Diesel in your bike, Don't PANIC!

[@cashepherd88]

Alarm bells ringing when he said 'he pushed' the bike to a parking space to get a coffee!!!! Come on who does that, do you see motorcyclists pushing their bikes around forecourts to the parking bays?! He bloody knew he put diesel in but too embarrassed to say!!

[@Soulrollsdeep]

Yeah, 99% of us do, why the fuck would you fire up a bike to get it a few yards away from the pump?

[@rhubarbcrumble3792]

@@Soulrollsdeep yes I do as well

[@dalemeadows225]

Same here

[@MadDocMoto]

So no single Hitchhikers Guide comment? Let me fix that! Pro tip: Always know where your towel is, especially when planing to to remove a diesel puddle off your floor! Keep on making your videos James! Qualits over quantity. Btw we have the exact same supermarket oil pump in our workshop and its pumping fuel for years now...Rock on!

[@neddkelly5732]

Great video thanks, I followed your advice and got my bike running again. The huge plume of smoke was satisfying, after all the syphoning and pump priming. Main thing like you said, was don't panic.👍

[@meinpupsstinkt1476]

I am so glad, I decided for a petrol bike, not a diesel one!

[@danielwoodhouse1870]

OMG, good timing mate. I'm right now learning about fuel injection systems, fuel rails. relief valves and return lines as part of my apprenticeship training. Just what I needed and well explained thanks!

[@Ttnorth11]

Just found you channel. I did this to my 2015 Speed Triple a few years ago. Here in Australia the BP Diesel and the BP Ultimate 98 Octane Petrol labels are very similar and at 52 years of age and needing glasses I made the mistake. I took the tank off and drained it then filled it full and just cranked it over till it started. No issues.

[@donaldross4217]

As you say Years ago when bp ultimate and diesel pump colours were the same or close colour I filled up with wrong fuel The attendant said it wasn’t the first time this had happened Since ultimate came out Noticed a few months later the pump colours had changed dramatically

[@stephenmcqueen4029]

Thanks Jim.

[@MR2TBAR1991]

BP have diesel Active and Unleaded premium, both have light blue labels. A friend didn't notice the difference and filled his SRAD 600 with diesel, eventually managed to get it 4 miles back home to get it sorted, no lasting effects except it smelled of diesel for a week.

[@billsinclair6515]

this was great advice man, i put at least two 5 litre cans of diesel from my garage in a CB1300 and fired her up, thought I had ruined my bike. Watched your vid, did what you said plus new set of plugs and she started, made some smoke then ran perfect, as you said, "dont panic"

[@Diddy65]

Had my haz chem on HGV for 17 years. Heard plenty of stories of fuel delivery driver putting wrong fuel in wrong tanks.

[@rose-ey6ct]

Same bike. A friend did this in Austria a few years ago. I went and got a 25 litre drum and a short hose. He got the mouthful of diesel! Refilled tank with petrol. Turned the ignition on and off 12 times without trying to start to circulate fuel round system. Hit starter button. Started instantly, a little smokey for first 10 seconds and then perfect. Total time lost from start to finish: 55 mins.

[@winnie-the-poohahaha4428]

Like the stainless steel wire idea ❤

[@Bl0ckHe1d]

Customer “honest guv it’s not diesel!” Jim brushing driveway with soapy water “yeah it’s f-kin’ diesel alright!” 😂😂😂

[@janhronsky9150]

Nice video. Thanks Jim. Just did a fuel sensor repair a week ago on friend's Multisrada and the number of fairing screws is just too damn high! :D Laughed at top tip hard... the times I've had spillage (fuel, coolant, etc.) all over the place :D :D

[@arcboutant]

Put diesel in my VFR 800 vtec , 2.5 gal, managed - when I realised - to get nearly a gallon of petrol on top. Needed to get home, the bike farted missed etc all the 10 miles home . Never ,it seemed, more than 2 cylinders at a time alternating. Got home, drained, flushed and it ran fine . Was advised to change the oil, and THAT WAS GOOD ADVICE.

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

Well yeah, when you change the oil on a diesel engine, it’s black within minutes of running. Probably fine in an engine designed for it, less so when there’s a wet clutch involved

[@geraldgoodman9324]

I did the same on a 2nd gen Fireblade. It started ok with fuel in the carbs then it started to run rough and smoked, I rode it for 50 miles and top it up again, eventually it ran ok again no lasting damage done.

[@Francois_Dupont]

how do you even manage that? arent the nozzle a different size and the handle a different color for the petrol/diesel in the UK?

[@MrHugawa]

i wonder if the fuel station accidentally had diesel put in their petro holding tanks, as I agree with ya, can't imagine even doing that

[@Francois_Dupont]

@@MrHugawa it rarely happen, but it is still possible. i saw a documentary where it happened in France and the police had to run everywhere to catch people on the highway before they broke down.

