Ever Run Out of Gas?

I want to know if anyone ran out of gas with the FJR?

Did the Gas Gauge keep flashing the last bar?

Was it hard to get started after putting fuel back in (and didn't harm the fuel pump)?

This is something I searched for and never found an answer in case I get close to this situation one day.

Thanks for your comments.

Don't run out of gas..................

............if you do, put more in.

Prophetic advice brought to you by SkooterG

+1 FI and no gas... bad deal....

a rule of thumb for Any Fuel injected vehicle.

When out of gas shut down immediately (you already are I know or you would not be OUT of gas ). IE do not keep trying to re-start or you run the risk of burning up the pump and harming the injectors.

When you do get more fuel. turn the key on and off a few times without turning the vehicle over. this primes the pump and runs fuel back through the system.

What was the question again...?



BTW, how far can you get on the flashing bar? I've gone to 30 miles but am nervous about pushing it further. [i know I could research the forum for the answer but I'm lazy tonight, okay? I've had a few glasses of merlot and I'm just feeling lazy. Got it? So just bite me!]

Jb

Not too drunk to do the math, are you? :blink:

According to our trusty owners' manual, our sickles have 1.32 gallons of reserve fuel. Multiply by your typical MPG and voila! Should be well beyond 30 miles.

Of course, yer mileage may vary :lol: .

FlyingLow said:

According to our trusty owners' manual, our sickles have 1.32 gallons of reserve fuel. Multiply by your typical MPG and voila! Should be well beyond 30 miles.Of course, yer mileage may vary :lol: .

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Now you've done it. You've opened up the NEPRT topic of mileage. When I actually measured my mileage on a run up to Chico and back, I was disappointed to see I only got 30 to 35 max, but mostly 30. Is it that lame for everybody? And BTW, that only gets me to 40 on reserve (I'm drunk, so the math might not be right), so goosing it over 30 still makes me nervous. It's a damn heavy machine to push.

Jb

James Burleigh said:

FlyingLow said:

According to our trusty owners' manual, our sickles have 1.32 gallons of reserve fuel. Multiply by your typical MPG and voila! Should be well beyond 30 miles.Of course, yer mileage may vary :lol: .

Click to expand...

Now you've done it. You've opened up the NEPRT topic of mileage. When I actually measured my mileage on a run up to Chico and back, I was disappointed to see I only got 30 to 35 max, but mostly 30. Is it that lame for everybody? And BTW, that only gets me to 40 on reserve (I'm drunk, so the math might not be right), so goosing it over 30 still makes me nervous. It's a damn heavy machine to push.

Jb

Click to expand...

I figured I would get about 45 miles from flash point - in fact got 42 once and had to wiggle the bike back and forth as it sputtered on a couple of turns. I was also babying it - even coasted down about 4 miles of hill. I wouldn't trust it more than 35

While driving home from prom, on the road I live on even. The Caddy I was driving said three bars on the digital guage, then the next thing it said was low fuel and no bars, then the very next thing it did was stall. I swear after I turned the car over one hundered times after putting gas in it, it finally started. Parents said, oh by the way, dont let it go below half...

Funny, even with the FJR's electronic gas gauge I think it is easier to run out of gas on it then it is my old 600 shadow. You ride that thing until it starts sputtering (no gas gauge on it) and then you turn this petcock on the side that utilizes the last .9 gallons in the tank to get you to a gas station. Talk about crude but effective!

One of the things I LOVE about the FJR over my old V-Max is that is has a gas gauge. On the V-Max there was just a gas light, and if it came on you had better pray you are close to a gas station. I have pushed the V-Max, and at just over 600 pounds, it isn't fun.

Since I now have the benefit of a fuel gauge, I have a better idea when I need gas, so I tend not to push the limits. Pushing the limits can lead to pushing the bike.

I've gone 47 miles into the reserve and still had a few tenths gallons remaining. I was riding VERY conservatively to wean out those miles on flat highway.

The electric fuel pump is in the gas tank. Less fuel = more HEAT. Plus I think the fuel lubricates the pump? Not good to run it dry. You have to have the pump to pressurize the system (I think). You burn up the pump, and you are stuck. Shutting off the fuel (running out) doesn't do much. That's what the rev limiter does. But I'd be very worried about the fuel pump.

Having said that, too bad this topic has been thrown into NEPERTS. I'd really like to know 2 things:

Has anyone ever run out of gas on an FJR and what DID happen?

Also, has anyone even had a fuel pump failure on an FJR?

