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Message started by jrm8486 on 03/03/08 at 15:19:20

Title: Gas tank capacity?
Post by jrm8486 on 03/03/08 at 15:19:20

Tried to do a search but couldn't find it. Anyone?

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by ALfromN.H. on 03/03/08 at 15:23:04

not nearly enough.........2.8 gals.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by jrm8486 on 03/03/08 at 15:23:44

Thank You!

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Educatedredneck on 03/03/08 at 23:51:22

Ya and your hitting the reserve after about 2 gallons - 120 miles if your lucky!!! ;)

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Paladin. on 03/04/08 at 06:03:47

Exactly 2.93 gallons to bone dry, according to the pump I pushed it to.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by drharveys on 03/04/08 at 15:45:33

30010C0104090E600 wrote:

Exactly 2.93 gallons to bone dry, according to the pump I pushed it to.

Now that's a dedicated researcher!

When you set off to verify your results, you might want to bring along an extra quart of gas in one of those backpacker stove fuel bottles!

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Paladin. on 03/04/08 at 16:25:18

5F49535A494D5E42483B0 wrote:

[quote author=30010C0104090E600 link=1204586360/0#4 date=1204639427]Exactly 2.93 gallons to bone dry, according to the pump I pushed it to.

Now that's a dedicated researcher!

When you set off to verify your results, you might want to bring along an extra quart of gas in one of those backpacker stove fuel bottles![/quote]
More of a strong reminder to switch the petcock back to vertical just before, while, or immediately after filling the tank.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by vroom1776 on 03/04/08 at 18:17:46

6568666632040 wrote:

not nearly enough.........2.8 gals.

I aint goin more than 100 or so miles b4 takin a break... don't care what bike I'm on....

now, on the other hand... on a road trip through desolation... yeah, now the tank's too small...

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Jack_650 on 03/05/08 at 08:25:55

I can confirm the "check your petc0ck" when you on run reserve and fill up. I've got almost a nine gallons capacity between both tanks and I still ran out of gas. ONCE! I hope.

I didn't reset the valve on the front tank after filling it. I always run a gallon or so out of the front tank and then switch to the back one to run it near empty before switching back to the front. Since the back tank has no reserve valve I feel safer running the last part on the front tank. Doesn't help though if the reserve is on and you get to the bottom.

JC

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Gary On A Savage on 03/05/08 at 08:59:46

604B4941751C1F1A2A0 wrote:

Jack,

Are you running a stock petcock (with vacuum) on your primary tank? I fitted a 2 gallon aux tank on the back of my bike with a T adaptor on the main fuel line, and a cutoff between the aux and the T. I'm using the stock petcock with the vacuum and I end draining the main tank before the aux tank. With the stock petcock, there is no true "off" setting. I'm thinking I need to change the petcock or add a cutoff.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Jack_650 on 03/06/08 at 08:08:22

I've got a five gallon tank on the front, a Sportster with the Harley petc0ck valve. I have a four gallon aux tank on the back with an inline cut-off valve under the left back side of the seat. If I try running with both tanks on at the same time the rear tank runs into the front tank causing an overflow around the front cap as the rear tank is higher than the front.

I run the front tank for an hour or so to drain it down some as there's quite a bit of expansion of the gas from the engine heat. If I've filled up pretty high it will overflow pretty soon. I can guess-timate easily to not overfill the back tank on hot days 'cause I can see right into it, but the front tank is a lot harder to see where the "too-much" point is.

Jack

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Savage Chick on 03/10/08 at 21:29:07

Dad and I were just discussing the positions on the petcock. Ya'll say there is no real OFF....
So, when I'm not riding, should it be pointing to the PRI...and what does that mean??
I admit...I don't have an owner's manual...and while I've downloaded the manual from here...I don't have an adobe reader on this computer (it's dad's ancient computer...and I can't download the adobe reader to it...gotta move the file to my laptop tomorrow.)

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Robertomoe on 03/10/08 at 21:37:36

it should be straight up and down when it's sitting.

Get it off PRI ASAP. Prime is gravity fed. Its nice because if your vacuum system fails (like mine likes to do sometimes) PRI will be there to back it up. RES is for sucking the last drops out of the tank. If you leave the bike parked on PRI, gas can flood through the carb and into the cylinder, making its way into the oil, which is bad.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Savage Chick on 03/10/08 at 21:51:07

Dad and I actually argued about where to put it. I wanted it on On, dad wanted it on PRI...he won... :-X

Since I posted the above message I went ahead and moved the manual file to my laptop and was reading it. Ran out the door, and moved the switch. It's been sitting like that for about 5 hours though. :'( Will I have problems??
I can't wait to tell dad I was right!! ;D

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Savage Chick on 03/10/08 at 21:51:52

Oh, and THANK YOU!!!! :-*

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Robertomoe on 03/10/08 at 22:56:56

I dont think it should be a problem. Those with more experience would know better than me.

