Anudder Noob Pisstake

**gijoe1313** · 6th September 2006, 00:14

Well, school finished early and no PD! (Professional Development but I call it Periodic Detention for Teachers). Fired up the Hornet and blatted to the back blocks of Tuakau. Went on to Pokeno and my bike was asking to be ridden more - so I turned it loose and we motored into Hamilton again! (This is the 2nd time in less than a week!) Stopped off at Hamilton Honda and played with my plastic card ...

One Disc Brake Lock El Cheapo $27.95
One Puncture Repair Kit $50.00 (didn't get the $59.95 with the bigarsed C02 cylinders)
One digital tyre guage pressure reader $30.00

The time was around 5.30 by this stage. Time to head home, a little voice in my head said "You should fill up"

Neh, sez my big dumb voice - I travelled to Auckland City yesterday night and only did a little blatting towards Hamiltron, plenty of gas!

So, off I ride merrily on my way. Hit the stretch on SH1 out from Huntly but before Meremere and my bike begins to stutter...needs fuel! No probs thunk I...switch to reserve!

Groping down, I discovered that it was already on reserve setting! No worries gulped I! Switch it back to main....only there wasn't any! Puttered off the interchange in the middle of no mans land ... and let my bike sit for a little whiles while I played with fuel tap. A little start and it fires up all ready like!

Hooray!

Puttered back onto the on-ramp...and bugger...get to the bottom of it and bike cuts out. Damn, bugger, shizen...Its official. I'm a noob and a big dumb arse!

Onto the mobile, dial AA and spend next 5 minutes trying to work out where the hell I am. Trudge back up to top of onramp and find name of closest road... Hampton Downs...doh! Nice AA sez..."$10 cash? Be about 30mins"

Sweet!

Pull out wallet...count...$6.80...f**k me days! Start stripping all the lint and fluff out of clothes and riding gear...final coin tally count.. $10.20!!!! Hit head for violating lots of cardinal riding rules. Fill tank. Carry more cash.

Long story short, Towie turns up, gasses me up without hassling me too much, I'm on my way back to Takanini. Fuel up at BP Takanini and then ride out again to North Shore to visit mates and show off bike. Home and writing out this shameful admission in wee hours so no-one will hopefully notice!

Cost of being a noob and a prat : Priceless

**Edbear** · 6th September 2006, 06:31

Originally Posted by gijoe1313

Home and writing out this shameful admission in wee hours so no-one will hopefully notice!

Cost of being a noob and a prat : Priceless

Um! We noticed!

PS. Don't you just hate it when that happens? I'm paranoid about running out of fuel so always refuel way early. Must see how far I can go on a tank, one day. Fuel guage is pessimistic on mine.

**McJim** · 6th September 2006, 08:36

I'm a bit paranoid about that happening too. I use the trip counter - always zero when I fill. Generally top up after 200km which is usually 7.5 litres. Tank capacity (incl reserve) 13 litres therefore bike should have total range of 340km +- a bit. Takes as much of the guestimation out as possible.

A technique you might want to adopt?

Thanks for the laugh dude

**dhunt** · 6th September 2006, 08:56

Originally Posted by Edbear

Um! We noticed!

PS. Don't you just hate it when that happens? I'm paranoid about running out of fuel so always refuel way early. Must see how far I can go on a tank, one day. Fuel guage is pessimistic on mine.

Use to find my 600 would stick on full for about 60k, go down fairly quickly then once it hit red about 60k till it stopped moving then around 30-40k. Which gave about 300k all up.

Just about ran it dry 1 day down south all the petrol stations were closed so we just had to keep going. Ended up getting to a station with about 1/2L left.

**Maverick** · 6th September 2006, 09:00

I found my bandit will go from full to reserve in 200km, (14L tank)
I also found that the fuel gauge will stay on full for around 100km,
So by my reconing when it moves from full its half a tank, and when it reads half a tank its actually quarter of a tank.

Glad you got home alright in the end, remember to always check your reserve switch back when you fill up after using it!

