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Running out of gas

6K views 43 replies 25 participants last post by  BizTalk Rider 
#1 ·
I am a new owner of a 2003 1100 Spirit. Last time I was out I ran low on gas & had to switch to reserve. I almost killed my battery trying to start it. I have since heard that this is a common problem on these bikes when they are run out of gas.Any tips for next time from you experienced Shadow riders. Thanks
 
#3 ·
Switch to reserve before you run out on the main setting, Just watch the trip meter and when the miles get close to where you think you would need reserve switch it over. Most of the time when this happens to me my bike will sputter as a warning sign and I switch it then before it stops.

You can also choke the bike if it dies out completly and this should help on the restart.
 
#4 ·
ddgman said:
I am a new owner of a 2003 1100 Spirit. Last time I was out I ran low on gas & had to switch to reserve. I almost killed my battery trying to start it. I have since heard that this is a common problem on these bikes when they are run out of gas.Any tips for next time from you experienced Shadow riders. Thanks
Well, the Spirit 1100s have a fuel pump...so...turn the key on and it should pump gas to the carbs. Once they are full, it will be good to go. It shouldn't take very long to fill the carbs.

To be honest, I have never had this problem. But then, I have never ran the bike out of fuel before switching to reserve. You can usually tell when you are running out, just reach down with your left hand and switch the petcock. It sounds like it would be good for you to practice this. While riding, just reach down and turn it. It won't hurt anything...unless you leave it in the off position by mistake. Remember, pointing down is regular...pointing up is reserve.

Hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
It'll get better.

When I got my Shadow it had set for a while. The first couple of time I had to switch to reserve I had similar experiences. These days its not a problem.

I don't know if it is an actual fuel or fuel line problem from sitting so long or if I now I know to flip the switch at the first sign of trouble instead of waiting until the carb bowls are completely empty.

Also I'm much better at guestimating when I need to fill up (whether it'll be closer to 120 miles or 160 miles) so I haven't needed the switch in awhile.

Sparc
 
#6 ·
ddgman said:
I am a new owner of a 2003 1100 Spirit. Last time I was out I ran low on gas & had to switch to reserve. I almost killed my battery trying to start it. I have since heard that this is a common problem on these bikes when they are run out of gas.Any tips for next time from you experienced Shadow riders. Thanks
Only problem when running the bowls dry is you have to have a vaccum on the petcock in order for fuel to flow, so if your engne is off and the petcock is open you don't flood out. When you run it dry it takes quite a bit of cranking in order to get enough fuel into the bowls to get the engine to run steady and supply a constant vaccum to allow for fuel flow.

At least that is the impression I am under when it comes to my '06 Sabre after running it dry once, someone with more direct technical experience on these bikes may have more reliable information.
 
#7 ·
I actually run on reserve for 20 miles after I fill up because I have read that that is a good practice to ensure you always use fresh gas. I get exactly 120 miles before I need to switch, but I always fill up at about 100 miles because this is a great number for which to calculate your actual MPG.

Enjoy
 
#8 ·
shrek said:
ddgman said:
I am a new owner of a 2003 1100 Spirit. Last time I was out I ran low on gas & had to switch to reserve. I almost killed my battery trying to start it. I have since heard that this is a common problem on these bikes when they are run out of gas.Any tips for next time from you experienced Shadow riders. Thanks
Only problem when running the bowls dry is you have to have a vaccum on the petcock in order for fuel to flow, so if your engne is off and the petcock is open you don't flood out. When you run it dry it takes quite a bit of cranking in order to get enough fuel into the bowls to get the engine to run steady and supply a constant vaccum to allow for fuel flow.

At least that is the impression I am under when it comes to my '06 Sabre after running it dry once, someone with more direct technical experience on these bikes may have more reliable information.
Shrek,

I believe you are mistaken on the Spirit (and Sabre) having a vacuum petcock. I have had mine off several times and there is not a vacuum line on the back of the petcock. I have also had the petcock open when the tank was off and gas came out.

I have looked at the microfiche for both the Spirit and Sabre and they seem to have the same components...including a fuel pump.

Again, this is not an attack...just wanting to clear the matter up. If you can take a picture of the back of your petcock...I would be happy to change my tune.

Joe
 
#9 ·
Spirit_1100 said:
shrek said:
ddgman said:
I am a new owner of a 2003 1100 Spirit. Last time I was out I ran low on gas & had to switch to reserve. I almost killed my battery trying to start it. I have since heard that this is a common problem on these bikes when they are run out of gas.Any tips for next time from you experienced Shadow riders. Thanks
Only problem when running the bowls dry is you have to have a vacuum on the petcock in order for fuel to flow, so if your engine is off and the petcock is open you don't flood out. When you run it dry it takes quite a bit of cranking in order to get enough fuel into the bowls to get the engine to run steady and supply a constant vacuum to allow for fuel flow.

