RE: Front shock replacement on R1150R

[Ben Barkow <dr.ben@xxxxxxxxx>]

> Thanks for the information on the routing of the vent hoses.  I could
> not find and "xxxxxxxx" on either hose, but since one spit raw gas when
> I remounted the tank, I am guessing that one goes to the charcoal
> canister.  I guess the worst that could happen is that I will have wet
> charcoal and global warming will arrive quicker.
>
> BTW, the Wilbers front shock makes my 02 with 24K miles ride like a new
> bike, maybe better than new. The OEM shock must have been really 
> sacked.
> The rear still seems OK but I may replace it just to see if there is an
> improvement.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Pete Schinkel

One hose serves to drain water and other crap from the annulus around 
the filler neck. Blowing into the tubes will tell you which is which 
right away.

The other hose (and as always, I only have knowledge of the R1100S) 
goes to the very top of the tank where it vents (actually, allows air 
back into the tank to avoid vacuum) and incidentally gets gas 
overflow/splash. It is baffled by a fist-sized black lumpy thing. I 
think these black things fall off from time to time and sit in the tank 
(at least that's where I found mind... black thing is not solidly fixed 
to the pipe). If the black thing is loose,  the greatly increased 
overflow goes into the canister and corrupts the charcoal (not sure if 
this is temporary or permanent). In the absence of the canister, the 
overflow runs down the hose and soils anything below (typically the 
paralever reaction strut). Next time you do a filter change, grope 
around the tank for your black thing.

Some folks remove the black baffle and bend the tube higher which 
allows more gas into the tank and faster filling because the air is 
vented faster as you fill the tank. A dainty hole in the filler neck 
helps too. Not a good move if you still have the canister.

There isn't a strong functional reason for removing the canister (which 
does help the environment a wee bit, I suppose.... well, you rarely 
know if the energy needed to make the canister is greater than the 
damage from the gas fumes) but it sure looks ugly on the R1100S.

Ben Barkow, Toronto... 40 seasons on Beemers, 45 as a biker

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End of oilheads-digest V3 #27
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