Wondering if anyone else has this happen to them. The fuel tank reserve on my bike is totally useless. The warning light doesnt even come on until the bike starts to sputter and quit.  I switch to the reserve and i'm lucky if I can get even a mile farther down the road. There is basically no reserve at all.

What kind of bike?

i have a 2004 gs500f

Quote from: airbrushThe warning light doesnt even come on until the bike starts to sputter and quit.

Warning light?? :dunno: Maybe you're confusing the oil light for a fuel light? There's no fuel light on a GS500F.

yup im confused...its the oil light, my mistake...newbie . Anyways, this still doesnt make any sense why my reserve totally sucks.

Are you sure your not riding around on reserve all the time?  What kind of milage are you getting out of a tank?
You may have to put the fuel valve into the prime position after you completely run out of gas.  That will refill your carbs with fuel, it is possible when you run dry that you just deplete the little bit of fuel left in your lines when you switch to reserve.  That would explain the 1 mile on reserve.

No im definitely not riding around on reserve. I open the tank and look in, there is still gas left in it...not sure how much, but definitetly more than enough to get you farther than a mile on it. I'll try priming it next time this happens and see if that helps...i doubt it though. How many miles do others get once switched to reserve?

on my 2002 i get about 180 before I switch to reserve, if I am on the interstate I can get 240 before I hit reserve.  the dealer that assembeled it may have crossed the lines when they built it up, it has happened before.

what i mean is how much farther can you go on your reserve?? My mileage is fine...i get about 300-25km on a tank around the city.

i always feel a little iffy riding on reserve, so my personal best is a modest 15mi

i have to agree from the symptoms, it almost seems that instead of riding on 'ON' and switching to 'RES', you're actually riding on "RES" and switching to 'PRI'... but you know.. if that's not what you're doing, it's odd

thats definitely not the case....just wondering why i get absolutely no mileage when switching to reserve...not even enought to limp it to a gas station!! Just seems very odd to me...i mean that is the point of the reserve isnt it? I do fill up well before usually, just happened to catch me this time.

Another case of switched fuel hoses?

switched fuel hoses?? how do you mean? but in the on position all seems well...just the reserve doesnt do squat. Will switching the hoses remedy this? The tank was off before i picked up the bike...as i painted it. The dealer put it back together for me. Maybe I should check this out then??

Airbrush,

The same has happened to me. My bike ran out of fuel, I switched to reserve and only made it a mile or so.

I am 100% sure the fuel switch was not set on reserve or prime
prior the the bike running out of fuel.

I have not checked to see if the lines are switched (only thing I can think of). For my own comfort level I refuel every 150 miles. That's the max mileage my butt can take anyway.

Not sure that helps, but if you find out your lines are switched, let us know.

RC

I would rather remedy the situation as this doesnt seem right to me at all....this is the point of a reserve... if i cant even limp it to a gas station then what is the point of "reserve"

Your right, that is the entire point of having a reserve.  I'd still prefer a light or a gage, but you get what you get I guess.  
My bike can get between 50-60 miles once I hit reserve.  I've got the 5.0 gallon tank including a 1.1 gal reserve - '04 model.

If his fuel lines are switched wouldn't he be actually running on reserve all the time?  He said he can look into the tank and see gas, just no go...  I still think going to prime for a minute will fix it.  Carbs are out of gas is all.

Quote from: RCAirbrush,

I am 100% sure the fuel switch was not set on reserve or prime
prior the the bike running out of fuel.
RC

OK. I am a little confused now.  I just bought my second moto ever,  a 2002 GS500. Before this bike I owned a 1973 Honda CB350 so I really stepped up quite a bit from the 31 year old ride.

What is confusing me is this: On the fuel switch (of the GS500) there appears to be three positions: straight down, PRI, and RES.  As on my old Honda.  Now, note, I did not receive an owner's manual with the Suzuki and I am still rather new to the motorcycle scene.  On the Honda, when you run the bike, you leave the fuel switch on "main"

When running the GS500, should you leave the switch on PRI until it sputters then switch to RES?  According to RC's last post, he is "100% sure the fuel switch was NOT set on reserve or prime" before running outta gas.

So what do I do? Only put the switch on PRI when I start the bike? or leave it on PRI under normal riding until you need the RES and point the switch straight down when bike is off?

Thanks
MinnGS

MiinGS - you should run it with the fuel switch in the ON position,  switch to RES when you start running out of gas, and switch to PRI in special circumstancs

airbrush - try to run it in RES and then switch to ON when you start sputtering... if you can go more than a mile, fuel lines were put in backwards

my 2c

Thanks Crash.

Now, is the ON position with the arrow pointing straight down?

hehe minngs, check out this thread - it's the one where i ask the same questions