[Greengoose]

Today my gas guage was blinking at 170 miles since last fill-up. I can "always" go 180-200 miles on a tank. ( I said this to myself.) Only 5 miles from the regular gas station I normally go to, when suddenly ....Power dropped, it started to stall and I came to a coast and stop by the side of the road with 178 miles on the trip meter.
Boy do I feel stupid!
Call the house and had my mom, who is staying with us, bring me the gas can from the garage. She put 2 gallons in it and I filled up and put another 2 gallons in it at the gas station. It was dry as suspected.

Its only the 2nd time in my life I ever ran out of gas. Oh well!
Just wanted to share my stupidity.

 

[Jim]

I usuall fill up around 150 miles. Last Sunday I filled up at 125 miles, 2.25 Gal 50 MPG riding 2-up, best I ever got.

 

[billmeek]

I've been wondering if there is a fuel bottle (20 oz or so) that is safe to carry in the Burgman trunk on a daily basis. It'd be nice to have a small reserve able to take the Burgman another 5-10 miles.

 

[allwalk]

I did it as well . However this was my intention as I drove around Gasoline alley in my area just to see how far I could go. Of course I ran out right in front of a gas station and going downhill to boot....go figure I now fill up usually with at least 20 -40 kms left in the tank.

 

[Warren]

I've been wondering if there is a fuel bottle (20 oz or so) that is safe to carry in the Burgman trunk on a daily basis. It'd be nice to have a small reserve able to take the Burgman another 5-10 miles.

A lot of people I see use the fuel bottles used for camping stoves that work really well.

I know REI and many other outfits carry them.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Product ... REI_SEARCH

 

[Edwljoseph]

I figure that it is safe to say that 45mpg is a safe bet. I fill up between 135 and 150 miles. By this time my gas guage is blinking. If I fill up at 135 miles, one gal reserve should always find me a gas station.

Remember, I live in Ohio not the vast expanses of the wild west.

 

[gruntled]

I've been wondering if there is a fuel bottle (20 oz or so) that is safe to carry in the Burgman trunk on a daily basis. It'd be nice to have a small reserve able to take the Burgman another 5-10 miles.

A lot of people I see use the fuel bottles used for camping stoves that work really well.
I know REI and many other outfits carry them.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/Product ... REI_SEARCH

The 33 oz. one is a new one to me but I have one in 11 ozs & one in 22 ozs that look exactly the same. They also make an 8 oz one. The ones I have fit nicely into the pockets on the back of my saddlebags. You can find them at most WalMarts for under ten dollars.
I usually just carry the small one on the side opposite the muffler. Good for about 3&1/2 miles & then you still have something to carry gas back in if that's not enough.

 

[Stormsteed]

Never mind.

 

[billmeek]

Thanks. The fuel bottle looks like a great solution. I'm guessing that expansion/contraction nor leakage should be an issue if it's stored in the Burgman trunk.

 

[Greengoose]

....Power dropped, it started to stall and I came to a coast and stop by the side of the road with 178 miles on the trip meter.

Just curious, but if you are travelling at any rate of speed (say 40 m.p.h.) and you run out of gas, will the bike coast? Or is everything engaged causing fast engine braking?

I just came from an on ramp and was doing approx 70 mph in a 65. Then the power died as if I flipped the throttle forward. A few short burst "burps" of power and I simply moved to the break down lane.

 

[Scutour]

My previous 02 Yamaha warrior cruiser bike had a nice feature, which would be nice to have on the Burgman. The odometer would automatically switch to a “miles traveled” display as soon as it got down to approx one gallon from a 4-gallon tank. I never ran out of gas even with considerably less range than the Burgman. I now reset the trip meter soon as I notice the low fuel warning.

 

[Ted White]

My friend, SSS on this forum, carried a quart of gas with him and puposefully ran out of gas to see what would happen. He was concerned about the fuel injection system, priming, etc.

