So.... i checked my gas this morning and had what i thought was half tank.... apparently i misjudged. On the way back from my 70 mile commute, my bike started to sputter and get weak.... i switched to reserve and then it just died....

Out of gas entirely... but wait... isn't there SUPPOSED to be a reserve?? No deal. Girlfriend had to haul ass while i waited on the side of a highway to get me 2 gallons so i could go home.

i think i might as well leave it in prime and fill up every 100 miles to be on the safe side..



has anyone else had their reserve fail them?

Not trying to be a smart ass or anything, but from the description you gave:  sounds like you were riding with it in the "reserve" position and then switched it to "on" thinking it was the other way around.  Maybe PO had the lines switched if its a used?

it points down for on, and forward for reserve right?   

up is prime?

i thought i had it correct but maybe i need to check the lines just in case...

Down and up would be relative to where the teeny almost invisible arrow is. The absolute way to know is all the way clockwise for on , all the way counterclockwise for reserve, the middle is prime.

A piccy says more than 1000 words: http://www.gs-500.info/index.php?title=Petcock_and_petrol_hose_routing

You've got one of two problems: either you were in reserve or prime when you thought you were in on, or your lines are reversed. Reserve works if you use it right.. Also, reserve was not meant to get you 70 miles, if you start on a ride that long in reserve, you'll never make it.

Most likely your lines are reversed.

People who don't read the right parts of this board sometimes follow the pictures in manuals that are wrong...

http://wiki.gstwins.com/index.php?n=Main.HoseRouting

Pay attention to the notes in red, though that's actually not the only place it's drawn backwards. There is an R and an O molded into the petcock, and the R tube is longer than the O tube.

Or else the overall complexity of the GS dual petcock system overwhelms them and they do something else bone-headed. My bike had the tank petcock backwards AND the carbs were being fed from the reserve inlet of the frame petcock.  That pretty much ensured that it would not work right.

Get some new fuel line (5/16 polyurethane from cycle recycle II worked for me) and sort it out.

petcock is correct; all the way CCW is on; middle reserve full lock CW is prime

Started out with on, misjudged how much fuel i had, switching to reserve was futile. I'll check the hoses because the way it seems, my reserve is routed to on position

thanks for responce folks

Quote from: psyber_0ptix on May 09, 2009, 05:36:50 AM
petcock is correct; all the way CCW is on; middle reserve full lock CW is prime

Started out with on, misjudged how much fuel i had, switching to reserve was futile. I'll check the hoses because the way it seems, my reserve is routed to on position

thanks for responce folks

if you have a 70 mile commute, you're likely riding all interstate.. right  ? high speed commute ?

ok, cool, you really want to jb-weld your petcock so it's either ON or OFF instead of ON RESERVE PRIME.

do a quick search for 'fuel starvation' here on the board and you'll understand why.

if you hit the trip on your odometer at each fillup, you can bet on being fairly low around 100-130 miles. depends on the bike, jetting, rider, etc.   you'll also want to know that if it looks like you have 1 gallon left, it's not usable. the tank's screen + fuelline system won't get ALL of that fuel unless you stop, turn the bike wayyyyy over on one side, then start, and ride. crappy design, not your fault.

ride safe !

Quote from: ohgood on May 09, 2009, 10:29:33 AM

if you have a 70 mile commute, you're likely riding all interstate.. right  ? high speed commute ?

ok, cool, you really want to jb-weld your petcock so it's either ON or OFF instead of ON RESERVE PRIME.

do a quick search for 'fuel starvation' here on the board and you'll understand why.

awesome! thanks for the insight. if it isnt difficult to do maybe i'll try taking care of this this weekend.