Ops, it has gone quiet in the tank
Unfortunately, at the least expected moment the fuel pump decides to remind the surprised rider of its existence and with smaller or bigger signs of its end takes a bike to a standstill. I read the stories on the forums where people described problems they had. Some of them even after few hundreds of kilometres!! Of course not all, many write about thousands ridden on the genuine. So it is like the lottery – maybe you will win, maybe not. Ours are running strong so far, without any trouble.
A spare pump, one on two motorcycles, will accompany us through the planned trip. I chose pump from Quantum Fuel Systems. The new pump has ended up in my tank, as the manufacturer gives a lifetime warranty for its product and swears that if at any time the pump stops working, they will replace it with a new one. My, original, will be our spare if other refuses to obey.
After removing the original pump I got really surprised by “Made in China” text printed on the genuine pump. Well, I am aware of the fact that many automotive components are manufactured in China. But naively I hoped that an element as important as a fuel pump installed in a motorcycle of a respected manufacturer is made in Europe, to high standards. Especially that for a new pump KTM charges horrendous amount!! Labour not included… Also as far as I remember most of the parts of 690 which I saw has “Made in Austria” inscription stamped on them. My beliefs of KTM as a European motorcycle has been shaken a bit…
On the occasion, I have changed pump filter to reusable one, removed the filter from the pressure regulator line and made a preliminary modification to attach the accessory fuel tank. Thanks to it, assembly of the second tank should be a pure formality. I also replaced the internal fuel hose connecting the pump and quick-connector. This will make it much easier to replace the pump in the future in the event of a fail. I will not have to cut and exchange the entire corrugated fuel pipe. All I need to do is unscrew the clip and slide the rubber hose off the pump connector. Definitely easier than with the original solution!!
Small hints for someone wanting to change the pump or make modification in the tank.
Firstly, raising the tank to the vertical position (this is the easiest way to get to all the elements in the tank), the lower mounting bolts are screwed into the threaded shaft – one for two bolts. By unscrewing the bolt from one side, there is a high probability that there will be a problem with taking the other off. As nothing will resist, the bolt will rotate with the shaft. A pneumatic wrench is a good solution if you have one. Fortunately, KTM made a notch inside the shaft, in which a 5 mm Allen key can be inserted to lock it against twisting. Taking the second bolt out becomes very easy.
Secondly, if you want to replace the aforementioned fuel hose, you should pay attention to the possibility of using the new one in the fuel! Not to mention it has to hold the pressure produced by the pump. The ordinary fuel line has a petrol resistant coating only on the inside. The hose used in the fuel must be submersible what means it has to be made of the fuel resistant material. Otherwise, after a few days, it will start to crack and delaminate!
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