First time for everything

[Aelwulf]

I knew I needed to fill up, checked the tank, could see gas swishing a bit low in the tank so figured I'd have plenty to get to Peterson (about 10-15 miles) and fill up.  I got about halfway there and noticed I was losing power doing about 55MPH.  I slowed it down so I could hear over wind and could barely hear the engine.  Then I Saw the red oil light come on and figured it died so I coasted onto the side street and it wouldn't start.  Turned it to reserve, prime, nada.  It tried a time or two but nope.  I wound up pushing it to the cul de sac at the end but lucked out and found a guy workin' on his '62 T-Bird in his garage, asked to buy a gallon or two of gas if he had any.  A short bit later and maybe a gallon more it started up again.

Lesson of the day: it might hold 4-4.5 gallons but apparently that last half to full gallon is about worthless or something.  I still had gas in the fuel line but guess it wasn't enough.  I went to a gas station nearby and put 2.8 gallons in it (bit too full actually, overflowed a smidge when I put the cap on).  I'll be doing the fill every 100 miles thing regardless now, just seems like a lot of stopping for gas.

On a different note, are there any common problems with the transmission making odd sounds?  Occasionally when shifting down to first it does the usual l'il clunk then sounds like something bouncing a little for lack of a better phrase.

[inanecathode]

Every bike i've had makes that bouncing sound, i know what you're talking about. Kinda a clunk-chunkchunkchunk right?
Also, every other bike i've had that gets down to the half gallon mark starts running like trash, even though the vision has a fuel pump it needs that extra gravity to get things rolling.

[h2olawyer]

I've always used the 100 mile mark as time to fill up.  Nice to take a break after 60 - 90 minutes riding time when on longer rides.  My hip joints just can't stand the riding position all day unless I take those breaks.  If I walk around a few minutes after filling up, I can ride many miles in a day.

H₂O

[VisionMeister]

On my recent cruise to Colorado 25 year celebration I made one non-stop leg at 155 miles without hitting reserve. Averaged about 50 mpg at constant 70 mph cruising.
I've used reserve in the past for about 20 miles without running out. You may have some blockage on/in the petcock.
The only fuel delivery problem I've had is from extremely hot conditions and drastic drops in elevation. Vapor lock? Could be...or pressure change effecting how diaphragms are working on petcock and fuel pump.

[don_vanecek]

Well I only went 122 miles on one of my fill ups going to the 25th in Colorado before she went bone dry! Kenny, who also was on his reserve tank, did get to a station before he ran out and came back with a gas can (I'm not sure how he managed to carry the gas can-I think between his arms).

Kenny and I had done most of that tank at 75 or so into a head wind on the interstate-needless to say neither one of us expected to run out so soon!

[Aelwulf]

You may have some blockage on/in the petcock.

That was my thought since it didn't want to start again on reserve either (hadn't caught it in time to switch while running before it died).  It's not the best tank so although it's running pretty strong in general I wouldn't be surprised if there was some crud in it preventing the petcock filter to flow enough, assuming the problem wasn't that it died before I could switch it.

The only fuel delivery problem I've had is from extremely hot conditions and drastic drops in elevation. Vapor lock?

Possible as well, it has been in the 90s this week and that was the first quasi-extended stretch over 50 MPH.

I've noticed some saying cruising at 70-75.  That on an 82 or 83?  My 82's speedo turns white at 55 or 60 MPH so don't know if that's to warn of an overheat zone or what.  It's usually doing 6-7k RPM around there so thinkin' sustained 65-70 (if it goes that high) would overheat it.

[don_vanecek]

Going to the 25th anniversury in CO was the first time I had ran my V for extended times at 75 mph which was around 7 grand on the tach.  The bike didn't seem to mind it but I eventually got tired of the stress of riding at that speed-65 or so is much nicer. I'm not so sure an American geared V was meant to be driven at those kind of sustained speeds for hours on end. Others will have to comment on going those speeds hours on end-after about one hour at 75 I was off the interstate, and back to 65 or so.  The V of course came out in the middle of the 55 mph speed limit time that we had for what, almost 20 years wasn't it (1975 to 1995??).

