How does the RESERVE fuel-tank work?
Ivan D. Reid
p...@oscar.zis.ziff.com (Mene mene tekel upharsin) writes...
>Today, I ran out of gas so I flipped the fuel valve
>around to RESERVE, but it didn't help; there wasn't
>any fuel there either.
>So, I'm trying to picture this. When I fill up,
>the fuel flows into both the main and reserve
>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
>on reserve until it runs dry, then my main
>tank is still full, right?
No. The fuel-tank arrangement depends what you're riding (Jap-crap ,
I hope :-). Most bikes don't have a separate reserve tank per se, just outlets
at two different heights. So when your fuel level hits the level of the higher
pipe, that's the end of your "main" supply and you switch to the lower
outlet for "reserve". Disadvantages of this system are that water and crud
collect in the lowest portion so you get a good shot of gunk into the carbs
when you switch to reserve (my 600 does this -- seems to get water in the
tank during very heavy rain). It also means that if you leave it on reserve,
you get all of the fuel through the lower outlet and when you run out, there's
nothing left! I think there are some bikes which take reserve as
one side of the "saddle" over the mainframe, so main is all the upper volume
plus one side of the saddle, and reserve is the other side of the saddle.
This would mean that reserve is whatever side the petcock _isn't_ switched
to when the fuel level gets down to the saddle! -- and also that reserve
isn't necessarily replenished unless you fill to above the saddle-point (pun
for any reaction-kineticists out there :-). This arrangement would tend
to let gunk into the carbs straight away.
Then again, there may be some bikes that do have a physically separate
reserve tank, but I don't recall seeing any. They're probably based on
decades-old designs. ;-)
Ivan Reid, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH. iv...@cvax.psi.ch
GSX600F, RG250WD. SI=2.66 "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".
Jon Costa
e tekel upharsin) writes:
>
>Today, I ran out of gas so I flipped the fuel valve
>around to RESERVE, but it didn't help; there wasn't
>couple of days ago w/my RESERVE fuel by accident,
>though.
>
>I used to think that the reserve tank would always
>remain full as long as there was fuel in the
>main tank, but now it appears that they are more
>separate than I thought.
>
>So, I'm trying to picture this. When I fill up,
>the fuel flows into both the main and reserve
>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
>on reserve until it runs dry, then my main
>tank is still full, right?
/-------[_]-----\
| |
| |
| |
|^^|^^^^^^^^^^^^|
\__|____________/
Y
Wrong, the gas supply is the same for reserve. By turning the petcock to
reserve you switch from a tube that is about 1.5" inches or so above the
bottom of the gas tank to taking gas from the bottom.
-- Jon DoD#1830
Mene mene tekel upharsin
Robert S. Fourney
a "reserve" [vs "dual tanks"]) that I have ever seen (note disclamer) has
a single tank, but draws fuel from two different levels. So, you could not
"use up" your reserve without using up your main tank. You could have used
up your main and part of reserve (while on reserve), then switched to main
and ran on what was in the bowls for awhile (thinking you were on main), then
switch to reserve and find nothing left.
Two hints, 2 questions, three items total:
Once you run out of reserve you can often tip the bike way over to the
petcock side and get some gas from the other side of the split tank.
In daily commuting, I rarely need to go onto reserve. (The weather here
is subject to change, I like to put it away full unless I am absolutley
sure I'm riding the next day). To avoid old dead dirty gas living in my
tank forever, I often switch to reserve after I fill up to use up some of
the "bottom gas" (also where the water wants to go). I work about 20 miles
from home, so I figure if I get gas at work I can't run out or forget to
switch back to main (before I run out). Is there any other potential down-
side to this practice (other than forgetting and REALLY running out)
On the wifes bike, (CM450E) she goes on reserve after about 2.3 gallons
(120 so miles) but I have noticed when draining her tank that it takes
3.7 gallons till reserve runs out--that is, her reserve is almost as large
as her main. To those of you with similar bikes, you may want to (first
verify this on your own bike) shorten the petcock stem so that you have,
say 3 gallons of main and .7 reserve (keeping in mind that .7 gallons will
get you 40 some miles on this bike. I never did this to her bike, since
her bladder capacity/range << bike capacity/range.
