1 Fuel pump woes Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:19 am
Born Again Eccentric
Life time member
So, as these tedious life restrictions ease, life slowly returns to normal…
I had registered for the annual remembrance ride to the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) - aka the Ride To The Wall back in April and, unlike last year when it was cancelled, this year it was go, go, go!
I know my K100LTs like to sulk if they’re not being ridden as often as they would like and they certainly haven’t been ridden much at all of late, so definitely expected to sulk. With this in mind, a couple of weeks before, I gave Gretel the once over, pulled the fuel tank, checked all the electrics, topped up the radiator, disconnected the choke switch as it wasn’t playing nicely (I believe that the switch, which is the same as the front brake switch, only serves to operate the yellow choke light in the instrument cluster but has no other important purpose), got the add on LED rear fog lights working again, and rebuilt her. Fired up beautifully, everything (apart from the choke light) working as it should. A quick test ride down to the local supermarket showed that she was running sweetly and all was good. I filled the tank with E10 - our beloved politicians have bullied the fuel companies and tried to persuade us that E10 is better for the environment and have started phasing out E5 etc along with the small writing warning that it is our responsibility to check our older vehicles as they might not be compatible. Of course it is horseshit…you get 10% ethanol in your fuel, from renewable resources, but you get less mpg/kpl out of the fuel because there is less oomph in the fuel. Net result, you have to refill more often - typically losing 20 miles on a full tank i.e. a 10% reduction in range - so ultimately you use more fuel and that seems kind of ironic as the whole point was to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Anyway, I digress, albeit slightly relevant to the story to come as this was my first full tank of E10 and I was concerned that it could give me issues.
So Gretel was ready, flag poles attached to the panniers to fly my colours at the RTTW (as a flag bearer, you get to ride towards the front of the procession to the NMA. I was excited! I was to travel up on the Friday afternoon, hotel overnight and do the RTTW on Sat 03 Oct and then ride back down on the Sunday. The forecast wasn’t great but at least the Friday was dry and sunny for the ride up, so I had a fighting chance of starting the RTTW with dry gloves etc.
It’s only about a 2 hour ride from home (near Bristol) to Tamworth (hotel near Drayton Manor and my RTTW start point) and hotel check in wasn’t until 1500, so no point setting out too early. Nevertheless, by 1200, I couldn’t wait any longer - the sun was shining, the sky was blue and I was raring to be on the road. I loaded up Gretel, erected the 6 foot flag poles (flags remained off) and I was off. My route was predominantly motorway - M32, M4, M5 and M42 and invariably these routes get pretty congested on a Friday as the entire workforce in the country commute home for the weekend. It didn’t matter, I wasn’t in a rush however, I did note my first mistake - erecting the flag poles. This meant that I couldn’t safely filter/split through traffic jams as I was likely to whack truck wing mirrors with the poles. Of course, Sod’s law being what it is, about 28 miles from home there was a wreck at the side of the M5, police all over the place and all the traffic slowing down to a crawl to rubberneck as they passed the scene. Immediately, the free flowing motorway became 3 lanes of very slow moving and/or stationary traffic and I didn’t dare split lanes. I crawled along patiently, thankful for the fan override switch that enabled me to keep Gretel cool. Eventually, having passed the scene, the traffic started to accelerate again.
I twisted the throttle, Gretel responded turning the liquid ancient marine organisms into power and noise, with the side serving of vegetables probably just contributing to the noise. I started to pull away from the traffic, I was feeling good, the open road ahead beckoned invitingly and then the engine spluttered and missed a beat. WTF? I was losing power, it was as if I was low on fuel and the the fuel pump was struggling to gain suction. I dropped into 4th gear and moved from the third lane into the middle lane as a precaution. I checked the fuel gauge - I had only ridden 30 miles from home (plus 4 from the supermarket forecourt to home), I still had over ¾ of a tank. I rocked the bike and felt the heavy slosh of fuel…the gauge was telling the truth. The engine spluttered more - my mind raced back to the Northern Tablelands Ride in 2018 when Stan had issues with his fuel hoses/filter…was that my issue? Had that crappy E10 fuel dislodged years of gunk from my fuel system and blocked the fuel filter? My speed was decreasing quickly - I indicated and pulled into the near side lane, there was no response to my desperate twisting of the throttle and then, inevitably the engine died completely and I coasted off onto the motorway hard shoulder.
