Member Contributer DougFromIndy Posted October 7, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 Perfect Day Today.....I worked until 5pm..looking out the window..watching the clock...having riding withdrawals....I have been very busy building a fancy mini-barn in my backyard...trying to get it completed before winter so missing a lot of weekend riding. Tonight I absolutely have to ride my new Yamaha TDM850 as I have a legitimate plate on the back of it and not a highly illegal Honda VFR800 plate I used on my ebay fly-n-ride 834 mile ride back home from Philadelphia to Indiana. So, I get all my best gear on, and some warmer stuff because will ride home in dark with a big temp drop (never happened...is still a very warm night out). I am on the bike leaving the city via the fastest route possible, 6pm, the TDM is a hoot...I go to my favorite nearby roads...observatory road about 45 miles away from my house....its a huge hill up to a telescope..a high point of Indiana no doubt...I just have great memories of long uphill wheelies on my husqvarna 610 supermoto, is like the stunt area for me...the TDM gobbles this hill up although I need a giant rear sprocket to make things very interesting and that will be added next new chain swap....So the TDM has a lot of character/charisma and analog dial clock guages that are now retro cool, I like them...but it has NO gas guage, not even an idiot light...and I am an idiot..heres why.. I am so ready to ride, I got my ipod running, and hey...only 140 miles on the odo so why stop at BP? and I was "smart enough" just to leave the fuel shutoff on reserve thus extending my range..no stalling...just ride into a station on vapors...besides...lots of experience on the whopping 2.3 gallon Husqvarna tank..got me pushing at 87.3 miles or 125 kilometers in the metric..nice people always stopped and picked my bike up in the back of a pickup truck, free ride 7 miles to the nearest station or some dude was out mowing his grass..we have a long talk and he gives me a gallon as I am on vapors..so never really learned my lesson until tonight... After 20 miles of flogging this bike (really handles well) in twisties, up and down giant roller coaster hills..just really getting into the ride, guess what...the junky bike just stalls and stops..it did not restart...I take a peek...hmmm, very hollow-sounding, slosh around...hmmm zero slosh..damn..you are outta fuel, game over, fun factor has ended, all of a sudden this gear just starts getting really hot...I hang my helmet on the rear rack, scrunch my coat up under the windshield and start pushing. Hmmm, its getting dark out...I am not worried about thugs...I am worried about mosquitos eating me alive in these dark woods..pushing on flat was easy...nice cagers...NO ONE STOPS...some blow the horn and race by...a girl yells out "jesus loves you" I yell back " I love gas cans " suddenly it occured to me I was a solid 20 miles away from anything and now pushing bike up a giant hill. Damn, this light bike got very heavy pushing uphill, a giant steep grade, was really sweating, this ride sucks I thought, I started overheating, soaked in sweat..now it was just 20 feet at a time, get to that sign and stop/rest, go another 20 feet to that tree and stop/rest..what a freaking workout...If it was the VFR I could NEVER have pushed it up that giant hill of twisties...more cars..no love..cagers you suck ! Learning another lesson...PLEASE READ...Most people DO NOT STOP for you...they have ZERO COMPASSION...they just need to get to Walmart and buy something...they don't care if you are broken down, out of gas, or sleeping in the ditch all night...THEY JUST DRIVE BY...I have ridden XC solo thousands of miles...tonight it occured to me if I MISSED A CORNER, CRASHED and GOT HURT...CAGERS may offer NO HELP..its sad but true, so be careful, ride with a friend if you can, have a cell phone...I dont have one because I am an IDIOT. So pushing, pushing, pushing and sweating, sweating, sweating....my hero stops..a nice woman with her daughter..."Whats wrong?" "OOOOhhhh, I am an IDIOT and I ran outta gas...Is there a station nearby..one on 37?" "NO, but I am heading home and will grab my can and head back here"...."Thanks so much...you are my hero" So, I push uphill for another 20 minutes...not really sure if the nice lady will return. damn, what a workout, was like those strongest man contests..where they pull the semi-trucks around or run with boat anchors. I am almost at top of the biggest hill in Indiana, must make it now to enjoy the coast down, to get out of dark mosquito woods where I might get hit by non-stopping cagers...and into the safer flat lands of the valley...I coast at about 45 miles an hour, maybe for a mile, then push again...wow..this is SO easy on the flats...almost get back to main highway, still in middle of nowhere, gas station is out of business/shutdown.....its dark now....HONK...its