TOPIC:

I installed an inline fuel filter on the gas line that runs from the tank to the carbs. Now I am wondering if it restricts fuel flow or not. It did not come from the factory with an inline fuel filter, I just cut the rubber hose and installed midway.

stay away from those glass fuel filters ,my neighbors 32 chevy got burned to the ground last year and almost burned up 3 more cars .his insurance company and fire inspector told him those filters cause a lot of fires. goodluck,happy wrenching!

i put 2 little plastic ones on my bike,,,works excellent

i have used those glass filters on many hott rods i built never any trouble/leaks,i have them on two turbo'd kz's many miles trouble free,i just put two of them on my only carburated z but now you have me ,

yeah i talked to him a couple weeks ago when i showed him how the 29 was progressing.they told him they have a lot of fires caused by those glass filters ive used a lot of them also,but not anymore. he has a 32 plymouth roadster,a 29 ford roadster and a 34 chevy coupe also we were trying to keep the fire away from the other cars when fire department finally got there but the 32 chevy got destroyed.hes one of thos guys who just writes a check for everything,i dont think he could even change his own oil he saw my kids 29 and got all excited about wanting me to build him a car,i told him its a hobby for me i dont want to make it a job! goodluc,happy wrenching!

I always use an inline fuel filter. I buy the little see through plastic ones at a nearby bike shop. Without a filter you can get crud entering the carbs. I think there are some (lawnmower ?) fuel filters which may restrict gas flow but have not been unlucky enough to find one yet.

jon0108 - I would say you did right. If yours is restricting fuel flow you will find out soon enough.

If you're looking for really high quality, try the Russell filter. Russell makes tons of professional level competition fuel accessories for cars, and these filters that are perfect for bikes. They make them for 2 different size fuel lines, but they both use the same bronze filter element. They won't starve your carbs. For the 1/4" fuel line see:

Dennis Kirk Fuel filters

Other places also sell them. The filter element is washable and replaceable. The replacement element and o-ring are packaged as Russell Part#R5166. Dennis Kirk sells these too, but you can sometimes find good deals for these on eBay. I've used one of these filters for the past several thousand miles with no problems. Ed '77 KZ650C1

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/04/16 21:15

the one I currently have is an inexpensive see through plastic one with a screen in it. I think I will switch to a Russell. The Russell has an actual filter element in the filter housing, not just a small piece of screen.

I've been following this topic- do you guys just cut the fuel line and set the filter(s) set up above the carbs? It doesn't seem like there is a ton of room to sneak one in there... Photos, anyone? Thanks

Like these Russel filters and lines.I had these on My carbs the year before last,before I put My 29's on...bigger fuel-line size on the 29's(5/16),so I couldn't use these ones(1/4)...still for sale,actually...used for one season...
U2U Me if interested.I listed them back on the old KZR board,but I don't think I had any hits...still in new condition... ...

Nevan,

Yes, just find a spot somewhere along the fuel line routing that will allow enough room for the filter, then cut the fuel line and install the filter.

If you have a vacuum operated fuel tap, I don't really think the filter needs to be above the carbs since the fuel supply is not relying on gravity to feed it. FWIW, you could always just use a longer fuel line so you can install the filter in an area where there's enough room.

I installed a really nice (and frickin' expensive!) cleanable K&N billet fuel filter on my ZN700 that I was originally going to install in my Toyota truck.
Nothing but problems!

The filter is designed for use in a fuel pump supplied fuel system (higher pressure/vacuum requirements I guess) and it seems the filter media (an odd shaped "fluted" plate) is much to restrictive for the low vacuum on my bike.
It would starve the bike for fuel at idle, and the bike would stall unless I either increased the idle speed adjustment or twist the throttle slightly (a PIA to keep running when stopping at red lights!)
But above idle the bike would run great.
It also seems that above idle there's enough vacuum to fill the filter body up enough with fuel that after stopping and shutting the bike off, it would then "dump" that fuel into the carbs and through the drain tube in the air filter box. Granted, the leaky petcock sure doesn't help this situation. The carb floats, needles and seats are fine and there's no debris blocking anything, so I'm still trying to figure out why it was dumping fuel into the air filter box.

Short story long, I pulled the filter media out of that K&N filter to see if it helped......it runs MUCH smoother at idle and hasn't flooded or leaked a single drop of fuel since!

Am I missing something here ?
My bike had (no longer) a vacumn petcock. All the vacumn did was control the opening of the valve. The tank on most bikes appear to be above the carburaters so will result in gravity feed. ( I have no idea about fuel injected machines)