| Author | Message | ||
     88b |
Last Thursday evening I was on my way to the Ace Cafe in London, I got 18 miles with the low fuel light on and it died. I had 4 miles further to meet up with friends at a gas station and thought I'd get there. I pushed it half a mile to a gas station and filled up but it wouldn't fire up. After a few tries I checked the fuses and it had blown the pump fuse. Is this something they usually do ? Not that I run out of gas often, can't remember the last time. | ||
| Ratbuell |
that scenario begs the question if you actually ran out of gas...or if your no-longer-submerged-in-cooling-fuel fuel pump overheated and popped the fuse. to answer your question, it is not unheard of for a bike lowLOW on fuel to overheat its pump, especially if it's hot weather. fuel/liquid acts as a heat sink and cools the pump. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
only 18 miles with the fuel light on? Hard to believe that you were actually out of gas. I always get 30+ miles once my light goes on. | ||
| Uly_man |
I ran out of fuel on Wood Lane, near to the gas station on that road and had to push it, and once at home with no problems with my 06 bike. 20 miles max on reserve, on my 06 bike, and that was being careful. The light comes on its 15 miles max for me to be safe. | ||
| Glen |
wow this just happened to me too. | ||
| Uly_man |
There u go, Dude. I could get 50 plus on the open road but it was 42 around london town. Light comes on fill it up job done. Any other probs then look into it before it bits yer ass. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I just put gas in my 06 Uly yesterday with 32 miles on the fuel light. I didn't want to trust it much farther though. I hate pushing my motorcycle. | ||
| Uly_man |
Well I could get my mpg down to 20 mpg on my 06 bike and if I tried hard enough even less sometimes. Power costs. Wear and tear or mpg is all about how you treat the bike. One thing is not for all. Its like those people who say they had a type of bike for 10 years with no problem but it only has 5k on it. I can THINK better use/miles than that. | ||
| 88b |
Thanks for the answers, I did wonder if low fuel allowed the pump to over heat, lets hope that was the problem and not the pump. | ||
| Xb1200rick |
did the same thing yesterday . I only made it 9 miles after the low fuel light came on. Put gas and a new fuse in it before it would start . | ||
| Mjj |
There are some similar threads in the knowledge vault. I have burnt out four fuel pump fuses. Always with low fuel, usually on a hot day, I'll drop the rpm's at a light, and the fire will go out. I don't even try the starter anymore until I replace the fuse, and head for the nearest fuel. | ||
| Ratbuell |
...and this is why I carry spare fuses, and an MSR fuel bottle in an operators tube under the saddlebag  1L of fuel isn't a lot...but its about 10 miles I don't have to push! | ||
| Wbrisett |
I was wondering this on my recent trip... How much fuel is left when the light comes on? I made it 45 miles at one point. But that was open road. When I filled up the Uly, I didn't quite put four gallons in the tank. Yet, the bike has a 4.4 US gallon capacity... I just looked at my 2007 owner's manual... It states the fuel capacity is 4.4 gallons. It also states that the reserve light comes on at 0.83 gallons. I know based on fuel consumption/miles that I'm regularly getting 50-52 MPG on my '07. Doing the math that means I should get 178 miles before the LED even comes on, plus have another 41 miles in reserve before I run out... (putting on my best Hammie voice from toy story... "I seriously doubt they are getting that type of mileage.") What I typically see is my LED illuminate around 135-145, yet I sweat bullets if I push the bike to the 170+ mark. I suspect the different year models may have some slightly different ranges, but it does seem that my LED is coming on much sooner than normal. Wayne | ||
| Buewulf |
Wayne, I've wondered the same thing. (Mine is an '06). The most I've gone after the low-fuel indicator fires up is 38 miles. I've never pumped more than 4 gallons into the bike, though. I wonder if that 4.4 gallon measurement is taken at the crank rather than the rear wheel. | ||
| Froggy |
