Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all,tried to start my 1960 triumph to no avail,got sparks charged battery etc.Had left it with small amount of fuel in( didnt want cork bits in petrol tap to dry out )to cut story short I drained the tank andwhat came out was rust red soup!!,I have drained it into a glass demijon and now settled can see why bike would not start---rust sediment and globules of water,I amnow going to line tank with ethanol proof sealer BUT what about the cork in the petrol tap some say ethanol eats cork others say not,has anyone had experience either way???? I could buy another tap but it would be a modern one not in keeping with bike.
any advise greatly appreciated, thanks

Hi sa
I have a collection of old Brit bikes and have no problem at all with cork seals. I have had problems with later pattern taps using rubber type seals.

Hi guys----------I had a similar problem in the January of 2013.....Drained about a small cupful of water from the petrol tank of No.1 Bullet after leaving it in the garage ( attached to the house) over winter....I believe there are STILL some folk out there who think this is just another Urban Myth ??.....Sorry guys, it really does happen, and will continue to become more of a problem as we go from E5 ie}--5% Ethanol, on to E10..10% Ethanol, which the present Govmnt. is signed-up to do....In some South American countries they have an E50 I believe.......

I mentioned ethanol on here last year with problems after storage,swept under the carpet as the stiff upper lip. I asked my ESSO fuel station how much ethanol was in there SUPER unleaded fuel ,all 3 checkouts people did not have a clue what I was talking about.