It's deceiving because "On" only runs when the bike is running, so when it's off, the On becomes off....I guess

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Savage Chick on 03/10/08 at 23:09:57

that's totally confusing...yet I get it. ;D

Thanks. ::)

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by T Mack 1 on 03/11/08 at 03:08:36

The way the petcock works is considered a "safety" feature. Old style bikes with on-off petcocks, are easy to oops and forget to switch it off. Which, due to the imperfect real world, can lead to the carb overflowing. The vacuum triggered action of our petcock is suppose to stop that forgetfulness. :-?

But........ if the bike sits long enough the gas can evaporate out of the carb. When starting in this condition, the vacuum switch doesn't stay open long enough to get gas in the carb fuel bowl. Thus, there is the PRI or 'prime' postion to flow fuel into the carb before starting. Flow it for a little then switch to on.

In the ON position, there is a small tube that raises the inlet up a bit so that when riding and you get to that level and "run out" of fuel, you can switch to RES (reserve) and have 0.6 gallons to get to a gas station.

The "run out" of fuel manifests itself two ways. In "city" stop & go driving, you will notice the idle RPM's dropping, then just a couple of minutes later you will start to have the "blah" no power when hitting the throttle, and/or a bucking or mis-fire condition. On highway cruising, you go right to the Blah/bucking/ mis-fire.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Trippah on 03/11/08 at 05:42:49

and it can run out at the most inoppertune times..like cutting into traffic. You should consider stopping for fuel at each 100 miles travelled. Some folks use a counter, i try to stop each time the odometer clicks another 100 miles travelled. Have fun.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Paladin. on 03/11/08 at 06:06:34

485A4D5A5C5E58535258503B0 wrote:

Dad ... wanted it on PRI...he won... :-X ... Will I have problems??....

The carb has to have some sort of mechanism to stop gasoline flow, else it would be flooding all the time. If this mechanism leaks slightly it makes no matter while running, but will flood while sitting. Leaving on PRI might cause gasoline leakage if the carb is slighly faulty. Otherwise, the big problem with running on ON with the REServe available is that you will not run the tank completely dry and you will never know what your actual tank capacity is.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by verslagen1 on 03/11/08 at 07:17:33

71404D4045484F210 wrote:

Otherwise, the big problem with running on ON with the REServe available is that you will not run the tank completely dry and you will never know what your actual tank capacity is.

Running in the "On" position, you will have reserve so that when you run out of gas in the "On" position, you don't have to push your bike to the nearest gas station.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Robertomoe on 03/11/08 at 12:05:43

so Im wondering, why couldn't the ON feature run just like the RES and suck the last drops, or is it a safety feature so you know that you're low on gas?

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by verslagen1 on 03/11/08 at 12:21:57

It depends on how far do you want to push your bike?
If you got a gas station on every block and can coast up to a pump upon luck, then remove the plastic screen from your petcock and let us know how it works for you.

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by drharveys on 03/11/08 at 14:15:13

OK, here's what a two-cylinder bike sounds like when one cylinder is full of gas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HDp32VFMsI

The Hyosung has no petcock, but a vacuum operated gas switch. The diaphragm failed on a regular basis, and when it did, one cylinder would fill with gas. Not only did this make it hard to start, but it would pee a bunch of liquid gas right in front of the rear tire. This produced interesting handling characteristics, as well as a bit of a fire hazard.

That's the bike I traded in on the Savage!

I made the video to show my dealer what the problem was. By the time I would trailer the bike 90 miles to him, the fuel switch would jiggle enough to work. Then, once I got it back home, the problem would pop up again.

If the Savage vacuum switch ever fails, this board has a number of threads telling how to make the petcock manual!

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by Savage Chick on 03/11/08 at 15:01:01

thanks guys for all the great info!!

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by barry68v10 on 03/11/08 at 18:43:49

If you want to drain your tank completely and pick up an extra half pint or so of fuel....

REMOVE YOUR TANK SCREEN COMPLETELY!

Makes for some interesting "Paladin-like" experiences. ;D

Pushed my bike 2 miles to the next gas station before I implemented my "lock system" trip odometer :D

Title: Re: Gas tank capacity?
Post by steely on 03/11/08 at 18:49:15

283A2D3A3C3E38333238305B0 wrote:

Since I posted the above message I went ahead and moved the manual file to my laptop and was reading it. Ran out the door, and moved the switch. It's been sitting like that for about 5 hours though. :'( Will I have problems??

Provided that the float, needle, and seat is functioning properly on your carb, you will not have any problems at all. When I bought my '82 suzy, the petcock was malfunctioning and had been left on prime. The needle seat was bad as well, and I ended up with a crankcase full of gas. Fortunately, I got a whiff of gas when I opened the oil cap and knew to change the oil. You should be just fine, but if you are really paranoid, you might want to take a sniff at your oil fill hole. If you smell gas, change the oil and filter and plan on replacing your needle and seat in your carb .