Amount of usable gas in tank

[darrell moore]

I have read somewhere that after a bike is triked you can't use much more than 60% of a full tank without the bike acting like it low on fuel. Anyone experience this. I am planning on some looooong trips and do not want any surprises of this nature.

[THWilson]

Darrell, I have had my 08 Goldwing Roadsmith since Sept 08, I have run my tank right down to the E mark on a couple of rides with no problems.:Flag:

[Wayne Harmsen]

Shouldn't make any differance.

We can run our tank on our 1500 Motor Trike completely empty, just like before it was triked.

Don't ask how we know

[ultraboy]

Before triking my 07 FLHX, it took just about 1 gallon when the low level light came on. After triking it, it's the same. If I push it another 25+ miles past the light, it takes 4.8 to 4.9 to fill the 5 gallon tank.
I can see where the useable fuel might go down, if the trike's stance was radically altered (nose down) but in most, there should be virtually no difference.

[katfish16]

I have never had a problem with my gas

[Nana]

Triking my FatBoy doesn't seem to have affected my gas availability either. Same as it was on two wheels!

[Gorilla]

Mine is the same also. If you are really concerned. Run your tank down low. Then have a gallon available and go out and run it out of gas try to stay near a gas station. Use the gallon to get to the station then fill it the rest of the way up. If you were close to the station and didn't have to use much of the gallion, you will know what your useable fuel in the tank is. Then ride accordingly, but always give yourself some leeway for those headwind rides.

[Calman]

I do have a problem with usable gas in my Shadow Aero.

The tank holds 3.7 gallons with .8 gallons as a Reserve. However, I normally switch to Reserve at the 2.6 gallon mark. I have run the tank "dry" but could still hear and see gas in the tank. On fill-up it took only 3.2 gallons of fuel. So I got about .5 gallons (roughtly 20 miles) of unused fuel in the tank.

I'm leaning towards emptying the tank, pulling the fuel valve and shortening the gas stem so the "reserve indicator" is lowered thus extending my cruising range and reducing re-fueling frequency.

[Gorilla]

Are you saying that you have to switch to reserve after only using 1.1 gallons because the engine starts to starve for fuel? Or are you saying that you have used 2.6 gallons when you have to switch to reserve? If its the second that means that from the time you switch to reserve and then you run out of fuel you use another .6 gallons. only about 20 to 25 miles. If you shorten that tube you will have less reserve then the .6 and you will not access that .5 unuseable. You might want to look and see if the petcock is not screwed in to the gas tank to far which is not allowing all the gas to get to the drain whole. The top of the threads on the petcock should the even the the top of the bung that it screws into on the tank. If it goes in to far the side of the petcock blocks the last bit of fuel.

[Calman]

Tmigala,

2.6 gallons is when I HAVE TO switch to Reserve.
3.1 gallons or so I no longer get gas to the engine
.6 gallons or so is what I still see and hear in the tank but cannot use.

From what I've seen of the Aero's diagrams the petcock inside the tank is not your standard two tube assembly but one tube that slides up and down . That's way I'm considering shortening the tube by a 1/4" so it allow more gas to be used.

Calman

[msocko3]

I got gas.... oops wrong topic:eek:. I was down to about 2 tenths of a gallon on my 2010 Triglide and it was still running.

[Gorilla]

Calman I still pull it and see if it just is not screwed in to much and get a better idea how it works. It might only have one tube and a hole next to it. The tube feed is for the normal feed then the hole is for the reserve feed. I have not had a Areo petcok out, but that is how Harleys worked.