Routy,... In my Tech post,
How to check your petcock,..., I show how to test a vacuum petcock... I also list all the options available to fix it...
Testing the petcock first is just smart troubleshooting... (...if your TV quits, the first thing to check is the wall outlet)... otherwise you may be tearing in to something that ain't broke...
You have two, relatively new bikes without a problem,... yet.
They will,... at that time you will do the test and choose your preference to fix it... (probably buy an $80 vacuum petcock). Fine...
Other people want a cheaper, simpler, sturdier, option (Raptor)...
Fine,.. their choice...
A vacuum petcock is not a safety device,.. it is a convenience... (you don't have to turn the knob)...
If you are willing to turn a knob,.. a manual petcock is safer... (it has no vac line to leak)...
There is the theory,.. that if you have an accident, a vac petcock will not allow gas to spill... (this assumes that your engine dies, the petcock stays intact, the tank is not ruptured, and the tank vent don't leak, and that the bike falls on the left side)... could happen,.. but does not have the makings of a safety device...
The reason the Raptor is particularly popular on this bike,.. is that this bike appeals to the old school, simple, efficient, rider...
No high tech stuff... air-cooled, one carb, one cylinder, no digital stuff...
Simple mechanisms are more reliable than complex ones.. and are easier to troubleshoot and fix...
At the time that a part needs replaced,... many people would prefer a cheaper, stronger, replacement...
Especially since the original has just failed...
When a manual petcock fails... it just starts to weep a little around the knob, instead of flooding your engine, and it is fixed with a $3.00 gasket...
There are legitimate reasons for replacing a weak part with a more dependable one... even as a preventative measure...
The day that you find yourself brokedown on the side of the road,.. these things will occur to you...
Just like Versy's pinned cam adjuster,... I feel better knowing that it's in there...
One less chance of being stuck on the side of the road...
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