Reserve Tank
#21
I can't even imagine the thread we'd build up talking about a bike like my old BMW .... had TWO petcocks!
Basically the way most bike reserve systems work is, the On position takes gas from a little tube that's an inch or so from the bottom of the tank, and the Reserve position takes gas from right at the bottom.
I've seen people carry some gas (with some stabilizer you'd hope) in a little aluminum thermos looking thing for those REAL emergencies.... heck I've seen a lot of weird stuff!
Basically the way most bike reserve systems work is, the On position takes gas from a little tube that's an inch or so from the bottom of the tank, and the Reserve position takes gas from right at the bottom.
I've seen people carry some gas (with some stabilizer you'd hope) in a little aluminum thermos looking thing for those REAL emergencies.... heck I've seen a lot of weird stuff!
#23
The only two times I've unintentionally run out of gas on a bike were when I didn't pay attention to the writing and arrows on the petcock handle... Boy, I felt stupid when I saw, in plain English "ON" and "RESERVE" and an arrow after switching from reserve to main...
#24
#26
#27
Yeah I looked at it this morning. I don't know what I was thinking when I originally looked at it. I was going from the left side of the thing, taking the reading from the left side of the switch when looking at it, reading ON, ccw to FUEL, ccw to RESERVE. I see now that the pointed end is NOT the end with the little indent mark on it which I never noticed before. I usually rotated it CW to go ON, but now I realize that is actually reserve.
Sigh, thanks guys. Now maybe I'll actually be able to use reserve instead of fearing it since I thought it was broken/useless.
Is it bad to constantly have to switch to reserve? I know its bad to run out of gas since thats when all the dirt and stuff that may be in gets into the system (I put seafoam in it when I got home yesterday). But all the reserve would do is make it sputter a for a bit and not take in any bad particles right?
Sigh, thanks guys. Now maybe I'll actually be able to use reserve instead of fearing it since I thought it was broken/useless.
Is it bad to constantly have to switch to reserve? I know its bad to run out of gas since thats when all the dirt and stuff that may be in gets into the system (I put seafoam in it when I got home yesterday). But all the reserve would do is make it sputter a for a bit and not take in any bad particles right?
#28
#29
Yeah I looked at it this morning. I don't know what I was thinking when I originally looked at it. I was going from the left side of the thing, taking the reading from the left side of the switch when looking at it, reading ON, ccw to FUEL, ccw to RESERVE. I see now that the pointed end is NOT the end with the little indent mark on it which I never noticed before. I usually rotated it CW to go ON, but now I realize that is actually reserve.
Sigh, thanks guys. Now maybe I'll actually be able to use reserve instead of fearing it since I thought it was broken/useless.
Is it bad to constantly have to switch to reserve? I know its bad to run out of gas since thats when all the dirt and stuff that may be in gets into the system (I put seafoam in it when I got home yesterday). But all the reserve would do is make it sputter a for a bit and not take in any bad particles right?
Sigh, thanks guys. Now maybe I'll actually be able to use reserve instead of fearing it since I thought it was broken/useless.
Is it bad to constantly have to switch to reserve? I know its bad to run out of gas since thats when all the dirt and stuff that may be in gets into the system (I put seafoam in it when I got home yesterday). But all the reserve would do is make it sputter a for a bit and not take in any bad particles right?
#30
Hey Ripto...every time you gas up you are mixing in fresh gas in the main and reserve. There is a divider in the tank that keeps the reserve the reserve once it gets down to a certain level. Do not think of it as an isolated tank. I am sure the force of filling the tank is mixing everything up anyway so I wouldn't worry about trying to keep your reserve gas fresh. Its the same gas. So when you taking that bike out to Maples or Port Jeff ?