the oil level. Its function is to vent the crank case to atmosphere and discharge the positive pressure caused by combustion blowby and pumping of the pistons.

plus rising oil temperature = rising oil pressure = a pressfit sightglass being pushed out forcefully

As oil temprature increases, oil usually tends to thin, leading to REDUCED oil pressure.....

All thats happening is that as the engine temprature increases the (now usually quite old) neoprene seal around the equally old sight glass tends to give up and become rather more elastic and the pumping pressure in the crankcase is enough to push it out and/or fracture the plastic glass. Nothing to do with oil pressure, its latent crankcase pressure.

:blast
 
Don't worry....it doesn't.

As its an air cooled engine, if you leave them idling when stationary, the temperature climbs and climbs until eventually you can cook the oil sight glass and make it fail.
Takes a while though - and its a pretty extreme situation.
Best idea is not to leave them running unattended in case you get distracted and forget.

Complete uninformed twaddle! Again!

I suppose (in hot countries that dont allow filtering....for example ) these bikes will overheat and "self-destruct" if stuck in traffic ?

You really spout some rubbish dont you?
 
:jes

What version of physics were you educated from? look up "expansion" and "temperature"...you might find it quite enlightening.

Also before you :blast me..
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/397084-Oil-sight-glass-replacement

Nope, sorry, it s still a :blast from me. With an added :rolleyes: You might want to check your facts about engines, and oil pressure.

Engine oil pressure will reduce when the oil heats up.

Still if you want to go of half cocked and continue to perpetuate a few bullshit myths, crack on bud. im out.
 


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