my hero with a gas can, big one, blue...hey its not kerosene is it? No is aok, is gas. Fill bike up, its fires up, hand my hero a $10 bill, THANKS SO MUCH, YOU REALLY SAVED THE DAY...bike is running better with gas in it....nice ride home...I did fill up...I did move valve from reserve to ON....I will fill up early everytime after tonight...nice to be back home having a beer....fuel is a very important item...learn from me...Idiot Doug :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlecreek Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 that sucks....24 years of driving/riding i have only ran out once and i coasted to a stop next to a guy cutting his gas...had a gas can right there and got me to the station. sounds a whole lot better then the pushin' you did! just call it your cardio work out for the week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Joker Posted October 7, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 Very funny account of a miserable situation. :rolleyes: Been there done that.....when I was a teenager. :warranty: When are you coming south to ride. We've got plenty of gas down here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FotoMoto Posted October 7, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 Last time I ran out, I called the wifey to bring the lawn mower gas can which she dutifully did bless her soul. What she didn't do was secure it in the back of the van. Gas soaked carpet is a beee-otch to fix. Last weekend I got to put some serious miles on a Ducati HyperMotard. When it went to reserve, the digital dash automatically started a separate count down to empty tripometer. How 'effin cool is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgin Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Well, that sux doug.....get a cell phone (or bring it with you), then next time you can just call me and I'll be your hero :rolleyes: SO what is this mysterious place around here with a big telescope and big hills? I'd like to see that. Sorry to steal all your good riding spots, but I'll keep em secret, i promise. Today I rode part of the last one you told me about. FUn FUn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted October 7, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 I don't use the Zumo for local rides but on tour it is kinda nice for this to pop up. Warning to slow down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Bummer on running out of fuel and being ignored by most cagers. Nice of that one lady to stop and help you. She also set a terrific example for her daughter! :rolleyes: I took off for a ride last spring and left my wallet on the kitchen table. I get over an hour away and start to get low on fuel. Just before I hit the exit ramp to go fill up I think, "I don't remember putting my wallet in my pocket." Tap the pocket and sure enough, it's not there. Had my cellph with me, called my wife - couldn't make it for a couple hours. Called my sister-in-law, who lives 45+ minutes away. She and my bro-in-law came out with cash to help me. What saints! When I paid them back I gave them an extra $10 to cover their gas for the trip - and to thank them again for their help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DougFromIndy Posted October 7, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 Well, that sux doug.....get a cell phone (or bring it with you), then next time you can just call me and I'll be your hero :rolleyes: SO what is this mysterious place around here with a big telescope and big hills? I'd like to see that. Sorry to steal all your good riding spots, but I'll keep em secret, i promise. Today I rode part of the last one you told me about. FUn FUn. Hey, Tell me where you were on my Top Secret Southern Indiana riding route? If you are looking for a quickie ride and don't have time to get to Bloomington/Nashville/Brown County...Just jump on Kentucky Ave (67) , go through Mooresville heading towards Martinsville, just 2 miles past town of Mooresville you will see first exit on right (skip it) , 2nd exit on right is Observatory Rd, watch for sand on exit, up a big hill, to T at Goat Hollow Road, turn left, pin throttle as is an amazing roller coaster ride, at next T, turn Right going up Robb Hill Road, up a hill, nice twisties in woods, cross a bridge, (this is where I ran outta fuel) come back same way, back on 67, now go on the other side, only a mile from observatory, is called scenic overlook, also a nice ride...these roads are 20 minutes from airport, can hit them in evening quickly, best roads close to INDY. thanks Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DougFromIndy Posted October 7, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 I don't use the Zumo for local rides but on tour it is kinda nice for this to pop up. Warning to slow down! ***I am old school...I like paper maps..but also open to new technologies...I