hi guys every time I go to pull my tank off I have the reservoir on not primary but on
when I pull the tube off just wait till my wife gets home and smells that I am in trouble :)
gasoline just keeps pouring out of the petcock?
I guess I could plug it with something but it was my understanding is that it does not work that way
I'm at it would not pour out but I did it twice & same thing,
I was taking the tank off because it looks easier to get at the spark plugs.

Sounds like a leaky petcock.

I just pulled the hose took it off right quick, and drained it into a container.
I guess the petcock is broke but I'm hoping it will still run like that it just won't shut off

If that is the problem, yes, it will still run; but it's a somewhat dangerous state for the bike to be in. If there is ever an issue with the carb, the fuel will then continue to drain from the tank right into the cylinder, and cause problems. Best case is it thins out the oil by mixing gas into it; worst case is it hydrolocks the engine and things break (and or catch on fire) when the engine is started.

The two options as I understand it are either finding a petcock that is working properly, or switching it out for a petcock that has a manual on/off switch rather than one that relies on engine vacuum. I thought that choneofakind had petcock issues at one point, perhaps he can chime in, though that was on a pre-gen which I believe have a slightly different design.

Here's a related thread:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=44054

It will run just fine. Like Alex said, the issue comes when it sits. Your float valves in your carbs should cut off fuel flow and make it a non issue if your petcock is drippy; but that's not always the case. If it drips in your engine be prepared to change the oil. Gasoline isn't a very good lubricant.

I repaired the petcock once by replacing parts. A few months later I ended up replacing the whole thing as it wasn't that expensive. Haven't had issues since.

Step 1 is finding a way to stop the leak. That might mean temporarily remembering to switch it to 'off' whenever it's not running. But get it fixed as soon as you can so you don't have gas dripping anywhere when the bike sits

The problem on the new-gen petcocks is that there is no "off" setting. It's either ON or PRI. If it leaks while "on", it's always going to leak.

the diaphram that slides back and forth in the petcock from vacuum gets all crusty and ****** from the gas. you can spray air into the vacuum inlet on the petcock to get the diaphram to close so it doesn't leak. but if its like that chances are the rubber inside is all ****ed up and nasty.

I bought a brand new petcock this year. 6 months later the damn thing leaks. They suck...new or old.

As always I appreciate you folks