Mav

**kickingzebra** · 6th September 2006, 09:22

Forgive me if I am stating the obvious, but reserve isn't actually a separate tank. All the switch does is flip the fuel "probe" from pointing upwards (main)
to pointing to the bottom of the tank (reserve)
Sometimes you can get a few more kms by tilting the bike to the side the fuel switch is on (left usually) as they often have little "pools" of fuel on each side of the tank. If you take the tank off, and it has a flat bottom, that won't work.
Good story!

**dhunt** · 6th September 2006, 09:30

Originally Posted by kickingzebra

Forgive me if I am stating the obvious, but reserve isn't actually a separate tank. All the switch does is flip the fuel "probe" from pointing upwards (main)
to pointing to the bottom of the tank (reserve)

Yeah that's why on my old bike which had the fuel gauge I just left it on reserve all the time and went off the gauge less hassles and I wouldn't accidently leave it on prime or anything like that

**Swoop** · 6th September 2006, 11:24

A lesson learnt!
And you also have new toys to play with! (I went for the big cylinders for the puncture kit... just in case!)

**cowboyz** · 6th September 2006, 11:31

best i got out of mine was 287k and there was still fuel in the tank. The needle was WAY past empty too. I fill up at 240 cause I am always paranoid about running out. When out and about with Meanie I fill up when he does cause his range is less than mine.

**dnos** · 6th September 2006, 14:50

haha, only a fool would do that.
Damn, that makes me a fool i did that on sunday. DOH
I thought i would go to the gas station AFTER the shops, and ended up pushing my bike up the road. Bugger.

Oh well live and learn eh buddy.

**notme** · 6th September 2006, 15:12

Now this is NOT meant to be a jibe in any way, but after going through the usual collection of bikes when I started riding (the second time that is) I found that it it a frickin awesome thing to have a bike with a) a fuel gauge, and b) an ACCURATE fuel gauge.

One of the downsides of fuel injection though, is that when you are out you are out. No reserve, no sloshing the bike side to side, just plain out.

one of the best things to do with a new (to you) bike, is run it till it stops and make a note of the distance and or fuel guage reading. This is how i know that when the wee red light and last bar on my LCD start flashing, that i need to get to a source of petrol within 35k or so....or be ready to get some exercise

**sunhuntin** · 6th September 2006, 16:38

dont have fuel gauge..just run off trip meter and set back to 0000 when i fill. i know i can get 262k to a tank, plus 20k reserve, so i fill when i get to around 250k or so...depends where i am and where the nearest town is.

**McJim** · 6th September 2006, 16:52

It's actually really refreshing to hear about your journey through bikehood gijoe1313 - I've had more than a few giggles at your mishaps but glad to see you're alright - you seem to have some luck about your person..you bin on a corner - luckily it's a muddy corner no damage - running out of fuel -and you have just the required amount of spare change to make it worthwhile for the AA to attend.

Any intentions of releasing these in a single tome..the Takanini Motorcycle Diaries perhaps as a title?

**gijoe1313** · 6th September 2006, 16:53

Waaah!

I guess I should get my trip meter reset fixed! It was broken when I got it (been hotglued on!). And I guess its a good lesson to me before I ride off down to Welly way in a coupla weeks time! Thanks to all those who have also have this happened to them and admitted it! I thought I was the only idjit in the whole biker world who would let this happen to them! I did notice a biker whizz past and he looked across, but I could only think "Damn - he's got gas and I got fumes!"

Don't have a fuel guage or red light for my bike, but I didn't know about the reserve set up nor the trick of sloshing it to side to side! I will remember this, but will paranoidly fill up every 200km or so just to be on the safe side!

Ahh well, live and let learn! The scary thing? I'm probably going to make some more blindingly obvious pisstakes and will be posting them here later on in my riding career!:slap:

:spudbn:

**Macktheknife** · 6th September 2006, 17:19

Originally Posted by gijoe1313

I'm probably going to make some more blindingly obvious pisstakes and will be posting them here later on in my riding career!:slap:

:spudbn:

Actually mate, I would say that you will definately make them! lol
But don't let that bother you, we all did similar stupid stuff too, we just prefer to forget it now. Unless we are all sitting around with a beer and comparing the dumb shit we have managed to survive over the years.

Keep the rubber side down and don't be afraid of asking seemingly dumb questions.
Mack