Bob fourney
John Knobel
Green - APE, Advanced Products Engineer) wrote:
>
[ deletion ]
>
> There is only one tank. The fuel flows into little tubes sticking up
> in the bottom of the tank. There are two tubes, a tall one and a short
> one. The petcock selects between the two tubes. The tall one is
> selected when the petcock points to ON (or MAIN, or whatever), and the
> short one is selected when the petcock points to RESERVE.
[ deletion ]
>
> It gets more complicated, like on big ugly bikes that have a gas tank
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> that folds over the frame, forming two compartments in the tank, and
> have two petcocks that hook together under the seat and all, but the
> above is the generic description of how reserve works on most
> motorcycles.
>
> ---
> Ed Green Ed.G...@East.Sun.COM DoD #0111 (919)460-8302
You Sir have just impuned the character of my beloved Norton's!! I demand
satisfaction !!! I expect a number of Triumph, BSA, Matchless....riders
would take similar umbrage. (if they're nit-pickers that is)
I make no claim that Norton's are superior, or even as good as, anything
else, BUT....this is the first time I have heard someone say they're
ugly!!!!
*** Take that back !!!
***
*** I leak oil in your general direction,....you're not fit to "tickle an
*** Amal".. and similar flamage!!!! :) :)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
John Knobel j...@mitre.org
Statements do not represent the view or position of the MITRE Corp.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Green - APE, Advanced Products Engineer
>In article <2nsb1d$i...@dr-pepper.East.Sun.COM>, egr...@East.Sun.COM (Ed
>Green - APE, Advanced Products Engineer) wrote:
>>
>> It gets more complicated, like on big ugly bikes that have a gas tank
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> that folds over the frame, forming two compartments in the tank, and
>> have two petcocks that hook together under the seat and all,
>
No, I didn't. I provided an accurate reference to my GS.
> I demand satisfaction !!!
Take it up with Mick Jagger.
John W. Markus
>>Today, I ran out of gas so I flipped the fuel valve
>>around to RESERVE, but it didn't help; there wasn't
>>any fuel there either. I did ride around a bit a
>>couple of days ago w/my RESERVE fuel by accident,
>>though.
Jon Costa writes:
> /-------[_]-----\
> | |
> | |
> | |
> |^^|^^^^^^^^^^^^|
> \__|____________/
> Y
>Wrong, the gas supply is the same for reserve. By turning the petcock to
>reserve you switch from a tube that is about 1.5" inches or so above the
>bottom of the gas tank to taking gas from the bottom.
That's the way all the tanks on my bikes are. If you run the carbs
dry though, it will take a while for gas to get to them once the
reserve is switched to.
You (Mene) say that there was no fuel? On my suzuki, the petcock has a
little arrow and long handle. The arrow points to the reserve or main
tank, whereas I thought that the handle pointed to it. (At least I
wasn't far from a gas station when I found this out :-) You might
want to check yours to be sure.
Ex.
_/-\__________
Reserve <_ __________| Main
\-/
This means Reserve (At least on my TC).
John-
_______________________________________________________________________
| | | |
|John Markus (jma...@drmail.att.com)| DoD | '72 Suzuki TC185 |
| System Test- AT&T Laboratories | | '85 Honda XR350 |
| Denver, Co |#0988| '92 Yamaha Seca II |
|____________________________________|_____|__________________________|
| Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are mine and mine alone, |
| But they could be yours too for a small fee! :) |
|_____________________________________________________________________|
Mark Howard
Quoting P...@oscar.Zis.Ziff.Com (mene Mene Tekel Upharsin)refer#: None
who posted a message about How does the RESERVE fuel-tank work?:
+-------------------------------+
>Today, I ran out of gas so I flipped the fuel valve
>around to RESERVE, but it didn't help; there wasn't
>any fuel there either. I did ride around a bit a
>couple of days ago w/my RESERVE fuel by accident,
>though.