I put Gretel on her centre stand, having parked as far to the left of the shoulder as I could. It’s not uncommon for broken down vehicles to get taken out by inattentive motorists who drift onto the hard shoulder. My mind was racing…what was the problem? First things first..get comfortable. Helmet off. Jacket off and hung over the top box in a hopeful effort that the yellow and black would make the bike more noticeable to the vehicles streaming past. I carry a good selection of spares with me, so was confident that I’d be sorted and on my way pronto.
My mind was going into overdrive - was it the Hall effect sensors? I’ve read that those could go duff and would start working again when the engine cooled down. Had the engine been running too hot in the traffic jam despite running the fan? I didn’t carry spare Hall effect sensors, so parked that thought. I was convinced that it was something to do with the E10 fuel and (since the NTR in 18) I carried a spare fuel filter. STOP!!!! Always start simple, I hit the starter and could hear the starter motor churning away but nothing else. I couldn’t hear the whine of the fuel pump…but that’s said, I couldn’t really hear much at all due to the noise of the passing traffic (I have an app on my phone that measures noise - it recorded a steady 85dBA i.e. the noise level normally associated with using power tools). Fuses. Had a fuse blown and taken away power from the fuel pump - that would certainly match the symptoms? I carry a box of spare fuses…but didn’t have a multimeter with me so couldn’t check the old fuses for continuity (or check for voltage). Bugger - I meant to pack my multimeter but had forgotten it. Eejit! The fuses all “visually” looked OK but looks can be deceptive so I changed all fuses (yes I know that there are only 2 that support the fuel pump) with brand new ones. Still nothing (I later checked the old fuses at home and they were all good). I checked the fuel tank electrical connector - again, I know that this 4 pin connector can be the source of endless woes. It looked OK, and the pins were clean and seemed to fit snuggly in the socket. I squirted some contact cleaner over it for good measure and reconnected it. Pressed the starter button, starter motor ran but still nothing apparent from the fuel pump. My unhelpful other self was constantly nagging me to change the fuel filter - that’s mechanical not electrical I kept telling myself. However, it was worth a look in the fuel tank. Cautiously, with an eye on approaching traffic, I opened the fuel tank. Definitely about ¾ of a tank of fuel in there. I removed the filler cap to give me better access. All the hoses were where they should be and the fuel pump wires looked secure and undamaged. I put my ear to the now open fuel tank and pressed the starter button again - definitely silence from the fuel pump. This was definitely an electrical issue with either the pump or the supplies to it. Leave the fuel filter alone!! I buttoned up the tank.
Right think electrics! I called up the K100 Forum on my phone and looked for wiring diagrams and relay box layout pictures. Damn, I love this forum for accessibility to useful stuff when you need it. I dropped the left hand side fairing panel so I could take the fuel tank off. Bugger - no flat blade screwdriver in my tool kit. I managed to remove one fuel hose with a spanner (the lower end is more accessible) and that allowed me to lift the fuel tank enough to access the relay box. I replaced the fuel pump relay with one of my come in handy spares. Still the fuel pump would not run.
Without a multimeter, my roadside diagnostics and repair by random replacement was exhausted. Time for a breakdown truck. I called the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) breakdown services (part of my bike insurance package). Have you ever tried holding a phone call at the side of a busy motorway? Bloody hard it is, I can tell you. The operator probably wondered why I was shouting - just a natural reaction…if they sound faint, I must sound faint, so need to increase my volume and shout! Eventually, (they hung up on me first time through) I got through to an operator and explained my predicament. I followed their instructions by text to send my exact location to them and listened patiently to the helpful but bleeding obvious instructions how to stay safe at the side of a motorway. That call was made at 1335…about 1.5 hours after I had left home (30 miles away).