On my 06, the light comes on like clockwork at 230 miles, and if I pull over immediately it takes just over 3.6 gallons to fill back up on the side stand. It is 4.4 gallons, but due to the fuel pump it is more like 4.2, and if you are on the sidestand you will get a small pocket of air that will take up around another quart of capacity. You will need to fill the bike with it upright to fill it to the brim, but I don't recommend that. | ||
| Mnrider |
I really try to fill up before the fuel light comes on. Running anything with an electric fuel pump low on fuel is hard on the fuel pump. | ||
| Schwara |
Froggy - I've been meaning to ask this for some time & since it is sort of related to this post it seems like a good time. What in the world do you do (maintenance, flavor of fuel, riding style, aerodynamic clothing, hair products, & etc.) to get the gas mileage that you do? I'll get a little over 50 highway & a little over forty light to light, but from your posts you seem to get at least 1.5 X the mileage that I do. Any words of wisdom? Thanks. | ||
| Froggy |
Yep most of the above, I get higher than most fuel economy regardless of vehicle, including nearly 40mpg in a Corvette. (Owner thought I hacked the dash) Here is a good guide that lets you know most of my secrets: http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving- tips-ecodriving.php | ||
| Reepicheep |
I ran my XB9SX 27 miles with the light on once... and coasted it an additional half mile into the gas station parking lot... had to push about 25 yards. Like MNRider, I look at the low fuel light on my bike, and the empty mark on my Saab, as the "now burning up fuel pump" indicator. Maybe an old wives tale, but its how I feel. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Reepicheep, I agree with you 100% about frying the fuel pump in a dry well. How many times do we read about these guys blowing fuses when the fuel is in Reserve. Soon as my bike goes on reserve I head to the pump to filler up. | ||
| Froggy |
Only if you have a defective fuel pump, which some later model XBs have. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I imagine though, a fuel pump stays cooler running submerged than it does during the time the fuel supple dwindles during reserve. Especially so with a Buell, since the tank seems to get progressively hotter as the fuel diminishes. | ||
| Buellhusker |
I to have had a fuel pump go to la la land. While on a trip from North East Nebraska to Arkansas it would go on and off on one to two second cycles, but that was only when the bike was warmed up if I filled with cool fuel it would run OK until the fuel/frame would get warm again. Than was a really fun 500 + mile ride home made for passing cars a real experience. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Buellhusker, That never happened with your original ULY. | ||
| Boogeyman |
Mine ran out at 175.5 once. She was good enough to do it right in front of the gas station too! I had an extra gallon with me on the back seat just in case, so I wasn't worried. I really thought I could make it to the next town though. Only a 100 yards of pushing or so instead of busting out the extra gallon and taking the tank bags off and un-bungee-ing everything. '09, riding it kinda like I stole it at the time!  | ||
| Buellhusker |
Electraglider that happened on the only 2009 Uly I have or ever had. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Buellhusker, Sorry, got you mixed up in my head with another Nebraska bueller that I spoke to a few Homecomings ago in East Troy. At least I think he was a Cornhusker. He had used a modified Slipstreamer windshield and sheet metal lowers on his 06 or 07 ULY. I think you introduced yourself to me also, possibly. | ||
| Xbimmer |
My '06 has run out twice without the fuel light even lighting. Especially in hot weather with lots of short trips on the tank, I don't trust the light anymore. I average 38 mpg in town these days with a 78K engine and an '07 ECM, and check my trip meter before setting out. If I'm at 100 miles +/- I tank up. Pushing sucks. | ||
| Buellhusker |
Electraglider That was me that you talked to at Homecoming, I have the modified Slipstreamer windshield and aluminum lower deflectors on the forks however my Uly is a 09 and I do live in Columbus, NE. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Buellhusker, Ya see, I thought that was too long ago to have been an 09' bike. Seems like you had a beard at that time also. Your's must have been a brand new bike at the time we spoke. | ||
| Buellhusker |
Yep I got the bike the first of January 09 and yep I do have a beard. |
