Fuel reserve

[Julian]

On my previous full tank I got to 46km on trip F then the bike stopped, I started it again, drove a little bit after which it stopped again and refused to start. The thing is the tank only took 10l of gas until the pump stopped automatically, and going very slowly and  filling it to the brim I was able to fuel 12l. The tank capacity is supposed to be 14l, so are the remaining 2 unusable? 

Right now I have 1 solid bar left (not blinking) and the bike started difficultly on the second attempt although I am guessing there are 3-4l still in the tank. 

 

Edited August 24, 2021 by Julian

[shinyribs]

When the fuel bars start blinking I have right at 1 gallon left. Every time I immediately fill up when the bars start blinking it takes 2.7 gallons, every time. 3.7 gallons total. 

The furthest I've gone on the "reserve" fuel is 35-40 miles, and I typically get 52mpg. I feel like we've got pretty good access to the last bit of fuel. I don't think any of it is unusable. 

[Dennis.Halmstad]

Do you mean that you ran in "empty" with the gauge blinking and after refueling you now have run it "empty" but the gauge this time is not blinking?

My thinking is that if you are running out of gas but the gauge are showing different it would be the sensor for the gauge but since you seem to have fuel left when the bike stops my guess is that you have some blockage in the tank for the fuelpump. Or something as stupid as vacuum in the tank caused by a blocked vent which is making it hard for your pump to reach correct fuel pressure and making the bike stop. 

[Julian]

1 hour ago, Dennis.Halmstad said:

Do you mean that you ran in "empty" with the gauge blinking and after refueling you now have run it "empty" but the gauge this time is not blinking?

My thinking is that if you are running out of gas but the gauge are showing different it would be the sensor for the gauge but since you seem to have fuel left when the bike stops my guess is that you have some blockage in the tank for the fuelpump. Or something as stupid as vacuum in the tank caused by a blocked vent which is making it hard for your pump to reach correct fuel pressure and making the bike stop. 

Hi Dennis corrrect, the first time I ran empty and was able to fuel 12l max and now I am at the point where it will probably start blinking very soon but not yet, and the engine starts with difficulty. The last few minutes before I ran empty last time, the bike was lurching forward fast then decelerating then jumping forward again without me moving the throttle. 

[Dennis.Halmstad]

My logic says that you then indeed is running out of gas.

But since you still have some in the tank I think the issue is that your pump cannot reach the remaining gas.

I think an inspection of your fuel pump is a must.

[Julian]

I'm really frustrated with the dealership right now. What I described in the first post has happened again and I finally took the bike to them. They had it for 3 days and they just called to tell me that they don't find anything wrong with it. I asked what exact steps they took and it seem to me they only took a test drive with the last bar blinking (but not yet to the point that the engine stalled), which is the level it had when I dropped it there. They say the fuel pump and fuel level sensor appear to be fine and they thought that the symptoms I was experiencing are normal when it runs out of fuel. They don't seem to grasp that there is a lot more fuel than they think left in the tank when that happens, based on the quantity that I am able to fill up. It doesn't help that the guy calling me is from customer service not a mechanic and he never knows exactly. 

They say they ran out of ideas but I asked if they emptied the tank completely then fill 2L which is the level where I'm having problems to try and replicate and they didn't. I'm assuming they didn't remove the tank to inspect it, the fuel filter or the fuel pump physically. I can't believe that I as a customer need to tell them what they should / could be checking. 

 

[Julian]

So this was solved, somehow. Yamaha finally agreed to do some actual measurementts and there was nothing wrong with the bike per se, but what I was experiencing was a combination of two factors. 

They emptied the tank when the last bar started flashing and they found there were 2l left in the tank. That means the warning on my bike comes on later than for most of you and that explains the smaller range I have on reserve. That may be a characteristic of my bike or of the 2021 model. When the engine was acting up it was because it was actually running out of fuel. 

They said they were able to fuel 14l from empty with the gas level slightly above the filler ring. I was filling up to slightly under it, as much as the pump would allow me. As a consommer I don't think I should be expected to go out of my way to fill the quantity specified by the manufacturer. I should be able to set the pump on auto and when it stops I have the right quantity. But it is what it is. 

I'm now running on the 14l that they supposedly filled and if that is correct I should have a significantly longer range until the reserve starts flashing. It's been snowing here on and off lately so I wasn't able to use the bike. 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Julian

[shinyribs]

16 hours ago, Julian said:

As a consommer I don't think I should be expected to go out of my way to fill the quantity specified by the manufacturer. I should be able to set the pump on auto and when it stops I have the right quantity. 

 

As a consumer? What's that got to do with anything?  We're all consumers. Nobody owes us anything, which is why we pay for it. 

That's not how fuel nozzles work, or why the auto cutoff was even invented. 

For a fuel nozzle to do what you want it would have to be built specifically to  interface with your machine and contain a fuel level sensing device. It would have to lock solidly to a fixed point.  As it is, you can tilt the nozzle slightly in any direction to make it auto cutoff. How on earth do you expect that to give you precise, repeatable results? Auto cutoff nozzles exist to keep inattentive people from dumping fuel in the ground, it's not there so you don't have to actually pay attention to what you're doing. 

Drivers licenses and vehicles are privileges we earn. We're not entitled to them, and there's an inherent amount of personal responsibility that goes along with being granted privilege to use the roadways. If monitoring the rising fuel level while filling your bike to ensure that you safely fill up without spilling fuel everywhere is too taxing ( or simply beneath you) then I reckon you need to either park the bike, find someone to hold your hand while performing this incredibly simple daily tasks or just realize that, in reality, we have to take care of ourselves. 

