My softail gets 35 miles per gallon or so. I put about 3.6 to 3.8 gallons in when I fill up right after hitting reserve. According to the owners manual, total fuel capacity is 4.2 gallons meaning my reserve is 0.6 to 0.8 gallons. The owners manual says reserve is 0.75 so that sounds about right.

So, I have maybe 15 to 25 miles after hitting reserve. Usually I fill up before I hit reserve, around 100 miles or so. Last time I hit reserve was at 123 miles. I suspect I would get a bit more continuous mellow riding.

Anyway, not a lot of room for finding a gas station in some places without going out of your way.

So, if I push it too much, I might find myself out of gas at some point. Anyway, my mechanic gave me a tip for running out of gas.

Lean the bike to the left. Give it a few minutes to let all fuel drain to the left side. Then pinch the tube between tanks with vise grips to keep the fuel on the left side that feeds the engine. Perhaps enough to get you a few miles down the road and make it to a gas station.

Thought it was a cool tip.

 

That's a great trip, but won't be easier to just stop and get gas before you had to go though all that trouble

 

Been there done that...old school tip. But thanks for sharing.

Riding an older sportster with a 2.25 gallon tank (total including reserve) you learn tricks like that.

I used bring a few bottles of fuel in those metal water bottles (painted red so the gas stations will let me fill them) in my saddle bags for emergencies. Most the guys I rode with had almost twice the tank I had.

My Dyna has almost 5 gallons, so not an issue any more. YD

 

Yes it is but sometimes adventurous rides don't offer gas stations. Left Rapid City once with no direction of travel that day, our group ended up at a Blackstone Wyoming watering hole with no gas stations in sight until Custer, went on reserve a good ways out with butt sucking seat. Made it to Custer but wasn't a good feeling in the middle of nowhere on reserve. Tricks like the one mentioned can get you out of situations with areas of distant stations and can be valuable.

 

BTDT. One of the great things about carb'd bikes.

Not sure I'd bother with the vicegrips. When it happened to me, I just waggled the bike back and forth a few times to slosh the remaining gas into the tank outlet. Good for a mile or two, which isn't much, but that's still that much less pushing.

 

Yep ... been there and done that too ... Once was "lesson enough"

 

I ran out of gas 2-3 times with my first bike, a Vulcan 750. After the last time I got dirt in my carb, and it never ran right, even after 3 rebuilds. So I make sure my Harley is filled before I get under .4 gallons.

 

btdt?????

 

Ben There Done That.

 

Of course. I usually gas up around 100 miles. I hit reserve between 110 and 135. I get about 15 to 20 out of my reserve.


But nice to have a back up trick if you make a bad decision and need to get a few more miles down the road.