At least that is the impression I am under when it comes to my '06 Sabre after running it dry once, someone with more direct technical experience on these bikes may have more reliable information.
Shrek,

I believe you are mistaken on the Spirit (and Sabre) having a vacuum petcock. I have had mine off several times and there is not a vacuum line on the back of the petcock. I have also had the petcock open when the tank was off and gas came out.

I have looked at the microfiche for both the Spirit and Sabre and they seem to have the same components...including a fuel pump.

Again, this is not an attack...just wanting to clear the matter up. If you can take a picture of the back of your petcock...I would be happy to change my tune.

Joe
Absolutely no attack perceived, I am making an assumption with my statement above.
 
#11 ·
ddgman said:
I am a new owner of a 2003 1100 Spirit. Last time I was out I ran low on gas & had to switch to reserve. I almost killed my battery trying to start it. I have since heard that this is a common problem on these bikes when they are run out of gas.Any tips for next time from you experienced Shadow riders. Thanks
As Spirit_1100 said, best thing to do is with a full tank and while riding practice going from normal run position to reserve a few times so you can learn to switch easy, I just back of the gas a little and reach and switch with out any problem, I also stop for fuel usually around 100 miles, I know I can go further if necessary and have gone to 156 usin reserve but I don't like to push it unless I "KNOW" for sure there is a gas stop, it's easy to practice, Something else which has been done, If you switch to reserve also just **** the cover on your gas cap either left or right so you remember to switch the petcock back at fill up...THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER...... :idea: :!:
 
#12 ·
Something else which has been done, If you switch to reserve also just **** the cover on your gas cap either left or right so you remember to switch the petcock back at fill up...THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER......
As mentioned earlier, I turn the tank to reserve often st to use all the gas in the lower half of the tank. I always worried that would forget, but that is a great peaice of advice. Thanks for the hint, I have resigned myself to the fact that if I log on every day to this great forum, I will learn something new, you have just help keep the flow of knowledge going.’


See folks, you can teach an old dragoon new tricks.
:)
 
#14 ·
Dragoon said:
Something else which has been done, If you switch to reserve also just **** the cover on your gas cap either left or right so you remember to switch the petcock back at fill up...THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER......
As mentioned earlier, I turn the tank to reserve often st to use all the gas in the lower half of the tank. I always worried that would forget, but that is a great peaice of advice. Thanks for the hint, I have resigned myself to the fact that if I log on every day to this great forum, I will learn something new, you have just help keep the flow of knowledge going.’


See folks, you can teach an old dragoon new tricks.
:)
You are welcome and yes the amount of info on these forum is amazing, even after 50+ years of riding I am still learning things, by the way us
Cal e forn eans have to stick together... :lol: 8)
 
#16 ·
Dragoon said:
As mentioned earlier, I turn the tank to reserve often st to use all the gas in the lower half of the tank.
Interesting. I'd think that the amount of riding we do where we're hitting bumps & leaning from one side to another would be enough to keep any gas impurities from settling at the bottom & from any of the gas down there from sitting still enough to go stale. I run my bike until I have to switch the petcock to get to the next gas station, but have never considered that there'd be anything down there that I'd want to run dry (or close to it) just to drain it out of the tank. When we put in more gas, whatever is down there gets mixed up with the rest of it. I think. My perception. But, might not be a bad idea to run it almost dry just to get it cleared out. Maybe.

And, yes, I learn something new everytime I login here. A wonderful community worth twice the price of admission! :wink:
 
#17 ·
Dragoon said:
I actually run on reserve for 20 miles after I fill up because I have read that that is a good practice to ensure you always use fresh gas. I get exactly 120 miles before I need to switch, but I always fill up at about 100 miles because this is a great number for which to calculate your actual MPG.

Enjoy
While it certainly isn't going to hurt anything doing it that way,
you aren't really accomplishing anything either.

If you stop and think about it, your tank is a once piece tank.
Switching to reserve "to keep fresh gas in it" isn't doing anything.

When you hit reserve and switch over, you are running on the same
gas you were running on when in the ON position.
When you pull in to a gas station and fill up, all that gas is going to get
mixed up simply by filling the tank.
Running on reserve after a fill up is going to run on the same "mixed"
gas as if you were turn it back to ON.
Gasoline mixes with itself, the old doesn't sink to the bottom while
the new sits atop.
 
#18 ·
Another thing you could do to help remind you that your bike in on reserve is to flip the key cover around on the gas cap when you go to reserve. It is a good visual reminder that you have put the bike on reserve and need to start looking for a gas station.
 
