fuel reserve?

[Kopfjaeger]

   hmmm this sounds stupid , but im getting 315 kilodicketts today out of a tank, havnt hit reserve... fuel light comes on going up hills, so the sensor is working this i know, but still havnt had to flick the reserve switch??? how many litres does the reserve hold, roughly getting 18k's to the litre, 22 litre tank so therefore should be getting 386k's  is this normal? 86 model 1TX, what are you guys getting maths is a bit fuzzy, generally cruise about 120- 130 on the highway ocasional wind on in 5th to 169 sometimes 200....either im running super lean or the reserve switch is there for decoration only, bit concerned dont want to end up pushing it home!! ( they aint light)
cheers
neil

[andyb]

Which engine, what mods (specifically what jetting), what gearing, what kind of riding...?

[Pat Conlon]

Neil, here's what you need to do...and you only need to do it once, unless you re jet the carbs or revise your gearing.

Get a 2.5 gallon can of gas and bungee it on the back of your seat, fill up you tank, set your trip odometer to zero, then ride until you are dry. Note the mileage on the odo when you have to go on reserve and again when you run dry. Fill up your tank with the gas from the can and head home.

On my '84 with stock jetting, 18/42 gearing, fast riding I can get exactly 219 miles until I run dry, the fuel light comes on a 183 miles. The '84's hold about 1/2 gallon more than your bike.
On my '92, stage 1 jetting and 18/40 gearing I hit reserve at 172 miles and run dry at 196 miles.

You need to do this exercise for yourself, we can give you a WAG but there are many varables involved.

Cheers!

PS Thanks again to LA Mike for bailing me out at the last WCR. I revised my gearing from 17/38 to 18/42 and I thought I could make it......Wrong!  Ask me how I know my '84 will go exactly 219 miles on a tank.

[Arnie]

Pat Conlon said, "Wrong!  Ask me how I know my '84 will go exactly 219 miles on a tank."

The same way I know that I got exactly 400kms out of a tank. :-(  on my '91

My usual is to go get the fuel light @ ~250kms, switch to reserve @ ~300kms, and chicken out and fill up @ less than 350kms.
This is in touring mode at 100-120kph (Victoria over-enforcement)

Arnie

[SlowOldGuy]

I once got 235 miles out of a tank on my '85.  Spent the whole week riding with Hoffman on his '01 FZ1 and he used less fuel than I did EVERYTIME we filled up.  And this was back when he still rode like an idiot!  

That's the brightest that the fuel light has ever glowed.  I just knew I was going to start pushing at any minute since we were in the middle the freaking forrest somewhere between Boone and Altanta.  Somehow a gas station appeared and I was saved from beating him to a pulp.  In fact, I still had about 1/2 gallon left.  And, once again, the prick put less fuel in his FZ than I did.

I'm still claiming that I was jetted for an altitude closer to sea level and that was the difference.  

The only reason I remember that particular episode is because after I completed the re-fueling, I began cleaning the shield on my helmet.  Suddenly this HUGE bumblebee, that I recall hitting a few miles back, comes CRAWLING OUT OF THE CHIN VENT!  I can only imaging the crash that would have happened had he waited until I was back on the road to make that exit..

DavidR.

[Kopfjaeger]

yes that was the next step was just throwing a line out to see if anyone had had issues, cos what is wierd is that im getting that high in k's( will you fellas become metricised? sheesh.... enough of the mpg.... it is the 21st century?)  and i m not having to switch the reserve switch so .... its just wierd im tired i ll look at it on the weekend......