Exactly 128 miles

[AwesomeDad]

Apparently that is when my bike runs out of fuel. Now it wasn’t  intentional and I was watching the trip meter. Now I’ve only had the bike a couple months and only put 2k miles on it so far. I have been calculating 20-25mpg and figured it hasn’t  been ridden Much prior to me getting it and I’ve put several tanks of good gas thru it with an occasional can of sea foam and Techron. I usually would get the sputter around 110-120 miles switch to reserve and pull into the next gas station and fill up about 4.9-5.1 gallons. Last night I had already planned my fuel stop both if I switched to reserve and if I hadn’t both within 5 miles of each other. When I got the sputter at 120 miles I switched to reserve and it never really stopped. I coasted to the side of the road 2 miles from the gas station. So back to filling up between 80-100 miles I guess.

JJ

[shadowsoftime]

On I/S I have gotten 224 with reserve and not run out.

[AwesomeDad]

On I/S I have gotten 224 with reserve and not run out.

I’ve got an IS tank to install this winter, I really thought I could get about 140 to the tank being reasonable with the throttle...

[pancho]

When the carbs are completely clean, synched and adjusted properly, you can expect 37 to 39 MPG when riding normally. On my bike that is 140 to 148 or so  until you need to go to reserve. The more you ride and use a cleaner it should get better, but it took me two rebuilds until I finally got all the passages cleaned out.

[sandy]

When the carbs are completely clean, synched and adjusted properly, you can expect 37 to 39 MPG when riding normally. On my bike that is 140 to 148 or so  until you need to go to reserve. The more you ride and use a cleaner it should get better, but it took me two rebuilds until I finally got all the passages cleaned out.

Me too on this issue.

[rug_burn]

 Yes that sounds about right to be, too    By the time you’ve got it all synched upand running good, you’ll be an expert, or close to it.

[old2soon]

      On my roll yesterday 31.5 M P G. I have run a Full tank on my I/S to reserve in about 121 miles. Let's just say I Was fracturing any and every known speed law in the U S of A.  And to keep It real I did the deed in Il. on I-55 S. When I am touring somewhere bout 150 miles give or take fuel stop and bone stretch/readjustment. I've gotten as high as low 40s M P G-long slow P G R escort and I've stated the worst up top in this reply. Clean properly adjusted carbs and yer right hand have Loads to do with Your M P G along with tire pressure and a multitude of other "stuff"!  RIDE SAFE.

[Willow]

How much you get to reserve is dependent upon fuel mileage AND how full you fill the tank.  I fill mine to the top and 128 would be way low.

The distance from reserve to the bottom of the tank is dependent only on fuel mileage as the distance is constant.  I'm good for 43 miles at 70-75 on my Standard.  It's similar on the Istate.

That assumes and OEM petcock.  If you have an after market the distance on reserve will be different but will still be constant.

Work on that poor fuel mileage or find a way to put more fuel in the tank.

[AwesomeDad]

How much you get to reserve is dependent upon fuel mileage AND how full you fill the tank.  I fill mine to the top and 128 would be way low.

The distance from reserve to the bottom of the tank is dependent only on fuel mileage as the distance is constant.  I'm good for 43 miles at 70-75 on my Standard.  It's similar on the Istate.

That assumes and OEM petcock.  If you have an after market the distance on reserve will be different but will still be constant.

Work on that poor fuel mileage or find a way to put more fuel in the tank.

I have an OEM petcock so I’m wondering if it’s failed and didn’t go to reserve when I switched. 

JJ

[Jess from VA]

The poor mileage generally is tune and carbs (and is one thing), but the short distance of running out (and poorly) soon after going to reserve (is another thing) and makes me think you may have petcock trouble (and may need a coverset repair).  Even with bad MPG, the 1.1gal reserve should do better than you indicated (though you didn't say how many miles you made after switching over).

Guys who run out of gas (or stumble to stall) on half or less tanks often have a kinked vent line too.  Tank been off lately? 

Remember that while it is faint to the touch (esp with gloves), you must feel the OE petcock snick a detent ball into place, to be fully in one of the three positions (on-off-reserve).

I always fill my Valks to the very top, and the last half or 2/3 gallon is on very slow feed (or stop and go).  And, I have mostly ridden all my bikes from full to half then looked for gas.  And like to fill it up before coming home as much as possible.  (Which does not fix any problems, but you run out of gas less this way.)

https://www.partzilla.com/product/honda/16953-MBZ-B51

[AwesomeDad]

The poor mileage generally is tune and carbs (and is one thing), but the short distance of running out (and poorly) soon after going to reserve (is another thing) and makes me think you may have petcock trouble (and may need a coverset repair).  Even with bad MPG, the 1.1gal reserve should do better than you indicated (though you didn't say how many miles you made after switching over).

