Topic: New to the Forums: Question about a gas leak.

[ScootSTC]

Hello folks,

About the bike: 1973 Honda CB350F with 3800 miles on it. I bought it last year from a Honda mechanic who needed to buy a plane ticket. He had recently rebuilt the engine and balanced the carbs, and put new tires on it. I didn't hesitate to buy it after it started cold with one kick. Everything is original with the exception of the tombstone taillight and clip-on handlebars. Even the pipes are original and in about as good as condition as I think I'll ever see original pipes. More pics to follow...

Now, the question. I seem to have a leak somewhere. I just took her out of storage after our blisteringly cold Minnesota winter. After warming up the battery and topping of the tank, she started just fine. When I was finished with the joyride I put the bike back in the garage. When I woke up, there was a leak underneath the crankcase. I was an idiot and didn't turn the petcock to "off." Even so, when I pulled the bike out from the storage shed, there was a dried pool underneath where the bike had been and the tank was more empty than when I stored the bike 6 months ago. I know for certain that the petcock was set to off during storage. I have read around the forum, and it seems that if the leak is in the line I should clamp it when storing, but what about when I'm riding? Because of where the leak was found, I'm thinking one of the carbs maybe dripping too. I am about an hour from the bike at the moment, as it is at my parent's place. When I have more time, I will definitely identify where the leak is. I am wondering, however, if there is a common error on the bike that I should look for first.

Let me know!

[Sdsbassist]

Cool ride...where in Minnesota?

[ScootSTC]

Thank you for the quick responses!

When you say, "field dripping", does that mean fuel dripping directly from the tank? As in, maybe there is a spot of pit rust that opened a small hole in the tank? If so, the tank itself is pretty clean from a look inside, a little rust, but nothing drastic. I'll check regardless.

I was also thinking it could be a problem with the petcock gasket, as no matter what position the petcock is in, I have found dripping.

I can't wait until this weekend when I can get home and take a look at the bike again. I'll be giving it a little work: fresh oil and filter change, maybe new spark plugs if they look fouled, but this is my number one problem.

SDSBassist: My bike is parked and mostly driven around St. Cloud. I can't wait to take it up the north shore of Lake Superior this Summer. It can't come soon enough!