Ran out of gas

[dean]

you don't need to ask anyone on this list to reply, simply ask any car mechanic. fuel pumps in the gas tank are meant to be "underwater" to be kept lubricated. i've not looked at the yamaha manual to see if the the fjr has an in-tank fuel pump, but per the amount of replies, apparently it does. and if it's like car fuel pumps, you don't want to make a habit of running your tank near dry. it will bugger your fuel pump.

but that's just my opinion, and maybe even click and clack, that tappet brothers.

dean

cincinnati

Actually the fuel cools the fuel pump. THat is the main reason why you don't want to repeatedly run on empty. It will overheat the pump!

I've seen this come up a few times. Sounds like non sence to me. If the the engine is out of gas, it's not running. If it's not running, the fuel pump is not running. If it's not running, it's not over heating. No gas No heat.

Don't lock this thread down to the pointless neverending land.

Think of the pump as being immersed in a cooling bath of fuel. Remove the bath, it gets hot. Running it right to the end of the fuel capacity means the pump is running in air more than in heat-absorbing fuel. It's an electric motor, after all, and it generates heat, just by having electrons shoved through it.

I don't know if I buy into that myself, but that's what they're sayin'.

Also, in a low-fuel condition there will be moments of sucking air, which unloads the motor, running it up in speed. Kind of like a boat motor when the prop comes out of the water in a good chop. Maybe there's some trouble from that, too.

Somebody reply who has had to have their fuel pump replaced.

 

[bandit]

I must be doning something right. I have a 2005. I just rode to daytona and aback. I could run till my low level light started blinking around 225-230 and stop for a fill up and add 5.3-5.5 gallons. Had quite a bit left in the tank. Just didnt want to chance it. Most of the ride home was 85 MPH and pretty heavily loaded. I think I could do 255 easy

 

[ShawnKing]

I've taken mine to about 78 km, which is slightly shy of 50 miles - I got cold feet and filled her up and still had a half gallon left.

LOL Same here this past weekend - got to 50.5 miles and chickened out. Filled it up to 5.94 gallons.

 

[Spook]

as an aside I am sure elevation make some difference on what people are getting for mileage. I get from 41-46 depending on the ride but most of the very hi mileage reports I have been seeing seem to be from the coasts. Am I on the right track??

 

[madpage]

OK, here is one of those dumb questions. How hard is it to start a bike back up again after you have run it dry then added back in a gallon or so? Is there any priming or anything that needs to be done or do you just pour fuel back in the tank and start cranking it over? I really don't know..

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but...

The whirring noise you hear when you turn the ignition to "on" is the pump priming the system. Ergo, If you do run completely dry and your bike won't start after you refuel, you should cycle the iginition switch (off/on) and just let the pump prime the system.

 

[madpage]

as an aside I am sure elevation make some difference on what people are getting for mileage. I get from 41-46 depending on the ride but most of the very hi mileage reports I have been seeing seem to be from the coasts. Am I on the right track??

On a cross-country trip to the Grand Canyon, I experienced the same thing. Except I got better gas mileage (around 50 mpg) in the higher altitudes of my trip.

It was explained to me that as you switch your bike "on" a MAP sensor takes a barometric reading and the ECM adjusts the fuel to air ratio, and this is why we experience different mpg's at different altitudes.

I don't know, but could this also help to explain why it is neccessary to stop your bike and restart it, while riding in high altitudes, if you haven't had the faulty ECM replaced???

 

[jasonhc73]

On a cross-country trip to the Grand Canyon, I experienced the same thing. Except I got better gas mileage (around 50 mpg) in the higher altitudes of my trip.
It was explained to me that as you switch your bike "on" a MAP sensor takes a barometric reading and the ECM adjusts the fuel to air ratio, and this is why we experience different mpg's at different altitudes.

I don't know, but could this also help to explain why it is neccessary to stop your bike and restart it, while riding in high altitudes, if you haven't had the faulty ECM replaced???

That's essentially what the dealer told me also. Also explaned that you will only experience the issue if you change altitude, without ever turning off the engine. If you don't experience the issue then don't worry about getting the ECM replaced. And of course if you do experience the issue, just turn the engine off and on again, or get replaced.