I stood by my bike, looking hopefully for the breakdown truck rushing to my assistance. The sun was shining, it was lovely and warm and apart from the constant road noise, I was in good spirits. I left the side fairing panel off. No point putting it back on. My plan of action was to get recovered to home. Take the fuel tank off Heidi (she is off road and untaxed at the moment and I had carefully drained her fuel tank when laying her up for a long rest), stick it on Gretel and see what happens. If the fuel pump runs, then I can confidently rule out any deep electrical issues with Gretel and know that it is a problem with the fuel pump itself. If it doesn’t, then I’m buggered for the RTTW!
I texted my sister and brother in law who I was meeting at the hotel and explained my issue. I reassured them that I would get there - even if it meant I had to drive the car up…I had registered for them too and had the wrist bands that they needed for entry! I waited a little longer. After an hour of waiting, I got a text from a breakdown recovery contractor saying that they had been given my job and would be with me within the next 480 minutes. WTF number 2!! I couldn’t even comprehend what 480 minutes meant in the real world and had to use my calculator on my phone to converted it to sensible units. 8 hours!!!!!! I replied to the text asking them if they were seriously saying I had to sit by the side of a busy motorway until 2230. Irritatingly, they had texted from one of those numbers that you cant reply to and I just got a “failed to send” message which did nothing to improve my darkening mood. I then got a message from the RAC at 1437 saying that they were sending one of their trusted partners to rescue me…I tried to reply to that message too - “failed to deliver”. Another hour passed, 15:31 RAC text “Sorry if you’re still waiting, we’re very busy but trusted partner will be with you soon”. Aggggghhhhh!!!! Right, if I can’t respond to their stupid messages - I’ll call therm again. Went through the tedious breakdown reporting process again and explained that I had been waiting since 1330 and had been told that it could be up to 8 hours (from 1430). Yes, I know there was a bit of an issue with gas stations running out of fuel (lack of tanker drivers allegedly and media induced panic buying by the stupid general public), yes I expected that would result in more breakdowns as people drove around until they ran out of fuel, and yes I know that response times are likely to be longer that the normal “with you within an hour” due to covid and driver shortage excuses…but 8 hours - seriously!!!??? The nice lady at the end of the phone apologised, cancelled the contractor that had been assigned and said she would try an get someone quicker. I hung up and waited…1615 RAC text “the special intervention team are now here to help you” - hurrah. I gave up looking up the road for the breakdown truck. The sun had dipped behind the motorway embankment and the air was getting distinctly chilly. I put my jacket back on and helmet too, made myself a nest amongst the brambles on the embankment and settled down to play Scrabble on my iPad.
I watched as a low loader rumbled along the hard shoulder and missed the bike by a couple of feet. I texted my sister to reassure her that I still would get there. She said I should play dead and the police might stop to help me…nothing they could do, of course, and 2 patrol cars had already given me a stiff ignoring. Generally being ignored by the police is not a bad thing! I played dead anyway…perhaps too convincingly as a buzzard started circling above me and three magpies came closer to see if they could have a tasty free meal.
Finally, just after 1730 (breakdown plus 4.5 hours) a breakdown truck arrived. No point getting grumpy with him, and 4.5 hours was way better than 10 hours! I explained the problem and we agreed the only option was to take me home. Gretel was rolled up onto the flatbed and we were on our way - home!
About an hour later I was home and thanking the recovery driver for his help as we unloaded Gretel.
