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Running out of fuel

Dinsdale Piranha

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
Joined
Jul 16, 2017
Messages
455
Location
West Oz
With all this new fangled fuel injection stuff on my new V7iii, what happens if I run the tank dry? I'd really like to find out just how far I can go if I'm pressed. It's always been my normal practice to carry a spare 5 litres for a few tankfulls of fuel to get a good idea of where there absolute limit is. This my 1st FI bike.
 
No problems as far as I know.
I haven't done it with the Griso but when i had the Black Eagle I wanted to know the range so I packed a gallon & rode till she quit.
 
The fuel pump uses the fuel for lubrication and cooling. I wouldn't recommend running out of fuel, but if you do, immediately shut off electrics or just use engine cut off switch which should stop the pump.
 
From memory, 400 km should be fairly easily achieved on yours. If you go by the 300 km/3 hours rule, you are due for a stop anyway, so fill up on fuel, drain yours, freshen up and do it all again. A 1000 km day should be easy, depending on how often you need to stop.
 
The fuel pump uses the fuel for lubrication and cooling. I wouldn't recommend running out of fuel, but if you do, immediately shut off electrics or just use engine cut off switch which should stop the pump.

On most EFI systems, when the fuel runs dry, the pump immediately shuts off (... because it uses the fuel for both lubrication and cooling...). My Ducati 907IE did that. Is it not the case for the V7III?

That said, I hate riding for very long with the low fuel warning light on. Mine has turned on with each tankful so far at the 4 gallon mark, which leaves another gallon (or so) in the tank. Figuring on 45 MPG, just find a fuel station shortly after the light comes on; the RESERVE trip odometer is automatically activated so you can see how long you've been running on the reserve portion of the tank pretty easily.

G
 
There are places I'll be going where fuel stations are 400+Km apart. What I really want to determine is just how far I can reasonably expect to go on a tank of fuel, and I can't do that without running it dry a few times.
 
There are places I'll be going where fuel stations are 400+Km apart. What I really want to determine is just how far I can reasonably expect to go on a tank of fuel, and I can't do that without running it dry a few times.

If you are going those distances, carry extra fuel. Italians base the fuel tanks on Europe where it is never far to the next fuel station and for styling, not function. We have the same issues here in the western US where stations can be more that 200 miles apart. My 1998 EV would have the fuel light go on at 150 miles or less, I modified the tank to hold about 8 gallons. No more fuel issues after that.
 
There are places I'll be going where fuel stations are 400+Km apart. What I really want to determine is just how far I can reasonably expect to go on a tank of fuel, and I can't do that without running it dry a few times.

I would run a few tanks and record your distance from full to low fuel warning and the amount you put in at that time to check the fuel economy your bike is getting in your conditions. You don't really need to run it dry ... there's always an amount of variability due to how particular terrain and rider technique varies, running it dry is just going to give you a "precise" figure on one tankful unless you do it four or five times.

400 km is just under 250 miles distance. With Racer, prior to doing the Agostini exhausts and remapping the ECU for them*, averaged over four full tanks of fuel, the low fuel warning light comes on at 198 miles. If I fill up within the next 4 miles or so, the amount going into the tank is 4 US gallons, so that's ~50 miles per US gallon. The tank is nominally 5.5 US Gallons capacity: Discounting air space and a quart (or liter) left in the tank so the fuel pump stays wet, there's another 50 miles of range, plus a little extra, on reserve.

* Not enough miles yet to know what Racer will get with the Agos and remap.

So... if you're entering a travel segment where you know the next fueling stop is 400 km away, be sure you fill up at the start of it. You'll have slightly more than enough fuel to run you to the next fuel stop, presuming you get the same fuel economy I do, and will be running about 80km or so on the RESERVE-trip odometer.

And yes: if you do those kinds of segments regularly, carry a 2L extra fuel can. Safety first! :D
 
If you are going those distances, carry extra fuel. Italians base the fuel tanks on Europe where it is never far to the next fuel station and for styling, not function. We have the same issues here in the western US where stations can be more that 200 miles apart. My 1998 EV would have the fuel light go on at 150 miles or less, I modified the tank to hold about 8 gallons. No more fuel issues after that.

When I was doing long trips across the US south west, I simply ran routes that allowed me to refuel within the tank's capacity on the 850T and LeMans V. Either of them would do about the same as Racer ... about 200 miles on main, and another 50 miles on reserve. I never had an instance with either of those bikes where I was seriously in danger of running out of fuel, unless I was careless about managing them.

I nearly ran out of fuel once with the LeMans while crossing Louisiana because I neglected to watch when I turned on the reserve taps and it was late at night on roads I wasn't familiar with ... That tankful lasted me to the fuel stop finally at 332 miles and he was spluttering a bit from lean mixtures. Of course, with Racer, that wouldn't happen because the smarts of the fuel system will automatically turn on the RESERVE-trip odometer when the light comes on. Between the light and the odometer reminding me how far I've gone, I'll find fuel before it runs out... :)
 
On the old loop frames I ran out of gas way more than I care to admit.
I would run out on the main side & open the reserve side & forget I needed gas.

I guess short term memory loss isn't just getting old after all.
 
I have run out of gas more than a few times. Many of those times were with EFI. I have never had an issue with the fuel pump because of that, nor a fuel pump issue at all.
I understand the idea of determining about how far you can go after the low fuel light comes on, that is good to know. So, if you carry gas with you there is no reason not to let it run dry. Just be careful, you don't want to run out a a bad moment, like on a crowded freeway with no shoulder.
 
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