Fuel reserve?

[Et1sw47]

Does the Voyager XII have a reserve tank switch? If so where is it? There was on my old Vulcan 750. Seems like this would have one somewhere as well?

Thanks,

TJ

[ekap1200]

Hello and welcome, the tank holds 6us gal. It has a low warning lamp that will come on ( somewhere ) around 240 miles on a well running engine. You should be safe to go 200 miles before looking for fuel. Gene

[Rhinestone Kawboy]

In answer to your original question, no, the Voyager XII's do not have a reserve switch like a petcock as some other bikes have. These bikes use a fuel pump with a low level light on the fuel gauge to warn you of that, but many will not trust that light as it has been known in some cases to not work as desired. Like Gene said, just watch the fuel gauge and around 200 miles, refuel so you don't need to worry.

[chevyman1]

FYI on both my Voyagers (both have corrected speedometers) the gauge will show empty around 150 miles. the light if working properly will/should come on somewhere around 200- 210 leaving you with around 1-1.2 gal of fuel give or take.
I average 40 mpg.
You will have to check to see where your gauge and mileage line up.

[kjsett]

FYI on both my Voyagers (both have corrected speedometers) the gauge will show empty around 150 miles. the light if working properly will/should come on somewhere around 200- 210 leaving you with around 1-1.2 gal of fuel give or take.
I average 40 mpg.
You will have to check to see where your gauge and mileage line up.

You will have to search for a new one, but I finally replaced my sender (pull seat and it is right there-1/2hr job at most). If yours hasn't come on and you have to put over 5 gallons in the tank, I would be pretty sure it doesn't work.
The warning light is part of a sensor that is not a float, but rather some kind that when uncovered activates the circuit. My first trip with my trailer out here in the west (lots of open spaces and long miles between services) I filled up twice to 5.9 gallons. That was when I decided the low fuel sender was not working. I finally purchased a new one (don't buy a used one as it is probably not working) for in the neighborhood of $80 (couple of years ago now) and soon established the light came on at approx 1.25 gallons left. I usually figure I have 30 miles (gives me a reserve to my reserve) when it comes on (got busy and forgot to stop on Saturday at Costco and it dutifully came on, took 5.3g 20ish miles later). I have thought about pulling it up and bending the lever so it will take longer before the gauge shows empty, but I just got used to the fact that once it fully hits empty I should start thinking about getting fuel.
Side note, the price here in Phoenix has jumped from $2.09 Regular to $2.59 in less than 2 weeks (jumped 5 cents over night this weekend at my usual pump, not Costco). First time in decades that Diesel was $.10 cheaper than gas at $2.45/gal.
Anyway, I feel that replacing that sender was good insurance on not getting stuck along the road somewhere at night with no cell service hoping for a good Samaritan to come along.
Oh, JIMHO, figuring mileage is not an exact science. On a ride last year my wife's 800cc Vulcan ran out a mile short of where we were going to get gas (Costco). We had been riding into a headwind and it cut her mileage more than i had figured (no gauge, and once on reserve, no idea how much is left). Lost about an hour in upper 80's heat while I found a gas can (thanks guys at Pepboys in El Centro, CA ) got her gas and crossing twice a busy 4 lane intersection. Had to do that with a small dog under my arm because i couldn't leave him alone on my bike (wish I had video).

Side note: got 44.8mpg yesterday on a ride to Prescott to pick up a part for home from Craigslist.
At 75mph, my wife's air cleaner decided to take a ride off the bike (my bad for letting the #6 chrome nut get loose) along the side of the road. We noted where, but was almost a half mile back so we went to the exit just ahead of us to circle back around. I hadn't been noticing so didn't realize it was a 15 mile round trip back to the previous exit. Anyway, my wife decided to stop where she thought it might have come off. As I noticed that section had a shallow ditch, then a dirt wall over 10 feet high, about a 1/4mile long, I thought slow riding along there might produce results as it is a shiny chrome 11" bowl like shape. Less than 50 feet before the wall gave way to a creek drop off (lots of brush) I spotted it (also 4+ various hubcaps). Only a few scratches and the K&N filter was right on the edge of the travel part of the road so wasn't damaged either. I picked up a #6 nut at an Ace Hardware (thanks guys) that was open and was able to put it back on.
Sorry bout the long winded side note - just publicly thanking the guy watching over us.

