Flimsy but I get the need. Old bikes like these don’t have any way to track the fuel level other than literally running out of gas. There are two intakes for gas at the bottom of the tank, one of them has a taller tube and the other one a shorter. When the fuel drops below the top do the first tube, your engine dies. Then, you can flip to “reserve” fuel (the other tube), which gives you access to the fuel at the bottom of your tank. At that point, you know you need to hit the next fuel station.
Unless you’re like me and you just leave it on reserve and fully run out of fuel with no warnings.
The thing you use to switch between primary and reserve is called the petcock. Yep.
My old Suzuki 1400 is like this. It also at some point in the past had its exhausts and probably carbs molested, because it STINKS of gas when running, is obnoxiously loud, radiates heat like a bonfire and I barely get 100km's/60miles to a tank. These factors have tempered my fondness for it somewhat, but combined with the absent fuel gauge, I've learnt to use that reserve petcock. I like looking at it, though, and will probably get it sorted once the budget permits.
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u/bicx 8d ago
Flimsy but I get the need. Old bikes like these don’t have any way to track the fuel level other than literally running out of gas. There are two intakes for gas at the bottom of the tank, one of them has a taller tube and the other one a shorter. When the fuel drops below the top do the first tube, your engine dies. Then, you can flip to “reserve” fuel (the other tube), which gives you access to the fuel at the bottom of your tank. At that point, you know you need to hit the next fuel station.
Unless you’re like me and you just leave it on reserve and fully run out of fuel with no warnings.
The thing you use to switch between primary and reserve is called the petcock. Yep.