reserve tank?

[andym]

This is going back a couple of weeks now, but figured I would ask the experts *cough*

I had to get a brake calliper for my car and found one in a scrap yard in Cindeford (Forest of Dean (that way)), I was a little short of time since I had to pick my other half up at 3pm that day and it was 11am when I found the number. Anyhoo I got the directions from google and it said it was 40 miles and would take 39 minutes, fair enough I think, hops on the bike thinking I won't need a bag or anything.

My intruder has a speedometer and 4 lights (L & R indicator, full beam, and neutral), so if I want to know how much petrol is in there I either have to give it a jiggle or look in the tank.

I shake the bike and it sounds like there is a couple of litres left, so I think that should do me till I get there and back, but just to make sure I'll get to the scrap yard and fill up at the first place I come to on my way home (my reasoning was if I was going to get lost it would be on the way out there so it would be quicker coming back).

I get to the scrap yard, the part is still on the car so I have to wait 20 minutes for them to take it off, only to find out that it wasn't the complete calliper ready to go on, it was just the part with the piston, so I would need to strip the other calliper down. I tried to open my seat compartment and the key just turns and the seat doesn't lift (found out the cable had snapped inside the cable protector), so I have this several pound lump of metal down my sleeve, about 1/2 - 3/4 miles away from the scrappy my bike does a splutter or two and dies.

Damn thinks me... oh well never mind... throw the tap to reserve and tried to start it... eff all.... I was on a slight hill which I thought I would be enough to bump start it, it wasn't having none of it... I tried shaking the bike and there wasn't the slightest hint of sloshing sounds.

Long story short... I spent the next 2 1/2 hours pushing this bloody lump of useless metal along country roads until I reached the petrol station.... which for some reason when I got to a slight downhill slope it would start dragging me along with it but if I tried sitting on it... it would stop dead.

I wasn't best impressed that day. Almost 5 miles (I think) with a 150kg bike that wouldn't roll down a slope, a calliper I would need to rebuild and a wife that was due to be picked up very soon.

On the plus side, when I got the petrol the bike started after about 5 seconds, I got home and stripped the old calliper and rebuilt/fitted the new one in about 25 minutes (including putting the wheel on twice).

Anyway... my original point here is, why the hell didn't I have a reserve tank? or can the petrol be used out of it automatically?

[MinhDinh]

Usually the bike runs slow when low, and the reserve can be used.

I am not sure on your bike, but usually shaking it about helps.
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Hit the G spot.

[johnsmith222]

There isn't a main tank and a reseve tank. It's all the one tank, just 2 different fuel lines, one higher up than the other.

Perhaps the reserve line is blocked. I know on my ZZR, unless you're riding the thing you need to wait a minute or two to let fuel pass through the system before it will start in reserve. I don't advise this, but to sort that, I just change it over on the move.

[Frost]

Likely it's always been on reserve. I've fucked myself over before by forgetting to turn it back off reserve after filling up.

Fill it up and reset the trip counter (thing on the speedo) and ride till you hit reserve. Take note of how many miles you've done to run out. Refill, take it back off reserve and reset the trip counter. Next time you'll know how many miles you've got left in the tank. Fuel gauges on bikes are shit anyway.

As for the caliper You have to pump the pistons right out and polish them up. If that doesn't work it needs new seals.

[Paxovasa]

The fuel tap was in the reserve position.
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Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[Shreddie]

It's easy to confuse the orientation of the tap on some bikes too as I remember finding out... I'm pretty sure that on my 125 you turned the long end of the tap to cover the appropriate position (on, reserve etc) but on my GT there is an arrow which points to the correct position instead.

[Dazbo666]

I've been caught out by leaving the tap in the reserve position too... although the fuel gauge on the Bandit seems to be pretty accurate TBH.

I've had the odd occasion when I've been commuting on fumes, usually right before pay day
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1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[iCraig]

Or if you're sure that it already wasn't in reserve, someones had your tank off in the past and connected up the fuel tap pipes up the wrong way?

I had this on my old Superdream, someone had connected them the wrong way around and meant that I didn't have a reserve.

[andym]

Not sure about the tank being off in the past. The tap is always set to On (other 2 are Pri and Res). I have ridden with the tap in the res position and never noticed any difference so don't think the lines are blocked.

[pinkyfloyd]

[Easter Bunny]

I hate going outta my way to get fuel, so I ran out instead on the back country lanes (thought I could get home) after that I took to carrying a can with a couple of litres of fuel in one of my huge panniers, helped 3 bikers with it, but it did take up a lot of room so I have swopped it for a 1lt marine fuel bottle, ok so its only gonna get you at best 10 miles but it should be enough to get to a garage unless your in the wilds of Scotland in which case youre 10 miles closer

Many moons ago I do recall dispensing a litre of fuel via the fuel line on a bandit into a bottle of coke for a stranded biker
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The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train!

[dragstaar]

^^^ Lolz, my mate did this for a biker, only to run out of fuel 2 miles on himself! Obviously thought he had more than he did!