As the bike was well and truly cold by now, I pressed the starter button one more time (if the Hall Effect Sensors had gone duff then they should work on the cold engine) - deafening silence from the fuel pump. I removed Gretel’s fuel tank and replaced it with Heidi’s…tentatively, I pressed the starter button again and yes, heard the familiar whine of the fuel pump. I decanted fuel from Gretel’s tank into Heidi’s and pressed the starter again - the engine roared into life. I replaced the fairing, knee pad and glove box and decanted the rest of the fuel into the new tank. I remembered to put my multimeter in my top box - just in case! By 2000 I was ready to go and set off up the road for the second time that day. No problem with being too early for the hotel check in now - in fact I had asked my sister to tell reception that I would be late and to expect a late check in…but I was coming!! However, I now didn’t have enough fuel to make the journey so would need to find fuel on route…that could be a problem with so many forecourts closed. My nearest supermarket was out. The motorways were much quieter now and traffic flowed freely as I rode quickly into the night. Motorway signs warned that several service stations ahead had no fuel. I opted for one of the earlier ones on route - no point riding until I was low and hoping to find somewhere open. I’d had enough breakdowns for one day. Result - lot’s of fuel. I filled the tank with premium high octane petrol, still having that niggling doubt about the crappy E10, and continued on my way. I reached my destination at 2200. A 2 hour ride that had taken 10 hours!
The RTTW was amazing, as always, even if the weather turned as forecasted and the light rain turned to persistent rain for the entire day. Bikes were marshalled from various starting points around the country, converging on the NMA. I started from Drayton Manor, the main start point and rode the 15 miles to the NMA in a convoy of about 900 bikes. Awesome experience. Flags proudly flying, beaming smile, and waving to the hundreds of people that lined the roadside and overpasses, followed by a poignant service of remembrance to the fallen since WW2. I had made it and was glad to have done so.
Hopefully, I will get to do the same again next year…without the breakdown though!
I have still got to get the fuel pump out of Gretel’s tank and find out why it died. Maybe, 80k miles and 32+ years is the service life for these pumps? Maybe it does have something to do with the E10 fuel and possibly extra load on the pump causing its failure? I started to look, but getting at the fasteners holding the pump in place is not the easiest task, so I gave up and rode Gretel down to my sisters for a birthday party instead…without issue (apart from a centre stand bolt inexplicably shearing).
Any hints or tips for fuel pump removal and replacement gratefully received.
I had registered for the annual remembrance ride to the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) - aka the Ride To The Wall back in April and, unlike last year when it was cancelled, this year it was go, go, go!
I know my K100LTs like to sulk if they’re not being ridden as often as they would like and they certainly haven’t been ridden much at all of late, so definitely expected to sulk. With this in mind, a couple of weeks before, I gave Gretel the once over, pulled the fuel tank, checked all the electrics, topped up the radiator, disconnected the choke switch as it wasn’t playing nicely (I believe that the switch, which is the same as the front brake switch, only serves to operate the yellow choke light in the instrument cluster but has no other important purpose), got the add on LED rear fog lights working again, and rebuilt her. Fired up beautifully, everything (apart from the choke light) working as it should. A quick test ride down to the local supermarket showed that she was running sweetly and all was good. I filled the tank with E10 - our beloved politicians have bullied the fuel companies and tried to persuade us that E10 is better for the environment and have started phasing out E5 etc along with the small writing warning that it is our responsibility to check our older vehicles as they might not be compatible. Of course it is horseshit…you get 10% ethanol in your fuel, from renewable resources, but you get less mpg/kpl out of the fuel because there is less oomph in the fuel. Net result, you have to refill more often - typically losing 20 miles on a full tank i.e. a 10% reduction in range - so ultimately you use more fuel and that seems kind of ironic as the whole point was to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Anyway, I digress, albeit slightly relevant to the story to come as this was my first full tank of E10 and I was concerned that it could give me issues.
So Gretel was ready, flag poles attached to the panniers to fly my colours at the RTTW (as a flag bearer, you get to ride towards the front of the procession to the NMA. I was excited! I was to travel up on the Friday afternoon, hotel overnight and do the RTTW on Sat 03 Oct and then ride back down on the Sunday. The forecast wasn’t great but at least the Friday was dry and sunny for the ride up, so I had a fighting chance of starting the RTTW with dry gloves etc.
