Here's a tip! Don't run out of gas...

I was riding FauX yesterday, marveling at it's superb handling, it's agile maneuvering and snappy throttle response when suddenly, it started sounding really, really bad. NO matter how much throttle I applied, the bike refused to respond. I checked the odometer and noted 118 miles on the ticker (wow! nearly 47.2mpg!). I'd always wondered how far a full tank of gas would get me. Now I know. I rolled slowly off one side of the road, onto the shoulder.

Brothers, I'd run out of gas. And before you ask, no, for some reason my fuel indicator light did not come on, at least not that I noticed. I tried flipping to reserve, it fired once, then refused to run.

I was about 7 miles from home, no gas stations in sight. Sighing in resignation, I started pushing the bike in the direction I figured a gas station must be hiding. The temperature was in the high 80's, I had full riding gear on (what the heck was I supposed to do with my helmet? I ended up wearing it..) and I was trying to decide if I should park the bike and hoof it, or just keep rolling.

4 different individuals stopped to ask if I needed any help. 2 guys with a truck, and 2 cars. One of the guys with a truck were willing to help me lift it into the back of his pickup and give me a ride to a station (only 2 miles up the road). The other guy was willing to drive up to a station and get some gas for me. (he didn't have a gas can, and would have had to rent one/buy one... I couldn't do that to a kind stranger due to my inattentiveness.) I ended up using his cell phone to call for assistance. I didn't relish the idea of trying to lift the bike into the bed of the first guy's truck, but I was awfully impressed of his generosity.

I counted no less than 5 HD motorcycles that drove by me, 3 sports bikes and one Yammie of some sort. Sadly, none of them even gave me more than a passing glance. I ALWAYS stop and ask a biker if they need help. I think it's the law of the road. "Do unto others cause, brother, eventually it's gonna happen to you."

My assistance finally arrived. It took a fair bit of riding to get the crappy handling/throttle response issues ironed out. Before I got home, however, I was zipping along nicely.

 

Hopefully you already have an inline fuel filter installed so you aren't looking at yanking the rack to clean the float screens...

 

Of course.

Do you know if the fuel indicator light goes out after a while, or is it supposed to stay on until you add more gasoline?

 

No idea. My Secas are equipped with fuel gauges. One (the '81) is pretty darn accurate, when it says I'm on "E" it's going to be on reserve real quick; the other one lies like a dog. I need to pull the sender out and bend the arm I think...

 

Wow glad my '82 has a gauge.

Several years ago I had a redneck in a pickup pull out in front of me. My bike "Black Bitch" and I hit the pavement.

The redneck split and left us in the middle of the road. Several bikes went by and nobody stopped. Finally an old farmer in a pickup came to help and call DPS to report a hit and run. The ONLY bike to stop was another old man on a Goldwing. So much for the universal "Brotherhood" so many like to preach about.

"BB" was totalled but I put her back to gether and this was what she looked like AFTER the wreck. Oh and you'll see a bit of why I'm called WYLDMAN, even though the name really came from my temperament. LOL

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2210/7 ... 908195.jpg

 

Wow! Nice looking bike! Love the extra long forks.

 

You talkin' to me? If so, THANKS. LOL

When I bought BB, she had an adjustible Kennedy Mid-Glide Conversion on her. Flimsy as hell, as I found out when I went down. As you can see I had the huge double disk set up on the front. I squeezed the brakes so hard the forks popped right out of the tree on both sides. It was all made of billet and side mounted rather than being properly top mounted. On the rebuild we used a Wide Glide front end and did it properly. The downtube was gussied up and the fork extended until the bike was level. Have NO idea what the rake actually is, only that the bike was level.

 

I ran out of gas, discovered that my petcock would drain the whole tank on "ON".
Called for help on the cell, while waiting I pulled the tank to use as my "gas can". Used a dime as a screwdriver on the hose clamp.

 

Take the tank off and use is as a gas can >>> Awesome idea!

I'll put that in the memory bag of tricks.

 

Now that qualifies as a true biker.

 

Well then you'll love this story,
20 years ago, on my first 900, that I drove without using a key, but needed a key to put gas in the tank. On a long ride without my key I was very low on gas, wouldnt make it home.
I pull into a "service" station (with mechanics) and beg a phillips and a funnel, and load some gas thru the petcock hole, tank removed and inverted, enough to get me home.

That's thinkin with your dipstick !

 

LOL As it should be!

 

Ive used my kz's gastank for a fuel can on more than one occasion.
I go camping alot on the bike, i carry a dual fuel camp stove, when it runs empty, i pull the tank bolt and fuel line, lift off, hold the petcock onto the fuel tank on my campstove and fillerup!
everytime someone sees me do it they have to come over and ask what im doing, i cant believe more people havent heard this before, but if you buy a coleman DUAL Fuel , emphasis on dual, it will work fine with regular unleaded.

 

Good idea! I ran out of gas on my first long ride(more than 5 miles). I could have walked a mile and a half to the gas station but thought what would I do with the gas can from the station?
I left the toolkit at home because at the time the bike would only start if you sprayed starting fluid into the intake. The rear tank mount on the 82 Maxim does have a 2 finger handle on it. Do you think they designed it that way to save $$$ on a gas gauge?

 

Out in the toolie weeds of South Dakota filling stations can be 50 miles or so apart. I've learned take a one gallon gas can when traveling in those places. Also the reserve valve is a good way to remind one that you got about 30 miles till your dry.

 

Is it safe to say, one shouldn't rely on reserve?

 

You can rely on reserve if you know it works properly, I use mine all the time, I have no fuel light or gauge so I run to reserve then head for gas!! I also watch my mileage so I have a pretty good idea when reserve is coming! I also fill/top up before any trips and as a rule of thumb when your riding in a group, if one person gets gas we all get gas that way nobody is running out on a trip because they thought they could make it!!
Shaun

 

I have a 82 mamxim 650, anyone with the same bike know about how much you can get out of one tank? i just follow the rule fill up every 100 miles.

 

funny, I had to do the same thing last week after I crashed and burned. Bike was trailered to my buddys house where we did the repairs, however I only left the ignition key on the bike and took the others home with me since the house key was on my ring. So we took off the tank, removed the petcock and filled with a funnel. Lol got me home and have a good story to tell.

 

Thats usually my rule of thumb also but I've gotten 120 out of a tank then 10 more on reserve, don't know if I could have gone further but I didn't want to chance it.