[BradPeart]

I rode my bike from Phoenix to Tucson yesterday. I rode it to work today. On the way home though, it was acting as if I had run out of gas. I was pissed off and worried. Then, a harley came my way and the guy gave me a hand. He switched me over to my reserve tank and it ran fine. What could the problem be? How much $$?

 

[BradPeart]

Oh, and also...
if the problem is that the on position just wont flow and the reserve will- Can I ride on the reserve? I guess my real question is: How does the reserve tank work? Does it use the same gas tank? Only from a lower point? Or would I have to keep refilling every 25 miles?

 

[ekinnee]

Uhm, if you had it on the regular setting and made it from T to P and the to work and part way back before having to go to reserve it sounds like it's normal operation.

If you have a full tank and ride, ride, ride you leave it on the straight up and down. Once it starts acting like it's gonna run out (sputtering) you flip it to reserve. It's there to get you to a gas station. On my 4.8 gallon tank I can burn 3+ gallons before it sputters the first time. Get in the practice of being able to reach down and flip it while moving.

 

[BradPeart]

See, now I am starting to wonder if I am just out of gas, like a dumbass. The thing is- I've only ridden 179 miles. It seems a little low. The guy I bought the bike from said I could get like 300 miles.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

your out of gas

 

[BradPeart]

Well, I'm glad you told me instead me paying the bike shop $50 to tell me!

 

[ekinnee]

I get about 50mpg on mine. So @ 4.8 gallonsx50mpg = 240mi. About 190mi is where I always fill up again.

 

[BradPeart]

Well, I feel dumb... :lol:

 

[comeback_kid96]

lol

Just don't tell the Harley guy that you just ran out of gas!

 

[ekinnee]

If you have the owners manual I'd suggest reading it.

 

[woundwort]

Naw, I bet the Harley guy was being real gentle verbally and knew it was low on gas. It's all cool though.

 

[ZX-2R]

RESERVE

That is why we have a FORUM. THer eis NO reason to feel dumb...about anything. Have you ever got off of yor bike and just let it fall over? Have you ever sat your helmet on the seat only to have it fall off and roll into the street.....Have you pulled into a gas station after someone has just over filled their gastank and slid through it? Have you ever stood next to yor bike searching all of your pockets in a panic mode looking for your keys to only find that you have left them in the ignition? DOn't worry about STUPID>>>...

 

[Curt]

Well, I feel dumb... :lol:

Don't feel too bad. My dome light wasn't working on the Lexus, and the bulb was good. I thought about taking it to the dealer before I noticed that little switch that said "off." They would've had a pretty good laugh at the dumb guy, and it would cost about $200 to have them flip the switch for me.

Your bike sounds like normal operation to me. You can think of the reserve like a cup inside your gas tank. Set it to on, and most of the tank will run through the engine, but the cup stays full. 150 to 200 miles is probably pretty typical. When the bike starts to sputter, flip it to reserve to let the reserve go to the engine. Another 50 miles or so should be pretty easy. When you fill up, the gas splashes all over and fills up everything. Just make sure you always flip back to ON every time you fill up. And it's a good habit to check it every time you start the bike, since someone could play a joke on you and set it to reserve while you're away from the bike. I think the guy who said 300 miles on a tank was probably stretching the truth a bit just to make a sale. That would be 60mpg on 5 gallons. You're probably getting less than 60 mpg, and since the 500R has a 4.8 gallon tank, you'd probably be very lucky to get 4 gallons out of it. So that's about 240 miles on a good day with reserve. So I'd say your 179 doesn't sound like anything unusual, especially since this is your first tank of gas.
Curt

 

[ekinnee]

ZX-2R you've been spying on me haven't you?

 

[ZX-2R]

ZX-2R

The Bikers (Bikers Against Child Abuse) BACA have nicknamed me Batman. Not because of my bat shirts, but because I miss very little in detail. Whether it is a missing screw, a new exhaust system, or a belt missing a belt loop, or even a loose boot string. I try to watch for many things and observance is the key to many things...in life. I wear a Kansas state seal (Tony Lamas Limited Buckle) brass on my belt, but when I ride I take my belt out and rotate it one loop over so as not to scratch a tank. Watch people htat smoke and you will see them light up and then toss the butt out at a certain location on the road every day. Not a god thing if you are riding behind that car/truck when you get to that point. just like oil/coolant/transmission fluid that collects at intersections where there are red lights to set at. Oil, gas, engine compression, all of these things can be watched and logged as well. When mileage starts to decline it's time to break out the air gauge, even though the tires look fine, check the air filter and spark plugs...etc. Being ANAL would drive a person crazy. being observant in areas can be fun and exciting...I try not to miss much, I'm always available to help my friends, and to listen to them, and everday you should learn something new...even if is sounds dumb. Seems the OLD people are pretty smart, they're just to layed back most of the time... Now what was I watching that YOU notice?

 

[Imposter]

Re: RESERVE

That is why we have a FORUM. THer eis NO reason to feel dumb...about anything. Have you ever got off of yor bike and just let it fall over? Have you ever sat your helmet on the seat only to have it fall off and roll into the street.....Have you pulled into a gas station after someone has just over filled their gastank and slid through it? Have you ever stood next to yor bike searching all of your pockets in a panic mode looking for your keys to only find that you have left them in the ignition? DOn't worry about STUPID>>>...

LOL! That was just beautiful bro! So true, oh so painfully true!!

 

[jonesie619]

I reset my trip meter after every fill up. I know I get between 40-45 miles to a gallon, so I refuel after every 150 miles or so, just to be on the safe side. On the odd chance that i forget to reset the meter, in the back of my mind I know i can get to work for three days (60 mile round trip) before i need to refuel again.

 

[michiganarft11]

Wow, just realized how nice it is to have a gas gauge, even though it's the most innacurate thing in the world.