I decided recently to see just how far my '05 FLSTN would run before fuel starvation. Per the owner's manual, the tank holds 5.0 gallons, with a 0.5 gallon reserve. I filled the tank and just rode around, and watched as the fuel gauge dropped down to E, and a bit below -- still no warning light on the speedo -- then the engine died at 180 miles (right in line with the ~40 mpg I've seen with this bike). I reached down and turned the fuel valve to Reserve -- nothing there! The engine would not start.

My plan was to ride in the local area, staying close to home as the level dropped, run the bike to fuel starvation, then get on reserve and ride to the next gas station. So, there I was dead on the roadside, apparently no reserve available. Fortunately, there was a convenience store/gas station in sight, maybe a quarter-mile away, so I just pushed the bike down the road (did I mention that it was ~100F, 100% RH?). Anyway, I got the bike into the station, rolled it up to a gas pump -- and there's a sign taped on the pump: NO GAS. Their tanks were empty, too!

I called home, explained my predicament to my (not so sympathetic) wife. After she quit laughing, she agreed to bring me some gas. When she arrived, I poured the gas into the tank and the bike started right up.

This morning, I decided to test it again. I wasn't concerned about the mileage, just wanted to see again if the reserve worked. I ran the bike until it died, flipped the valve to Reserve, nothing! I added some gas (this time I carried a 1-gal can with me!) and rode home.

I'm not sure just how the tank is configured inside, just how the reserve works. Can anyone explain why I cannot access the reserve? Could the valve be screwed up? I checked with the previous owner, and he said he had never used the reserve, so my first try was the first time it's been tried.

 

Sounds like either the reserve screen is plugged or the **** is swung in the wrong direction.

 

Or maybe you swung your **** in the wrong direction and got it plugged with crap.

 

Don't they have a shot for that?

 

Wonder if you need to flip it over to reserve before the engine sputters and dies completely...........

 

I'm confident that the **** was swung in the right direction...

I've checked the manual, no mention of this problem The fuel supply valve assembly drawing doesn't show any reserve screen -- just the fuel tank filter, which doesn't seem to have any blockage otherwise.

 

Have you tried flipping it to reserve while still running and see if it dies then?

Maybe the inner workings of the valve isn't actually moving and you are still running on the regular side of the tank and not on reserve.

 

been there done that

I learned the opposite of reserve is shut off go figure

 

Just for giggles, try running it on what you believe to be Reserve. When the engine sputters, turn the petcock to On and see what happens. May be something got reversed.

 

Just please don't giggle while you do what fireman54 suggested, or if you do just don't tell us.