Better yet, get an e bike. Plug in the cord and walk away. It'll fill itself without imparting any physical or mental strain on you. Hopefully you won't have to be bothered to check back to see if it's finished charging. Surely you can have it ping your phone so that you, as a consumer, never have to do anything beyond the absolute minimum to exist. 

I know I'm being harsh. I don't mean any disrespect towards you, honestly, but I won't apologize. All this entitlement attitude bs has got to stop. Seriously, buddy...if you're this bent out of shape because fueling your bike is too hard...I don't know what to tell you other than you've got a hard row to hoe ahead of you. 

Ride safe. I wish you all the best. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by shinyribs

[Devilman]

On 12/1/2021 at 11:28 PM, shinyribs said:

As a consumer? What's that got to do with anything?  We're all consumers. Nobody owes us anything, which is why we pay for it. 

That's not how fuel nozzles work, or why the auto cutoff was even invented. 

For a fuel nozzle to do what you want it would have to be built specifically to  interface with your machine and contain a fuel level sensing device. It would have to lock solidly to a fixed point.  As it is, you can tilt the nozzle slightly in any direction to make it auto cutoff. How on earth do you expect that to give you precise, repeatable results? Auto cutoff nozzles exist to keep inattentive people from dumping fuel in the ground, it's not there so you don't have to actually pay attention to what you're doing. 

Drivers licenses and vehicles are privileges we earn. We're not entitled to them, and there's an inherent amount of personal responsibility that goes along with being granted privilege to use the roadways. If monitoring the rising fuel level while filling your bike to ensure that you safely fill up without spilling fuel everywhere is too taxing ( or simply beneath you) then I reckon you need to either park the bike, find someone to hold your hand while performing this incredibly simple daily tasks or just realize that, in reality, we have to take care of ourselves. 

Better yet, get an e bike. Plug in the cord and walk away. It'll fill itself without imparting any physical or mental strain on you. Hopefully you won't have to be bothered to check back to see if it's finished charging. Surely you can have it ping your phone so that you, as a consumer, never have to do anything beyond the absolute minimum to exist. 

I know I'm being harsh. I don't mean any disrespect towards you, honestly, but I won't apologize. All this entitlement attitude bs has got to stop. Seriously, buddy...if you're this bent out of shape because fueling your bike is too hard...I don't know what to tell you other than you've got a hard row to hoe ahead of you. 

Ride safe. I wish you all the best. 

Also don't fill up at Costco. Their new fuel nozzles are sensitive. You have to put the whole nozzle to touch the ring on the handle, if not, it does not work. To fill up my bike I put the nozzle in as designed then when it shuts off, I pull it out a little bit and use my other hand to hold the ring back to fill the rest of the way. Pain in the butt but doable. All of this after you type and swipe your launch code to get gas. LOL 

[Triple Jim]

8 hours ago, Devilman said:

Also don't fill up at Costco. Their new fuel nozzles are sensitive. You have to put the whole nozzle to touch the ring on the handle, if not, it does not work.

In my experience that "feature" is regional.  Big cities tend to have it, but I've never seen it in the rural area I live in.

[Yakko Warner]

14 hours ago, Devilman said:

To fill up my bike I put the nozzle in as designed then when it shuts off, I pull it out a little bit and use my other hand to hold the ring back to fill the rest of the way.

I thought all motorcyclists had to do this, at least in CA.  After having all kinds of problems trying to get gas, I asked my motorcycling friend who clued me in.

[Devilman]

5 hours ago, Yakko Warner said:

I thought all motorcyclists had to do this, at least in CA.  After having all kinds of problems trying to get gas, I asked my motorcycling friend who clued me in.

Nope, at least in IN, the Costco in Indianapolis is the only one with that fun feature. LOL. Hell I'm surprised they let you pump your own gas in CA without a inspector watching over your shoulder. If you can afford it. LOL. Sorry couldn't help it 

[klx678]

On 12/1/2021 at 11:28 PM, shinyribs said:

As a consumer? What's that got to do with anything?  We're all consumers. Nobody owes us anything, which is why we pay for it. 

That's not how fuel nozzles work, or why the auto cutoff was even invented. 

For a fuel nozzle to do what you want it would have to be built specifically to  interface with your machine and contain a fuel level sensing device. It would have to lock solidly to a fixed point.  As it is, you can tilt the nozzle slightly in any direction to make it auto cutoff. How on earth do you expect that to give you precise, repeatable results? Auto cutoff nozzles exist to keep inattentive people from dumping fuel in the ground, it's not there so you don't have to actually pay attention to what you're doing. 

Drivers licenses and vehicles are privileges we earn. We're not entitled to them, and there's an inherent amount of personal responsibility that goes along with being granted privilege to use the roadways. If monitoring the rising fuel level while filling your bike to ensure that you safely fill up without spilling fuel everywhere is too taxing ( or simply beneath you) then I reckon you need to either park the bike, find someone to hold your hand while performing this incredibly simple daily tasks or just realize that, in reality, we have to take care of ourselves. 

Better yet, get an e bike. Plug in the cord and walk away. It'll fill itself without imparting any physical or mental strain on you. Hopefully you won't have to be bothered to check back to see if it's finished charging. Surely you can have it ping your phone so that you, as a consumer, never have to do anything beyond the absolute minimum to exist. 

I know I'm being harsh. I don't mean any disrespect towards you, honestly, but I won't apologize. All this entitlement attitude bs has got to stop. Seriously, buddy...if you're this bent out of shape because fueling your bike is too hard...I don't know what to tell you other than you've got a hard row to hoe ahead of you. 

Ride safe. I wish you all the best. 

Try filling up on an Indian FTR1200!   My son-in-law has one.  Nice bike for sure, but the filler is a relatively small tube with a bend in it to fuel the under-seat tank.  Takes him a couple minutes of slow pumping fuel in the bike.  Makes fueling about any other bike look like a cake walk.