[@williamgray697]

French police must be very fit.

[@nickfletcher506]

I've put diesel in my 2014 Multistrada. Lucky only a £5 worth in a quarter a tank of unleaded. Realised after riding of after a 100 yards. Turned round went back to garage, drained the tank filled up with super unleaded, fired her up, crossed fingers and after a few splutters and smoke, I got away with it 😅 Great video Jim.

[@MrHugawa]

good info sir...thx

[@volvogt21]

My bike engine feels a bit sleepy under hard acceleration. I'm thinking I may have filled it with horlicks. Do I use the same procedure to drain the tank?

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

Just tip a couple of cups of strong coffee in the tank, that should fix it.

[@volvogt21]

@@SuperbikeSurgeryTV awesome thanks!

[@Jarrod2323]

Doc, i put diesel in my motorcycle 2014 electraglide. Now my fuel gauge is inaccurate. How do I fix this problem? There is fresh gas in it now. Still doesnt read properly.

[@wallaceshackleton1889]

Reminds me of my Dad's method of decoking an engine by pouring a can of Redex through a carb. Smoke on!

[@firestorm755]

How do you dispose of a big can of petrol and diesel mix? Can a local tip or recycling center take it?

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

I have a company come and take away my waste oil and fuel.

[@danschofield6727]

Another great Video... cheers Jim !

[@Noggin60]

Would you recommend a dose of Injector Cleaner (wynns or such like) after this, and periodic cleaning and yep i've done this cost me £250 :-(

[@peteshiblestowskydivepeteb476]

Great tutorial ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@H-M-78]

Can the oxygen sensor be damaged? If there is any...

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

Theoretically yes but in reality I've never seen it. The worst scenario for the o2 sensor would be a little bit of diesel contamination and the engine still ran. If you rode your bike without knowing the diesel was there I think you would eventually run into problems with the o2 and the Cat.

[@HalfdeadRider]

I wouldn't replace the plugs as cleaning them off is easy just lots of brake cleaner, rags and a brush, even easier for you as you have a media blaster. We used to use those at school in the early 90's, there was a special attachment for plugs.

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

For the cost of new plugs you'd be crazy not changing them. I've been burnt one time to many by bad plugs causing random misfiring problems. Obviously if you are on a super tight budget then clean them. But understand you may be setting yourself up for problems.

[@HalfdeadRider]

@@SuperbikeSurgeryTV I understand but its not very likely as long as you are careful cleaning the electrodes. Obviously it depends on mileage and general condition of the electrodes also of course (whether best to change them or not). Modern plugs as you know are good for tens of thousands of miles, iridium plugs the longest lasting of course, even in motorbike engines. To me its just a total waist to just change them because they got a bit oily.

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

Obviously up to you, just understand you are setting yourself up for problems in the future. The manufacturers don't recommend cleaning for good reason! (And no it's not because they want to sell you new plugs) You should also never ever clean a iridium type plug, they really don't like it. I've lost count of the times over the years I've had bikes in with misfire problems caused by people "servicing" there own bikes, thinking they'll just clean the plugs instead of replacing. Simple plug change and the problems go away.

[@HalfdeadRider]

@@SuperbikeSurgeryTV I know you are a very experienced mechanic, but that's just not true, the plugs causing problems are obviously faulty in some way anyway, pitted electrodes most likely, or incorrect gap. Cleaning them alone will not cause problems at all. You can even use extreme heat to clean plugs and they won't damage or cause problems. With iridium plugs the inner electrode is very thin, but iridium is very very strong (kind of an understatement lol). Due to the strength you can still blast them, or clean them by hand with rags, brake cleaner and a wire brush, best to use coper brushed to be safe of course.

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

30 years of experience has taught me differently but you carry on dude, what you do in the privacy of your own work shop is up to you! Thanks for commenting.

[@noracalzogna946]

well done! i would have liked a bit more waffling but i'm happy to see another video all the same :)

[@steveclark..]

Maybe a fuel tanker driver can answer this? Is it possible to get the wrong fuel out of the correctly marked nozzle that you pick up? Maybe that's the answer here?? I have wondered if this mistake could happen after the tanker driver's been and refilled the under ground tanks.

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

I can answer that! Not sure if it's possible now but about 10 years ago I was called out to an R1 that had broken down. Very long story short. The unleaded pump at this particular garage had been dispensing Diesel. Loads of people affected. It was even in the local paper! Massive insurance claim for the garage. They paid my invoice for sorting out the R1 without question.

[@steveclark..]

@@SuperbikeSurgeryTV Thanks for confirming that, good to hear that they paid out,...let's hope that they put some measures in place to prevent that happening now.

