Hi everyone,

I'm new to the Savage world and this is my first post on this forum -- but I'm sure it won't be my last!

Anyway, I just picked up my black S40 '05 from the dealer Friday evening, and rode it home w/o incident. (I've new to Savages, but not new to biking ... I have previous 250cc dirt bike experience.)

On Sunday morning, I got up VERY bright and early to get some practice on the streets while traffic would be at a minimum.

Everything was fine for the first hour or so, but then the bike sputtered to a halt. I didn't think about flipping the reserve switch until I had pulled off onto the shoulder.

Flipped reserve switch. Looked at odometer, which read 35 miles.

Opened up tank, peeked inside. There was certainly enough gas to power me -- about 1/10 of a tank.

Since there was enough gas, I came to the conclusion that my new Thumper had overheated and shut down. It was hot and humid already that morning, but "only" in the high 80s.

I wondered if I had made a big mistake in buying a bike with an air-cooled engine -- if it couldn't handle this weather! Granted, I was doing a lot of stop-and-go maneuvers -- I was practicing, after all. But surely my new bike could handle it, right?

Well, since there was gas in the tank, I switched the fuel switch back to "ON" and tried to start her up. No dice.

Pushed the bike to a nearby city park, parked it in the shade and waited a half an hour. Tried starting her again. No dice.

Then, in a fit of inspiration, I flipped the switch to "Reserve" and tried again. She started right up!

So, long story short (oops, too late for that, eh?), the dealer must not have put a lot of gas in the tank -- I was only at 35 miles, remember? (Note to self: Give dealer an earful!)

I'm glad this didn't turn out to be an overheating issue   , but I now have a question: How does my reserve tank operate?

When I flipped the reserve switch the first time, right after I stalled, did it dump more gas from a separate compartment into the main tank (which explains the amount of gas that I saw when I popped the cap)?

Or, is there really no such thing as two separate compartments (main, reserve) in the tank, but merely two fuel lines leading from the tank to the carb: one located higher up the incline, and one at the very bottom.

In this situation, when most of your gas is gone, the higher up fuel line will start drawing air, but the lower one will still be able to suck gas. And the fuel switch merely switches from one fuel line to the other, giving the illusion of a reserve tank, when there’s really just one big tank.

Anyone know the answer?

Thanks. Tammi

P.S. I’ll try to make my future posts less wordy!

Here's my "embarassed" smiley:  

Sorry everyone.

I hope a mod will move this right away.

P.S. Thanks, mornhm, for the advice.

Welcome aboard

Res/On switching is all done in the fuel valve - it has two pickup tubes the On tube is taller and goes up into the tank a couple of inches higher than the RES tube - so when you switch to RES it's using the shorter tube and just feeding from the bottom of the tank.

Hmm i would think 1/10th of a tank is not alot of gas since your bike only holds 3.2 gal TOPS.  Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy your bike.  I couldnt ask for a better bunch of guys and gals to ask for advice.

mucho butt kissing  

Thought I said that.... but may be not

I'll 2nd that - when I drain the tank while on the kickstand via pri and pull the Petc0ck there's maybe 2 tablespoons left in the tank - not going to push you very far

S-P-O-O-N is censored?  WTF!!

Will someone please fix the swear filter!

Hello again everyone,

Thanks for all the good advice and the answer to my "reserve" tank question. I'm using quotes around "reserve" 'cause it's all just an illusion...  

So, it's just as I thought, then, that there are two fuel intake tubes leading to the carb.

So, when I couldn't believe that I was out of gas after only 35 miles, and saw enough gas in my tank to start me up again, I naturally assumed overheating.

Now I know better, thanks to the confirmations I've received in this thread.

Also, I did take the MSF course in mid-June -- I passed the licensing test, with only five points deducted for entering the 130 degree turn too slowly.

Believe me, I'm smart enough (despite my fuel mishap!) to know that my previous experience on a dirt bike is not sufficient to get me by on the streets. Loved the MSF course, and I practice the techniques (both mental and physical) every time I ride.

I have the S40 owner's manual, and I've been poring over it on a daily basis. I've also ordered the new Clymer manual (through 2004 models), which Amazon says will be published July 31.

Cheers! Tammi