I'm kind of a gas mileage and "how much till I start walking" freek. I've been testing my mpg read out versus what I put in the tank, math read out. I am getting a consistent 42mpg on both. I went into blinky mode right at the gas station and it filled with right on 5 gallons, just like the book said and that is what I got the last time adjusted for gas station searching. So if you have 1.6 gallons left in the tank and you can use it all, which is doubtful it should be around 60 miles before you start walking. I have done tank work where I drained the tank dry to include the fuel pump and filter on my FI Sprint. Like the man said, wait a few ticks until the pump primes, but even with the fuel pump in the tank, it did take a bit longer to fire up. It wasn't a big deal though. Not that different than running out of gas in your car or any other vehicle.

Um.....what skooterg said.

If you DO run out Take the tank off and carry it. Not only is it lighter ya just might catch a ride

Back when we ran carbs on bikes this was an easy task, today ...

:jester:

When I shipped mine to Italy the moving company required it to be empty of oil & gas.

The day before it was to be packed in a crate I went for one last ride and rode it 55 miles into the reserve, came back and let it run on the center stand while I sat next to it. Plan was to shut it off the first time I heard it sputter for fuel. 45 minutes later it was still running so I took it across the street to my Costco parking lot and did several figure 8's until it started to sputter and figured that was close enough to empty for me.

The movers delivered it to my doorstep in Italy 3 months later.

I reconnected the battery, put in 2 gallons of fresh gas from a gas can, turned the key on & heard the fuel pump pressurize the line.

~5-8 seconds later she started right up.

TriggerT said:

One of the things I LOVE about the FJR over my old V-Max is that is has a gas gauge. On the V-Max there was just a gas light, and if it came on you had better pray you are close to a gas station. I have pushed the V-Max, and at just over 600 pounds, it isn't fun.

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As I've said before on the Forum, I went from a Harley Sportster as my first bike to the FJR. I like to say that, for me, that was like going from a 1960s muscle car to a 2005 Porsche Carerra in terms of comfort, performance, and technology.

Among the many things the Sporty does not have is a fuel gauge. So I had to track my fuel consumption by the tripmeter. When I filled up I'd set that baby back to 000.0. I could go about 120 miles.

Because I was commuting at the time about 90 miles a day, I had to fill up every %#$! day. If I ran out of gas I had to reach down under the tank on the left side and (first) FIND the *%$#* petcock, then lean forward to angle my gloved fingers around the two-winged butterfly device to get the leverage I needed to twist it a half turn. It could only go a quarter turn at once because of the angle of the wings, so it took two cranks (meaning more time).

In the mean time, I'm in the fast lane of the freeway during rush-hour with cars doing 75 behind me . When that first sputter comes, your heart leaps into your throat while you grope frantically for that little darling that's gonna save you from getting pancaked. When I was getting close to 120 miles, I'd reach down to practice the muscle memory in order to save precious seconds, and practice turning it. Thankfully it always kicked right in.

That Sporty was a good ol' girl. She's sitting in the garage right now under a tarp. I think I'll take her out for a spin today.

sprint_st said:

I'm kind of a gas mileage and "how much till I start walking" freek. I went into blinky mode right at the gas station and it filled with right on 5 gallons, just like the book said and that is what I got the last time adjusted for gas station searching. So if you have 1.6 gallons left in the tank and you can use it all, which is doubtful it should be around 60 miles before you start walking.

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The 1.6 gal left is very doubtful. It is nearly impossible to actually pump 6.6 gallons into the gas tank. That may be the theoretical volume that it will hold, but topping it off is the trick. On the other hand, the 1.32 gallon reserve that the book advertises is probably a more reliable measure from which to base your calculation. Especially if it means you start walking 15 miles sooner.

dbvolfan said:

Funny, even with the FJR's electronic gas gauge I think it is easier to run out of gas on it then it is my old 600 shadow. You ride that thing until it starts sputtering (no gas gauge on it) and then you turn this petcock on the side that utilizes the last .9 gallons in the tank to get you to a gas station. Talk about crude but effective!

Click to expand...

I have to admit, modern tecnology has made me nervous. I liked having a reserve on a fuel petcock (as long as I remembered to switch it back when I filled up) and I liked having a kick starter. The latter, I really missed when I turned off the V-strom and went one click too far on the ignition switch, leaving the "emergency parking light" lit all day at work. After multiple attempts to bump start it by running along side and jumping on the seat only to have the rear tire skid the bike to a halt, a guy finally gave me a hand and towed me behind his pick up until the big twin kicked over.

I know...don't leave the light on...don't run out of gas...don't forget your anniversary...