>
>remain full as long as there was fuel in the
>main tank, but now it appears that they are more
>separate than I thought.
>
>So, I'm trying to picture this. When I fill up,
>the fuel flows into both the main and reserve
>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
>on reserve until it runs dry, then my main
>tank is still full, right?
The reserve is not a separate tank. The main fuel line feeds from the
bottom of your tank, about an inch and a half above the reserve fuel
line. It looks something like this. ^^^^^
______
Gas Cap---> _/_______\_________
,--------^ ^\, Front
/^ ^\,
/^ ^\
,/^-^-^-^-^-^-^-Fuel Level^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-|
,/ |
Seat / <-- Main ,/
(_ _||_________________________________ _,/
Reserve->|| ||
____||_||__
| Fuel |
| Petcock |____
|-------------- To Engine
The problem may have been with you reserve tank line or the petcock
(what you called the "fuel valve").
You also, don't want to ride on reserve for long!
I have heard that if you tip your bike to the left real hard, it sloshes
more gas over to the side that the gas feeds from and you can get an
extra mile or two! (Good to know if you are faced with walking or
pushing your bike for that last mile or two!)
I personally always try to refill at 1/2 to 3/4 tank. Ever since I had
to push for 2 miles once. My friend rides on reserve all the time so, I
have to carry a short piece of fishtank hose in my saddle-bag. He runs
out frequently! I might say.. "Hey, I'm running on reserve" and he says
"Ok, I'm running on a slosh!"
Take it easy!
<<< Mark >>>
*Hmmmm!* Motorcycle riders do it in the fast lane!
* WCLawNet: Motorcycle Happenings BBS * Concord, CA * (510)676-7872 *
Fredstev
Well, if its a Triumph, the vibration ensures that both sides of the tank are
drawn down evenly. When you run the main down to the point the engine quits,
you usually have just enough left on the reserve side to get you onto the
shoulder of the road. The voice of experience has spoken. . . .
Fredstev
Markus) writes:
Most BMW's work the same way, its hard to tell if you are supposed to point the
almost invisible arrow on the lever or the big petcock handle in the reserve
position. Instructions are in Krautese, naturally.
Steve Galle
: In article 1434...@oscar.zis.ziff.com, p...@oscar.zis.ziff.com (Mene mene tekel upharsin) writes:
: There is only one tank. The fuel flows into little tubes sticking up
: in the bottom of the tank. There are two tubes, a tall one and a short
: one. The petcock selects between the two tubes. The tall one is
: selected when the petcock points to ON (or MAIN, or whatever), and the
: short one is selected when the petcock points to RESERVE.
: If you select the main "tank" (actually tube) when you fill up, and
: leave it there, then when your main tank "runs out," it just means the
: gas is at/below the level of the tall tube. It should still be
: covering the shorter tube. You switch to RESERVE to get gas from the
: short tube, and start looking for a gas station.
The FZ has a pretty neat trick for it's reserve. There is only one tube
coming out of the tank. There is a sensor in the tank that lets a relay
know when the fuel drops below a certain level, at which time it shuts
off the fuel pump. The reserve switch overrides the sensor, and turns the
pump back on. This let them mount the switch within easy reach without
nightmarish plumbing hacks. Then there was the Magna with no reserve. What a
treat that was...
