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Back to 2 wheels after a 15 year break, wanted something a bit different to the screeming 4 cylinder mob so got a storm, had a couple of minor toothing issues, it has been stood since before xmas went to start it last sunday notaced that the neutral light was not on but found it was in neutral, after a quick test with a meter found the neutral switch had bust.
Removed the switch and fuel started spurting out of the hole AHHHHHH.... put back quickly. further investigatin lead to a sticking fuel tap, is this common? all sorted now with the help from my local dealer, looking forward to the better weather and possibly seeing more of you out there. Mick W

welcome aboard mick, have a good read of the workshop/knowledge section,you will find solutions to most issues there, the main problems are the regulator/rectifier which can overheat and destroy your battery and the cam chain tensioners which are a particular weak spot, you need to change them to manual ones asap or at least do the stopper mod to the original honda items. its all in the workshop/knowledge section.
take care buddy

Hi have looked at the rectifiyer and it is not the standard one (larger & beefer more finns) so it looks like this has been done wiil investigate cam chain mod thanks for the tip,

welcome to the forum mick, might see you around as you quite local to me get some piccys up of the bike mate

Welcome aboard Mick

I can't say a sticking fuel tap is a common problem, but seeing it's been standing for a while that might explain it.

I've just re-read your post, seeing as it was only stood before Christmas I doubt that should have cause it to stick.

Check that no petrol is leaking from the drain outlet on the bottom of the tap, it's the one that faces the ground with no pipe attached to it.

Chris.

I don't understand.
The neutral switch is located on the crankcase below and just rearward of the alternator cover.

Although oil will come out if you remove it, fuel can't, unless you've filled the crankcase with fuel somehow- a sticking fuel tap can't do that.
A sticking float might?
Something very wrong here.....

Welcome to the forum, I'm with tony on this one, when I read your thread I can't work out why you are getting any petrol out of the crank?

Welcome to the "club" mate

Welcome aboard mate you have chosen wisely

hello and welcome

Hi All, did not say in my first post:- I asked the head mechanic from John Carr's just up the road from me (I know Steve), he informed me that, 1. If the tank is full, 2. For whatever reason the diaphragm in the vacuum fuel tap don’t close correctly (bit of dirt or punctured diaphragm, trapped or blocked vac pipe) 3. Is not used for a while, the head of fuel will overcome the float valve, and seep into the cylinders (normally the front pot, it was as when eventualy spun over without plugs fuel spat out of it) this will then seep past the rings and into the crank. He has known this to happen on a couple of storms.
On removing tank and pulling of the vac pipe from the tap I heard a slight hiss, on investigation there was not an easy flow through the vac pipe (of, over the fence, new bit fitted)
Drained tank, removed tap striped and cleaned (lots of black old fuel grunge on diagram & faces, all now shiny) diaphragm spring felt soft to me so nipped to an engineer friend (you will not believe the bits he has hid away, he don’t throw nothing away), found a spring, he put old spring it in a thingy, don’t know what it was called it measured the springiness of the spring, he then measured the other spring and it was 10% more springy.
Assembled all bits back together. Including a new neutral switch as other one was shot it Flushed motor with some cheap oil, brimmed the tank & monitored it no loss of fuel so changed oil and filters & bob’s your uncle as they say, One thing I have learned from this is Don’t sit and polish it all the time it needs riding, Hmm sunny at the moment might just nip down Matlock Bath for a coffee & a bag of chips, thanks all for your responses, be safe, have fun, Mick

lucky you didnt get a hydraulic lock and bent the conrods!

Never heard of this before, and it is not as if it has been standing long, and it needs 2 seperate parts to fail to close, the fuel vac valve, and the carb float needle. So for me the main problem came from before you left it standing and that is dirt in the petrol [or in the tank] getting past the filter gause and then once in the system it is stopping the vac diaphram valve closing and also getting into the carb and stopping the float needle closing.

based on that I would also plan to:
a) take the carbs off and clean out the float bowls and jets
b) take the petrol tank off and empty it out looking to see what other crap is in there
c) check that the gause on the inlet to the fuel tap is not broken and missing

Hi and welcome to the Forum Mick. A great bike once you get over a few problems.

And you haven't sold it yet?

Good on you for sticking it out.

I'd advise regular oil changes for a bit, as some of the petrol will still be in there, in the sump oilways, etc, and will dilute the oil.

hello mick welcome to the forum