It’s only about a 2 hour ride from home (near Bristol) to Tamworth (hotel near Drayton Manor and my RTTW start point) and hotel check in wasn’t until 1500, so no point setting out too early. Nevertheless, by 1200, I couldn’t wait any longer - the sun was shining, the sky was blue and I was raring to be on the road. I loaded up Gretel, erected the 6 foot flag poles (flags remained off) and I was off. My route was predominantly motorway - M32, M4, M5 and M42 and invariably these routes get pretty congested on a Friday as the entire workforce in the country commute home for the weekend. It didn’t matter, I wasn’t in a rush however, I did note my first mistake - erecting the flag poles. This meant that I couldn’t safely filter/split through traffic jams as I was likely to whack truck wing mirrors with the poles. Of course, Sod’s law being what it is, about 28 miles from home there was a wreck at the side of the M5, police all over the place and all the traffic slowing down to a crawl to rubberneck as they passed the scene. Immediately, the free flowing motorway became 3 lanes of very slow moving and/or stationary traffic and I didn’t dare split lanes. I crawled along patiently, thankful for the fan override switch that enabled me to keep Gretel cool. Eventually, having passed the scene, the traffic started to accelerate again.
I twisted the throttle, Gretel responded turning the liquid ancient marine organisms into power and noise, with the side serving of vegetables probably just contributing to the noise. I started to pull away from the traffic, I was feeling good, the open road ahead beckoned invitingly and then the engine spluttered and missed a beat. WTF? I was losing power, it was as if I was low on fuel and the the fuel pump was struggling to gain suction. I dropped into 4th gear and moved from the third lane into the middle lane as a precaution. I checked the fuel gauge - I had only ridden 30 miles from home (plus 4 from the supermarket forecourt to home), I still had over ¾ of a tank. I rocked the bike and felt the heavy slosh of fuel…the gauge was telling the truth. The engine spluttered more - my mind raced back to the Northern Tablelands Ride in 2018 when Stan had issues with his fuel hoses/filter…was that my issue? Had that crappy E10 fuel dislodged years of gunk from my fuel system and blocked the fuel filter? My speed was decreasing quickly - I indicated and pulled into the near side lane, there was no response to my desperate twisting of the throttle and then, inevitably the engine died completely and I coasted off onto the motorway hard shoulder.
I put Gretel on her centre stand, having parked as far to the left of the shoulder as I could. It’s not uncommon for broken down vehicles to get taken out by inattentive motorists who drift onto the hard shoulder. My mind was racing…what was the problem? First things first..get comfortable. Helmet off. Jacket off and hung over the top box in a hopeful effort that the yellow and black would make the bike more noticeable to the vehicles streaming past. I carry a good selection of spares with me, so was confident that I’d be sorted and on my way pronto.
My mind was going into overdrive - was it the Hall effect sensors? I’ve read that those could go duff and would start working again when the engine cooled down. Had the engine been running too hot in the traffic jam despite running the fan? I didn’t carry spare Hall effect sensors, so parked that thought. I was convinced that it was something to do with the E10 fuel and (since the NTR in 18) I carried a spare fuel filter. STOP!!!! Always start simple, I hit the starter and could hear the starter motor churning away but nothing else. I couldn’t hear the whine of the fuel pump…but that’s said, I couldn’t really hear much at all due to the noise of the passing traffic (I have an app on my phone that measures noise - it recorded a steady 85dBA i.e. the noise level normally associated with using power tools). Fuses. Had a fuse blown and taken away power from the fuel pump - that would certainly match the symptoms? I carry a box of spare fuses…but didn’t have a multimeter with me so couldn’t check the old fuses for continuity (or check for voltage). Bugger - I meant to pack my multimeter but had forgotten it. Eejit! The fuses all “visually” looked OK but looks can be deceptive so I changed all fuses (yes I know that there are only 2 that support the fuel pump) with brand new ones. Still nothing (I later checked the old fuses at home and they were all good). I checked the fuel tank electrical connector - again, I know that this 4 pin connector can be the source of endless woes. It looked OK, and the pins were clean and seemed to fit snuggly in the socket. I squirted some contact cleaner over it for good measure and reconnected it. Pressed the starter button, starter motor ran but still nothing apparent from the fuel pump. My unhelpful other self was constantly nagging me to change the fuel filter - that’s mechanical not electrical I kept telling myself. However, it was worth a look in the fuel tank. Cautiously, with an eye on approaching traffic, I opened the fuel tank. Definitely about ¾ of a tank of fuel in there. I removed the filler cap to give me better access. All the hoses were where they should be and the fuel pump wires looked secure and undamaged. I put my ear to the now open fuel tank and pressed the starter button again - definitely silence from the fuel pump. This was definitely an electrical issue with either the pump or the supplies to it. Leave the fuel filter alone!! I buttoned up the tank.
