How do you manage without a gas gauge?

brizbot · 06-12-2019, 10:52 AM

Greetings all,
2003 GZ 250

Yesterday I must have been really enjoying the ride because I ran out of the gas and had to "Flinstones It" to the nearest gas station.

With that being said how do you all manage to keep on your fuel levels without a gas gauge?

I was thinking that it would probably be easiest/best to fill up the tank and then keep an eye on the trip odometer... Not sure what distance I should use as reference?

Thanks for your time and hope all of you are enjoying your bikes as well.

Stay safe!
Briz

alantf · 06-12-2019, 01:13 PM

I haven't got my gz anymore, but when I did, I used to reset the tripmeter after every fill up, then fill up again after 200 kilometers (around 125 miles)

brizbot · 06-12-2019, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alantf

I haven't got my gz anymore, but when I did, I used to reset the tripmeter after every fill up, then fill up again after 200 kilometers (around 125 miles)

Thanks for the reply. I will keep that distance in mind!

Fatch · 06-12-2019, 05:15 PM

Don't these bikes have an "On" and a "Reserve" setting on the petcock? I never looked that closely at mine, now that I think about it (and it's currently being shipped to me after a move halfway across the country). Usually you'd ride in "On", then when the engine starts to cough and sputter, you switch to "reserve" and make your way to the nearest gas station.

Personally, I used to keep a 20oz full of gas in my saddlebag on my last bike "just in case". Ended up using it to refill other peoples' bikes more than mine. A quick google search tells me there are 1L gas cans shaped to fit in the corner of your saddlebag, too. So maybe invest in one of those? Also, there are aftermarket gas gauges (that range from "awful" to "pretty damn good, actually").

But easiest is probably going to be riding in normal "On" mode and stopping every 120 miles or so (or 2 hours of riding... Pretty good time to get off for a stretch anyways, I'd say).

Vegas Street Rider · 06-12-2019, 06:31 PM

The petcock does have a RES position. You should set your petcock to the ON position and then when it starts sputtering or powering out, switch it to reserve and it should give you plenty of fuel to get to the next station, unless you are out in the middle of nowhere.

5th_bike · 07-19-2019, 08:17 PM

Use the trip odometer and by the time it gets to around 180 - 200 miles, wait for the hesitation in the engine to switch from ON to RES.

b1pig · 08-07-2019, 08:36 PM

i run a bike till it stalls with petcock "on". Switch to reserve and get to a gas station. I have ridden a couple until they quit on reserve with a small fuel can just so I can get an idea just how far reserve will actually get me. I have gotten surprised recently with our Harley because I left the fuel enrichment pulled out a little and needless to say my fuel economy went into the basement.

Once you have an idea how far reserve will get you, cut it in half. Then ride by the odometer.

My BMW doesn't have a reserve. When the gauge hits the red zone, its time to find a station. fast.

Shawnski451 · 11-02-2019, 07:43 AM

These bikes have a petcock with 3 settings. On, Prime, and Reserve. From a full fill up I'd set my trip odometer to 0 and make sure that the petcock is set to the on position. I'd ride like I normally would and around 210 miles the engine would start sputtering. I would then simply switch it over to Reserve and motor on to the nearest gas station. It pretty simple. Furthest I pushed the bike on a single fill up was 230 miles.

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk

Donald McPherson · 11-09-2019, 02:20 PM

I have the Chinese gz125 hs. It has a fuel guage.

06-12-2019, 10:52 AM	#1
brizbot Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 10	How do you manage without a gas gauge? Greetings all, 2003 GZ 250 Yesterday I must have been really enjoying the ride because I ran out of the gas and had to "Flinstones It" to the nearest gas station. With that being said how do you all manage to keep on your fuel levels without a gas gauge? I was thinking that it would probably be easiest/best to fill up the tank and then keep an eye on the trip odometer... Not sure what distance I should use as reference? Thanks for your time and hope all of you are enjoying your bikes as well. Stay safe! Briz Login or Register to Remove Ads
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06-12-2019, 01:13 PM	#2
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,715	I haven't got my gz anymore, but when I did, I used to reset the tripmeter after every fill up, then fill up again after 200 kilometers (around 125 miles) __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
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06-12-2019, 06:31 PM	#5
Vegas Street Rider Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 1,089	The petcock does have a RES position. You should set your petcock to the ON position and then when it starts sputtering or powering out, switch it to reserve and it should give you plenty of fuel to get to the next station, unless you are out in the middle of nowhere. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

07-19-2019, 08:17 PM	#6
5th_bike Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: HoCo, Maryland Posts: 1,349	Use the trip odometer and by the time it gets to around 180 - 200 miles, wait for the hesitation in the engine to switch from ON to RES. __________________ 2005 "Saturn Black", stock + tach
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06-12-2019, 05:15 PM	#4
Fatch Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 23	Don't these bikes have an "On" and a "Reserve" setting on the petcock? I never looked that closely at mine, now that I think about it (and it's currently being shipped to me after a move halfway across the country). Usually you'd ride in "On", then when the engine starts to cough and sputter, you switch to "reserve" and make your way to the nearest gas station. Personally, I used to keep a 20oz full of gas in my saddlebag on my last bike "just in case". Ended up using it to refill other peoples' bikes more than mine. A quick google search tells me there are 1L gas cans shaped to fit in the corner of your saddlebag, too. So maybe invest in one of those? Also, there are aftermarket gas gauges (that range from "awful" to "pretty damn good, actually"). But easiest is probably going to be riding in normal "On" mode and stopping every 120 miles or so (or 2 hours of riding... Pretty good time to get off for a stretch anyways, I'd say).
	0

08-07-2019, 08:36 PM	#7
b1pig Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: ray city, ga Posts: 121	i run a bike till it stalls with petcock "on". Switch to reserve and get to a gas station. I have ridden a couple until they quit on reserve with a small fuel can just so I can get an idea just how far reserve will actually get me. I have gotten surprised recently with our Harley because I left the fuel enrichment pulled out a little and needless to say my fuel economy went into the basement. Once you have an idea how far reserve will get you, cut it in half. Then ride by the odometer. My BMW doesn't have a reserve. When the gauge hits the red zone, its time to find a station. fast.
	0

11-02-2019, 07:43 AM	#8
Shawnski451 Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 32	These bikes have a petcock with 3 settings. On, Prime, and Reserve. From a full fill up I'd set my trip odometer to 0 and make sure that the petcock is set to the on position. I'd ride like I normally would and around 210 miles the engine would start sputtering. I would then simply switch it over to Reserve and motor on to the nearest gas station. It pretty simple. Furthest I pushed the bike on a single fill up was 230 miles. Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
	0

11-09-2019, 02:20 PM	#9
Donald McPherson Member Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Aberdeen Scotland Posts: 47	I have the Chinese gz125 hs. It has a fuel guage.
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