: ---
: Ed Green Ed.G...@East.Sun.COM DoD #0111 (919)460-8302
--
Steve Galle DoD# 1130, KotEGFCL.
ste...@wavefront.wti.com '86 FZ750 EGFC #003
*** coming soon! -> '91 FZR1000 ***
Tracy
rz8...@mcvax2.d48.lilly.com wrote:
>
> In article <5APR94....@oscar.zis.ziff.com>, p...@oscar.zis.ziff.com (Mene mene tekel upharsin) writes:
> >
> > Today, I ran out of gas so I flipped the fuel valve
> > around to RESERVE, but it didn't help; there wasn't
> > any fuel there either. I did ride around a bit a
> > couple of days ago w/my RESERVE fuel by accident,
> > though.
> >
> the petcock, I foud that BOTH tubes/screens had come off the petcock and
> were laying in the tank. This allowed gas to be drawn from the bottom of the
> tank regardless of what the petcock was set at. This not only stranded me
> with no gas, but caused me to have to clean out the carbs to remove the
> crud that had found its way from the bottom of the tank. I glued the tubes
> back in their respective holes and everythink worked fine.
>
> Bill
Same problem with my '86 Yam Radian. Thanks for the clue on what might be
wrong with it...and a cure too.
Tracy
Kristyn Geenwood
The Honda Magna's have two separate tanks. When you run out of gas on one,
an idiot light comes on and the bike pumps gas out of the reserve tank(below
the seat). When you run out of that tank, thats it. And you get no warning
(like an engine cough).
-glenn.
===========================================================================
Glenn Schmall - ast...@armory.com | Do not cross the oncoming lanes of
R65 from hell - beaming to cafe near | death that are california's highways.
you! Yeah I got a DOD#, so what? | -SJ Mercury News
===========================================================================
Rick Clarke
>In article 1434...@oscar.zis.ziff.com, p...@oscar.zis.ziff.com (Mene mene
>>So, I'm trying to picture this. When I fill up,
>>the fuel flows into both the main and reserve
>>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
>>on reserve until it runs dry, then my main
>>tank is still full, right?
>No.
>There is only one tank. The fuel flows into little tubes sticking up
>in the bottom of the tank. There are two tubes, a tall one and a short
>one. The petcock selects between the two tubes. The tall one is
>selected when the petcock points to ON (or MAIN, or whatever), and the
>short one is selected when the petcock points to RESERVE.
...
My FZR doesn't appear to have two tubes. Instead there is a level sensor in
the tank that shuts off the fuel pump when the fuel gets a few inches from the
bottom. The reserve switch bypasses the sensor to restart the fuel pump. I
don't know if this arrangement is a step forward or what.
RPC
|Rick Clarke (cla...@bdrc.bd.com) |Does my employer stand behind what|
|"still waiting for a good quote" | I say? |
|RTP, NC, USA DoD#5811 |Not in this universe. |
John Stafford
Look, this is FAQ for those who don't have a clue regarding
the Reserve Tank. Open your gas cap. Look at the rim. See
the little hole by the big hole? That's how you fill your
reserve. Get a tiny funnel, pour a gallon of gas into it
and you have refilled the reserve. Please ignore the quantity
of fuel dumped at your feet - it is a normal effect.
--
john stafford winona state university - academic computing
P.M. Smith
>My FZR doesn't appear to have two tubes. Instead there is a level sensor in
>the tank that shuts off the fuel pump when the fuel gets a few inches from the
>bottom. The reserve switch bypasses the sensor to restart the fuel pump. I
>don't know if this arrangement is a step forward or what.
Let's see. You replace a very simple valve and a short piece of tubing
with a sensor, a fuel pump, and a switch to override the sensor.
I'd call that "or what".
--
P.M. Smith
"Team Smitty"
Phil Ritzenthaler
>
>Ex.
> _/-\__________
> Reserve <_ __________| Main
> \-/
>
>This means Reserve (At least on my TC).
_/-\__________
/ -> |
Reserve \_ __________| Main
\-/
Ah, standards . . . look at the little -> . . . on my Kawa, this means
MAIN . . .
