Reserve Fuel - Magic Tank
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,459
Likes: 2,896
From: Oklahoma
I guess running out of gas is a bigger worry for some than for others. In unfamiliar territory I stop often in case the next opportunity is an unexpected distance. Have never had to push.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 13
From: Fort Worth
I have never run out of gas either but was real close one time. https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...-it-close.html
The wife and I are going to ride Key West to Prudhoe Bay, AK and back the summer of 2016. There is one stretch on the gravel road that is over 200 miles between services. I have read my share of stories of people that do the ride and most make it without running out. But, there are those that do have issues along the way and need an extra 1/2 gallon of gas to get them to the next pump.
We also do challenge rides and fuel planning / stops are a big part of success or failure. Sometimes, it is not easy to ride to the next gas station and fill up a half full tank because the next station may or may not be in the next town. Some of our trips, I map out perfectly the way points and call ahead to make sure that it's 24 hours or not and that they received their shipment of fuel. Last year during an IB 1500, this paid off. The gas station person said that they had expected to be out of fuel by that evening and didn't expect their next load for 2 days.
There are times that having an extra gallon or 1/2 gallon would come in handy for those situations. I know everyone doesn't ride the way we do but I also don't own a black Street Glide either.
Would I carry this magic fuel, probably not. Would I carry extra gas on some of the rides we do, you betcha as it is just one more tool in case the unexpected happens. I have stopped to help fellow bikers out that have been broken down and once, run out of gas. IN the first case, it was 80 miles to the next closest town and about 20 miles before any of our cell phones had a signal so he could call for help. With the gas, that guy ran out about 5 miles short because all his time riding the back country roads didn't prepare him for the continuous uphill climb from DFW to Amarillo, fighting a nasty 25, gusting to 35 mph headwind.
Just today, I made a trip for business from DFW to San Antonio. South winds were a bear and I averaged 63 and only 29.5 MPG. On the way back because I took 281, I averaged 78 and 39.2 MPG and it was a nice tailwind.
Extra fuel is just one more tool to help with the unexpected.
The wife and I are going to ride Key West to Prudhoe Bay, AK and back the summer of 2016. There is one stretch on the gravel road that is over 200 miles between services. I have read my share of stories of people that do the ride and most make it without running out. But, there are those that do have issues along the way and need an extra 1/2 gallon of gas to get them to the next pump.
We also do challenge rides and fuel planning / stops are a big part of success or failure. Sometimes, it is not easy to ride to the next gas station and fill up a half full tank because the next station may or may not be in the next town. Some of our trips, I map out perfectly the way points and call ahead to make sure that it's 24 hours or not and that they received their shipment of fuel. Last year during an IB 1500, this paid off. The gas station person said that they had expected to be out of fuel by that evening and didn't expect their next load for 2 days.
There are times that having an extra gallon or 1/2 gallon would come in handy for those situations. I know everyone doesn't ride the way we do but I also don't own a black Street Glide either.
Would I carry this magic fuel, probably not. Would I carry extra gas on some of the rides we do, you betcha as it is just one more tool in case the unexpected happens. I have stopped to help fellow bikers out that have been broken down and once, run out of gas. IN the first case, it was 80 miles to the next closest town and about 20 miles before any of our cell phones had a signal so he could call for help. With the gas, that guy ran out about 5 miles short because all his time riding the back country roads didn't prepare him for the continuous uphill climb from DFW to Amarillo, fighting a nasty 25, gusting to 35 mph headwind.
Just today, I made a trip for business from DFW to San Antonio. South winds were a bear and I averaged 63 and only 29.5 MPG. On the way back because I took 281, I averaged 78 and 39.2 MPG and it was a nice tailwind.
Extra fuel is just one more tool to help with the unexpected.
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