DIY "T" Fitting

So I've been leaking gas from the fuel hose area between the carbs on my kz440 lately.
After troubleshooting I found a crack in the "T" fitting that splits the flow of gas from the fuel line to both carbs.
The ONLY replacement part I found online was eBay and was $40.

Instead of shelling out $40 I wasn't planing to spend..... I decided to fab up my own version.

In a YouTube video I watched recently, a guy was going to the same thing and decided to use a plastic universal T adapter and cut it to fit somehow.

I bought a package of misc sized fittings and this is what I came up with.

Instead of trying to get the actual plastic bits of the fittings to make a good seal with the hole in the carbs, I decided to just cut the nipples off of the original broken T fitting and use a bit of fuel line and zip ties to attach them to the new plastic fitting. This way, The fitting and original O-rings would make a nice seal inside the carb body.

It's not the most beautiful fabrication in the world… But it seems to be working! It's been over 24 hours and no leaks!

......oh and I didn't realize I should take pics until AFTER I cut up the old fitting. So the pics start with the cut up pieces.

Have you tried jetsrus.com/ ?
Steve

Just looked and could not find it there. Thanks for the heads up though. Looks like a good resource for future needs

A jerry-rig fix like that would be fine if you broke down somewhere on the road and need to get home, but I don't recommend it as a long term fix. Gasoline leaks are serious business, particularly when they are less than a foot away from your crotch. $40 to fix the bike properly is a bargain.

Nessism wrote: A jerry-rig fix like that would be fine if you broke down somewhere on the road and need to get home, but I don't recommend it as a long term fix. Gasoline leaks are serious business, particularly when they are less than a foot away from your crotch. $40 to fix the bike properly is a bargain.

My thoughts exactly. That clear tubing is not going to hold up to ethanol for very long. Disassemble the rack and replace it with a proper part as soon as you can.

I hope you have fire insurance and asbestos underwear. :laugh: Ed

Jeez mister or is that miser the part you need is cheap enough, how many times will you botch it before you realize that you have spent more money than it would have cost you to do the job properly in the first place, please for your own safety and more importantly the safety of others around you put the tools away forever and give the bike to someone who is responsible enough to do the job properly!

I went ahead and ordered the part.
I thought I was being creative with my fix.... I thoroughly feel like an idiot now.

Thanks kevski!
Cheers!

Don't feel bad, you're not the first to discard an idea.:lol:
Steve

Haha no worries! I'm glad you guys "scared me straight".

Hey btw why is it that people dislike clear fuel hoses?
The motorcycle shops and even the Yamaha dealer near me all seem to use them..... just wondering why they seem to get so much flak on the Interwebs.

The manufacturers of those lines just keep making them......

I kinda like being able to see the fuel flowing etc. but would like to know if they are dangerous.

Thanks in advance for the info!

Glad we helped you out, the reason for disliking clear pipes is the have a tendancy to go very hard and brittle, and you end up replacing them every time you remove the tank.

Glad you are taking the comments seriously, as I agree.

As your shop why they don't sell Tygon Fuel line. If they do, spend the extra $$ and use it.
Stronger and more durable than vinyl fuel line
Use with any type of gasoline
Resists swelling and hardening
Resistant to direct sunlight, hardening and/or cracking
Flexible in temperatures from –35F to +165F
Fuel line stretches easily over fittings or petcocks

In-Line Fuel Filters allow you to see the fuel flow.