After having problems again this spring with sputtering at highway speeds after warm up I just broke down and bought a new petcock. Flushed the tank twice before installing the new one (just like I did last year) and still got pieces of what looks like gasket material out from when the morons tried to steal the bike last year. Took her out for a shakedown cruise and it was like riding a brand new bike!!! That machine absolutely SINGS at 65 - 70 MHP!  

Replaced with stock unit from stealership. almost $80. Two bolts and two hoses. It took more time to drain the tank than do the repair. The bike's only got 7K+ miles on it, but last fall someone tried to break out the ignition lock and steal it while I was at work. The insurance paid to have all the locks rekeyed and I think my tank got contaminated either during the attempt or when the mechanic was fixing things. Last fall I swapped out my hoses, took the original petcock to the parts cleaner and cleaned the screens, checked the vacuum diaphragm... basically everything I could think of with only moderate results. It just never got the zip back that I was accustomed to. This year when I took it out to ride in Feb. it would run OK at around 30MPH but as soon as I got over 35-40 it acted like it was running out of gas. Switch to prime and it ran OK but still not spectacular. Installed the new petcock and the first time I got on the throttle it pulled me back in the seat. NOW we're talking! That's the performance I remembered!

ive just bought a raptor cant wait fit it. original one ok but not i dont like the idea of it busting on me. oh i dont like draining the tank all the time.  

yep i spent the 10 mins and fitted mine today   100% agree with above comments

a piece of advise   i would most defiantly check the condition of your float valve and use an in-line fuel filter (even though it already has one)

that means there is no chance of bits stopping the valve from sticking  

this has worked with previous bikes that didnt have a vac fuel tap

yep nearly forgot to do that  

Serowbot wrote on 03/18/10 at 11:03:07:


Here's how I plugged my vacuum port when I went to the Raptor petcock:





There is a bit of silicone sealant inside of the hose where it is bent.

IHTH someone!

Routy wrote on 03/18/10 at 07:21:25:


Logic vs. common sense:

I've worked on 20 something plus Savages and I'd say more than half of them had a small continuous leak from diaphragm failure.  These leaks went unnoticed until the fuel line was removed for service.  In this case, what would happen if the needle valve failed...

Hmmmm... Oh Yeah- you roar off w/ your crankcase 1/2 full of gasoline, and you hear this strange rattlin noise...

To me, a vacuum operated shut-off valve is like having one of those plastic fences around your backyard swimming pool to protect your toddlers!  It' a FALSE sense of security and nothing compensates better than just good ol' preventative maintenance.

Put on the Raptor petcock, and train yourself to turn it off.  Don't depend on the vacuum petcock.  The vacuum sucks!