[MeadowHobbit]

You don't need any fancy pump to drain
your tank, only a hose and a rag.

Stick the hose in the tank all the way
to the bottom. Wrap the rag around
the hose at the tank to "seal" the
opening. It doesn't have to seal
well at all.

Blow hard into the hose to put some
pressure in the tank. Stick the end of
the hose into a bucket on the ground.
The pressure you blew into the tank
will fill the hose and start the siphon.

Take the rag off as soon the gas is
flowing freely.

 

[YamahaFan]

or if the hose is long enough and the tank is big enough, and there are enough liquid you just stick the whole thing in the tank, use your thump to plug the open end outside of the tank (to keep air from going back in) and pull the hose out. With the liquid filled the hose and the level lower than that in the tank it should just flow.

to OP: I've never really thought of it that way - cool! Only problem is to seal the opening properly, but I guess I'll know it when I try it.

 

[MeadowHobbit]

I should have mentioned to hold
your hand over the rag to keep it
tight over the tank opening. Basically
like holding a ball of cloth on the hole.

Maybe a moderator can edit this
into the original message:

... opening. Keep your hand over
the rag to hold it tightly in place. It
doesn't have to be a perfect seal ...

 

[Lightning]

of course if the bike has a Prime setting on the fuel petcock, unhook the hose so it runs just from the hole in the petcock and turn the "knob" to Prime. the gas should run out freely. When you are done, put it back to on.

I post this for anyone with a setup like mine. It took me a couple years to figure that out.....haha

 

[MeadowHobbit]

I'm a little more inclined to siphon
because it's so easy, and I'm less
likely to do something wrong, like
lose the clamp.

Also, the prime setting on my bike
doesn't drain below the reserve
level.

If I shake the bike first, it will
dislodge crud from the filter in
the tank, and I can draw it out
with the siphon.

There are many roads to Cleveland.

 

[SuperSherpa197]

georgia credit card

 

[wera90ex]

I've seen plenty of guys at the races use a PCV valve on the end of a hose to siphon fuel. They just shake the valve back and forth and the one way valve brings it right to the top.
As for me there ain't no way I'm puttin' my lips to a hose that has gas at the other end.

 

[vicaphit]

Please don't steal my gasoline.

 

[bdavison]

Thats why there are locks on the gas tanks!

 

[wera90ex]

Please don't steal my gasoline.

There's more reasons than that to siphon gas. Try leaving some of the oxygenated VP fuels in your tank for more than 2-3 days.

 

[rexmitchell]

Good write up, thanks for the info.

 

[TJDukit]

You can do the same thing with an air hose. Instead of blowing on the siphon hose you just stick the air nozzel in with the rag beside the siphon hose and hold it for a decent seal.

 

[benny hedges]

sign of a mis-spent youth, i used to be pro at this, and used a length of 1/2" tubing and a tennis ball with a hole cut right through.
you pop the tube into one hole of the ball, put the other end in the tank, put your thumb over the other hole in the ball and squeeze it to expel the air.
as it pops back out it draws fuel up the tube and starts to siphon.
you need to remember to keep your container below the level of fuel in the tank, or it will stop the flow.

 

[Lurch77]

You guys have some good tips to use in a pinch. If you are going to do it more often you can get a cheap but reliable bulb syphon these days for a few bucks. I have one and it works great. For example: http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-40387/Detail

 

[chalupasalad]

Is this the best way to remove fuel from the tank? I need to get gas out of a bike to do maintenance to the tank and I was hoping for a fuel line i could clamp then unhook and unclamp into a gascan. Is that likely at all?

 

[alphaskull]

great tips

 

[AlFromLA]

great tips thanks...i can see myself drinking it though cuz i love the smell of gas (and many other things )

 

[GI Jack]

what I do on my suzuki is unbolt the tank, keep the pet **** on "run" (vacuum operated), take tank off bike, empty it upside down into a bucket on the ground.

have yet to get the tank of my harley off, but it has a fuel pump instead of petcock, and thats actually bolted to the tank with the hose instead of a petcock and a friction held fuel line.

 

[Haglaz]

what I do on my suzuki is unbolt the tank, keep the pet **** on "run" (vacuum operated), take tank off bike, empty it upside down into a bucket on the ground.

have yet to get the tank of my harley off, but it has a fuel pump instead of petcock, and thats actually bolted to the tank with the hose instead of a petcock and a friction held fuel line.

Mine has a pump as well, but I just disconnected the line from the petcock to the pump, set it to reserve, and drained the reserve out of the hose after getting most of it out the top.

 

[dsudds1]

This was a great post and discussion. Well done!