Guys who run out of gas (or stumble to stall) on half or less tanks often have a kinked vent line too.  Tank been off lately? 

Remember that while it is faint to the touch (esp with gloves), you must feel the OE petcock snick a detent ball into place, to be fully in one of the three positions (on-off-reserve).

I always fill my Valks to the very top, and the last half or 2/3 gallon is on very slow feed (or stop and go).  And, I have mostly ridden all my bikes from full to half then looked for gas.  And like to fill it up before coming home as much as possible.  (Which does not fix any problems, but you run out of gas less this way.)

https://www.partzilla.com/product/honda/16953-MBZ-B51

The poor mileage I’m slowly addressing, Which I thought was improving this tank because I didn’t get a sputter until 120-125 but it didn’t stop when I switched to reserve, My wife put 4.6 gallons in the 5 gallon can she brought me. When I filled up originally I had 82 miles on the trip meter and topped it off with 3.6 gallons. I’m guessing it never switched to reserve. I’ve got a new Petcock in the box. and no I haven’t had the tank off.

JJ

[Jims99]

I usually get 120 till reserve on my tourer, so that sounds about right. The studering after switching to reserve could be a few things. Make sure the fuel line is as straight as possible with no to very little dip. That can catch air and stop fuel flow. Also external filters can also cause flow problems.

[Chrisj CMA]

Ok going on reserve near 130 miles on an OE petcock sounds normal. But that’s with you having near a gallon in reserve so being as you can’t use every drop let’s just say reserve should give you around 30 miles. So 150ish for a stand/tour bike is what you should expect. That’s about what I experienced with a stock valve.

Now I have a non vacuum Pingel so it allows more miles before reserve but only if a few drops on reserve. I hit reserve around 145 or so and get maybe 10 miles on reserve. So, I don’t use reserve anymore I just get gas between 100-130 miles

I too would suspect your petcock is defective if it would not flow fuel on reserve as you described

[yrunvs]

I strapped a gallon of gas onto my Standard with Pingel non vac and filled my gas tank and headed out to see how many miles I'd get on main tank and reserve while riding easy. Main tank started sputtering at 165 miles and reserve started sputtering at 18 miles. I usually get 32 miles per gallon riding spirited and at higher speeds like 75-85 mph and 37 miles per gallon at a contented 60-70 mph.

[WintrSol]

So, I don’t use reserve anymore I just get gas between 100-130 miles

I try to switch to reserve on the way to fill up; that way, junk doesn't build up in the bottom of the tank, especially if the only gas available has ethanol. I just have to remember to switch back after filling.

I really don't know how far I can go before reserve, as I have a belly tank, the stock petcock is modified for it; I just know it's over 200.

[AwesomeDad]

I appreciate all the great replies, I’ve read quite a bit on mpg and will address the carbs this winter, my immediate concern is the pet rooster, the first couple times I tested it worked as advertised sputter between 110-120 switched to reserve and rode on to the next gas station. This is the first time it sputtered switched to reserve and coasted to the side of the road, I’ve got a new OEM might change the whole thing out.

JJ

[Willow]

I appreciate all the great replies, I’ve read quite a bit on mpg and will address the carbs this winter, my immediate concern is the pet rooster, the first couple times I tested it worked as advertised sputter between 110-120 switched to reserve and rode on to the next gas station. This is the first time it sputtered switched to reserve and coasted to the side of the road, I’ve got a new OEM might change the whole thing out.

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

[AwesomeDad]

I appreciate all the great replies, I’ve read quite a bit on mpg and will address the carbs this winter, my immediate concern is the pet rooster, the first couple times I tested it worked as advertised sputter between 110-120 switched to reserve and rode on to the next gas station. This is the first time it sputtered switched to reserve and coasted to the side of the road, I’ve got a new OEM might change the whole thing out.

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

Yes it is but tell that to autocorrect, and if it didn’t quite go into reserve when I stopped and kept fiddling with it I would think it finally would have started up. Wasn’t until I put more gas in it she started and I rode home.

JJ

[The emperor has no clothes]

Petcock is one word.

Well, not always.

