check your petcock

[wildjerseyfiref]

i was dumbfounded when i looked in my 800 classic tank and found it empty at 88 miles..Then i realized if im gonna ride it to get fuel, I better flip it over to reserve..Much to my suprise, I found the petcock on reserve already

Guess I never flipped it back from when I got fuel last..Wonder if i should chance it and run the tank of fuel throu the bike before winter

[Naptown Pete]

I added a clear in-line fuel filter to the fuel line. It's just right under the petcock.
My recent ride last Sunday I notieced more air than fuel in the filter. I then switched to Reserve and headed to the Texaco station.
There I switched to Prime to get the air out of the fuel line and watched the progress through the clear filter body.

The one I have on my Vulcan 800A is the 90 degree one on the lower right.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by wildjerseyfiref

i was dumbfounded when i looked in my 800 classic tank and found it empty at 88 miles..Then i realized if im gonna ride it to get fuel, I better flip it over to reserve..Much to my suprise, I found the petcock on reserve already

Guess I never flipped it back from when I got fuel last..Wonder if i should chance it and run the tank of fuel throu the bike before winter

So, that's even worse, then. You ran out of fuel even earlier than you should have. Since "reserve" is only a longer portion of the petcock tube, it means you were only potentially getting 55-60 miles out of the main tank had it been switched properly.

[wildjerseyfiref]

no, I didnt run out of fuel. I just look into the tank every so often to check the fuel level.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by wildjerseyfiref

no, I didnt run out of fuel. I just look into the tank every so often to check the fuel level.

Right, but it's the same tank.

Empty is empty and low is low. If it looked pretty much empty at 88 miles, then it was. It means you're still getting poor mileage. The position of the petcock doesn't change that. You don't gain any fuel capacity by running in the "on" position verses "reserve". All it does is provide a warning you're getting low before you run out.

So, if it appeared empty, low or whatever term you want to use, then you really did burn that much fuel in 88 miles. You weren't going to get any back by not having it on reserve. The switch had nothing to do with it other than if you had kept going, you really would have run out thinking you should have been able to go further.

[wildjerseyfiref]

wow, well that sucks..my one buddy told me he got around 120 miles to a tank on the same bike..lol

[V2K_CCTX]

the title of this thread just sounds soooooo wrong

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by wildjerseyfiref

wow, well that sucks..my one buddy told me he got around 120 miles to a tank on the same bike..lol

Which would be more reasonable, but still sounds low if it's any more than a 3 gallon tank. Even the biggest mass production bikes should be averaging 35-40MPG (by mass, I don't mean a Boss Hoss). That means potentially as low as 30 in town and 45-48 on rural highways. If your tank is, say, 4 gallons, that means you would be averaging roughly 30MPG at 120 miles per tank.

Even a Concours ridden hard will pull that.

You may be running way too rich, which would be torching your fuel economy. It would also show in fouled plugs at some point.

[wildjerseyfiref]

i did turn the af screw out a bit, maybe this winter ill adjust it a little more

[wildjerseyfiref]

Originally Posted by V2K_CCTX

the title of this thread just sounds soooooo wrong

lol it does

[northernman]

I am trying to keep my petcock away from my hens, its tough to do.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by northernman

I am trying to keep my petcock away from my pethens, its tough to do.

Now, it's funnier...

[Naptown Pete]

I have a pet dog also

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by Naptown Pete

I have a pet dog also

Is it a pet peeve to have to pet your pet dog....Pet..e?

[V2K_CCTX]

do you have a pet cat....

[Naptown Pete]

Originally Posted by V2K_CCTX

do you have a pet cat....

Though I can't stand Jane Fonda, the story she relates to Johnny Carson is a classic about Zsa Zsa Gabor and her cat on the Tonight Show is both funny and true.

[Naptown Pete]

And speaking of petcocks, here are two pics of the issues I had with the original 1995 petcock and the new replacement petcock in comparison.

[V2K_CCTX]

no feathers

[Naptown Pete]

Originally Posted by CTRider

Is it a pet peeve to have to pet your pet dog....Pet..e?

More a peeve to not pet your pet dog.
I pet my pet dog 7, maybe 10 times a day!

[V2K_CCTX]

our dogs sleep in the bed too...esp the king chihuahua