Strong Smell of Raw Gas After Ride
 

2012 FLHTCU with ~8k miles. Bike is stock other than decatted header, CVO OEM slip-ons and Xied.

The bike seems to be running fine. However, after the last 2 rides, I parked the bike and get a very strong smell of raw gas. The smell was so strong that I opened the garage door to vent the fumes. It definitely smells like a raw gas leak somewhere. I've done a visual inspection around tank and can't find any obvious signs of a leak. I checked about the tank/line coupling and don't see anything or smell anything on my hands after I feel around it. I even stuck my nose inside of each muffler to see if it was unburned fuel... it smelled like regular exhaust.

Has anyone ever experienced this or have any suggestions about how to start troubleshooting it?

Thanks

After posting this, I did some research and found this to be not that unusual after riding in hot weather. I know bikes just smell like gas sometime. The thing that concerned me the most was how strong it was, and how long it lingered. Hopefully, it's not a problem.

It's probably just due to the heat of the gas tank over the motor, thus creating gas vapors being released by the gas cap.

You should not smell raw fuel when shutting down unless you just filled your tank before you parked it. It's leaking someplace. If it were me, I'd find it soon.

Very common for your quick release to leak a bit, did you have your tank off recently? Release it, inspect the o-ring and reinstall. Make sure it clicks in

+1 on topping off gas tank right before parking after a hot ride. I've done that and the overflow let some out on my garage floor. Needless to say, at first I thought Oh No...

I agree with Rushking, mine does the same thing after a ride on a hot day, park the bike in the garage and the heat from the motor heats up the tank and it vents off. I have to open my garage door to clear out the gas smell.

:icon_that:

Definitely double-check to ensure it's not an "actual" leak, but gonna bet it's the "post-ride" raw fuel reward smell. :D

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've never had the tank off, but I'll be sure to continue looking for any signs of leakage. After my next ride, I'll check around where tank vent tube exits the bike. I may also slowly unscrew the gas cap to vent off any pressure to see if that makes a difference. I have a feeling it's just due to pressure and heat. My last 2 rides were on very hot days.

I once owned Kaw Nomad that had a whistling gas cap. That thing would whistle like a tea kettle for an hour after a ride on a hot day.

Thanks again for all the help.