[Et1sw47]

Wow, What perfect replies to my question! Have a "new" used bike I am suspect of the gauges until I have reason not to be so your answers have certainly given me a baseline to run off of!!

Thanks again,

TJ

[davidl]

No to answer your question but on my XII, when the gauge reads empty, I know i have 40-80 miles left. I generally fill up at 200 miles or so. I have run 220 but didn't like it. Welcome to the family..

[ghostler]

Here in the High Plains of New Mexico at 4,300 ft elevation I have been getting around 49 - 51 MPG. Even our cages seem to get better gas mileage than at sea level. When mine gets to 1 click before empty, I fill with 4 gallons. Once I did let the reserve light come on. Now I carry a 1 gallon saddle bag can. Bought it for around $35, I consider it as cheap insurance.

Having bikes before that had no gauge and relied upon a reserve switch, I really like the somewhat inaccurate gauge and 6.1 gallon capacity. A friend rides a 2012 Yamaha V-Star 1300 Tourer, and only has 4.4 gallon capacity. It is nice to have 1.7 gallons greater capacity on rides, as I don't sweat refuelling as often.

[debron]

OK, I'll chime it too. If I don't hit 200 miles before my gas gauge hits the "E" I know I'm not getting very good mileage. (Fairly rare.) But after the gauge hits "E" I can ride a fair number of miles (never clocked it) before the needle hits the pin at the bottom. Then I can ride another fair number of miles before the reserve light comes on. The other day the light came on and I rode another 15-20 miles to the gas station and still only put in about 5 gallons. Another gallon left! When I ride with others I never worry about gas because everyone else will run out before I do!

But for your original question, there is no reserve switch. You have a gas gauge and a reserve light instead. If you want to safely test to see if your reserve light is working (it probably is) carry a one gallon can of gas and ride until the light comes on our you run out of gas!

[Highway Rider]

One of the greatest things that will affect the millage would be the speed, that you travel at. Which I'm sure that many of you all know. Like if you do a lot of interstate riding the fuel light could come on as soon as 150 miles and the that could be affected buy the type of fuel that you put in. For instance if it has a higher concentration of alcohol in it you could see the fuel light come on as soon as 125 miles at higher speeds. Another big affect on when then fuel light will come on would be if you if you have a head wind or a cross wind, and then combine that with the alcohol in the fuel, and pushing the speed of 75 mph or more you could get around the worst mileage I have ever seen and that was 27mpg doing 80mph with headwind, when the fuel light came on still 45 miles to go I was able to increase that to 31mph just buy reducing the speed to 55mph. I rolled in to the gas station and put in 5.75 gallons. So I would say that if you ever have to put in more that 5 gallons and the fuel light never came on. It is most likely that you could have a bad sensing unit.

The only way that I know to correct the problem is to replace the fuel gauge sending unit because they are both one in the same. I had to replace mine because I was putting in over 5 gallons several times and the light had not come on. I tested mine with a ohm meter and compared the new one and it was bad. You will not be able to correct the problem by bending the float in the tank. There is something like a chip on the sending unit that when it has no fuel on it and the fuel gauge reads empty it triggers the fuel light to come on.

But never the less when the fuel light comes on you should have around 1gallon of fuel left no matter what speed you are traveling at, weather you have a headwind, or alcohol in the fuel, and if it is a old or new sending unit, the amount of fuel left will always be the same amount when the fuel light comes on. 1gallon + or - a tenth

[Et1sw47]

Ok gang... Sorry it has been so long getting back with you.

This started out as a post on how to tell when the gas got low and morphed into coming to the realization that my bike does not get as good of gas mileage as it should.

Well as it turns out I was leaking gas! I had not noticed any leaking on the ground but, did smell some gas on occasion. The other day, I started her up and had to go back in the house for something, and when I returned there was a puddle of gas under my bike. It appeared to be coming out of the gas line going to the carbs. So I thought well, the line must be bad. The hose was not torn or punctured which now leads me to believe I have blown an o-ring or rings on the ends going into carbs 2 and 3. Or the "T" itself is bad?

Anyone dealt with this before?

[SgtSlag]

I had a '79 Honda 750 with a bad O-ring between #2 and #3 carburetors. It leaked gasoline, as well. New O-ring fixed the problem. If it is leaking gas from the area of the carburetors, I'd suggest changing the oil and filter at the same time as you get the leak fixed. The gasoline may be draining into the transmission... Better safe than sorry. Cheers!