[@felipemotorhead]

I did thid mistake myself because I didn't know this information, its my first bike, i should have done a quick research before, well, sometimes we learn the hard way

[@BRUM9922]

my brother put diesel in his MT10 lol when he went to scarbough oliver`s mount for a day out from manchester expensive day out

[@andeanrider6355]

Surely the receipt with say diesel or petrol.

[@prototype9904]

Protip: You can't ruin the engine putting diesel in a gasoline engine, it just won't run, and you'll have to clean it out. But you CAN ruin a diesel motor if you put gasoline in it. In some circumstances, when fire comes out of the exhaust, that's when you'll know, you F-ked up 💥

[@terrymoore4208]

i got a wrong petrol in my tank policy on my insurance so i not got any problems i just get a fuel change for free

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

That's cool, I didn't know it was a thing..

[@sandystariha5967]

Got a mate who's done it twice on his Multi😂

[@nuppy.9117]

I don't normally disagree with you but I would say it is necessary to change the fuel filter. Diesel is much heavier that petrol and doesn't flow as well. I would be worried about a loss of fuel pressure after this event. (not wanting to be a know it all)!!!

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

You didn't watch until the end then, that was exactly my comment. To do the job correctly you should also change the filter.

[@nuppy.9117]

@@SuperbikeSurgeryTV i did watch until the end and you said the "text book way" but bearing your comments at the start of the video about people just doing things to make money.. I would say the fuel filter is more important than spark plugs that will certainty go again after ten min's in the oven (don't tell the wife)

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

You could clean the plugs but it isn't recommended by the manufacturer. And I wouldn't recommend it, especially if they have been soaked to the point of the engine not running. Absolutely fine in you lawn mower but I wouldn't recommend it for a bike. You are settling yourself up for an under load misfire. I've been caught out by doggy plugs so many times. There's a video on my channel somewhere with this exact problem, think it was a Hayabusa. Diesel mixes readily with petrol so the fuel filter would be fine. Apparently diesel and petrol filters are made from the same materials so it wouldn't get damaged. Just good practice to change it.

[@nuppy.9117]

@@SuperbikeSurgeryTV ok

[@440capnhook]

Diesel wont hurt anything drain the fuel put gas in and if it wont start use a bit of ether to get it going. It will probably smoke for a while but it isnt gonna hurt anything.

[@danparsonage3884]

I knew he'd put diesel in it!!! Great video, let's see more please 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@SuperbikeSurgeryTV]

Thanks for the positivity 👍I'm working on an engine building series of videos at the moment 😁 thanks for the comment.

[@danparsonage3884]

@@SuperbikeSurgeryTV the videos are brilliant. Great content

[@timreed2269]

Very interested in this video I have a Customers BMW K1200GT where he’s filled half a tank with diesel, ridden 1.5 miles approx and bike cut out and got recovered. He’s been told bike will be written off. It won’t have blocked the cat after such a short distance will it? I reckon with some fettling it’ll go again

[@digger8180]

Hands up I have done this myself in the past; distracted by a rather skimpy dressed young lady exiting her car at the forecourt, I picked up the wrong nozzle. By the time I realised my error it was too late! However I did not start the bike, a KTM 1090 Adv. Wheeled the bike to the side of the forecourt, paid, then nipped across the road to a hardware store to buy a bucket. The KTM luckily had low set fuel tank with drain taps each side, drained the tank, pouring the bucket down the forecourt spill drain. Petrol in and day saved. Moral of the story....If you notice the nozzle in your hand is black not green don't start the bike and most importantly keep your eye on the ball in the first instance!

[@TheSudsy]

as a biker red flags, hairs, scrotum all react to smell of diesel. DIE-sel for a reason.

[@peterdouglas4073]

😳 I've done that to my wife's 4x4 (60 lts of petrol in at diesel thow

[@chrisoatescjsbullies713]

Brought a bike yday the women some how managed to get diesel and put it in bike was only 2 pound worth as most I e drained it changed all pipes for few ones cleaned all carb left it soaked in petrol and then cleaned it cleaned jets and I can’t get it’s started still washed all tank out with petrol aswell befor it went back on it’s a 4 stroke 125 engine from a pit bike only thing I’ve not done is change plug it’s was black I cleaned it put it back in shud I buy a new 1 pal

[@declanmoran1894]

😂 I have did this , insurance sent guy to drain the tank as i hadn' t attempted to start it . Filled it up with fresh petrol and all was fine ! Unfortunately my mates ran a few posts on social media to take the mick . Example - CBR 600 rr + pic of cbr in a wheelie then TDI after the rr bit 😂🤣😂🤣

[@1000sguzzi]

Take the filler cap off and sniff.

[@MartinVincent-u5c]

BMW Owners are the Main culprits For this Classic Mistake, ASK ME HOW I KNOW, And no im not a BMW Rider or Owner