help with my gas tank please??

[dtag13]

So the other day I was riding and my bike began to sputter and choke so I instinctively reached down and flipped the reserve on and she was fine. I then took a look at my odo and saw I was only at 130 miles. Sure enough I got to the gas station and filled up and it only took 2.2 gallons of gas. I flipped it back to the "on" position and it ran just fine. So why on earth did it choke for gas with more than half a tank left! I don't want to run the reserve tube a lot because I know it can suck in junk.

[coondog]

Can't comment on issue, however the reserve tank should regularly be used up, I timed it with oil changes until synth but there are other ways for each person. I run my bike to reserve and then another 30-40 miles in town 45mph. Then fill up, I do this regularly, especially since ethanol intro. and needing to deal with negating it. A good "topic"

[CynicalC]

Check your fuel filters. My original petcock had a filter on both pickups (including reserve). When I got a tank off a newer bike, it didn't have a filter on the reserve pickup.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by coondog

Can't comment on issue, however the reserve tank should regularly be used up, I timed it with oil changes until synth but there are other ways for each person. I run my bike to reserve and then another 30-40 miles in town 45mph. Then fill up, I do this regularly, especially since ethanol intro. and needing to deal with negating it. A good "topic"

+1
better to burn off all the water/crud in the bottom around town then to need that extra .8 gallons of gas and actually have .8 gallons of gas/water/crud and a sputtering engine

[n4mwd]

Another possibility is that your vent system is clogged. The Ninja carbs are gravity fed so that means the tank must be vented so air can get in. If that tube is plugged up with say, a bug or something, your tank cannot breathe and the gas wont come out. Using the reserve pulls gas from a lower level in the tank and will give a little more gas.

Easy way to test. Ride till it stops flowing again, then open the tank lid. See if it runs again. If so, the vent line is plugged up.

I also second the suggestion that your fuel filter could be clogged. Except that the stock Ninja doesn't have one. There three little screens that help prevent large debris from entering the carbs. Two are on the petcock pickups and the third is on the carb right where the fuel line attaches.

You need one of these in any case.

[CZroe]

My newgen does this and stalls if I let it cool for 15 minutes before riding it hard. It's because the tank forms a vacuum as it cools. I dunno if that's a problem for the pregen.