California gas tank or standard tank

[04kaw1500]

Hey is there a difference between a California gas tank and standard gas tank or are they the same tank ? Whats up

[Yellow Jacket]

The Kawasaki parts reference shows two different tanks. One is for the US and Canada and the other is for California.

The difference is the California bikes have a vapor recovery system. Extra plumbing going to a cannister mounted behind the left side cover.

[dogdoc]

+1 Bobby, yet another correct answer. :-)

[dkdixie]

Bob knows his stuff......and he does the research!

[kenb]

The Cali bikes have a vapor tube in the tank as well. Overfilling the tank can cause fuel to contaminate the emissions canister.

[04kaw1500]

Thanks for the info now what problem will I have using a california tank on non california bike? Can the extra plumbing be pluged off without a problem ?

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by 04kaw1500

Thanks for the info now what problem will I have using a california tank on non california bike? Can the extra plumbing be pluged off without a problem ?

I would think so. The only problem I see is if you live in CA and didn't have the plumbing to use the vapor recovery system. Mine's disconnected (I have a CA bike) because the vapor canister was removed. I'd rather have an electronic cruise control than a vapor canister.

[macmac]

The Cal tank has to steel fittings at the right rear of the tank, where anything else has just one.

Since the bike is not a Cal bike the one you use will have the drain hose and the other will be capped off.

It matters which is which, and off hand I don't recall which one you will cap off.

Shoot Flavor a pm, as he lives in RI and I did his cali modle bike a month or so ago but can't remember which fitting i capped off. I tracked the tubing to the canister.

Another way to tell is I recall one tube was marked in blue tape and the other in red. I can try looking in the book later today, but this instant I gotta go get car parts. Work when the sun shines ya know..

There is another fitting on the right front, and you will use that one. It is a rain well drain, and the last thing anyone wants is to trap rain in a steel tube running right thru the fuel.

I suspect one day we will find that these needed to be blwon out of pine needles, bugs and other debris, and that some one has wild injection problems, and fuel is leaking out the rain drain.

That will Spell NEW GAS TANK.... I just thought of that ... I think later today i will drip some oil down there, and blow it out...

[Yellow Jacket]

Mac is correct, the CA tank has two fittings at the rear of the tank. From Kawasaki's parts reference it appears that the two fittings are in line with each other, one in front of the other.

The tube on rear most fitting goes to the SEPARATOR and plugs into one of the two fittings on one end of the SEPARATOR. This tube is marked with blue tape.

The tube on the forward most fitting also goes to the SEPARATOR and plugs into a fitting on the side of the SEPARATOR. This tube is marked with red tape.

The separator is the round can like object reference number 16165.

As you can see there are two other tubes attached to the separator.

The other one on the top of the separator goes to the canister located behind the left side cover.

The one on the bottom goes to the intake manifold.

The last tube in this complex mess goes from the crossover tube to the canister.

Just to be complete, notice that there are three fittings on the vapor canister. Two of them have hoses attached as already mentioned. The third fitting is just capped off. The canister is reference number 16164.

If your bike is not a California model it won't have all that stuff.

If you want to use a California tank on a non-California bike just do the following:

Cap off the front fitting and use the rear fitting for the breather tube routed down to the bottom of the bike right behind the oil filter.

Here's the parts drawing from Kawasaki for the 1600:



I hope this makes sense.

P.S. I sure am glad mine is NOT a CA bike!

[04kaw1500]

Thanks for all the helpful info the reason for all the ?s is that I found a set of fenders and california fuel tank i am thinking about ordering if they will work on my ky hillbilly bike. I my do a color change this winter . Thanks again.

[Yellow Jacket]

Just realized that you must have a 1500 rather than a 1600. If so the tank is a little different. As the below drawing shows the two fittings at the rear of the tank are side-by-side. The fitting on the left side is the one you will want to cap.

[macmac]

I missed this might be a 1500. If it is the tube to be blocked off is 92191 E, the return. It would be capped off at the tank on a non Cali bike.

[Yellow Jacket]

Originally Posted by macmac

I missed this might be a 1500. If it is the tube to be blocked off is 92191 E, the return. It would be capped off at the tank on a non Cali bike.

Mac,

Tube 92191E is the tube that goes to the right hand fitting on the tank. This is also the location of the single fitting on the non-CA tanks.

The extra fitting on the CA bikes is on the left side of the tank mounting bolt. Wouldn't this be the one you would want to cap off if using the CA tank on a non-CA bike? If so, that would be tube 92919D in the reference drawing.

I've never laid eyes on a CA bike in either 1500 or 1600 so I'm just going by what's in the drawings.

Hands on experience always trumps book knowledge so I will defer to your opinion on which fitting to cap off.