water as fuel

[invigiator]

This weekend I found out that my monster doesn't run too well on water.

After leaving it out in the rain (well, a typhoon to be fair) the petrol tank has filled with water. I tried bleeding it off through the valve on the side of the carboureter, but the water just keeps on coming.

Does anybody know the best way to drain the water out of the tank and lines, preferrably without havnig to drain out all the petrol as well?

[Duncan]

Only way is to pump it out and start again with a new filter too. Considering waters heavier than the fuel you could allow it to settle and drain off thro the tank outlet but any water left would soon come through or lie in the tank promoting corrosion so draining it dry is the only way.

Pretty unusual getting water in the tank, mine has seen more than its share of rain with no problem, still, a typhoon is a bit special I suppose and you'll have to watch the typhoon warnings in future. If water can get in then surely it will leak fuel when full. Are you sure this is the problem and not just water in all the electrics?? They may be Japanese but they aint perfect.

[invigiator]

Yeah! I usually keep it under cover, but this weekend I borrowed a CBR600 race bike to ride at Suzuka (awesome), so the monster was left out for 3 days. I also noticed that in winter it would run like ****e due to small amounts of water in the tank.
I know it's water because I saw it drain out of the carb when I opened that screw on the side (smoebody told me to try).

[Duncan]

If its only small amounts then the other way is to go and ride it for 150 miles stopping to fill it with juice once then open the float bowls at the end when cool to disperse any remaining.

Guess its the start of the Typhoon season in the S China seas is it?

Once pulled into an Esso garage to fill my car with petrol. They had been working on the tanks and filled them with water to prevent explosion. Somehow they got switched back on, I got 12 gallons of water and went 100 yds, there were 12 other breakdowns before we got the pumps turned off. It destroyed the fuel pump that was in the fuel tank and cost Esso a bloody fortune in repairs. That day the RAC arrived in 20 minutes, AA in 25 minutes, Green Flag 35 minutes, followed by another AA, another RAC etc etc. Good way to test the rescue services.

[spacemonkey]

There is stuff by Motorex called Power Plus and this is one of those clean-up-your-fuel-system type additives. Nothing new there then I hear you say, but this one specifically absorbs water and makes it miscible with petrol thus allowing it to be 'burnt off'. It does work as I have used it.

[invigiator]

Ha! It turned out that the drain pipe was broken, so water was flowinig over into the tank. Drained, fixed, and cleaned out with some Motorex-type stuff for flushing out water.

Thanks for the advice.