#20 ·
Well, the Spirit 1100s have a fuel pump...so...turn the key on and it should pump gas to the carbs. Once they are full, it will be good to go. It shouldn't take very long to fill the carbs.
Are you sure? I no longer have my Shadow service manual so I can't say for sure on Hondas, but both my Suzukis get their fuel pump electric feed from the coils, so if the engine is not running (or cranking with the starter) the pump isn't pumping. I assume this is a safety feature to keep the pump from overfilling the bowls under certain rare circumstances. Some owners bypass the coils and power the fuel pump directly from the ignition switch to avoid the long cranking necessary after running the carbs dry.
 
#21 ·
litnin said:
Dragoon said:
I actually run on reserve for 20 miles after I fill up because I have read that that is a good practice to ensure you always use fresh gas. I get exactly 120 miles before I need to switch, but I always fill up at about 100 miles because this is a great number for which to calculate your actual MPG.

Enjoy
While it certainly isn't going to hurt anything doing it that way,
you aren't really accomplishing anything either.

If you stop and think about it, your tank is a once piece tank.
Switching to reserve "to keep fresh gas in it" isn't doing anything.

When you hit reserve and switch over, you are running on the same
gas you were running on when in the ON position.
When you pull in to a gas station and fill up, all that gas is going to get
mixed up simply by filling the tank.
Running on reserve after a fill up is going to run on the same "mixed"
gas as if you were turn it back to ON.
Gasoline mixes with itself, the old doesn't sink to the bottom while
the new sits atop.
Thanks for clarifying that. It was on this forum in the tech section that I got that tidbit of info. Now, because I never run to reserve, I won’t have to worry about that.

Cheers
 
#22 ·
Dragoon said:
I actually run on reserve for 20 miles after I fill up because I have read that that is a good practice to ensure you always use fresh gas. I get exactly 120 miles before I need to switch, but I always fill up at about 100 miles because this is a great number for which to calculate your actual MPG.

Enjoy
This sounds like there is a seperate tank for reserve. Is there any need to run on reserve unless you actually are out of gas? I was under the assumption that reserve just means that you are pulling from a different level in the tank. In which case, you would never really get stale fuel as long as the bike is being refueled on a regular basis. Anytime you refuel should stir the tank enough with fresh fuel to keep everything moving. This is what I think, now if I'm wrong, someone let me know. I don't want to run around with the same old nasty gas in my tank and someday need to go on reserve and have junk where gas used to be. I usually refuel every 120- 150 miles. I hardly ever get over 2.5 gals, usually closer to 2.



Okay, just saw the post above. thanks
 
#23 ·
I usually switch to reserve before I need to (in Canada that means about 180 kilometers), but if I push it too far I just flip to reserve before the engine dies and all is well.

I don't know if anybody else does this, but I make it a habit to turn the petcock off every time I stop the engine. That way when I start up again I have to give a moments thought to the state of my tank. If I was running on reserve when I shut the engine off, and then forget about it and start out on the main tank, the engine will sputter right away and serve as a warning. Without this habit it is too easy to hop on the bike and race away without remembering that I'm on reserve.

Swinging the fuel cap to one side is a good suggestion too. I might try that.
 
#24 ·
I like that I have a gas station <3 miles up the road. No worrying if I will make it with what is in the tank.

I usually just buy $5 at a time since my longest ride is usually to work (40 miles)

I don't like to let it sit in the garage with a full tank if I am going to be riding it at least once a week. No risk of condensation in that short a time period having a negative effect.
 
#25 ·
MikeB said:
Well, the Spirit 1100s have a fuel pump...so...turn the key on and it should pump gas to the carbs. Once they are full, it will be good to go. It shouldn't take very long to fill the carbs.
Are you sure? I no longer have my Shadow service manual so I can't say for sure on Hondas, but both my Suzukis get their fuel pump electric feed from the coils, so if the engine is not running (or cranking with the starter) the pump isn't pumping. I assume this is a safety feature to keep the pump from overfilling the bowls under certain rare circumstances. Some owners bypass the coils and power the fuel pump directly from the ignition switch to avoid the long cranking necessary after running the carbs dry.
Good Catch Mike...I checked the manual deeper and followed the wires on the wiring diagram and the fuel pump cut-off relay is tied into the ignition controller and the front coil.
 
#26 ·
Dragoon said:
Thanks for clarifying that. It was on this forum in the tech section that I got that tidbit of info. Now, because I never run to reserve, I won’t have to worry about that.

Cheers
The early model Shadows actually did have a separate tank that was
the reserve tank.

Even though that was the case, the main tank fed the small tank.
These bikes had sensors in the bottom of the main tank.
When you filled up, you filled both tanks. As the fuel level dropped
and the main tank ran dry, the 'wet sensor' would turn the light on
to tell you that you were getting low on fuel.
You still had the lower reserve tank to use.
That setup meant no ON/RESERVE/OFF petcock, it was just ON/OFF.
I personally like that system better, but oh well...
 
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