Service
Service
RAY NIERLICH
Aprilia’s Caponord is a sound long-distance adventure bike, but reader Lee Pekarek wants to know what’s producing the whistling sound when he shuts off his engine.
CAPONORD BUZZ
Q: I have a 2015 Aprilia Caponord, which I've been riding for about a year. The bike has approximately 4,000 miles on it. Lately, when I shut the bike down after a ride and it’s still hot, I’ve started to hear a medium-/high-frequency buzz coming from the front of the engine. The buzz lasts approximately two seconds then repeats after approximately 10 seconds. This has gone on for at least an hour after a long ride. First time I heard it, I disconnected the battery, and, much to my surprise, the buzzing continued unabated. The fans seem to work fine in that they typically come on at a stop when the temp gauge hits four bars and then promptly shut off when the bike is moving and the temp gauge returns to three bars. Any idea what could cause the buzzing and whether something might need replacement?
LEEPEKAREK LONG BEACH, CA
A: Your fuel tank evaporative I loss system has a check valve I in it that can make a buzzing noise. This is entirely normal. This happens when the fuel in your tank is being heated by the warm engine (heat soaking) when parked after a ride.
FUELISH
Q: What the heck can we do about Eio and, here in California (of course), the lovely E15 fuels? Everything I read talks of the bad effects—hotter running, leaner E/A ratios, water-absorbing, rubber/gasketeating—of the E fuel swill. I believe all this totally, certainly for any older bike/car. I have an ’86 RG500 and a ’65 Corvette, and I guess they are getting destroyed by this crappy fuel (sorry all you ethanol-loving states).
Additives? I’ve read little to say “solution!” Adding Sta-bil does help some but certainly not much in terms of the E-fuel issues.
Aviation gas? Helps, but certainly not a total solution, not to mention it being a non-option for any road trip requiring more than one tank since you won’t find avgas very often near Big Sur or any other godly road. Plus, avgas has its own issues for ground-level operation of I/C engines.
Draining the tank for extended storage? Sounds like this is a must.
Pain in the butt, but for my RG or Vette, which get used very little anymore (I ride/drive my new stuff 90 percent of the time), not too bad. Again, it helps but doesn’t prevent the ensuing damage that occurs when I do ride/drive.
Time to drain the fuels and let the best things in my garage just sit, nearly never to be used again—eBay them both (not)?
TICKEDOFFAT GOV.ORG
A: As faithful CWreaders probably have already surmised, I'm not an ethanol fan. For regularly used modern vehicles equipped with galvanized fuel tanks, evaporative loss systems and fuel injection, it is no big deal. What problem, you say?
For starters, I think it is dumb to grow food and use it for fuel. It’s not like we weren’t destroying the gulf fast enough as it was with fertilizer runoff. For fuel tanks made of fiberglass, plastic, or bare steel, it has been a slowmotion disaster. The stuff evaporates so fast and varnishes so heavy that you will become an expert at clearing idle jets in no time.
It is even worse for two-strokes.
The fuel separates and along with it the oil in the fuel you thought was lubricating your engine. Nice. One less-than-optimal batch of fuel, a good hard run, and before you can back out of it, your RG will ventilate a piston or worse... Why, yes, Lance, I do need some unobtanium replacement cases for my RG ($$$$).
Try to use the same source for your fuel. This will help to minimize the variable quality of what you are running through your engine. Always use a fuel stabilizer for ethanol fuel. Drain your tank after running whenever feasible, especially if the vehicle is to be stored for more than a couple of months. Install a fuel cutoff valve if not so equipped, and run the float bowls empty when possible. Sign the petition.
GOT A MECHANICAL OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM with your beloved ride? Perhaps we can help. Contact us at cwservice@cycleworld.com with your questions. We cannot guarantee a reply to every inquiry.
