Hey guys, Every time I ride the CBR1000RR 2004 I stink of raw petrol fumes my backpack also tends to smell of burnt petrol fumes. When I lift the cover off the bike when it's been standing in the sun there's a strong petrol smell. In that situation it's probably been venting out the breather tube. After parking the bike overnight in the cold shade I if I sniff 6" from the petrol tank lid I smell petrol fumes. When I lift the flap that covers the keyhole I see 4/5ths of the O-ring is covered in liquid petrol and the keyhole is wet, and the underside of the flap is wet with petrol also. I sniffed around the lower parts of the tank and didn't smell any petrol fumes in most places, but slight petrol smell on the left side below the tank. My girlfriend says when I go full throttle she smells major petrol fumes. I've not yet been able to think of an explanation for that. My backpack always absolutely hoans after riding. I have an underseat exhaust. I think the exhaust is probably in a very bad place in terms of venting right into the negative air pressure zone behind my back. I'm first going to address the petrol tank cap leaking. I've heard that on some bikes there are springs in the petrol tank cap and they wear out after a few years, then they don't put any pressure on the seal and thus fumes leak out the top of the tank. So I'll open up the petrol tank cap and check all the seals and stretch the springs (if there are any) a bit. I'm also going to take the tank off and see what's attached to the breather outlet underneath. If there's no tube attached, I'll add one. And whether this bike is supposed to have a charcoal cannister or not, I'll get one from a spares shop for any random bike and macguyver it on. If that doesn't solve the issue, even though my bike is gorgeous I'm going to rather install a low exhaust that goes straight back as far low & back as possible, maybe even with a downward flange on the end. As much as my bike is amazingly beautiful, I hate the smell more. It takes the joy out of a day involving the bike. Afterwards I have to immediately throw all my clothes in the wash, have a shower and change backpacks. It's ridiculous. Any tips will be appreciated
Do you have a Power Commander / Bazzazz (sp?) mapped for the scorpion can? If not it may well be running rich. As for the tank do you get any noises when you open it?
I would get the smell sorted rather that rerouting the exhaust, sounds like you have a fuel leak or venting issue and if you getting petrol smell from exhaust, it's probably running rich as Barstewardsquad said. The petrol breather tube exits beside the side stand, If the petrol tank has been raised sometimes it comes apart at a joiner just up past and to the left of the clutch slave
I had this problem with my 2004. I did some maintenance and had the tank raised. When I put it all back together I was getting issues with pressure in the fuel tank. When cold I almost had to prize the cap up with a screwdriver because there was negative pressure in the tank effectively sucking the cap shut and when hot if I opened the cap it would pop open like taking the stopper out of a bottle of Grolsch Lifted the tank back up and saw that the vent pipe was pinched. So much so that it wouldn't straighten so I replaced it. Voila. No more problem.
Thanks for the replies guys @Barstewardsquad I don't have a power commander or Bazzaz for the can. Apparently its been modified by prev owner such that the butterfly valve in the exhaust is permanently open (to increase power) My first reaction is I thoght maybe the bike is running rich and I could get a Bazzaz to lean it out. But, now It makes sense to me that if the wrong fuel mixture can cause the exhaust to make my clothes and backpack stink its more of an aerodynamic problem (exhaust position) than it is about fuel mix, because surely even with the kindest mixture, exhaust fumes are going to make clothes stink if they come into contact too much? @BoroRich @wilbert I've not lifted the tank yet. There is no pop or suck when I open the tank. As I mentioned I see liquid petrol under the flap and around the keyhole. What do you guys mean when you say "had the tank raised" do you mean some permanent mod or just taking it off to look underneath?
Just posting to say this has been resolved. A few months ago I took it to an exhaust shop who fitted the exhaust for a previous owner. They plugged the exhaust with a rag and couldn't find any leaks in the exhaust system. Also we discussed the type of smell and concluded it must be a petrol leak. The leak has been found and fixed. There was a hole under the tank. I took it to one mechanic for a service and asked him to check all the pipes under the tank etc for a leak. He couldn't find a leak or any problems with pipes under the tank. I took it to a 2nd mechanic to fix what the first mechanic broke, I didn't mention the leak, he just noticed it on his own haha. One of the previous owners had covered the hole with double sided tape and petrol was oozing through it. I had the tank welded today, which included a pressure test. Very relieved.