--
Phil Ritzenthaler The Ohio State University
Systems Administrator Advanced Computing Center for the Arts & Design (ACCAD)
OSU USENIX Rep. INTERNET: ph...@cgrg.ohio-state.edu
DoD: #1716 (voice) 614-292-3416 (fax) 614-292-7776
Bill Slack
(Mene mene tekel upharsin) writes:
>the fuel flows into both the main and reserve
>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
>on reserve until it runs dry, then my main
>tank is still full, right?
Right. You bet.
/¦
------/ ¦
/ ¦
/ ¦
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
¦
:
: /\
¿ /0 \//
\ /\\
\/
Bill
__
w...@gozer.mv.com (Bill Slack) DoD #0430
But her tears were shed in vain and her every word was lost
In the rumble of his engine and the smoke from his exhaust! Oo..o&o
George Lyle (233789)
Hard to tell? Down is on. Up is reserve. Any other position
if off. Are you paying attention? Virtually every bike is
down for on. You also forgot to complain about
having taps on both sides of the tank. You actually have
to turn them both on before you can ride! What a lot of work! :-)
Actually the Beemer practice of having both forward and back
being off is handy. Normally I turn the gas off by rotating
the lever aft. If I am on reserve, however, I use the forward
off position. This reminds me that I am on reserve so I can
remedy the situation.
George Lyle, R100RT, Wherever you go... There you are!
Laszlo Nemeth
George Lyle (233789) <gl...@marie.seas.ucla.edu> wrote:
>In article <2nuk12$2...@search01.news.aol.com>, fred...@aol.com (Fredstev) writes:
>|> In article <Cnt9I...@bigtop.dr.att.com>, jma...@elvis.dr.att.com (John W.
>|> Markus) writes:
>|>
>|> Most BMW's work the same way, its hard to tell if you are supposed to point the
>|> almost invisible arrow on the lever or the big petcock handle in the reserve
>|> position. Instructions are in Krautese, naturally.
>
>Hard to tell? Down is on. Up is reserve. Any other position
>if off. Are you paying attention? Virtually every bike is
actually bmw changed it so some bikes up is primary and on others
down is primary.
>down for on. You also forgot to complain about
>having taps on both sides of the tank. You actually have
>to turn them both on before you can ride! What a lot of work! :-)
i dunno bout your bike but EVERY bmw R bike i have seen (singles
need not apply) uses a cross over through the air intake. this
is a feature as it allows the effective use of 2 reserves
laz
Ed Green - APE, Advanced Products Engineer
> [BMW motorcycle petcocks]
>You also forgot to complain about
>having taps on both sides of the tank. You actually have
>to turn them both on before you can ride!
The late model GS's, at least, have taps on both sides, but you only
need to turn one of them on to ride. They're connected by a tube going
under the seat, so one tap feeds both carbs. This means you basically
get two reserve tanks. Turn one tap for reserve, then when it's dry,
turn the other one for the little bit of gas that got trapped on that
side where the tank folds over the frame.
Brian Keith Michalk
>(Mene mene tekel upharsin) writes:
Okay, so we have reserve, prime, on, off, etc, and so forth.
My Yamaha must be one of those broken ones because it runs no matter
which setting its on. But anyway, why is there even an off position?
Is there anything to be gained by turning off the fuel when not riding?
Brian
A
>
>
>
--
If you love something, set it free.
If it doesn't come back,
hunt it down and kill it.
Cameron Scott Penner
>>In article <5APR94....@oscar.zis.ziff.com> p...@oscar.zis.ziff.com
>>(Mene mene tekel upharsin) writes:
>>>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
><snippety-snip-snip>
>
>Okay, so we have reserve, prime, on, off, etc, and so forth.
>
>My Yamaha must be one of those broken ones because it runs no matter
>which setting its on. But anyway, why is there even an off position?
>Is there anything to be gained by turning off the fuel when not riding?
>
>Brian
>
It may be like the one on my Yammie. Down is on, up is reserve, and middle
is prime. It's a vaccuum operated off, so you never need bother switching
it. (or forgetting to turn it back on). As long as you don't leave it on
prime you shouldn't puke gas all over your nice living room floor. (OK so
some of us have preferred parking...)
