Reserve Fuel Range

So today I had the misfortune of the gas station I planned to refuel at being closed down. For a moment I thought I would strand, but I made it to the nearest fuel station with 48km clocked by the ECU while on the reserve. It's new record for me which I don't plan to repeat, but it did make me wonder what other people's experiences are with the GRiSO's range with the reserve light on?

There's about 3 litres left at the low fuel light, whether the fuel pump can pick up the last few drops , who knows. My brain frys trying to do the maths of average litres per 100 indicated to how far can i go on 3 litres. But i have done 58 km once, sitting right up the bum of a car.

I know from long experience that I can do four trips into and out of Queanbeyan, our closest *Real* town before the low fuel light comes on as it always does, more or less, when I've done this regular drone. That is invariably with between 208 and 230 Km depending on ambient temperature and most of the trip will be at about 110 to 115 kph with about 8 km in a ridiculous 80 kph due to the heavily policed nature of that bit of road.

Every time I fill up I will put a bee's dick under 12 litres in. That means I'm getting 18.33 km to the litre but let's round it down to 18 to make things easy. (Averaging it out to 220 before the light comes on.)

Given the tank is supposed to hold 16.7 litres that, in theory, would mean that I'd have 4.7 litres left but let's say 4.2 because there will always be *Something* left in the tank. That would give a reserve range of 75 or so km before I would splutter to a halt.

BUT

Here I will digress with a little tale. One time a few years ago I was at Mark's place in Wagga. I can't remember what for but I seem to remember there were a bunch of us left in the direction of Canberra and Sydney. Either just before or just after I'd left Mark's place in Mount Austin my fuel light had come on and I'd thought "Ah yes, I'll fill up on the Sturt Highway, there's a Caltex there." Unfortunately I'd mistaken the gas station's position on the highway and because we'd left by the 'Back route' we joined the highway after the fuel stop.

"No matter" thought I, " I'll fill up at GumlyGumly", (Yes, there is such a place!) a bit down the road but the gas station there was closed! Anyway I now knew that the next fuel would be at Gundagai and that was a fair way away and I was seriously having very nasty thoughts about having to leave the bike on the side of the Hume Highway, (An invitation to vandals!) while I went in search of fuel.

So I used every trick in the book and ended up chugging along at 80kph, coasting when I could downhill, making myself as small as possible to reduce wind resistance etc. and finally, with a sigh of relief I rolled into the Shell servo in South Gundagai!

When I filled up it took 15.85 litres! The distance from Mt. Austin to South Gundagai is, according to Google Maps, some 89km so somewhere around that is possible but I can tell you I was shitting bricks by the time I rolled into sight of the bowser.

yeah, ive done the "hmm this light has been on for a long time now, please please please let there be a fuel station in the next town" thing too. i think it came down to 15.5 liters or so. I think i was at 230km at the clock

It makes so much difference on your riding style to be sure how much you got left. I fstart looking when im at 200km done

i've had worse. My R1150GSA holds a 32 liter tank. at around 400something km the light went on when we were in northern Spain. I radioed to my buddies who had the same bike and theirs was on too. The reserve is a lot on those bikes, but after doing a 100km on the reserve we slowed down to 80kmh orso trying to save fuel and trying to find a fuel station We found one with 500 and a bit on the clock. to my suprise it took 33 liters of fuel .... must have been running on fumes

I don't understand this whole litre (same as a liter?) & kilometer thing:D . But Last week after riding about 145 miles my low fuel light come on as I passed the exit ramp. I have covered 20 miles no problem with the light on before, but this time I blew right past that number. I ended up slowing to 70 mph from the 85-90 mph I was running. Tucked in behind the speedo as much as I could, and hoped I wouldn't run out of gas.
Covered 29 miles with the light on and took a little over 4 gallons. Think the bike has a 4.4 gallon tank.

I ran out of gas recently in South Australia on a Triumph Bonneville (the last of the carburettor versions). No fuel gauge, but it had a reserve tap on the fuel tank designed to get one to the next fuel stop.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to restore it after a previous low level light warning. No matter, I wouldn't have made it anyway, 200 kM until the light comes on, 230 kM to dead engine. No much warning in a country of sparse gas stations.

I wondered the same issue last year. Was in an unfamiliar part of VT, enjoying the twisties through a canyon. When it straighten out, I saw the light was on solid. I've noticed it comes on early when cornering a lot so I don't pay too much attention till it stays on when riding straight. When I got to the next town about 20 miles later, the only gas station was 87 octane. The only cell service was 1g, so no looking up where gas is. The attendant had no clue what direction might be closest for 91 oct. So I put about 1.5 gallons in and hoped for the best at the next town... which did work out.

On my Yamaha I was having a fun ride in a group I happened upon in Germany. Was an unusually twisty stretch of Autobahn. My reserve light came on shortly after I passed a filling station. Most the time stations are about 50km apart so I figured no worries, traffic will keep my burn rate low. I reset the trip odometer just in case. when I saw the trip odometer saying it had ben 70km I dropped my speed down, tucked in behind some LKW's (semis) and kept my eyes open for an off ramp that looked promising, or a sign. I swear in Germany every station is at the top of a hill, and sure enough, it ran out as I pulled off to the rest area. Had to push it up the off ramp. Once the ground leveled out I could start it again and ride the few hundred meters to the pump.