From: zowie@daedalus.stanford.edu (Craig "Powderkeg" DeForest)
Newsgroups: ba.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Bikes 'n Gadgetry
Date: 12 Oct 92 23:45:21 GMT
Distribution: ba
Organization: Stanford Center for Space Science and Astrophysics

In article <24173@sybase.sybase.com> thorick@sybase.com (Thorick Chow) writes:
   up until yesterday, I also thought low fuel warning lights were
   right up there with the of the gadgets that no 'real' MC person
   would bother with...

Well, I *used* to have a KZ400, but got tired of overheating the
engine on those freeway cruises through New Mexico in June, or of only
being able to go about 45 mph upwind across the plains -- so now I drive an 
'82 Honda Magna.  It has no fuel reserve, just an indicator light.

I liked the feel of the bike so much that I bought it regardless of
the `modern conveniences': no kick starter, no reserve switch, 
big ol' honkin' radiator in the front [which, BTW, is great for those
freeway cruises through 110F weather in New Mexico].

The fuel system is a bit kludgy: main and auxiliary tanks; fuel pump
[what happened to gravity?  the aux tank is behind and slightly below
the carbs]; no reserve switch; little float switch in the 1.1-gal aux
tank under the seat, to turn on the fuel light.  Just about the first
thing I thought was: `Hmm -- this is poor design.  The light is going
to burn out one day, and I'm going to run out of fuel.'

Sure enough.

Last week, I rode the Magna up to Portland, to give a talk at Reed
College.  Normally makes about 45 - 50 on the highway; but there were
big headwinds going out of town.  I was pretty surprised when the trip
odometer said I'd gone 110 miles with no fuel light -- normally it
lights up around there, but with the headwinds I figured it for about
90 or 100 (corresponding to 38-40 mpg with the 2.5 gal main tank).  I was
even more surprised when, five minutes later, I did run out of fuel!
I'd been getting a only a miserable 34 mpg, and was stranded in the
middle of I-505, that utterly desolate and barren stretch of
interstate leading from 80 to 5 in the central valley.

It was now about 11am, sun high in the sky, and I was wearing black
leather and a tee-shirt that loudly proclaimed `GOD SMOKES CRACK'.
Not the best way to get a ride from a passing motorist, let alone
prevent heatstroke.

Eventually got a ride with a trucker, and grabbed one of those
1-gallon plastic oil jugs from a Chevron station [fished it out of the
trash] and used that to carry some gas back to the machine.

(BTW, those blue Chevron oil jugs make great gas cans -- totally
gasoline-proof, and nicely shaped to fit into saddlebags, hang from
bungees, whatever.)

The `manual reserve' tank worked well -- I carried it all the way up
to Portland, and managed to rescue a hapless dude and his girlfriend
on a Yamaha 650, up in the Cascades -- they'd run out of gas about 10
miles out of town.

So now I've got to install a manual reserve -- I just don't trust that
light assembly any more.  Anyone know where to get a gasoline-proof
inline 1/4" valve?

--
Craig `No, I *really* *do* play piano in the marching band!' DeForest
                       zowie@daedalus.stanford.edu
Newsgroups: ba.motorcycles