-Kam
Ed Green - APE, Advanced Products Engineer
>
>But anyway, why is there even an off position?
>Is there anything to be gained by turning off the fuel when not riding?
Most modern bikes have either a vacuum operated mechanism or a solinoid
to turn the petcock to off automatically when you turn the ignition
off, and turn it back on. On older bikes, you had to do it by hand.
The reason is to prevent fuel from continuously flowing into the carb
float bowls, where it either leaks out or evaporates.
I'd say that was the original purpose for having a petcock, and some
clever engineer realized you could implement a "reserve" system by
adding a tube and a slightly different valve to an existing mechanism.
One of our resident Olde Pharts will have to verify this...
Chris Steinbroner
: Open your gas cap. Look at the rim. See
: the little hole by the big hole? That's how you fill your
: reserve. Get a tiny funnel, pour a gallon of gas into it
: and you have refilled the reserve. Please ignore the quantity
: of fuel dumped at your feet - it is a normal effect.
i tried this once (hey, i'm no newbie, i heard about John's fix
long ago), but it didn't seem to work -- i was only able to get
moving for a mile, two at most. maybe i did it wrong or something --
some of the gas accidentally fell into the big hole. maybe that's
what i did wrong?
but i also remembered reading that only the dealer can refill the
reserve (the net is a great place to get good info!) so i lifted
the tank off, took it into the dealer, and he gave me a replacement.
they even filled up the main tank for me, gratis. now i'm very
careful not to go more than 100 miles on a tank because i don't
want to risk needing to have the dealer refill that damn reserve,
since it was so expensive -- $455!
-- hesh
Ray Lamoreaux
>>(Mene mene tekel upharsin) writes:
>>>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
><snippety-snip-snip>
>
>Okay, so we have reserve, prime, on, off, etc, and so forth.
>
>My Yamaha must be one of those broken ones because it runs no matter
>which setting its on. But anyway, why is there even an off position?
>Is there anything to be gained by turning off the fuel when not riding?
>
>Brian
Since most motorcycles use a gravity feed fuel flow into the carburators,
there is always fuel pressure against the float valves when the fuel is turned
on, even when the engine is turned off. If the float valve gets dirty or worn,
and doesn't seat properly, gas can leak by, overfilling the float bowls
and force it's way up through the jets and into the intake manifold, flooding
the engine. If the bike sits for a long enough time, the gas tank could be
eventually drained completely. This sort of thing used to happen to me a lot
on older bikes when I would forget to turn off the fuel valve.
Many modern motorcycles have an engine vacuum operated fuel shutoff valve
that automatically shuts the fuel off when the engine stops running. The
prime position is used to bypass the vacuum operated valve to let the float
bowls fill with gas if they are empty so that the engine can be started.
If your yamaha is the same as my yamaha, it has the following three
positions on the fuel valve:
Reserve In this position, the fuel is taken from the bottom of
the gas tank and is turned on/off automatically by engine
vacuum.
Off/normal In this position, the fuel is taken from the long tube
in the tank and is automatically turned on/off by vacuum.
Prime In this position, the automatic vacuum valve is bypassed
and the fuel is ALWAYS on. This setting can be used to
drain the fuel tank.
As you can see, the motorcycle will still run if the fuel valve is set to
ANY position.
-Ray
George Lyle (233789)
|> In article <1994Apr7.2...@enterprise.rdd.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
|> George Lyle (233789) <gl...@marie.seas.ucla.edu> wrote:
|> >In article <2nuk12$2...@search01.news.aol.com>, fred...@aol.com (Fredstev) writes:
|> >|> In article <Cnt9I...@bigtop.dr.att.com>, jma...@elvis.dr.att.com (John W.
|> >|> Markus) writes:
|> >|>
|> >|> Most BMW's work the same way, its hard to tell if you are supposed to point the
|> >|> almost invisible arrow on the lever or the big petcock handle in the reserve
|> >|> position. Instructions are in Krautese, naturally.
|> >
|> >Hard to tell? Down is on. Up is reserve. Any other position
|> >if off. Are you paying attention? Virtually every bike is
|>
|> actually bmw changed it so some bikes up is primary and on others
|> down is primary.
