Specs Question

Be that as bit may, it still wouldn't explain why my supposedly 5 gallon tank only takes 3.5 from bone dry.

Is there something in your tank?  It's the only thing that makes sense.  While I think 5 gallons may be optimistic, I certainly have gotten a lot closer to that mark than you have.

I don't think there's anything in there. That's why I was asking the original question. Thought perhaps the airbox design might have been different, or some emissions stuff being under there in the Cali models therefore making the tank smaller. But that doesn't appear to be the case. Its driving me nuts!

I don't think there's anything in there. That's why I was asking the original question. Thought perhaps the airbox design might have been different, or some emissions stuff being under there in the Cali models therefore making the tank smaller. But that doesn't appear to be the case. Its driving me nuts

did you try my suggestion?

  or dismiss it like my ground wire and PAIR mods? you came to the site for a reason. to get your bike running properly.. and the guy that sends you tips  is a honda certified tech .

you don't think think you can be dumping fuel above certain rpm? i have seen a 91 get just 22 mpg  thanks to dumped fuel..

have you ever had your tank off at all and see if its seeping gas at the petcock?

is your gas line leaking at pressure?

is your pump leaking while on?

 and my favorite of all time.. IS YOUR PUMP SMELLING LIKE BURNING PLASTIC????

 is the bottom dented?

are you sure you got a 5 full gallons in there ?

 did you go by cost or by a volume at the pump?

so feel free to dismiss me .clearly i dont know crap about these bikes.

 if you smell burnt plastic at your fuel pump. it means your balls will be toasted soon.as the pump is leaking into the pionts area of the pump and will be a full blown fire soon. been there done that.  on 7 VFRs

I think the OP's issue is from running out of gas pulling into a gas station to topping off the tank, she only took 3.5 gallons.  Hence, a leak wouldn't contribute to that issue, whether it exists or not.  His issue is with capacity, not economy.  180 miles on 3.5 gallons is 50+mpg, not too bad.

Either a previous owner forgot to take his brick of coke outta the tank, it's dented from underneath, the tank itself is not OEM, or the petcock intake straw is higher than it's supposed to be.  My best guess, anyways.  Either way, it seems like some tools and a flashlight could solve this mystery pretty quickly.

So, the engine sputtered and died with (apparently) at least a gallon and a half still in the tank...  The fuel pick-up being higher than normal would do that, but kinda unlikely.  How about a bad fuel pump?  These engines will run with a gravity feed from the tank, but not with a dead or dodgy fuel pump in-line to the carbs.  With my bike, I think it did not run at all with a dead fuel pump still connected.  Perhaps a partial blockage, then?  How's the fuel filter?

Ciao,

Our 3G was doing the same thing last year.  We found a combination of issues:

1. The fuel pump was leaking where the seam is located around the circumference of the middle.

2. The carb floats were intermittently sticking and leaking fuel into the cylinder.

3. The fuel tank vent was blocked so badly that the tank would stop flowing fuel.

The tank actually caved in on the sides before we were able to figure that one out.

I would wager that if you had been aware of the venting issue that you would notice a venting sound when you popped the fuel cap or that you could have opened the tank, allowing it to vent, and then restarted the bike and ran the last gallon or so out. If you tank is not visibly deformed then it is not possible that you are missing 1.5 gallons of storage space.

I don't think there's anything in there. That's why I was asking the original question. Thought perhaps the airbox design might have been different, or some emissions stuff being under there in the Cali models therefore making the tank smaller. But that doesn't appear to be the case. Its driving me nuts

did you try my suggestion?

  or dismiss it like my ground wire and PAIR mods? you came to the site for a reason. to get your bike running properly.. and the guy that sends you tips  is a honda certified tech .

you don't think think you can be dumping fuel above certain rpm? i have seen a 91 get just 22 mpg  thanks to dumped fuel..

have you ever had your tank off at all and see if its seeping gas at the petcock?

is your gas line leaking at pressure?

is your pump leaking while on?

 and my favorite of all time.. IS YOUR PUMP SMELLING LIKE BURNING PLASTIC????

 is the bottom dented?

are you sure you got a 5 full gallons in there ?

 did you go by cost or by a volume at the pump?

so feel free to dismiss me .clearly i dont know crap about these bikes.

 if you smell burnt plastic at your fuel pump. it means your balls will be toasted soon.as the pump is leaking into the pionts area of the pump and will be a full blown fire soon. been there done that.  on 7 VFRs

Holy crap bud, calm down. I just finished working a 60 hour work week. I haven't had a chance to check any of the links you sent me. I'm off the next two days so I'll have the time to check all those links.

To answer your questions, no I haven't taken the tank off ever, however I did have most of the body work off of it couple weeks ago when I was putting the stock exhaust back on it, and I did see where the petcock is and I didn't see anything leaking or seeping at all. There are no puddles under the bike, and there is no smell of fuel at all ever. Not when it's sitting, not when I'm riding, and not after I shut it off after I finish. There is no smell of melted plastic. I didn't notice any visible damage to the tank anywhere. I went off the volume of fuel, not the cost.

I think the OP's issue is from running out of gas pulling into a gas station to topping off the tank, she only took 3.5 gallons.  Hence, a leak wouldn't contribute to that issue, whether it exists or not.  His issue is with capacity, not economy.  180 miles on 3.5 gallons is 50+mpg, not too bad.

Either a previous owner forgot to take his brick of coke outta the tank, it's dented from underneath, the tank itself is not OEM, or the petcock intake straw is higher than it's supposed to be.  My best guess, anyways.  Either way, it seems like some tools and a flashlight could solve this mystery pretty quickly.

You sir are correct. I'm not having any issues with the economy of the bike, the issue is that my 5 gallon tank is either not 5 gallons, or I'm somehow not utilizing all the fuel in the tank. I'll give the pickup straw a look, as well as seeing as if there are any foreign objects in the tank tomorrow.

As far as the other questions go, this bike will fire up right away, warms up quickly, and then purrs like a kitten and doesn't miss a beat. Accelerates strong, and never feels like it's starved for fuel, I will however check the fuel filter tomorrow. I'm honestly learning about this particular bike as I've only owned it for just over a month so I'm working through the glitches as I become aware of them.

Once again, thank you one and all for all the input and suggestions. It really is quite helpful.

When you opened up the tank, was there vacuum? 

Nope, no vacuum at all. Shone the flashlight in there and everything looked copacetic. Went for a ride to take the wife to lunch so I can burn off some more fuel and when I went to come home my electrics went kaput. Put the key in, turned it to on, went to thumb the starter, heard a popping by the rectifier, no crank. Hit it again and everything went dark. No dash lights, no headlights, nothing. Was gonna try bump starting it and the pristine bike tipped over on me on the left side. F@#K! Picked it up, turned the key and lookie there the lights came back. Hit the starter and it fired right up. Stayed running long enough to get my jacket and helmet on, and while strapping on my gloves it all went dark again and the bike shut off. So now comes the fun job of tracking back the electrical issue. Battery has juice, not a full 12+ volts but enough to where the dash lights would at least come on. Thinking the ignition switch checked out. Oh the joys of keeping classiscs alive.