Running Out of Gas On A Motorcycle

On my way back home from a motorcycle trip to the Grand Canyon last weekend, I found myself running out of gas.

The engine sputtered as I tried to milk it for as long as I could. I used the brakes to jerk the bike around to get the gas to slosh around.

The engine died while I was in motion, and I pulled in the clutch handle to coast, hitting the start button to get the engine to turn over. It started back up, and I was able to ride for a little bit more, but it petered out again.

With the clutch lever pulled in again, coasting along, I hit the start button again, trying to get it to start, but it wouldn't start. I was losing momentum. I gave up hitting the start button, and just rode it until it came to a stop.

Fortunately for me, I came to a stop about 50 feet from a gas station. I hopped off, and pushed it over to a pump.

You could say it was luck that I stopped so close to a gas station, but then again I already knew the fuel range on my Electra Glide Ultra Classic. I knew I could make it back to civilization after my previous fuel stop, otherwise I would not have put myself into that situation.

But it also requires a little planning to know what the mileage is between this fuel stop and your next.

I ended up doing 195 miles total before running out of gas. And that's somewhat low for the Ultra Classic. It's a 2005 model, with the stock 88ci engine, and a 5.0 gallon tank. I usually get about 40-45 miles per gallon, so I knew I should have gotten at least 200 miles range.

But riding back home on the I-10, I was pushing it between 85-90mph, which I knew was going to cut my fuel range a little short. And then while riding through the Coachella Valley, I was fighting a head wind. So, 195 miles is probably pretty good considering those factors.

My previous gas stop was in Vidal, which is just an intersection of Hwy 95 and 62 in an otherwise empty Mojave Desert of southeastern California.

I was actually riding a more conservative 70-75mph after that gas stop, and had I kept it at that pace, I would've made it home. But as soon I jumped on to the interstate, I chose to ramp up the speed. I think it was the 100+ degree temperatures through the desert, making me want to get home more quickly.

So after pushing my bike to the gas pump, I filled it back up, and checked the pump. I pumped in 5.4 gallons. And Harley says it's a 5.0 gallon tank?

The farthest I've gone on a single tank of gas on this Ultra Classic is 205 miles. And I still could have gone further.

On my trip to Utah last month, we had a guy with us who said he typically refills his tank at around 120 miles. He figures his bike has a top range of about 160 miles. He rides a Honda Shadow 750. So on one leg of the trip, we found ourselves choosing between refilling at 100 miles, or opting to ride on and refilling at 160 miles. We decided to ride on for the 160 mile fill-up. But we kept our speed at a modest 70-75mph.

And the thing is that he didn't know what we were planning to do. That is, the rest of us were planning this out via CB radio, while riding our bikes. This guy was one of the few that didn't have a CB. He was shitting bricks after we passed by the sign that said, "Next gas 60 miles".

But when we got to the gas station, that guy still had a fair amount of gas in his tank, and he figured he probably could have gone about 180 miles. It just goes to show that you'll never know what your motorcycle is capable of doing until you push it beyond your comfort level.

I'd like to hear your "running out of gas on a motorcycle" stories...