see a lot of used GPS units on ADVrider forum....say..I only want to spent $150 on a GPS and can buy it used...anything worthwhile or should I wait for price drops like plasma Tvs did? thanks Doug ***** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted October 7, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 I don't use the Zumo for local rides but on tour it is kinda nice for this to pop up. Warning to slow down! ***I am old school...I like paper maps..but also open to new technologies...I see a lot of used GPS units on ADVrider forum....say..I only want to spent $150 on a GPS and can buy it used...anything worthwhile or should I wait for price drops like plasma Tvs did? thanks Doug ***** Best to get the low down on Advrider for lower budget units. Love maps and those other things ....Charts, but having a GPS is probably the best tour upgrade EVER for me. Don't leave home without it. There is a cheaper Zumo 450 but I would still get the 550. The gas availability was great to have on my last Sierras tour as my buddy had a Magna with about a 2 Ounce tank ...........saved his ass big time. He needs this. I don't have a HD TV :pissed: but I do have a 1990 Taurus :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I've run out of gas a few times, each time vowing it would be the last. It used to be easy on my first bike (CB175) - it cost 80c for a tank of gas, which would get me 85 miles before hitting reserve. When it started to run out of gas, it would splutter on one cylinder or the other, but keep running for quite a while. MY last bike (VTR1000) was the complete opposite - it would run for a second or two then that was that. I've been lucky that I've never had to push the bike far - the first time I ran out on my VFR750 (on the way to work), I knew the nearest gas station was too far, so I rang the Automobile Association, and they brought me some gas (eventually - too about 45 minutes, because it was 'rush' hour). I vowed that would be the last time, but alas, I did it again, luckily only 100 metres from the gas station near work. Some kind (fellow motorcyclist) who worked nearby helped me to push it up the last little hilly bit to the station. Then I filled up and discovered I had no wallet. Oops... :rolleyes: Only a one-minute walk to the office, so I went in and cadged some money from a workmate. The VFR750 was a pain - the fuel pump only works when the motor's running, so it's hard to prime it. Then I ran out of gas twice on the VTR, the second time because I ignored repeated opportunities to fill up, thinking, "I'll do it later at the gas station at blah blah blah!" Serves me right then when it died about a kilometre or so from the nearest station. I immediately cracked a u-turn, but it spluttered and died. Luckily, I was able to coast a lot of the way, but even so, it's a killer pushing ~220kg of bike in full leathers up even a slight slope. When I filled it, it took 0.6 litres more than the specification said the tank held, probably because it was completely dry: even the carbs and lines were empty. I've had the VFR800 about a month short of four years now, and never run out. I hope it's because I've learned my lesson... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Kel Posted October 7, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2008 I've never run out of gas in 30 years of riding on the street but I've been very close. I always will slow down/stop if I see a bike on the side of the road regardless of make. Once, while riding my giant rising sun to work, I pass a guy barely pushing his 900lb Harley. I turned around and came up next to him. It was July and he was covered in sweat, I seriously thought I was going to have to call an ambulance. I asked him what was wrong, he replied, "outta gas". I told him to wait right there. I flew to the nearest gas station. It was also a service station so I asked the guys if they had something small that I could put some gas in. They cleaned out a small brake fluid bottle and I filled it with gas and I grabbed a spring water as well. I get back to the Harley guy, who is still wheezing, and hand him the water. He happily gulps it down and throws the empty on the ground, not a "thank you" in sight. Ok...well here's some gas, it's not much but it will get you to the station. As he's pouring in the gas, he looks my bike over and says "I didn't think YOU guys stopped." I said "You guys? You mean fellow Americans?" He didn't say a word. When all the gas was out, he throws the empty bottle on the ground, jumps on the bike and fires it up. Clutch out, gas on, bye bye. Again, no thank you. I sat there a second to see if I could make any sense out of what just took place. All I could come up with was WTF. I picked up both empty bottles and headed to work. I'd do it all again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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