Right think electrics! I called up the K100 Forum on my phone and looked for wiring diagrams and relay box layout pictures. Damn, I love this forum for accessibility to useful stuff when you need it. I dropped the left hand side fairing panel so I could take the fuel tank off. Bugger - no flat blade screwdriver in my tool kit. I managed to remove one fuel hose with a spanner (the lower end is more accessible) and that allowed me to lift the fuel tank enough to access the relay box. I replaced the fuel pump relay with one of my come in handy spares. Still the fuel pump would not run.
Without a multimeter, my roadside diagnostics and repair by random replacement was exhausted. Time for a breakdown truck. I called the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) breakdown services (part of my bike insurance package). Have you ever tried holding a phone call at the side of a busy motorway? Bloody hard it is, I can tell you. The operator probably wondered why I was shouting - just a natural reaction…if they sound faint, I must sound faint, so need to increase my volume and shout! Eventually, (they hung up on me first time through) I got through to an operator and explained my predicament. I followed their instructions by text to send my exact location to them and listened patiently to the helpful but bleeding obvious instructions how to stay safe at the side of a motorway. That call was made at 1335…about 1.5 hours after I had left home (30 miles away).
I stood by my bike, looking hopefully for the breakdown truck rushing to my assistance. The sun was shining, it was lovely and warm and apart from the constant road noise, I was in good spirits. I left the side fairing panel off. No point putting it back on. My plan of action was to get recovered to home. Take the fuel tank off Heidi (she is off road and untaxed at the moment and I had carefully drained her fuel tank when laying her up for a long rest), stick it on Gretel and see what happens. If the fuel pump runs, then I can confidently rule out any deep electrical issues with Gretel and know that it is a problem with the fuel pump itself. If it doesn’t, then I’m buggered for the RTTW!
I texted my sister and brother in law who I was meeting at the hotel and explained my issue. I reassured them that I would get there - even if it meant I had to drive the car up…I had registered for them too and had the wrist bands that they needed for entry! I waited a little longer. After an hour of waiting, I got a text from a breakdown recovery contractor saying that they had been given my job and would be with me within the next 480 minutes. WTF number 2!! I couldn’t even comprehend what 480 minutes meant in the real world and had to use my calculator on my phone to converted it to sensible units. 8 hours!!!!!! I replied to the text asking them if they were seriously saying I had to sit by the side of a busy motorway until 2230. Irritatingly, they had texted from one of those numbers that you cant reply to and I just got a “failed to send” message which did nothing to improve my darkening mood. I then got a message from the RAC at 1437 saying that they were sending one of their trusted partners to rescue me…I tried to reply to that message too - “failed to deliver”. Another hour passed, 15:31 RAC text “Sorry if you’re still waiting, we’re very busy but trusted partner will be with you soon”. Aggggghhhhh!!!! Right, if I can’t respond to their stupid messages - I’ll call therm again. Went through the tedious breakdown reporting process again and explained that I had been waiting since 1330 and had been told that it could be up to 8 hours (from 1430). Yes, I know there was a bit of an issue with gas stations running out of fuel (lack of tanker drivers allegedly and media induced panic buying by the stupid general public), yes I expected that would result in more breakdowns as people drove around until they ran out of fuel, and yes I know that response times are likely to be longer that the normal “with you within an hour” due to covid and driver shortage excuses…but 8 hours - seriously!!!??? The nice lady at the end of the phone apologised, cancelled the contractor that had been assigned and said she would try an get someone quicker. I hung up and waited…1615 RAC text “the special intervention team are now here to help you” - hurrah. I gave up looking up the road for the breakdown truck. The sun had dipped behind the motorway embankment and the air was getting distinctly chilly. I put my jacket back on and helmet too, made myself a nest amongst the brambles on the embankment and settled down to play Scrabble on my iPad.
