Pitcock question

[0leman]

Sunday I went for a ride (total over 380 miles).  At one point in the ride, Valk started stumbling so switch to reserve.   That stopped that problem.  I filled up about 10 miles down the road.  I could only put in 5.6 gallons of gas (filled to the top while bike upright).  This was the first time since I bought her that had to switch to reserve (got her in 2008).   She is an Interstate with 118K miles.

My question is for pitcock experts, at what point does your Valkyrie go on reserve?   Is 5.6 gallons about normal for those who have to go on reserve?   

My pitcock is OEM.

Just curious

[Jess from VA]

Officially, the IS tank is 6.9 gallons, and reserve is 1.1 gallons; so you should go to reserve at 5.8 gallons.  

Now many do not fill to the tippy top much of the time, and it takes a while to stumble enough to need reserve (with all the gas below the tank/petcock in the fuel system), and most people have to use up some more gas on reserve to get to the station (you said 10 miles).  So 5.6 gallons seems right in the realm of normal to me.  

You know, it's not a bad idea to go to reserve at least once in a while, just to make sure all is well.

Some guys will fill up, then set it to reserve for 50-60 miles, just to draw from the bottom of the tank (where the gook might be), but you must remember to switch back to run (from reserve) after that 50-60 miles.  If you don't, you won't have any reserve.

I always reset one of my (two) tripmeters at every fill-up, and usually get to about 220 miles before I need reserve.  But it has happened sooner on occasion (hi speeds, headwinds).  This is actually more reliable than the stupid Interstate flashing led on the dash... I will go back and forth from two bars to flashing, to one bar to flashing, then solid flashing... after which I am nervous as hell, so I rely more on my tripmeter than my gas gauge at and below the flashing led.

The other good trick with the Interstate, is to set your second tripmeter to 0 as soon as you actually switch to reserve (NOT the flashing Led).  If you have some idea of your average mileage, then you have 1.1 gal X your MPG left.  Not only do I start riding like grandma on the throttle (if I don't know where I will get gas), but I tell myself I must get gas in 30 miles (I always do better than 30MPG, but estimate lower for safely getting to more gas). 

Experience tells me, I am looking all over for a gas stations, and I forget how many miles I was at when I switched to reserve.  Using the 2d tripmeter makes that idiot-proof. 

[Chrisj CMA]

Sounds like to me your PETCOCK is working just fine.

[0leman]

Thanks for the replies.

I normally run on 55 mph roads and get somewhere around 37 mpg.  I have gone 190 plus miles without hitting the reserve.   On Sunday, was on a rare for Oregon 65 mph road.  Plus there was a fairly good head wind on the last half of the tank.  So hit reserve for the first time.  I was just wondering about amount of gas I put in.   Due to not many gas stations where I normally ride, I try to gas up between 170 and 180 miles or before.

I use the gas gauge for an idea of how my mpg is doing.  I agree with Jess, the gauge was going from two bars to blinking after switching to reserve. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

I use the gas gauge for an idea of how my mpg is doing.  I agree with Jess, the gauge was going from two bars to blinking after switching to reserve. 

Mine has long quit switching from 2 bars to blinking before I need to turn to reserve. I will usually go close to 30 miles of solid blinking before I need reserve.