2007 GS500F Range

[Suzuki Stevo]

Anyone who can't reach down and switch to reserve without looking should hang up their helmet.

This is why all my bikes are EFI now, just watch the gas gauge 

EFI?  What's that, this is a GS500 forum.   

OK, Anyone who can't reach down and switch to reserve without looking needs a more advanced bike than a simple GS500 to take care of them.

OK?

Seriously, thinking of a low cost basic bike like the TU250X for example which has only a speedo with a fuel warning light to rely on a rider could have a long walk if the bulb burned out.  Ones with a fuel guage and warning light might work it does in the car.  You'll be amazed at how many little details you start forgetting when you get past 80.   

That was me LOLing at my inability to reach down and do that, I sold my GS500F in '10, I haven't had to reach down for a long time.

Motor easy Jack 

[Suzuki Stevo]

As I understand it, the practice of regularly using the reserve setting is based on the fact that any water that gets in the tank tends to settle to the bottom.  If you don't switch to reserve periodically and burn it off, enough water/fuel mixture may accumulate to the point that the engine won't be able to run on the mixture at the bottom of the tank and you'll be stranded if you have to switch to reserve for real.

If your bike has sat for any length of time and your going to start it...THIS is a good time to use reserve and get whats on the bottom of the tank into your carb bowls, at this point you can drain the bowls if it's too much water to start the bike.

[lexiyntax]

Finally getting around to some maintenance on my GS500F, so an update is in order. My reserve / primary hoses are indeed swapped.

Glad I didn't keep pushing miles-wise to 'test' the reserve lest I would have been stuck somewhere.