Here we discuss everything related to riding, maintenance and gear.
Rules:
What's this gas guage/light thing on a bike? ๐
In the Before Times, you just went by the odometer - when you ran out you switched the fuel valve to reserve, and hoped it didn't suck in any garbage from the bottom of the tank!
Glad you didn't have to walk, anyway!
So ... these only have a low fuel light (which is on the other gauge pod, not pictured), but they are famous for being a "half a tank" light, not being adjusted properly from the factory.
Mine goes a step further. It's a "You have fuel" light, because I'd had the sending unit out to change the fuel filter, and put it back in with the float arm the wrong way. And it's too much of a pain in the ass to bother fixing, because I was going by the trip odometer already anyway.
Lol, nice.
I have an old bike with one of the first gauges. Same problem, the potentiometer connected to the float isn't well matched to the gauge, so 1/4 tank could just as well be empty, and the float arm is just a touch off on its angle. It's nearly useless.
Oof. Cutting it close more skillfully than myself. Last time that happened to me, I had to push my 650cc about 2 miles.
It started cutting out on the highway when the trip odometer read ~177. It felt like it had dropped out of gear. I didn't realize I was running out of gas for another half mile or so, and I managed to get it all the way to this gas station, sputtering all the way.
It is not pushable, I'd have been walking for a gas can.
It is not pushable, I'd have been walking for a gas can.
That's why I was glad to only have a 650cc. That was exhausting, with mostly flat roads. I can't imagine how much effort a >1L bike would be. Walking for gas seems likely.
I have had to push it very short distances. I have had to pick it up off the ground. It's over 800lbs. After having ridden this for a while, I sat on my buddy's GS650 and it felt like a moped.
I also have a 40 year old 125cc scooter that is equally as fun to rip around on. That one only "runs out of gas" when the vacuum hose falls off the petcock.
Most of my pushing was hill starts on an unintended basketcase of a bike, lol. Though I have certainly run out just before the pump, though not that close!
You got closer than me the one time I ran out of gas on my V-Strom. I knew with my route plan that day I was cutting it real close, and ended up pushing the bike 150 yards or so into the gas station on my last leg. Oops!