[Willow]

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

Yes it is but tell that to autocorrect, and if it didn’t quite go into reserve when I stopped and kept fiddling with it I would think it finally would have started up. Wasn’t until I put more gas in it she started and I rode home. 

The other possibility is that it was on reserve before and you didn't get it quite into the notch for "on".  That would have left it on reserve the whole time you thought it was in the on position.

[John Schmidt]

Petcock is one word.

Well, not always.

Wow, that's some huge chicken legs....and only two of them. Imagine how fast he could run if he was the 3-legged one in the old salesman joke. 

[AwesomeDad]

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

Yes it is but tell that to autocorrect, and if it didn’t quite go into reserve when I stopped and kept fiddling with it I would think it finally would have started up. Wasn’t until I put more gas in it she started and I rode home. 

The other possibility is that it was on reserve before and you didn't get it quite into the notch for "on".  That would have left it on reserve the whole time you thought it was in the on position.

Doesn’t the transition from reserve to off then on prevent that?

JJ

[Chrisj CMA]

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

Yes it is but tell that to autocorrect, and if it didn’t quite go into reserve when I stopped and kept fiddling with it I would think it finally would have started up. Wasn’t until I put more gas in it she started and I rode home. 

The other possibility is that it was on reserve before and you didn't get it quite into the notch for "on".  That would have left it on reserve the whole time you thought it was in the on position.

Doesn’t the transition from reserve to off then on prevent that?

JJ

Nope, one of the hazards of the stock petcock is that if you don’t have that little ball clicked into a detent then everything can be open regardless of the position of the switch.

That could explain how you could have been running effectively on reserve but it does not explain “running out of fuel “ at 120 miles.

[AwesomeDad]

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

Yes it is but tell that to autocorrect, and if it didn’t quite go into reserve when I stopped and kept fiddling with it I would think it finally would have started up. Wasn’t until I put more gas in it she started and I rode home. 

The other possibility is that it was on reserve before and you didn't get it quite into the notch for "on".  That would have left it on reserve the whole time you thought it was in the on position.

Doesn’t the transition from reserve to off then on prevent that?

JJ

Nope, one of the hazards of the stock petcock is that if you don’t have that little ball clicked into a detent then everything can be open regardless of the position of the switch.

That could explain how you could have been running effectively on reserve but it does not explain “running out of fuel “ at 120 miles.

I’ve got distinct clicks in all three positions, one thing I have not been doing is fueling in the on position because I’m so used to key off fuel off when I stop never thought about fueling.

JJ

[Chrisj CMA]

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

Yes it is but tell that to autocorrect, and if it didn’t quite go into reserve when I stopped and kept fiddling with it I would think it finally would have started up. Wasn’t until I put more gas in it she started and I rode home. 

The other possibility is that it was on reserve before and you didn't get it quite into the notch for "on".  That would have left it on reserve the whole time you thought it was in the on position.

Doesn’t the transition from reserve to off then on prevent that?

JJ

Nope, one of the hazards of the stock petcock is that if you don’t have that little ball clicked into a detent then everything can be open regardless of the position of the switch.

That could explain how you could have been running effectively on reserve but it does not explain “running out of fuel “ at 120 miles.

I’ve got distinct clicks in all three positions, one thing I have not been doing is fueling in the on position because I’m so used to key off fuel off when I stop never thought about fueling.

JJ

It makes absolutely no difference whatsoever what position the switch is in during fueling. Only while running

[AwesomeDad]

On not going to reserve don't blame the petcock too quickly.  That's highly unlikely as that's not how they normally fail.  It's more likely that you didn't quite get it in the notch for reserve.

Petcock is one word.

Yes it is but tell that to autocorrect, and if it didn’t quite go into reserve when I stopped and kept fiddling with it I would think it finally would have started up. Wasn’t until I put more gas in it she started and I rode home. 

The other possibility is that it was on reserve before and you didn't get it quite into the notch for "on".  That would have left it on reserve the whole time you thought it was in the on position.

Doesn’t the transition from reserve to off then on prevent that?

JJ

Nope, one of the hazards of the stock petcock is that if you don’t have that little ball clicked into a detent then everything can be open regardless of the position of the switch.

That could explain how you could have been running effectively on reserve but it does not explain “running out of fuel “ at 120 miles.

I’ve got distinct clicks in all three positions, one thing I have not been doing is fueling in the on position because I’m so used to key off fuel off when I stop never thought about fueling.

JJ

It makes absolutely no difference whatsoever what position the switch is in during fueling. Only while running

Good to know there was just a lot of discussion on it when searching petcock failure....