I watched as a low loader rumbled along the hard shoulder and missed the bike by a couple of feet. I texted my sister to reassure her that I still would get there. She said I should play dead and the police might stop to help me…nothing they could do, of course, and 2 patrol cars had already given me a stiff ignoring. Generally being ignored by the police is not a bad thing! I played dead anyway…perhaps too convincingly as a buzzard started circling above me and three magpies came closer to see if they could have a tasty free meal.
Finally, just after 1730 (breakdown plus 4.5 hours) a breakdown truck arrived. No point getting grumpy with him, and 4.5 hours was way better than 10 hours! I explained the problem and we agreed the only option was to take me home. Gretel was rolled up onto the flatbed and we were on our way - home!
About an hour later I was home and thanking the recovery driver for his help as we unloaded Gretel.
As the bike was well and truly cold by now, I pressed the starter button one more time (if the Hall Effect Sensors had gone duff then they should work on the cold engine) - deafening silence from the fuel pump. I removed Gretel’s fuel tank and replaced it with Heidi’s…tentatively, I pressed the starter button again and yes, heard the familiar whine of the fuel pump. I decanted fuel from Gretel’s tank into Heidi’s and pressed the starter again - the engine roared into life. I replaced the fairing, knee pad and glove box and decanted the rest of the fuel into the new tank. I remembered to put my multimeter in my top box - just in case! By 2000 I was ready to go and set off up the road for the second time that day. No problem with being too early for the hotel check in now - in fact I had asked my sister to tell reception that I would be late and to expect a late check in…but I was coming!! However, I now didn’t have enough fuel to make the journey so would need to find fuel on route…that could be a problem with so many forecourts closed. My nearest supermarket was out. The motorways were much quieter now and traffic flowed freely as I rode quickly into the night. Motorway signs warned that several service stations ahead had no fuel. I opted for one of the earlier ones on route - no point riding until I was low and hoping to find somewhere open. I’d had enough breakdowns for one day. Result - lot’s of fuel. I filled the tank with premium high octane petrol, still having that niggling doubt about the crappy E10, and continued on my way. I reached my destination at 2200. A 2 hour ride that had taken 10 hours!
The RTTW was amazing, as always, even if the weather turned as forecasted and the light rain turned to persistent rain for the entire day. Bikes were marshalled from various starting points around the country, converging on the NMA. I started from Drayton Manor, the main start point and rode the 15 miles to the NMA in a convoy of about 900 bikes. Awesome experience. Flags proudly flying, beaming smile, and waving to the hundreds of people that lined the roadside and overpasses, followed by a poignant service of remembrance to the fallen since WW2. I had made it and was glad to have done so.
Hopefully, I will get to do the same again next year…without the breakdown though!
I have still got to get the fuel pump out of Gretel’s tank and find out why it died. Maybe, 80k miles and 32+ years is the service life for these pumps? Maybe it does have something to do with the E10 fuel and possibly extra load on the pump causing its failure? I started to look, but getting at the fasteners holding the pump in place is not the easiest task, so I gave up and rode Gretel down to my sisters for a birthday party instead…without issue (apart from a centre stand bolt inexplicably shearing).
Any hints or tips for fuel pump removal and replacement gratefully received.
__________________________________________________
Paul
"Heidi" K100LT 1991 (Grey) (VIN 0190172 Engine No. 104EB 2590 2213) - 5th owner. January 2014 (34,000 - 82,818 miles and counting....)
"Gretel" K100LT 1989 (
"Donor" K100LT 1990 (Red) (VIN 0178091 Engine gone to Dai) - 6th & final owner (crash write-off now donor bike). June 2012 (73,000 miles) to November 2013 (89,500 miles)