Learned the hard way again a couple weeks ago (a hobby). Switched to reserve about 18 miles from home and decided every other bike I ever had would give at least 25 miles of reserve. All told I got about 12 miles from that reserve.

I just switched to reserve on my last ride so I drained the gas. I had about 42 ounces of fuel. Taking 40 mpg that would give me about 13 miles. I was shocked.

My petcock is not stock. The prior owner switched it out but it's a "regular" one - not anything good like a Pingel. It has about a 39 mm tube on it. I'm not sure if that's the expected.

One thing I noticed is that the screen over the petcock has what appears to be manufacturing overage of plastic on top of the screen, which is blocking fuel at some angles. This would not be a problem in a fixed environment but if fuel is sloshing back and forth or pegged back due to acceleration , it would starve the fuel earlier. I may get a better quality screen. It was a bit plugged from some minor paint chips but time will tell if it has any impact.

How many miles do you all get reliably on reserve with your Evo??

 

I don't generally run mine on reserve. I think I have maybe run it to 10 miles. When I hit reserve I'm looking for a gas station right away. It doesn't make sense to get risky over saving a few pennies on gas.

 

X2 plus you aren't even saving pennies on gas. Whatever gas you use must be replaced. It is not like the reserve position is for free gas.

I have had to walk more times than I'd like to admit due to running out of gas on various bikes. It has happened to me more on my current bike than on any others all put together. I have that stupid vacuum operated petcock and it had been given me trouble, and reserve would leak out etc. Once I figured out what was wrong I replaced it. I regret not switching to a regular type for simplicity but it has not given me any trouble. The bad thing with the vacuum type is it makes draining the tank harder than it needs to be. I need to change my crossover hose, but I keep putting it off because of the vacuum petcock.

 

When I put a Pingle on mine it gave me about a 1.5 gallon reserve.
I have since cut down the pick up tube so that I only get about a 1 gallon reserve.

A 12 mile reserve is useless IMO you need to get a better petcock.

 

You have a non-stock petcock, so change the darned thing for a more user friendly one! There are cheap replacements available on Ebay, or buy a tunable one such as a Pingel, as Texas suggests.

My BMW twins gave me just over a UK gallon on reserve, so I could ride around 50 miles in confidence, which on daily commuting was really useful. In my long experience we need at least 20 miles, preferable 30-40. That allows a short trip to be completed, or a decent chance of finding a gas station. I now have a 6 US gallon tank on my old Glide, with a Pingel.....

 

My Pingle gave me about a gallon in reserve, so for me it was about 30 miles. Not sure on the new Golan I bought though.

 

Saving pennies isn't part of the equation. How much reserve is reserve is the question. My TC Dyna easily gets 40 miles from reserve but the EVO only about 12. The replacement petcocks don't give specs on either volume of reserve or tube height.

The actual service manual says 1.2 gal reserve for my 5 gal tank so yes the petcock doesn't seem to come close to original unless the manual is wrong.

I wish there were specs on these things so I could know if I'm buying something that will actually make it right.

 

You are looking for a universal answer that does not exist. It is one of those things you have to observe and adjust on your own.

 

Yup....

I don't ride with the fuel gauge. At 150-160 miles (if I'm on the interstate) I'm pulling over for fuel. Everyday commuting I fill up at 135 miles. Takes ~3.5 gallons.

If for some reason I screw up and hit reserve.... I best be finding a fuel stop in the next 10 or so miles...

 

Answer get a Pingle and install it.
No more problem.