Reserve Fuel Capacity

Warren said:
I have a gas station near me that sells gas without ethanol. I live by a lake and they primarily cater to those filling gas tanks for boats and RV's. It does cost more per gallon and the last time I gave it a try the increased gas mileage did not cover the increase in cost per gallon.
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I completely agree. Idaho "allows" ethanol fuels but they are not required. The non-ethanol fuels costs more but are not restricted to a premium classification here. I find that my fuel economy increases by more than 15% if I use non-ethanol gas. That means that I use less gasoline and no ethanol.

Dave
 
Phil Tarman said:
So...how much gas did you get into the tank after running it completely dry?
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I ran all the figures this morning after filling up the bike. I know that my son bought $13.30 worth of fuel last night for me. Depending on the which grade he got and me topping off the tank this morning the fuel capacity is between 5.2 to 5.4 gallons. I am going to assume the capacity is 5.2 gallons as Mother Honda states.

It is not fun pushing this bike up a 9% grade to get off the freeway to safety. :drool1:
 
I'll bet it wouldn't be fun to push! The most gas I've ever put in the tank has been 5.12 gallons. IIRC, the needle on the gauge was touching the peg.
 
The funny thing is that is I drove past the exit prior to the one I normally take. I pass through the underpass and the engine goes dead. I immediately pulled in the clutch and coasted as far as I could to the next on-ramp between the 2 exits.

I called my son immediately. I said to him that I did him a favor running to a couple of stores to pick up some York Peppermint Patties for his girlfriend's gift. I told him that he's doing to bring me some gas cause I drove 5 more miles than I normally would haven't that caused me to run out of gas in the first place.

I sat there on the shoulder of the freeways with fast-moving traffic to my left for about 10 minutes and then decided to push the bike up the on-ramp. I put on both the 4-ways and strobes on the bike and proceeded to push it up the incline. I had to stop halfway to take a break and to catch my breath. Then I made it to the top and crossed the lanes to get onto the overpass. I was about 500 ft from a gas station at that point and I was out of gas myself. I knew my son was coming to bring me gas, so I waited there.

My son calls me to say he's at the Arco Station that's 500 ft away from my position. I told him if I was at the gas station, I would have filled up the bike and won't needed him bring me the gas. Kids these days cannot think clearly or can use common sense. If it is not sent in a text message or Instagram they don't pay attention to things.

:soapbox:
 
This morning I rode until I was just under the fuel gauge red zone. I got 198.6 miles this time around on this tank. It took a little over 4.5 gallons to fill the tank, so there were about .7 gallons left in the tank. The average MPG on this tank was 43.7.
 
You guys ride considerably faster over there than we can here (strict enforcement) so our fuel economy is usually better than yours.
I am normally a conservative rider so I get good economy. I normally plan my fuel stops between 300km and 400km on a full tank (186mls-248mls).
Depending on the spacing of petrol stations I sometimes go up to 450km (280mls) before refilling.
The furthest I have gone without refilling is 495km (307mls) but that was under ideal conditions and it was very close to empty with just 1 litre (1/4 gallon) left.
I know how far I can go and have never run out but have often run very low.

Macka
 
Macka said:
You guys ride considerably faster over there than we can here (strict enforcement) so our fuel economy is usually better than yours.
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A lot of riders in the USA ride fast, but now all of us. Where I live the speed limit is 55 and you are likely to get stopped if you ride above 60 mph. So my fuel mileage was similar to yours. The only difference is that when I got below 1/4 tank I'd stop for gas (around 200 miles). The thought of running out of gas always overcame my desire to see how far I could go before running out.
 
I just don't risk it.... this old fart doesn't feel like pushing the bike nor waiting for a rescue. When the needle hits E I figure I have about another 30 safe miles and plan accordingly. I don't think I have ever rode more than 250 miles on a tank.

Mike
 
Is there a good reason why you pass gas stations with the NT's needle sitting on or below E? And by the way, running out of gas ensures all that crud on the bottom of the tank is fed to the pump & injectors.
 
