Staying on Reserve all the time?

[tz89]

I have put about 133,000 miles on my 83 and it has always been on reserve and I have never run out of gas.

RandyA

 

Pretty good mileage!

[ragtop69gs]

On my scoot it's always on reserve. Why cause that lean condition when you don't need to.

When the last bar on the gauge disappears I know I have about 8/10ths of a gallon left before it's time to push ! Only once did I put 5.9 gallons in it.

[mraf]

Is hydrostatic lock capable on a fuel pump operated bike?

[rougeray]

Yep you can get a hydrostatic lock if the fuel pump does not have a mechanism to prevent flow past it when not operating. Gravity flow of the fuel past the pump then through a leaky float valve in the carburetor which dumps the fuel into a cylinder. The OEM fuel pump for the RSV prevents fuel flow past the pump when not in use. If you replace the OEM pump with an after market pump be sure to purchase one that will do the same. If not be prepared to shut the fuel off at the petcock or you COULD experience a hydrostatic lock! Liquid gasoline is not compressible. .

[IronMike]

What good would separate tanks do anyways, the second one would be full of water or stale gas.

Edited August 28, 2013 by IronMike

[spear]

And I am staying in one on vacation, like I do at work last 15 years.

 

HUH?

[IronMike]

LOL two thread's were mixing on my tablet, staying in a hotel and staying on reserve. I couldn't stop it. LOL. Corrected.

[Guest bodasefus]

I run with a 1.5 liter spare gas bottle by Primus... Made to carry gas and looks like a thermos bot coffee... As a new owner and after reading here,,, I think a bottle of seafoam and turn the the reserve on and run that way for a while...

That bottle has saved my butt a few times but also if I find another rider out of gas,,, I can help him out...

[Venturous Randy]

LOL two thread's were mixing on my tablet, staying in a hotel and staying on reserve. I couldn't stop it. LOL. Corrected.

 

Yeah, you resurrected an almost six year old motel thread and it has taken off again.

RandyA

[Guest tx2sturgis]

:

Originally Posted by Venturous

I have put about 133,000 miles on my 83 and it has always been on reserve and I have never run out of gas.

RandyA

 

 

Pretty good mileage!

Wow, no kidding! 133,000 miles on reserve!

 

 

First liar aint got a chance around here.

 

[dacheedah]

I have put about 133,000 miles on my 83 and it has always been on reserve and I have never run out of gas.

RandyA

that is more efficient than the prioux :cool10:

[LilBeaver]

[...] It has a fuel guage, a low fuel light and a low fuel mile countdown. How many warnings do you need?

 

Considering the "low fuel countdown" and "low fuel light" work off the same piece of electronic system (thermistor in fuel sender unit) and the gauge itself is the float apparatus that runs through the other circuit on the same unit, you can put your trust in these gauges if you choose to. My preference is to rely on the mechanical failsafe of manually switching between on and reserve.

 

Please note that I have had the sending unit fail on me a few times, without warning. Every time the thermistor circuit is the part that failed -- that is my low fuel light and associated "F" Trip meter did not come on despite being lower than 1.5 gallons remaining.

My gauge itself is inconsistent enough (just like any fuel gauge I have ever used be it on a car or another motorcycle) that I use it only as a rough reference. Just note the number of threads where people find that they fill up but their gauge already reads "one bar down" -- or next time you are running a little low go to a parking lot and make some hard right U-turns followed by some hard left U-turns and watch how your gauge varies...

 

For me, the mechanical safety of switching from "ON" to "RESERVE" is by far, the most consistent 'gauge' and more importantly, the least likely to fail. I have been riding long enough to not have a problem reaching down and flipping from "on" to "reserve" while driving.

 

I do pay attention to my trip odometer and know how far I have traveled since my last fill up as well as keep track of fuel economy under various driving conditions so I usually have a pretty good idea as to when I will need to switch (and plan for various fill ups); so under conditions of heavy traffic, if I am close, I will sometimes switch prematurely to avoid the slowdown that may occur due to the fuel starvation before switching to reserve.

 

You can ride your ride however you choose and I will do the same with mine.

 

 

%%%

NOTE: The information here with respect to the fuel sending unit is specifically referring to that of the 2nd gen RSV and 06+ RSTD. It may or may not apply to other bikes.

Also, all of the bikes I have ridden have had the petcock in a position that is actually capable of being reached safely while driving and I do realize that there are some configurations that it is simply unsafe or not possible to reach the petcock while driving.

Edited August 29, 2013 by LilBeaver
Additional note added

[Rick Haywood]

always "on"

[Flyinfool]

It is pretty normal for most 1st gens to always run on reserve. The valve can not be reached while moving, and most need a tool to turn. between the trip meter, the gas gauge, and the low fuel light, you have to be not paying any attention to your bike while riding to run out of gas.

[Venturous Randy]

It is pretty normal for most 1st gens to always run on reserve. The valve can not be reached while moving, and most need a tool to turn. between the trip meter, the gas gauge, and the low fuel light, you have to be not paying any attention to your bike while riding to run out of gas.

 

 

And, first and foremost, I always know when I am starting to need gas and that is how my butt feels. I can go 200 miles if I have to and if I did that without stopping for a few minutes, my butt would know it.

RandyA

[IronMike]

Carry a fuel hose as long as your trunk is wide,

If someone needs fuel. Maybe u. Remove fuel line at donor bike petcock, turn on fuel and drain into can, bottle or worse case a removed fuel tank (the donee's LOL)

 

I use same method to go get gas for my lawn equipment, ride fill donate off reserve side and that keeps tank free of trash, and water. Yes seafoam,

 

On this bike seriously treat half a tank as empty. You can't go wrong doing that.

[FuzzyRSTD]

I will say this again as I have in another post. If you run it in the on position all the time and stop for gas when you get down to about a 1/4 tank like I use too. Then that one time when you do need the reserve you may be in for a big surprise, like I was. Water and other gunk will settle in the bottom of the tanks and guess what happens when you shift over to reserve for the fist time in like a year. You will be wishing you used that reserve more often. We were lucky there was a gas station just down the road. When we got home I drained a large amount of water out of the bottom of the tank. Now I'm on reserve all the time and stop when I hit the 1/4 mark. I always have a fresh tank of gas on board. I mean what the heck, my truck doesn't have a reserve petcock valve. And I've never run out of gas in the truck or the car....at least not yet:whistling: So what's the difference with the bike.

 

That is exactly how I feel about it to Steamer. I do the same exact thing while riding. I think that answers the question myself. Run on Reserve always and get fuel when low.

[IronMike]

Running on reserve is not such a bad idea. In fact its a good idea, the Venture has plenty of fuel management assistance built in. Delete the reserve thing. Its also better on your fuel pump. And I notice the bike runs better when it has half a tank or more, same as my Roadstar. Must be a Yamaha thing.

 

Plus its drawing low all the time, no place for water and trash to hide. The fuel system can take trash and water a little at a time its just a hiccup. But if you haven't hit reserve in a long time and you dump a load of water and trash in there its clean the carbs time, we love that intimacy. ?.?

 

OK that's it! Everyone has orders to run on reserve!

I just convinced myself!