Oops! Didn't know that. I'll have to ask my wife for a new bike
so I can check this out.
|> >down for on. You also forgot to complain about
|> >having taps on both sides of the tank. You actually have
|> >to turn them both on before you can ride! What a lot of work! :-)
|>
|> i dunno bout your bike but EVERY bmw R bike i have seen (singles
|> need not apply) uses a cross over through the air intake. this
|> is a feature as it allows the effective use of 2 reserves
In my case, I can do this on smooth roads. Each reserve is good
for 15+ miles or I can turn them both on for 30+ miles. If
the road is rougher, the first reserve gets longer and the
second shorter due to gas sloshing about. You still get
about 30 miles total, though.
I don't usually ride with only one tap on. Old dirt bike habit
from when you needed both on to ensure sufficient flow to
carbs on old CZs, etc. Beemer probably has enough flow from
one tap, but why take chances?
Things I really like about BMW taps include the large handles
that you can work in cold-weather mittens and the positive
click detents that let you know the lever is in the right
position without having to eyeball it.
nbu...@kean.ucs.mun.ca
>>the fuel flows into both the main and reserve
>>tanks, right? Now if I keep the fuel valve
>>on reserve until it runs dry, then my main
>>tank is still full, right?
It would probably be a good idea to have two seperate tanks like this
simply named tank 1 and tank 2 that both fill when the fuel cap is open.
That way you don't run completely dry on some #@!!#@? deserted highway, 200
miles from nowhere and have to spend 5 #@$#?! hours hitchiking to the
nearest gas station only to have to get back to that stupid, #$@#@, out-of-
gas motorcycle to find out that you have a #$@?@# FLAT TIRE, ALL BECAUSE
YOU FORGOT TO SWITCH BACK TO MAIN THE LAST TIME YOU FILLED UP!!!!! It
almost happened to me once! :) I was riding around on reserve and didn't
know it. Luckily I was not far from home when the bike began to sputter.
That gives me an idea for just one more feature to build into my dream bike
(in my head).
Norm!
nbu...@kean.ucs.mun.ca
> reserve tank, but I don't recall seeing any. They're probably based on
> decades-old designs. ;-)
>
Yeah! The Honda V65 Magna has this type of reserve tank arrangement. It
fills from the main tank via a rubber hose and is located under the front
part of the seat. I'm know there is some type of switch (it has an
electric fuel pump) but I'm not sure if it handles reserve automatically
only to inform you with a fuel light.
Norm!
Josh J Fielek
|> In article <2nsb1d$i...@dr-pepper.East.Sun.COM>, egr...@East.Sun.COM (Ed
|> Green - APE, Advanced Products Engineer) wrote:
|> >
|> [ deletion ]
|> >
|> > There is only one tank. The fuel flows into little tubes sticking up
|> > in the bottom of the tank. There are two tubes, a tall one and a short
|> > one. The petcock selects between the two tubes. The tall one is
|> > selected when the petcock points to ON (or MAIN, or whatever), and the
|> > short one is selected when the petcock points to RESERVE.
|>
|> [ deletion ]
|>
|> >
|> > It gets more complicated, like on big ugly bikes that have a gas tank
|> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|> > that folds over the frame, forming two compartments in the tank, and
|> > have two petcocks that hook together under the seat and all, but the
|> > above is the generic description of how reserve works on most
|> > motorcycles.
|> >
|> > ---
|> > Ed Green Ed.G...@East.Sun.COM DoD #0111 (919)460-8302
|>
|> You Sir have just impuned the character of my beloved Norton's!! I demand
|> satisfaction !!! I expect a number of Triumph, BSA, Matchless....riders
|> would take similar umbrage. (if they're nit-pickers that is)
Oh, come now. Ed was talking about big ugly BMW GSes. Like the one he just got.