Anyway, he ran out at 212 miles. He stopped, poured in the quart, and it apparently started right up.

 

[lycheed]

I once found myself hunting for a gas station in the mountains one Sunday morning. I swallowed heavily as I neared the 300km mark 2-up, having travelled 50km on reserve. After crawling around being as smooth as possible on the throttle, I finally found a gas station that was open. I had approx 650ml of fuel left in the tank. :shock: That is what I call 'cutting it fine'.

With no-one to call (I wasn't yet a member of the Suzuki national breakdown association), and with camping gear for two under the seat I really didn't want to push the thing...

 

[gruntled]

Thanks. The fuel bottle looks like a great solution. I'm guessing that expansion/contraction nor leakage should be an issue if it's stored in the Burgman trunk.

The bottles are made for fuel so leakage should not be a problem. They have a fill level mark that leaves plenty for expansion.
I might be concerned about leaving it under the seat due to the heat. That's why I carry mine upright in the pouch on my saddlebags & opposite
the muffler. That way I also don't have any concerns about fumes.

 

[Brian]

Just curious, but if you are travelling at any rate of speed (say 40 m.p.h.) and you run out of gas, will the bike coast? Or is everything engaged causing fast engine braking?

You won't coast. The engine braking will slow you down rather rapidly.

To demonstrate this on your own bike, get up to speed on a lonely road then hit your kill switch. Just make sure no one is following you too closely or you'll become a hood ornament.

 

[pauljo]

I was sweating it a few times up in South Dakota on my trip. Fuel mileage had dropped to 40 mpg due to the 85 mph cruise speed I was maintaining, and gas stations can be quite a distance apart - many exits do not have fuel. And on some exits that did advertise fuel, you'd come to the end of the exit and be looking at a sign: fuel ---> 5 miles.

I started watching for gas signs at about 110 miles on the trip meter. Running out of fuel 30 miles from the nearest station would have been extremely inconvenient. I had less than .5 gallon left a couple of times when I filled up. That's about as near empty as I want to get when riding out in the wide open (and unpopulated) areas.

 

[hatman]

Running out of gas

A useful tip I saw on another site was to use an empty 1 litre plastic oil container as a reserve fuel supply on the bike. Apparently it's wise to squeeze it slightly before screwing the top on, thus allowing for heat-expansion.

 

[NormanB]

Re: Running out of gas

A useful tip I saw on another site was to use an empty 1 litre plastic oil container as a reserve fuel supply on the bike. Apparently it's wise to squeeze it slightly before screwing the top on, thus allowing for heat-expansion.

Hi

Yes I saw that post too ......

My view is this: Familiarity breeds contempt and petrol (gasolene) is an everyday product that we just use and take for granted ...BUT a one ltre plastic container full of petrol contains a lot of power and just waiting for the right conditions to turn you into a Buddist monk. You only need a weep or a small defect and the petrol vapour will collect in your underseat storage area - Not me matey!!


Take care (particularly with petrol) :wink:

 

[Monterey10]

Gas?

Forgive me if I'm stupid, but if the tank is 4 gals and the mileage
is 45 (at least) shouldn't it be going at least 180 miles before coming
to a stop?

Craig

 

[pauljo]

Mileage can drop to 40 mpg or even less under certain conditions. Big windscreens, high speed cruising, and a lot of in town riding are some of the things that can adversely affect mileage. It is also doubtful that every bit of that 4 gallons can be sucked dry by the fuel pump before you lose power - although I think it comes pretty close.

Most of us have no desire to tempt fate, and start looking for gas when the low fuel indicator starts flashing (fuel pump icon). That usually starts happening a bit prematurely - you've got about one gallon left at that point. Another common method is to set a tripmeter when you fill up, and go for gas when you've done about 150 miles.

The BIG exception to this, is when touring in fairly unpopulated territory where it can be many miles between gas stations. Under those conditions, it is wise to stop and top off the tank when you see a gas station coming up - even if you have half a tank left.