Tank removal / fuel hose blunder

[Hywel]

My bike is a '98 CB600F

Yesterday I decided to do some servicing... Oil, filters and rear wheel removal / re-fitting with a new tyre went smoothly so thought I'd do the spark plugs too.

My Haynes made the tank removal sound so easy

"Take the fixing bold out from the back of the tank, lift it up slightly to expose the tap which should be set to 'off', detach hoses from tap and take off the tank"

Got as far as lifting up the tank, but the hoses just would not come off. My hands are pretty big so I was doing the best I could with my finger tips until I accidentally lifted the tank up more than I should have, scraping the hose along the top of the carb and "pop", the bottom of the tap nozzle punched through the hose wall.

So two questions here;

Is there a trick to taking off the hoses? (I pushed the fastener clip down the hose past the nozzle so that wasn't the reason it was difficult)

and

Is it easy to replace a broken fuel hose or have I just created a huge problem for myself?

Need to get this sorted, driving a car in rush hour sucks.

[BigShot]

Rubber hoses?

Could be that they had perished and stuck on?

I have the feeling Mr Haynes bases the instructions on a bike that's just rolled off the line where everything is fresh and non-stuck.

http://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/view ... w=previous

[argentum40]

the 2 rubber hoses were perished on my GT550 and i replaced them with ease... i did however heat the rubber hose in boiling water to make it softer and fitted it no problem

[Hywel]

Yeah when I cut the rest of the hose off it was quite stiff. The smaller vacuum hose wasn't coming off at all either so I might just remove that one surgically and replace them both with fresh ones if it isn't going to be any extra hassle.

I can see plenty of fancy braided fuel lines with quick-release ends but no equivalent vacuum lines. Are these easy to get hold of?

Hah, that Haynes thread is spot on although this is the first trouble I've had and seems to be down to old rubber hoses which is fair enough. It's probably a good thing that I've ripped it and now need a replacement to be honest.

[Guest]

Yeah rubber hoses and stuff sometimes is easier when dipped in boiling water. (or very hot water) I used that technique when replacing the hose to the rad that was damaged when I had my off, and when replacing my handle bar grips.

Failing that (say, they are still attached) just use a Stanley knife to cut them off (I had to do that to take off the old rad pipe), or maybe you could try a hair dryer to heat them up!

[Phill_vtr]

often twisting the hose gently with a pair of pliers will break the "seal" and make them easier to remove.

[Hywel]

Is there a site that sells trick snap-on fuel and vacuum hoses for specific bike models? I fancy making future removals / replacements easier because I don't want my nan to hear me swearing through my parents garage wall any more, it's not doing her any good

[Hywel]

All done, got some hose from my local bike garage on the way back from work today and sorted without too much fuss. The bike is now running sweet as a nut! Thanks all!