Fuel blinking, far from home, stop by petronas, open flap n saw a tonne of white powder...same kind on older wet cell battery terminals...tough time putting in the key..once in couldnt turn....sigh.

Managed to open n fuel up after purchasing multi purpose cleaner.

Got home, picked up my wd40 n sprayed the fuck out of the key barrel..n more.of this shit came out...n i mean sprayed a tonne of wd40 til my rag was actually drenched yet this stupid powder still kept coming out. Spray sampai puas hati.

Leaving it to dry...gonna send to bike wash tomorrow if i have time....then more wd40...then let dry again...then only will put some lube into the barrel.

I really hate kawasaki key barrels...annoyingly the one exposed to crap the most, the one we rarely use, the seat key, is the one that never gives problems on both my bikes.

corroded metal inside the barrel?

how much fuel you fill everytime? is it always full to the brim and the fuel touches the bottom of the tank cap?

no idea... maybe its sulfur build up for whatever reason. this happened on my versys.... spoke to a friend who also has a versys and he says normal.

this powder thing never happened on my z900 though.

to the brim... n mebbe more... not sure if it touches... but maybe it does... but like i said above.. this happened to my v1k n not my z9... both same fill up habits.

i have some similarish issue with my tank lock, first got it it was completely seized, this is a fairly new bike.

i see whitish gunk in there, if i spray wd40, it turned into gunk, clean all i want it keeps reappearing. seems like some kinda waxy substance yamaha put in there that dries out due to petrol vapors. so i just regularly dump in singer oil, its messy if i wash the bike but at least it doesnt get stuck. no idea how to cleanout all that stuff whatever it is.

https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questio...orcycle-gas-cap

once it started, it will keep happening
I tell my friends, just change the gas cap immediately, worst thing get stuck at a petrol station or key broke, not fun

Interesting, thanks for the link, though mine isnt as bad as the pic there...mine is just outside n in the key barrel....for now, n since my friend said normal, ill just have to be more diligent in cleaning n lubing the barrel.

Mention ethanol in the link....wonder if the PTT gasohol 95 had anything to do with it hahaha

unless you leave the gasohol for 1 month inside the tank, I doubt it came from Thai Petrol.. first think the ethanol will eat your fuel line and all the rubber seals of your fuel pump.

my friend any mine both kena the latch, the sliding lock mechanism jam

I think it's mainly water and I believe older bikes get it
quality of the parts will determine whether kena later, or earlier

that's on older bikes, I think, with the rubber less tolerant to ethanol

ethanol and water, adding the time sitting, separating from the fuel... yes, will cause a problem in old and new systems
zinc corrosion is relatively faster, within a few days, enough to seize the fuel cap mechanism

That's quite common no?

Even the tank lock on the pulsars and dominar gets seized up if you are lax on keeping it cleaned and lubed up.

I got stuck at a fuel station once because I couldnt get the bloody tank open. Fortunately I had enough gas to get home. Soaked with with WD40 overnight. Then everything is working as it should.

you get the feeling, I was stuck once too, right before a convoy and headed home; it sucks; so I just tell riding buddies, don't fill to the brim, else the fuel will slosh and splash on the zinc causing it to corrode and cease, or just change it before they stuck again

it's common in my circle as well, older japanese bikes (kawa, yamaha) like 2000-2010 bikes

now, the V1000 is relatively new, but also not very new, I guess, so it is starting now

for Bajaj based bikes, I guess it can happen sooner if the quality of the raw material is subpar compared to Japanese, just a matter or time. looking at the wiki on zinc corrosion, as long as it has contaminant (lead, mainly) it will eventually corrode. I have quite a few old fuel caps in store, they corrode in storage

For context, my v1k is a 2013 bike

Also this key barrel thing also happens to ignition barrel. But the seat barrel...which is more exposed to crap never gives a problem

fuel cap touches fuel tank
ignition barrel inside has electrical switching and mechanical steering lock mechanism
meanwhile, the seat barrel is 'less' electrically connected to the bike

based on these, I'm guessing maybe galvanic corrosion is part of the reason
- assuming those white powder is really zinc oxide, and is caused by galvanic corrosion, then zinc is usually sacrificial metal that corrodes first

maybe the fuel tank lip where the fuel cap latch touches it no longer have paint covering it, and the latch is directly touching the tank metal? just a guess

anyhow, for the tank cap, you gonna replace it soon? or just use it while keeping it lubed?

Naah..not gonna replace...after the drowining of wd40, it works fine...just need to lube it up n keep it lubed.

Dun wanna change the cap coz dun wanna carry extra key...i already have to carry 3 keys with this bike..malas wanna add more

The odd white/greyish phenomenon is called zinc rot. Most motorcycle lock barrels are made with material that has zinc blends, copper plating on the lock pins + rain accelerate the process. With the recent downpour of rain and rise in humidity, I've had plenty of bikes that comes in to my workshop having the same issue, while i agree and share the same sentiment with kawa locks, all bikes irregardless of make and model, new or old, could potentially have the same problem. And once they happen, it will happen again, eventually, to the point your lock barrel gets weakened so much, it'll jam completely as the pins gets dislodged from their barrel slots.


On a more important side of things, while WD40 might/might not work, if you've used wd40, please be sure to let it dry completely before applying any sort of lube. WD40, as the name itself imply, are "water displacers", hence whatever lube applied after that might get "displaced" and wouldnt stick to parts you intend to lubricate. Alternative product you can use to attempt "unstucking" the locks, are graphite lubes, people had good results from it, you can get them cheap on shopee or hardware stores. Any regular lube works fine, avoid cleaners with high flash point(carb/brake cleaners) as they will make your lock barrel brittle. I've seen great result using DOT4 brake fluid as well, I'm no chemist and isnt sure how it helped, but it did. So if you ever get stumped somewhere, stucked cap, no lubes whatsoever, might be worth a short opening up your rear(worst case front) brake reservoir, dip something in it and drop it into the hole (your keys).

Regardless of what fix and what has been applied, its always a good idea while its still isnt completely jammed and broken, disassemble the lockset, clean it up thoroughly from inside, regrease them then have the oring on the tank flap(flap that covers the keyhole) replaced or oiled (hydrated) to keep water from seeping in.

This post has been edited by Vi Merkz: Jan 16 2024, 12:08 AM

Link n more.info.pls...this is the one with the one way valve right?

Meaning u dont need to tighten n loosen the bleed nipple? That how it works?

Thinking of swapping out my 1yo, 15k km brake fluid... currently using bendix but dunno what brand to try next

Yes it's basically a 1-way valve. Attach the contraption to your bleed nipple, crack the bleed screw open just enough to allow decent flow (not all the way or you'll undo the whole thing!!) and simply pump away at the brake lever till you're happy. When you're done, retighten the bleed screw and bob's your uncle.

Be advised that some brake nipples like mine won't fit the tube included in the kit (the tube is too small). If that's the case you'll need a silicone tube of the appropriate size (by ID measurement or internal diameter).

https://shopee.com.my/1Pcs-Motorcycle-Clutc...df-4cd1ea9726cb

https://shopee.com.my/1-Meter-27-sizes-0.5m...0c-4e4f3b2c27a9

This post has been edited by ZZR-Pilot: Jan 17 2024, 10:58 AM

Bought China DB killer from Shopee, it pop out when revving the bike



Finally notice my exhaust system might be a real akra



key wont't open at petrol station, bring back home and spray silicone lube

failed to open tank

had to bring the bike to nearby shop, after 5 minute of spraying WD40 mechani manage to open the tank

maybe the slipon is ori akra
K* is for Kawasaki, not a Yamaha one