[crkennedy1]

Hi have a 1997 Bullet 500 Electra that I've owned since it was new.  From the first day of ownership, the gas cap will not completely seal and if I fill it to the top, gas will leak all over the tank when I stop or turn corners.  I've been only filling the tank half full to avoid this problem, but it is frustrating.  Is there any way to correct this problem and improve the seal? (As an FYI, the seal is rubber, not cork and the cap is on a hinge, not a twist-on).  Thanks

[Ice]

 For sure something isn't right there.
Mine only leaks fuel when I lay it on its side to make it easier to remove the rear wheel and then its not the seal that is leaking rather its the fuel coming out the caps vent passage.

 Is there any one close by that would let you swap caps for testing purposes ?

[PaulF]

I have a flip up gas cap, (2008), and I'm guessing you have the old-style twist-off. I have no idea what that one looks like, but I had a problem like that on an old Japper.

There were two tabs on that cap which, of course, fitted into two slots, and twist to close. Over time the tabs wore and were bent and a simple adjustment to the tabs made it tighter. But that didn't solve all of the problem. As it was old, (like all of my bikes), the seal/gasket was obsolete and no longer available. I decided to try and make my own from a sheet of gasket material and it worked out well. It was the cork type composite material and seemed to swell on contact with fuel and sealed the tank. Lasted a long time too.

[tanker]

crkennedy1,
You did mention that your cap is on a hinge, not a twist on type.  That would make it like the cap on my '06 Electra, which also leaked fuel if filled and left on the side stand.  What I found was that there were spots on the sealing portion of the fuel tank where the paint was completely chipped off, leaving small gaps that the rubber seal of the gas cap could not fill.  What I did was to take some automotive touchup paint that comes in a little tube with an applicator brush and by touching up the chips, gradually built up the lip on the gas tank so that the sealing surface was pretty flush with the existing paint.  That eliminated most of the leakage, althoug it has been about 18 months since I did that and it may be time to do it again.  The lip on the tank is completely hidden by the gas cap so the color match, which was off just a little, didn't show.

[The Garbone]

In general I always fill up with the bike on the side stand,  my flip top would leak a bit otherwise and my low cost side stand gave the bike enough lean (10-15 degrees) that  cornering never was a problem.

[mtrueblood]

bigger O-ring?

[ScooterBob]

A part number Z91496 Flip-Top to Round gas cap conversion from N-Field Gear should cure this problem.

[PaulF]

crkennedy1,
You did mention that your cap is on a hinge, not a twist on type.  That would make it like the cap on my '06 Electra, which also leaked fuel if filled and left on the side stand.

 

Oops. Nevermind.

[crkennedy1]

Thanks for the tips - I'll try some of your suggestions and see if we can get this annoying problem resolved.

[boggy]

I had this same problem.  Anywheres near full and I was leaking gas on my ride home, half expecting to ignite into a glorious ball of fire.

I actually called NField and they sent me a cork ring... it was only a few bucks.  Opened the cap, stuck it right on there, and it has done the trick.  It has stayed perfectly in place and doesn't leak a drop.

Cheap, and effective.

[crkennedy1]

I'll give them a call tomorrow!

[crkennedy1]

I called NField today and ordered the cork gasket - we'll see if that does the trick. The tech said that this is just a common problem with the Electra 500 with the flip-up gas cap, and the best fix is to just not fill the tank to the top.  By the way, I missled you guys - my bike is a 2007 NOT a 1997 (guess I'm still stuck in the '90s...)

[crkennedy1]

Hi Guys - here's the latest update on my leaking problem.  I ordered the cork gasket from Nfield and put it on.  I worked for about two tanks full and then it started leaking again - this is very frustrating.  I guess I'll call and order the Z91496 Flip-Top to Round conversion.  Too bad, I really like the look of the flip-top but it really is a poor design.

[Ice]

Sorry to hear that.

 When forum brother Bill Harris installed his flip to round conversion he substituted a common parts store O ring for the cork seal that came with the kit.

He's logged many thousands of leak free miles since then.

[Tiny Tim]

I  tried everything. Cork Gaskets, O rings... nothing works 100%.

However, I recently spoke to a guy with a cafe racer and a lovelly alli tank. He was paranoid about petrol leaks onto the polished surface. His fix was to use a doubled over wrist sweat band. I looked through my stuff and found oine that I had. The bonus is it's enscribed "Guiness Rugby"

Result. No more tank dribbles.

[zentrax]

I had this problem with my 2008 electra from new. I simply put a nice thick o-ring under the rubber gasket that is already there. I did of course have the resource of an entire hydraulic o-ring kit to get a proper fit, but your local bearing shop should stock them and you only need a few sizes to try, and are only cheap anyhow. hope this helps