I posted this earlier today - but it appears to have vanished for some reason.

I just had a very bad experience at the pump, and I thought I would share with my fellow riders in efforts to help prevent the same from happening to you.

In 20 years of driving and 15 years of riding - I have never this happen before.

This morning on my way to work, I stopped by Sam's Club to fill up the bike. Same pump as I have used before several times...

So there I am, filling up the bike and it is getting near the top, so I let go of the handle so it can trickle in - but the flow keeps going... I rack the trigger once, twice... still flowing way fast (not wide open btw)... over-flows the tank, drenching me and the bike and splashing everywhere including my jacket, legs, face (still had helmet and sunglasses on)... I chucked the running handle away from me, and it continued to run for about 15 seconds while I was dismounting the bike to run for the emergency shut off button. It turns itself off before I get to it though...

And there I am - covered in gasoline, as is the bike. After a fair amount of choice language on my part, I call in to work and let them know what happened and that I had to go home and change...

So... lessons learned:

1> keep eye protection on
2> remove your gloves so you can articulate the pump better and possibly fix whatever the problem is
3> when you first start pumping, check THEN that the trigger will in fact release... this way you have time to run to the emergency cutoff if it doesn't without drowning yourself and the bike

If it didn't just happen to me, I would probably say it will never happen. I don't know what did in fact happen - other than the damn thing didn't shut off.

Please understand this was not a case of the trigger being stuck in the lock position... if you ever do lock the trigger when filling a bike - you are an idiot, and you deserve to catch fire. This was partially squeezed, no trigger lock. When I let go of the trigger, it should have stopped.

Be careful.

-scr

 

Dude, glad you are ok and didn't have anything happen to you during this. Did the attendant come out or say anything to you at all? What will the gasoline do to your paint, if anything? That smell is gonna be hard to get out of your clothes, did you soak them when you got home?

 

The pumps here have a shut off thing if the gas reaches the nozzel. So to top off the tank you have to pull it out a little then add a little more gas. Also if the little rubber cover for the nozzel is all the way down it shuts off so you have to pull back the ruber part. Glad there was no fire or anything started from te spilt gas.

 

Dude that sucks glad to hear you alright. That is alot of cleanig to do.

 

Good thing you weren't smoking. Man that sucks, that smell stays around for a while.

 

Can you believe you just paid $3 a gallon to fill your shoes? Man that sucks glad your all right. I have no idea how the auto shutoffs work when you fill the tank,but they arent perfect, I've had them overfill my car before, but I have no idea whatI would do if the trigger malfunctioned too. Glad your ok, coulda been alot worse.

 

I never pump gas while sitting on my bike just for that reason. I don't think you would have got any gas on if you were not sitting on the bike. Also, spilled gas on a hot motor is a bad combination. Too easy to catch fire. I really think you got lucky.

 

wow sro, I would have gotten all of the attendants involved on that one! That nozzle needs to be serviced or replaced if it is a hazard. If it happens once, good chance someone else will have that same issue.

 

Sounds like a nightmare -- wouldn't have thought pumping gas could be such a nightmare.

 

wow dude that sucks..... sorry to hear it.... mental note taken