- This topic has 13 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 6 months ago by Dagger.
range and running out of gas
-
AuthorPosts
-
October 21, 2008 at 1:39 pm #2281PhilParticipant
I have a shadow 750 and was wondering what actually happens when I run out of main gas?
How do I know to switch to reserve? Is it dangerous? Will the engine lock the rear tire?Also what is the range of this bike? The previous owner told me 100miles but I did 100 and only had to refuel about 1.8 gallons … any idea?
Phil
October 21, 2008 at 2:01 pm #14122Clay DowlingParticipantusually one carb runs out before the other one, so your engine will start to sputter. The sure way to tell is when you try to roll on the throttle and don’t get any response. Then you switch to reserve and look for a gas station. If the engine is chugging too hard you’ll just squeeze the clutch in and coast to the side of the road. No particular danger.
Learn where the switch is now though. It can be awkward to find when you’re on the road and haven’t really thought it out ahead of time, like I was the first time.
October 21, 2008 at 2:28 pm #14125briderdtParticipant…but do you switch it on the fly, or is this something that is a must to pull over for?
October 21, 2008 at 2:51 pm #14127six-shooterParticipantYou can do either. Obviously be aware of your surrounding traffic, but I’ve found it easier to switch on the fly as I’m riding. As mentioned earlier, get a feel for knowing exactly where the switch is so that you can reach down and switch it without looking. When I first started riding, however, I was much more comfortable pulling over to the side of the road, so do whatever you are comfortable doing.
If you’re engine cuts off before you switch to your reserve, you might have to choke the engine while cranking it to get it started again.
Also, on your mileage, just figure out your MPG that you’re getting (based on your example of 100 miles for 1.8 gallon, it would be around 55 mpg), and multiply that times the size of the tank minus the reserve. So if your tank is a 3 gallon tank and your reserve is .7 gallons, then multiply the 55 mpg by 2.3 gallons to get a total of 126 miles average before needing the reserve. I’m not sure of the actual tank size and reserve amount on the Shadow 750, but it should be in you’re manual.October 21, 2008 at 3:31 pm #14134DaggerParticipantOne of the first things I did when I got my bike was fill the tank completely and waited until I ran out of gas before I filled it up again.. For myself, I found it easier to just pull over and switch to reserve… Now I know that when I get close to 160miles it’s time to fill my tank… As for where your reserve switch is.. It should be on the left side under the tank.. Just turn the knob so that the handle part is facing the setting you want.. On/Off/Reserve.. I think there was a thread on this somewhere that I read a while back…
Dagger
I just want to make it out of this life alive…
October 21, 2008 at 4:41 pm #14136chaiyaParticipantI got to experience running out of gas for the first time this morning. Riding along….watching the sun rise…then sputter…sputter…oh…shoot!…out of gas… I pulled over to flip it to reserve. I don’t know if there was something at the bottom of the tank …but the bike was defiantly not happy after that…it sounded like it wanted to stall…
October 21, 2008 at 5:43 pm #14138DeD FredParticipantSome of the new bikes dont even come with reserve. Geez is that silly.
Best thing you can do is start off figuing your machine will get X amount of MPG. Depending on displacement and riding style.
Next run you machine within the safey zone of that mileage. When you refuel, you should be able to figure out how much your bike is getting, and less 20% then ride that many miles, refuel, and test again. After 5 tanks you will know how you bike is on fuel, and may never have to hit reserve.
My current machine gets 55mpg easy, riding at 75 most of the time. At 60 I can get 58 mpg. With a 4 gallon tank, I can safely go 220 miles and have fuel left over.
Something they used to teach a long time ago, was how to switch tanks while riding. On the freeway, its no big deal, you will start sputtering before you run out. By doing the above procedure, you should already know when your close to running out, and except it.
If you bike has an OFF position on your petcock, you can go riding, shut off the petcock, wait until it starts to sputter, then turn it back on. This will give you an idea of what its like to run out.
October 21, 2008 at 6:12 pm #14146Clay DowlingParticipantMy bike is a four cylinder, so I have a lot of leisure to switch. I do it on the road, no stopping. A V-Twin like you have might be a different story though. A co-worker ran out for the first time yesterday, and by the time he knew what was going on his twin cylinder engine had died. More experience with running out might have let him have more warning and not required him to pull over.
October 22, 2008 at 12:51 am #14163AmorylParticipantaccording to totalmotorcycle.com’s fuel efficiency guide, the shadow 750 is a 3.7 gallon including a .9gal reserve and averages around 55ish, which is what it seems you’re getting. which means you should be getting around 200 miles if you use the reserve. or around 150 before swapping over.
makes one wonder how the prior owner was riding it to get such bad mileage. or he was just really REALLY cautious.
October 22, 2008 at 3:31 am #14167RabParticipantAs someone said, once you get a feel for how much your tank holds, you’ll probably never need to switch to reserve as you’ll reset your tripmeter with every fill-up and when you reach a certain number of miles travelled, you’ll know to go fill up.
That said, do practice switching the petcock over though; just in case.
I had my last bike for two years and never switched to reserve once (3.9 gallon tank and 40 mpg).
October 22, 2008 at 1:00 pm #14178PhilParticipantThanks for all the feedback.
I am currently at around 160 and still have not used the reserve.I ride mostly highway at 75+ and since my shadow (or any 750) does not have a 6th gear I think my rpms are quite up there. In a carburetor vehicle that burns a lot of gas right?
October 24, 2008 at 6:04 pm #14255DaggerParticipantI seem to be getting about 160 miles before I have to switch to reserve on my 650…
I just want to make it out of this life alive…
October 24, 2008 at 6:15 pm #14257PhilParticipantlol … so I was going to see what happens when I run out of gas! and How far I can get.
So Yesteraday it happened … loss of power etc … so cool as I am I reach down to flip the switch and now the engine is completely off … I try to restart but nothing … so I pull over and check out the switch ….
Apparently I was riding on reserve since I bought the bike! Great … now im pulled over with an empty tank. Lucky me there is a gas station about a quarter mile up the road. So I get up and push the motorcycle to the gas station.Sweaty and with a full gas tank I now know that I get about 163miles out of my 3.7 gallon tank !!
(shadow spirit 750 c2)October 24, 2008 at 6:40 pm #14260DaggerParticipantWell good thing you were close to a gas station and not out in the back roads somewhere…
I just want to make it out of this life alive…
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.