First Fill Up--Two True Newbie Questions

[Augustus]

Hello everyone,
Lol, now these are two true newbie questions!
First some background:
I was driving down an open road when all of a sudden, my GS500F started to buck a little and the oil light came on.  I quickly pulled in the clutch and pulled over.  I didn't know what was wrong, but I assumed that the gas tank was low.  I changed the fuel valve to the reserve and rode on to the nearest gasoline station.

Questions:
1) Is it ok to switch the fuel valve position to reserve while the machine is still running, or is it best to just pull over, turn the bike off, then position the valve to reserve?
2) How do you know that you have completely filled up the tank?  I did'nt want to spray gasoline all over my bike and myself while filling up, so I just stopped when it "looked like" I had put enough in the tank.  I put in about three gallons of gas, so plus the 1 gallon in reserve, I still had the capacity of another gallon.  Is it OK to just put the gas gun in the hole and let the thing run until it automatically stops as I do with my car?

Thanks for the feedback!

[JetSwing]

Is it ok to switch the fuel valve position to reserve while the machine is still running...

yes, it's perfectly alright to switch to reserve while riding the bike. you should switch over as soon as your bike starts to choke (and you know you're low on fuel). that way, you don't even need to pull over.

Is it OK to just put the gas gun in the hole and let the thing run until it automatically stops as I do with my car?

yes, you certainly can...but it'll most likely stop too soon so you may need to manually top it off if you want a "full tank".

[juno]

It's okay to switch to reserve while riding.  As  matter of fact, practice this as you may need to do it someday in busy traffic.


Fill up on the center stand.  That way you can get the most gas in because the tank is level. You really need to look into the tank to see the level of gasoline.  DO NOT EXPECT IT TO SHUT OFF LIKE ON A CAR.  You will more than likely end up with gas all over your bike and yourself.

[JetSwing]

DO NOT EXPECT IT TO SHUT OFF LIKE ON A CAR.

well, if you don't have problem doing it on your car, you shouldn't have problem with your bike. just make sure the pump nozzle is securely in the tank. i usually stand by till the pump clicks off. then, peek in the tank and manually top it off.

but then again, the tank fills up before you can even say..."damn! the gas price is freaking ripoff".

[Augustus]

Thanks for the tips, guys.  
There is a vote for leaving the gas gun alone and letting it shut off automatically, and there is a vote for keeping an eye on the gas level to make sure that gas isn't spilled everywhere.
:dunno:

[JetSwing]

Augustus, just give it a shot the next time you're at a pump...standby and watch the pump. you can even have your hand on the pump if you don't think it'll stop.

as for filling the tank...i've seen such suggestions as, shake the bike to release air bubbles or put the bike of the center stand...my question is why is it so critical that you "completely" fill it up? are you competing in a cannonball run? i mean would it kill you to stop a couple of miles sooner to fill up? i usually try to fill up before any trip....all i'm trying to say is filling up the gas tanks is not critical as somethings like checking the oil level...

if it's not going to kill you, try it yourself, it's fun!

[juno]

well, if you don't have problem doing it on your car, you shouldn't have problem with your bike. just make sure the pump nozzle is securely in the tank. i usually stand by till the pump clicks off. then, peek in the tank and manually top it off.

I only said that because someone wrote into another board i read saying they had

1.  Stuck the nozzle in tank
2.  Pulled it up a little so the nozzle was only like 1.5 inches in
3.  Locked the nozzle full on
4.  Walked off as tank was filling.

The problem was they had pulled the nozzle up enough so it would stay in the tank, but barely, in an attempt to get a full tank.  This was because they got pissed when it kept shutting off when they rammed it all the way in the tank.

I think it was on beginner bikes last year.  The dude got gas all over himself on the way to work and then had to go home and change.

[Augustus]

Jet,
Thanks for the tips!  It isn't critical for me to completely fill up on each visit to the gas station, but finding out whether or not the gas gun would automatically shut off was more for curiosity's sake.

[scratch]

I was driving down an open road when all of a sudden, my GS500F started to buck a little and the oil light came on.  I quickly pulled in the clutch and pulled over.

When did the oil light come on? Check your oil level!

[JetSwing]

When did the oil light come on?

maybe when the engine got cut off...?  :mrgreen:

[Aussie GS]

 I'm with Scratch,foget about if you can or can't let the bowser fill your bike,if the oil light came on and the motor was still running you wont be needing petrol,the bike wont ever need it again since it'll be seized solid.
Im hopeing you meant the bike acctualy died and the oil light came on.

If not maybe you could be the guine-pig to test if Xcel-plus does or does'nt work.    Just funning  

[Augustus]

The bike died because as soon as I switched the fuel valve to reserve, everything started to work as good as usual.  The oil light turned off as soon as I turned everything on again.
I will be sure to check the oil level though, just in case!
Thanks!