NOTICE:  These are tech pages explaining how I did these mods to my bike.  In almost every case -
I DO NOT SELL THE PARTS DESCRIBED.  I do tell you where I got them.  EXCEPTION - I do sell my custom exhaust mods. 

Burping Brünhilda

MarkT

Rationale

You're on a big ride.  Forty other bikes are also gassing up, but you lucked out and were first to this open pump.  Good thing, too, because that greasy country breakfast is settling quickly, if you can just top Brünhilda off, move the bike away from the pump and make a pit stop before the mission gets critical.  But getting that last couple quarts in is taking forever, what's up with this dad-burned foaming gas?   C'mon, c'mon, c'mon,  COME ON.  Ohhh,  cramps, hafta quit now, hang up the pump, close the filler, "Sorry Hoss, work around Brünhild; gotta personal emergency NOW."   

Slam.  Somebody just went in the one-holer right in front of you.

I HATE when that happens.

 

20 minutes later you swear Brünhilda will NEVER waste your time at the pump again.  Here's how to do it.

Cost

Free.

Time

5 minutes.

Materials

• None.

Tools

• 1/4" - 5/16" sharp drill bit
• means to hold and turn the bit BY HAND ONLY
• retractor magnet tool

Process

Look into the gas filler from the lower left quadrant.  On the filler wall, at about 2:00 o'clock, you'll see a tiny vent hole.  This is the source of the problem.  The bigger you make that hole, the faster the air will vent out of the tank while you're topping it off.  But you must enlarge the hole slowly, by hand, so you don't strike a spark and blow yourself up.  It's easier to clean up if you start with the tank nearly empty.

The metal of the filler tube is extremely soft steel.  I used a B&D power screwdriver manually (turned by hand) to hold a removable drill chuck that was part of a Milwaukee tools power screwdriver kit.   The chuck held a 17/64" titanium drill bit, which was the largest the chuck would hold.  I simply turned the bit by hand until the hole was opened up - took a minute or so - I told you the metal is soft.  Use the retractor magnet tool to catch the filings as they drop if you're concerned about it, or to pick up what you can after you're done.  If your drill is sharp and you turn it by hand, you should get metal particles that are too large to pass through the filter screen if you miss a few.  But you may want to pull the petcock next time you pull the tank, and clean the screen anyway.

Remember - the inside of the gas tank is filled with EXPLOSIVE fumes.  Be extremely careful you don't strike a spark.

Here's the hole after I finished.  I can fill it right to the top with little slowing now.