Nortons are _small_ ugly bikes.
|>
|> I make no claim that Norton's are superior, or even as good as, anything
|> else, BUT....this is the first time I have heard someone say they're
|> ugly!!!!
Get used to it :-)
--
_______________________________________________________________________________
Joshua J. Fielek DoD#385 AMA#517381 WERA#969
Inter-National Research Institute 1986 VF1000R 1984 XL250R
j...@speedy.inri.com 1982 CM450E 1975 RD350
"Whip it. Whip it Good." - Devo 1988 EX500 198X Aero 80
Ed Barty
: Since most motorcycles use a gravity feed fuel flow into the carburators,
: there is always fuel pressure against the float valves when the fuel is turned
: on, even when the engine is turned off. If the float valve gets dirty or worn,
: and doesn't seat properly, gas can leak by, overfilling the float bowls
: and force it's way up through the jets and into the intake manifold, flooding
: the engine. If the bike sits for a long enough time, the gas tank could be
: eventually drained completely. This sort of thing used to happen to me a lot
: on older bikes when I would forget to turn off the fuel valve.
I have a 450 Honda Nighthawk ( 1982 ).
What I have learnt, is that turning off the fuel valve ( to the off posistion ), does not alow any fuel into the engine
whatsoever. ( rather embarassing when you forget to turn it on. )
My reserve and main fuel lines run into the same tank, but the lines are at different heights.
___________________________________________
| |
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| | | |
| | | Fuel |
|_______| |__| |__________________________|
| |__|_|___________________________________
|__________________________________________ Reserve line
| |___________________________________
|_____________________________________ Main fuel line.
So, when the fuel gets down to the level of the main line, there is no fuel
geting to it. But when you switch to reserve, you still have more than enough
fuel to get you to the next ( or last ) gas station.
The purpose of turning off the fuel line, is if the bike should fall over
( blasphemy if it does ), or the line develop a leak, gas will not flow all
over the place. ( asuming none leaks out of the fuel cap )
: If your yamaha is the same as my yamaha, it has the following three
: positions on the fuel valve:
:
: Reserve In this position, the fuel is taken from the bottom of
: the gas tank and is turned on/off automatically by engine
: vacuum.
Draws fuel from lower line. ( how, I dunno )
: Off/normal In this position, the fuel is taken from the long tube
: in the tank and is automatically turned on/off by vacuum.
Off, means off. Bike will not run for very long. ( just long enough to get in
motion )
Normal: Fuel is drawn from upper line.
: Prime In this position, the automatic vacuum valve is bypassed
: and the fuel is ALWAYS on. This setting can be used to
: drain the fuel tank.
No need for a prime on my leetle bike. If the tank needs draining, turn valve
to off posistion, remove the fuel line from the bottom of the valve, ( or at
carb ) place suitably sized container under outlet, turn to reserve posistion.
Wait for container to fill, or gas to stop flowing.
Also, it starts wonderfully. Turn the key, ( valve in some open posistion )
bring finger close to starter, bike starts.
Too bad I crunched it last summer. The parts needed for it are due in today.
It should be ready TOMORROW! Happy day!
: As you can see, the motorcycle will still run if the fuel valve is set to
: ANY position.
Not on my bike it won't. Refer to your owner's manual for make and model
specific directions on your fuel system. If you can't find the neccessary
information, consult a local dealer of your brand of bike.
The net is good for general data, but not for specifics, unless you are lucky
enough to find somone who knows exactly what you need.
Happy riding! ( dance dance dance )
fitzg...@delphi.com
connected to the main tank by a large rubber hose.The fuel pump delivers
gas from the lower tank to the carburetors.The two tanks hold 4.5 gal.