Fuel Reserve

[gt1000]

As I finish off my first tank of gas, I'm wondering how large the reserve actually is. I have around 100 miles on this tank and the gas gauge needle is just barely touching the red reserve area.

I did a quick search and the only relevant comment I could find was someone saying that they didn't gas up until the needle was touching the empty peg. Is that everyone's experience? The manual is of no help, essentially saying get to a gas station now! But the manual also says the tank has a capacity of just over 6 liters so I'm left to assume the reserve is at least a liter.

Thoughts? Real world experience? Anyone actually run out of gas testing the reserve?

[Keys]

Somebody may have mislead you, my friend. There is no reserve. When the needle goes to empty, that's pretty much where you are...just like in your car.

Ick, cars.

--Keys

[gt1000]

Somebody may have mislead you, my friend. There is no reserve. When the needle goes to empty, that's pretty much where you are...just like in your car.

Ick, cars.

--Keys

Ack, maybe I mislead you! "Reserve" is my terminology. I'm just referring to the red section of the gas gauge and how much fuel remains when the needle hits the red section. I understand there is no low fuel light or reserve one can switch too, but those are unnecessary if I know how to accurately read the gauge.

If what you say is the case, I can ride until the needle hits the "E" peg and gas up then. If I don't hear from anyone else, I'll see how many miles I can get "in the red zone".

[lou76]

....i definitely suggest gassing up when you hit the red... i pushed it a little one night, and ended up pushing two blocks on the sidewalk to the next gas station... it ran out just short of halfway throught the red "E" block... but it went awfully quick once the needle touched the red....

[vitaminC]

If what you say is the case, I can ride until the needle hits the "E" peg and gas up then. If I don't hear from anyone else, I'll see how many miles I can get "in the red zone".

Might be useful to carry a little bit of extra fuel with you when doing that experiment!

[FlyingGary]

Also keep in mind that the fuel at the bottom of the tank becomes more and more contaminated over time, so you really don't want to be running that stuff through the engine.

[gt1000]

....i definitely suggest gassing up when you hit the red... i pushed it a little one night, and ended up pushing two blocks on the sidewalk to the next gas station... it ran out just short of halfway throught the red "E" block... but it went awfully quick once the needle touched the red....

Ah, now that's something I didn't want to hear! I guess I'll gas up once the needle is officially into the red and then see how much it takes to fill.

[hermitgirl]

I commute about 35 miles a day, 5 days a week. I only have to fill up every fourth day, about once a week. Wednesday though, for instance, I'll be driving double that in one day, so I'll fill up before I go. I don't like to push it too far empty, and on this schedule I'm filling up right about the time it touches the beginning of the section of red.

[Blackeyes24]

I have never filled my tank until it was touching the empty peg and on several occasions driven around with it on the empty peg for a while with no problem. I use the bike to compute to work every day and already have over 1300 miles on it with no problems. The red section if you look at the way it is divided is the last 1/4 of a tank. If you never let your car go below 1/4 of a tank then I guess you will do the same with your scooter. I personally would rather use that last 20 or 30 miles in my tank and fill up less often.

[SteMer]

I've been reading my gas gauge the same as Blackeyes, with the red being the final 1/4 tank, and haven't had any issues, yet, with running it almost to the peg. Have been filling up every 100 miles for the last 2 months doing it this way. And "yet" still hasn't happened.

[gt1000]

I have never filled my tank until it was touching the empty peg and on several occasions driven around with it on the empty peg for a while with no problem. I use the bike to compute to work every day and already have over 1300 miles on it with no problems. The red section if you look at the way it is divided is the last 1/4 of a tank. If you never let your car go below 1/4 of a tank then I guess you will do the same with your scooter. I personally would rather use that last 20 or 30 miles in my tank and fill up less often.

This is more along the lines of what I was looking for. I ride daily as well and, sometimes, it's just not convenient to gas up until I've been riding close to empty for a while. It's also just smart to have an idea of how far you can actually get on a tank. It was convenient to gas up last night and I did so on my way home. The needle was about midway through the red zone and the tank took right around 1.2 gallons. Worked out to about 85 mpg for my first tank of gas.

One last question: how much gas have you been able to pump into your Buddy after the gauge has been pegged?

