Run Out Of Gas Lately?
Not the place you want to be when you discover you have no more gas.
We’ve all run out of gas at some point. On this Adventure Riders thread some folks tell their stories. I’m just passing along the most interesting or amusing.
- Last year my brother in law was riding my 1989 NX650 which had recently had the petcock replaced because it would not shut off. The new replacement petcock came from Amazon.com. (You know where this is going) He went on reserve with 5 miles to the gas station. He coasted in, had to push it the last 50 yards. Got a replacement petcock that now gives me a measured 15 miles on reserve, but had to splice an extra shutoff valve into the petcock-to-carb line to actually shut off all fuel flow as the OFF position on the current petcock still dribbles.
- 3 months ago. On my way from home in Sacramento to Moraga to watch a rugby match. I thought there was a litre of fuel in the tube behind the pannier and decided I would try to see exactly how far this new-to-me ST would go before she ran out. Well, the answer was two miles before the next exit/fuel station.
- When my Ford failed to start at a family picnic (and appeared to not be getting gas) I immediately switched out the fuel pump. To no avail. Fortunately, a much more mechanically savvy relative pointed out that even hot rod Fords needed gas to run. Yep, tank was empty. Lesson learned. First and only time I’ve run out of fuel.
- 2015, the one and only time. I was completing a 40K-mile round the world trip and was a day from home on my 2008 12gs. Since filling up in the morning I was averaging about 50 mph on old US highways. I recall looking at the fuel gage, which read a quarter tank and at the odometer, which said 245 miles and I thought I was going to break my record of 270 miles between fill ups! A minute later it died.
- I ran out on the 101 coming into Santa Barbara once on the KLR. It died just as I made the exit for my planned stop. The freeway was elevated at that point, so the exit was downhill… I made a right turn without stopping & just about rolled in front of the pump!
- My son ran out of gas on the freeway. I had to drive up there about 45 miles to give him some gas. Turned out he didn’t realize he had a reserve position on the petcock.
- 2 years ago riding along the Wisconsin river. My new bike had a low gas light that was impossible to see in the daytime so I used the trip meter as my gas gauge. Of course I forgot to reset it. I puttered to a stop in a turn out. To far to walk to the next town so I stuck my thumb out. Young guy pulled over and gave me a ride to the next town where I got a gas can and he returned me to my bike. Of course I left my action cam in his car so I had to chase him down as he was returning the gas can to the station.
Running out of gas. What fun. I know none of us will make those mistakes again. We’ll just make new ones.
Biker Quote for Today
Motorcycles are a solitary endeavor, and the experience enhances life and death in a singular way. — Jon Robertson
