keep it in gear when it dies with the clutch out so it keeps the engine spinning.  It takes a few seconds for it to pull the fuel down into the carb.  If your at a slow speed you may not have enough forward motion to keep going until the restart happens. If it's taking more then a few seconds you may have a vacuum leak in either the hose from the right side of the carb going to the vacuum operated petcock or a leaking diaphragm on your petcock which isn't allowing it to open the petcock all the way.

R.F.

Because the stock petcock is vacuum operated,.. it only allows fuel flow when the engine is running...
In the on position, it will run the fuel 'till it can't get anymore, and your bike will still run a bit, as it uses what's in the floatbowl...
Now, the floatbowl is empty, and yer' bike won't start, and without a running engine, the petcock won't flow fuel...

Sooo,... that's where Prime position comes in... it bypasses the vacuum circuit,.. and lets fuel flow down to fill the floatbowl... and then the bike will start...
Having a reserve position on a vacuum petcock, is basically a stupid thing...
so,.. yes... if you run out of gas, switch to Prime...

Sorry to ramble... ...

I have run mine out numerous times at highway speed. I change the petcock to REServe, and in a short time (which seems to be an eternity) the engine catches up again. Of course, I leave it in gear so the engine keeps turning, which in turn produces enough vacuum to operate the petcock. It takes just as long if the petcock is set to PRIme, because the fuel has to flow from the tank to the carburetor and get the fuel bowl at least partly full before the engine will receive fuel and run again. Now, if you are stopped when the fuel runs out, the only choice is PRIme.

Serowbot wrote on 04/09/13 at 20:13:02:


That's cause your so Screwy Serowbot    hehehehe  

No one thinks the simplest answer to the problem is gonna be the correct one now a days,  they have to make it all complicated like.


R.F.

Routy wrote on 04/09/13 at 21:38:50:

Reserve, on, or push?  you don't have to use prime do you?



I got 3 options too!
on, off, reserve.

Thanks for the tips everyone. The first time I ran out and it started sputtering I thought something was wrong with the bike. This was on city streets so I was going a little quick but not highway speeds. I think it was to late by the time I snapped to it being the fuel.

The second time was at highway speed and I figured right away that it was the fuel because I knew I was coming on refill time, but I pulled in the clutch after I flipped it thinking that I had to 'pop' the clutch to make it restart. So it seems if I had left the clutch alone the fuel should have may it down and the bike would restart.

And I can just stay in whatever gear I happen to be in for it to work? Not downshifting until after the bike restarts? Assuming that I've slowed down enough to need a downshift.

As long as the engine is turning, it is making vacuum. But don't crank the throttle wide open waiting for the restart, because that will reduce the vacuum. Just leave the throttle wherever you already had it, and the engine will fire again.