[mlee10018]

I usually fill up after about 100 miles as well. Of course that usually takes me down to about half of the red left and I fill up about 1.3-1.4. I don't think that I have been getting anywhere near 80-100 mpg, the best I have gotten is 72mpg up to now. My dealer saids that it should get better after the break in period. When does the break in end? I am at around 380 miles or so.
thanks.

[gt1000]

I usually fill up after about 100 miles as well. Of course that usually takes me down to about half of the red left and I fill up about 1.3-1.4. I don't think that I have been getting anywhere near 80-100 mpg, the best I have gotten is 72mpg up to now. My dealer saids that it should get better after the break in period. When does the break in end? I am at around 380 miles or so.
thanks.

Thanks Megan, this is helpful as well. Hmm, I wonder how much gas the tank would take if it was bone-dry?

As far as mileage improving with break-in, I would think you would've already seen some improvement over 380 miles. My guess is that some of the really high mileage figures we're hearing about have more to do with the way those folks ride their scooters than anything else. Take me, for example. I didn't expect to see mileage in the 80's with my first tank but a great deal of my riding is on neighborhood streets where the speed limit is 30 or 35, tops. I haven't babied my Buddy by any stretch, but the fact that I spend a lot of time at these low speeds means my Buddy is barely working. You, on the other hand, may spend a good bit of time on faster roads and your scooter will work harder and burn more gas because of that.

Of course, if you're driving the exact same type of roads as me it could be that your Buddy is running rich or just needs a bit of a tune.

Honestly, the way the Buddy performs, I'd be more than satisfied with mileage over 60. The fact that it's way over 60 is just gravy.

[GatsbyGirl]

My first tank of gas only got in the low 70s, but with each tank there was a steady increase. It was easily getting in the high 90s by the time I got to 275 miles.

Of course, now that Ericalm has totaled the little pink rocket, I'll have to start all over.

[NarMeowZippy]

Of course, now that Ericalm has totaled the little pink rocket, I'll have to start all over.

Oh, how sad! A proper burial is in order!

[mlee10018]

I would think you would've already seen some improvement over 380 miles.

I didn't expect to see mileage in the 80's with my first tank but a great deal of my riding is on neighborhood streets where the speed limit is 30 or 35, tops.

Of course, if you're driving the exact same type of roads as me it could be that your Buddy is running rich or just needs a bit of a tune.

I have seen some improvement over my mpg, I started around 62mpg and the last tank was about 72. Of course everyone assumes that I ride like crazy when I say so, but I do live in NYC which means I am in traffic most of the time going under 30. I do go over the bridge that takes me up to 55mph for a mile twice a day. I just try to keep up with the traffic generally.

What does running rich mean? May be I will wait till I reach 500 miles before bringing it in.
thanks,

[vitaminC]

What does running rich mean? May be I will wait till I reach 500 miles before bringing it in.
thanks,

Running rich means that the carb is sending too much gas to the combustion chamber, and what is not burned is wasted, hence the lower MPG. This can be checked by looking at your sparkplug, if it is black and sooty, then you are likely running rich. Something like that could be caused by a dirty air filter or a mis-adjusted valve, either of which should be recitified at the first service.

[vitaminC]

Oh, and just like a car, lots of stopping and starting, short trips, and spending time idling will all contribute to lower gas mileage. The best way to get good mileage is steady speed/throttle, as it's less effort to maintain a speed than to attain it.

I think, however, that even at 70MPG it's pretty darn amazing! I am getting ~95MPG so far, which is almost 4x better than my car, and that makes me very happy

[gt1000]

Oh, and just like a car, lots of stopping and starting, short trips, and spending time idling will all contribute to lower gas mileage. The best way to get good mileage is steady speed/throttle, as it's less effort to maintain a speed than to attain it.

I think, however, that even at 70MPG it's pretty darn amazing! I am getting ~95MPG so far, which is almost 4x better than my car, and that makes me very happy

Yeah, I would think the strain of riding in New York traffic would be the bigger culprit here. My typical commute is 4-8 miles, depending on the route I take, and I have very few stops. If you're stopping and idling for any amount of time, that could be part or most of the difference between your mileage and mine.

[mlee10018]

thanks guys.
ride safe.