DirtFlier said:
Is there a good reason why you pass gas stations with the NT's needle sitting on or below E? And by the way, running out of gas ensures all that crud on the bottom of the tank is fed to the pump & injectors.
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And running out, or even very low, of fuel can overheat the fuel pump on some vehicles as well...
 
Running the fuel to the very end is like the "wet paint" sign - some people just have to stick their finger in it to see if the paint is really wet.

Oh, I know it is important to know how your fuel gauge works and how low on fuel it really is. That helps us make decisions on planning refueling stops. That is important.

I've run out of fuel twice. Once I just forgot to put gas in (forgot that I had already switched to reserve). I was 19 years old and had other stuff on my mind. I ran out of fuel on the way home from work (about 12:30 AM) and found that to be quite an inconvenience.

The other time I just wanted to see how far I could go. I carried an extra can of gas. After running dry I put in more gas, but had trouble re-starting the motor. First it was dry - then flooded. Then the carburetor was plugged up and required cleaning. Just a bad idea from the beginning.
 
When I first got my NT in Dec 09, I started doing my own calculations going by how much fuel it took with the fuel gauge registering 1/2, 1/4, then just at the E but not below. It gave me a pretty fair idea of how much fuel remained at these gauge readings....without running out of gas!
 
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I live in SoCal and you have to ride at 75-80 MPH not to get ran over on the highways out there. Some people are still passing you. That's just how it is out here.

As mentioned before this bike is still new to me and I have not figure out what my range will be. My last attempt got me to 220 miles without a worry. If I did not run several side errands for my son, I would have made it home with enough to get to the gas station the next morning. This is with the winter fuel blend. I figure that I should get up to 15% range increase when we switch back to the Summer fuel blend.

I pushed the limits and have a baseline of comparison. I now figure that I will fuel up when within the Red Zone taking my current position into consideration. When commuting or taking the same route daily, I can judge the situation and take the appropriate actions.
 
Brillot2000 said:
I figure that I should get up to 15% range increase when we switch back to the Summer fuel blend.
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Unless your winter blend and summer blend are way different from ours here in Colorado, you'll be luck to see more than a couple of miles/gal difference in fuel consumption.

I plan 220 mile range but wind and speeds of over 75 can alter that drastically. I figure I've got about 50 miles range remaining when I get into the red.
 
DirtFlier said:
Is there a good reason why you pass gas stations with the NT's needle sitting on or below E? And by the way, running out of gas ensures all that crud on the bottom of the tank is fed to the pump & injectors.
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There are several answers here:
Firstly, when the needle hits "E" I know that I still have 3.2 litres in the tank as I have measured it several times (15% remaining). That is about 75km/45 miles 'till empty so it is not particularly low and is enough to cool the pump.
Second, my tank is pristine inside. It is always parked with a full tank to eliminate any condensation. There is no crud there.
Third, I prefer to ride rather than stop for fuel often. I don't mind long stints. Several times I have done five hours without lifting my backside off the seat (something over 400km). I use a hydration pack in the warmer weather so I don't get thirsty.
Fourth, some of the places that I pass offering fuel I would rather not use.
Fifth, I don't run it low in hot weather. Being a qualified mechanic for nearly 50 years I am fully aware that the pump is cooled by the fuel. The tank is refilled and the pump is cool. I do not ride with the tank continually low like may car drivers do, just putting $10 of fuel in when the warning light comes on. THAT is what kills a pump, not running from full to near empty and then refilling.
Sixth, for me, the bike is for riding, not for looking at whilst I sip coffee every hour. I enjoy my coffee breaks as much as anybody but I don't particularly enjoy queuing up at the fuel outlet. At many of the larger ones here they will not turn on the power to the pump unless you have removed your helmet and balaclava so fueling up is quite a rigmarole. The less times I have to do that the better. If I am riding alone I usually go as long as possible between stops. Travelling with others I stop when they stop. Often they will only have half the tank range of the NT.

Macka
 
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