Stopped by the HD dealership today on way home from work. Had a couple questions...wanted to look at helmets, wanted to find out how much they would charge to make a new key, and asked how much it would cost to "unstick" the float in the gas tank so my gas gauge would work.

So I left the dealership and got about three miles down the road and the engine light came on, the engine quit, and I realized pretty quick what had happened. If anyone ever asks how many miles a 2005 Heritage Softail can travel on a full tank of gas, tell them "exactly 177 miles."

So I called the bride, who stopped by O'Reilly's to get a small gas can, then put some gas in it and brought it to me. Well, the @#$%ing gas can was a total POS design. Incredibly over complicated. You had to first pop this out, and then slip that off, and then twist something else, and then pull something else in to allow the gas to flow out. Well, the gasket b/w the gas nozzle and the gas can didn't seal and when I turned up the gas can, gas spilled all over my tank and air filter cover. I wanted to break the ever-loving @#$% out of something. I managed the best I could, got a little bit of gas in the tank, then cranked up and drove off...after giving my wife instructions to return that POS gas can.

So I began filling up at the gas station...no big deal. Except, I pulled up the pump handle a little so I could see what kind of progress I'm making. When I did, gas splashed up all over my helmet, shirt, and of course the bike. So I had to give the bike a mini-bath at the pump with the water from the windshield squeegie. And I was running late for baseball where I'm tournament director for two all-star tournaments. It sucked a great deal, but I was riding my bike, so it wasn't all bad.

 

We were blasting home from a week in the Black Hills a month or so back and went dry AS I TURNED INTO THE STATION in Mullen, Nebraska - that's a LONG way from ANYWHERE. T'was the first and only time I've ever ran it officially dry - and how I learned what a rather dramatic difference in MPG I get between 90mph and 70mph. I coasted right up to the pump with a big dumb grin on my face.

 

LMAO, I know the EXACT gas can you are talking about! I would like to meat the retard idiot that designed that POS so I could punch him...

Glad you had someone to bring you can gas though, and didn't have to walk.

Jake

 

I put air in my front tire today. I put 5# too much in so I had to let some out. But it's ok because I was going to Target to buy some Jelly Bellies and I was on my bike.

 

Not yet, but I know I can squeeze about 50km out of it from the time the light goes on...

 

No reason to run out of gas. Just fill at a pre-determined mileage from your odometer.
3.3 gal on my Sportster and have never run out. I get gas every 100 miles or so. I know the reserve needs to kick in about 120. Even when traveling out west, never ran out. You just have to monitor your miles, not relying on that Harley electronic fuel guage. It isn't reliable!
Same with the Ultra. I pick a distance I want to fill up. Besides, I like to get off the bike and stretch. Shouldn't be running those FI bikes so low as the gas in the tank is the coolant for the fuel pump. You run the chance of burning up the fuel pump and they aren't cheap.

 

Those gas cans are the **** once you figure out how to use them. Sometimes you gotta be smarter than the gas can, and seeing as they probably didn't take it back because it had gas in it you now have time to figure it out. When you get it working the idea is to be able to hoist a full gas can upside down and get it into position before opening the spout preventing premature spills as you are obviously familiar with.
Live in learn, live and learn.

 

Figures...Alabama.

You know I'm just kidding. Florida, Alabama and Ga are always ragging each other just for fun...I think it's the law if you live in one of them states BTW.

Haven't ran out of gas since I was a kid but I've splashed gas like you looking. Had to was the bike with the window washing things and paper towels provided by the station....lucky there was water in them things.

 

Meh, it's always GOOD luck to spill gas on your bike. Sort of like breaking a bottle on the bow of a ship!

 

i have heard that times are so hard, that many dealerships have a porter go steal a few ounces from each bike in the parking lot to help defray the cost of doing warranty work and giving demo rides to clowns. supposedly most commonly occurs in the southeastern states.