SRM petrol taps

[MG]

Hello fellow A-enthusiasts!

Have fitted a brand new set of damn expensive brass taper taps on the A7 yesterday as the (1-year-)"old" ones suddenly started to leak from the taper. And guess what - the brand new ones leak as well, actually even worse.    

Now I've found these, available from SRM, advertised with "NO leaks":
http://www.srmclassicbikes.com/catalogue/index.php?target=products&product_id=1021

Not really a beauty-award winning style, but if they work...

Anyone ever tried these?

[Brian]

BAP taps are fairly common, I have a pair on one of my bikes and they are good. Make that two pairs as my Guzzi has them as well and that is 16 years old and they still work like new (so does the rest of the bike).

Good taps but dont look very "British".

[MG]

Thanks Brian!

I'm so p***ed off with the ones I have (the ones on the Flash slowly start leaking as well).
I think I'm gonna give them a try, looks like anything that looks "British" must leak.... (***duckandhide***)

Cheers, Markus

[Brian]

There available all over the place and on evil-bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BAP-TRIUMPH-T120-T140-ON-OFF-PETROL-FUEL-TAP-60-7266-/370391895556?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item563d13ce04

I use the chrome single lever ones you see advertised and have had some on bikes for several years now and have never had one leak (yet).

[MG]

Sounds good Brian, they're even a little cheaper on ebay. However, I've got to place an order at SRM anyway, so I'll give these a try.

Thank you for the detailled information, worth a Karma point. 

[bsa- bill]

I have similar but not the same on the project, so here's hoping, but have to say the Flash has the old cork ones and hasn't leaked for the last 12 years

[tombeau]

Thats a damn good price.
I've paid a lot more for junk.
Cheers,
Iain

[MG]

Ask me, I paid 90 Euros for 3 taps, where two leak and one can't even be mounted because the hexagon is machined so that no two sides are parallel. Not easy to use a spanner on that one....

[lawnmowerman]

If you are not too bothered about looks, I am sure that someone on the site has used full-flow ball valves designed for use with central heating oil. I was thinking of giving them a try myself as I have lever type taps which, while they do not leak, only allow a dribble of petrol through so I have to run with both taps open to avoid fuel starvation.
The only issue with the ball valves may be that there will not be much - if any reserve capacity as there is no pipe upstand option in the tank.
Jim

[alanp]

Be a touch careful when installing those 'BAP' (?) type taps which have a cast body. If they have an undercut at the base of the threads the material can get really thin just there and too much tweak to fit them to the tank or tighten the petrol pipe union can crack/snap the relatively brittle cast material. If you can get them on without damage they'll be leak free. I can't see too clearly but the SRM photo seems to have the thread just running out without an undercut, but check if you go that route. The taper brass ones take more punishment but have more of a tendency to leak unless the taper is quite firmly tightened in the body and then are more difficult to turn on/off. I'm currently on the brass ones after non-SRM BAP types failed my over enthusiastic spanner work!
Alan

Marcus ref. 'British - must leak'  however not as bad as England's defence against the Germans on Sunday in South Africa

[lawnmowerman]

And while we are on the subject of Sunday's England / Germany game, Why did the chicken cross the road? - well according to FIFA, it didn't 

Jim

[bsa- bill]

Well they may even agree it DID cross the road but because they first decided it didn't it didn't.

but now of course because our players did not perform well enough to win the world cup as our wonderful media and pundits hyped it all up to that conclusion they now call for the managers resignation, over all I think to get into the last sixteen in the world with the bunch of overpaid under performing wingers Mr Cappello should expect more .... (oh just remembered he's on 6 million )

back on the ranch my project that ran so well last night refuses to start today, so looks like a first job might be to open the taps (back on subject) and drain the tank as the only thing I've done since last night is to fill the tank up, thinking maybe dirt in the petrol ?? blocked jets??

[groily]

you're right as usual lawnmowerman.
Been using plumber's taps with nylon or something bits round the ball for years and they never seem to go wrong. If they did, they're about a fiver in all proper currencies to replace. But hey, unless you like yellow and red bits in the line of sight, they don't look good unless you make a lever in s/s or brass or something to disguise the fraud (I only bothered once).
Filters are easy enough to cobble up and solder on, so are 'upstands' to give reserve.
Bet they're not guaranteed against unleaded etc etc, but they keep on working so I'm not complaining. Certainly won't ever buy another 'proper' tap. Only sweat is they come in 1/4 gas mainly, which means if you have a different fitting on the tank you need an adapter. Some (1/4 to 3/8ths) can be bought from the same places, but 1/4 to 1/8th is a bit harder. Can buy taps in 3/8ths, but they are about the size of a small house and look even worse (work for oil lines though, with a suitable mag earth switch built on).

[MG]

Alan, thank you for the info. I'm using Loctite thread sealant, so over-tightening shouldn't be a problem.

Being Austrian, I'm not at all affected by the football championship, and even less by the German team winning. But nevertheless you gents have my full sympathy, you shouldn't loose a match and drop out because of a clearly wrong referee decision.

[a10gf]

MG, I had the brass tapers when I got the bike, and really liked the vintage design (even polished the brass to make them shine!). Started leaking, first a little then much, no amount of attempts at relapping helped. Sorry for your experience, but good read as I was close to cashing out for a set of new ones. SRM's it will be, function before form in this case.
e

[MG]

E, so far I have seen two different versions of the brass taps. One has a small spring on the back side to pull the taper into the housing, the other only has a spring washer instead. I've seen both versions ranging from approx. 10 to 30 Euros and always bought the most expensive ones, assuming they were manufactured more accurately.  

First I've had the ones with the spring washer, then tried the ones with the springs, hoping the spring might help, but both started leaking sooner or later.
My attempts of re-tightening and re-lapping haven't been very sucessful as well, actually made things even worse.

[Goldseeker]

Be gentle with me guys as I am a 'virgin' classic biker and not familiar with old english parts but wouldn't an 'O' ring groove each side of the cross hole cure this problem? It is possible to get 0.5mm cross section 'O' rings.

I am assuming that these brass taps are similar to a Gas tap, i.e. has a 90' cross hole, and a lathe would be required - but might work -

[zitman]

The chrome lever ones I had on the A7 started leaking big time earlier in the year.  I spent a happy half hour searching through a box full of old taps at a transport fair and bought two push - pull ones, fitted new corks and they are completely leak free.  £6 for two taps and £1 for two corks and they look the part and work great.

Z

[MG]

Hello community!

Just to give you an update:
I've received my BAP taps from SRM this week and fitted two of them to the A7 today.
They came with a brass counter nut, which is not shown on the website photo, and don't have an undercut at the thread ends, like Alan mentioned it, so no problem when tightening them (using Loctite 572 on the thread).

The best thing is, they are absolutely leak-free and yet easy to operate. Am very happy so far.
They don't look too bad on the bike either, a bit modern maybe, but okay nevertheless.

[Rocket Racer]

I use modern taps, they work well with petrol or methanol... But I'm not concerned about originality for fuel taps I just don't want leaks!
These ones came from a swimming pool, and water pump supplier locally!