Petrol capacity

[Mudwiz]

I've just put 19.15l of petrol in my 650. That did 172 miles. My question really is "isn't the tank suposed to hold 19l ?"
Don't quite know what is going on, and why I wasn't pushing!

[piguglyshandydrinker]

I think this may depend on how full you fill the tank, manufacturers have to build an expansion gap tp allow fuel to expand, if fuel is trickled in higher than, say, the bottom of the filler neck you'll be filling part of that air gap.
That's my guess anyway!
Not a prob if you are riding for a mile or two afterwards.

Phil

[Dessert Storm]

Just looked in owners handbook, and tank capacity is quoted as 19.6L.

Which means you had 0.45L left - about 4 miles worth!

That's what I call cutting it fine....

[Austin]

I had a little issue a while back at a Sainsbury's petrol station when I squeezed 20litres into the tank - I made them verify the pump coz I said my tank only holds 19litres. They said it was accurate and I have never followed up.

Which is just as well really coz last Friday I limped to the service station at Junction 23 of the M6 having really run out of petrol - it was popping and banging and only ran at full throttle on the hard shoulder for the last half mile of the M6, and if anyone knows that junction getiing across all them lanes of traffic was "interesting" - anyway this time I got 20.5 litres into the tank and possibly could have got another 200 or 300 ml if had been bothered, possibly even more if i had put it on the centre stand.

For info, the gauge was pointing at the middle line thing of the E for empty (but I have seen it lower than that, so don't trust the gauge.

[JohnR]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that you can never actually use the last 5 litres or so, cos it sits in a little sump which was previously the reserve tank. As the newer ones don't have this tap the fuel can't get out. Apparently if you run out, laying the bike down on it's left side lets it out into the main tank.

Has anyone any experience of this, or is it just an 'urban legend'? Makes you wonder how you can get 19/20 litres in if 5 are still there!

[Austin]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that you can never actually use the last 5 litres or so, cos it sits in a little sump which was previously the reserve tank. As the newer ones don't have this tap the fuel can't get out. Apparently if you run out, laying the bike down on it's left side lets it out into the main tank.

Has anyone any experience of this, or is it just an 'urban legend'? Makes you wonder how you can get 19/20 litres in if 5 are still there!

it seems unlikely as my tank was empty. I always thought that main tank / reserve tank were just two separate pipes sticking up into the tank with the pipe attached to the main tank position sticking up further into the tank. At least that'show it was on some my older bikes. I would have though Honda would use the "reserve" arrangement when they abandoned the fuel tap.
But I don't really know.

[Rubberchicken]

Laying the bike on its side sounds more like having gas stuck in the right tank cheek, something I've needed once on the dommie with the acerbis tank, and I've seen GS riders do it on occasion as well.