Geez, I can remember when you were a daring driver running at only 60!

[kwells]

yeah...not sure what the RPM at 75 is for the Euro gearing but I think it would be much nicer.

[h2olawyer]

Your speedo has faded.  The "white zone" was originally red.  It was painted to warn you that you were exceeding the speed limit - which was nationally mandated @ 55 MPH back then.  The 83 just has the 55 inside a red box.  82s only register up to 85 MPH, while the 83s show all the way to 140 MPH.  Yeah, like the V will ever go that fast short of being dropped from a great height.  Still, it looks cool & the 83 speedos tend to be more accurate than the 82s.  I can now verify that my V will pass the 'ton' mark & has a couple thousand RPM to spare.   :-X  Gotta love those wide open spaces in North Park.  Even at those speeds, I was only slowly catching Don V! *

H₂O

[don_vanecek]

And I never passed Kwells!

[[jh]]

I ran out of gas the other day trying to see how far I could go on a tank. It wasn't bone dry, I could still hear gas in there, and the reserve did nothing. It was at about 200-210 kms or so. That was a nice hike up hill. :) It was even better when I got there and some manly man and his Harley where sitting kinda smirking at me.

[kwells]

that's because I run Jet Fuel in my V Don...

[QBS]

AW: I know of at least one '83 that will gladly run at 8500-9000 all day long with stops for gas at about every 170 miles.  The same bike will get about 195 miles to a tank if its owner messes up and needs every mile.  Works out to the 42 to 44 mpg range depending on speeds and headwinds.

About three years ago the bike started exhibiting problems similar to those that you describe.  It basically acted like it was running out of gas with two and half gallons of gas remaining in the tank.  Turns out the 20 year old fuel pump needed rebuilding.  The process was cheap (approx. $20.00) and easy.  Bike immediately ran like the good old days.

HTH All the best.

[Night Vision]

82s only register up to 85 MPH, while the 83s show all the way to 140 MPH
H₂O

ok 83 speedo owners.... 5th. gear... 9k rpm..... how fast am I going?

[Brian Moffet]

ok 83 speedo owners.... 5th. gear... 9k rpm..... how fast am I going?

Zero.  Mine won't get to 9000 RPM in 5th gear, so you'd have to be on the center-stand  ;D  (actually, I think it would work out to around 112 or so)

Brian

[kwells]

unless 83s are geared different than the 82...I'd say around 100mph

[Night Vision]

Zero.  Mine won't get to 9000 RPM in 5th gear, so you'd have to be on the center-stand  ;D  (actually, I think it would work out to around 112 or so)

my speedo is pegged at 5th./9k rpm and still have a little to go so I bet Kwells is close... I've touched 10k a couple of times, but not in 5th.

we'll see what the Euro gearing does on the project bike next year... guess I'll have to use my handheld GPS to find out..

[motoracer8]

I have run out of fuel at the 175/180 mile mark, that includes resurve, but if you lean the bike to the left, the little fuel left in the right side that is not normaly used can be sloshed to the left side, you can go another 10 to 15 miles on that gas. Better than walking. I normaly stop for gas at 140/150 miles, resurve dosen't last long on a V.

  Ken G.

[Ron_McCoy]

While riding with some friends recently in a state other than the one I have a driver's license in, at high elevation, observing an anniversary, I saw over 9500 rpm and an indicated 110mph on the 83 speedo on my 82 with the donor engine with U.S. gearing.  My original engine with Euro gearing has seen 10500 rpm in fifth, but had an 82 speedo at the time so I couldn't say what the speed was. I was not running jet fuel at either time.  Cruising speed is usually what ever my perception of the level of law inforcement will allow.
The Euro gearing just seems like the gearing the bike should have come with in the first place.  The gears seem better spaced and allow a little more relaxed cruising.  The Vision does not seem like it has especially high gearing with them. 

I usually get 120-130 miles before going on reserve. Running 130/135 main jets and 125 air jets to take advantage of sea level and dense coastal air on our Buellton rally lowered that to 105 miles, but the bike ran great.  Still no jet fuel though.

Ron

[QBS]

My '83 is showing 114 mph at 10k rpm, in fifth of course.  Fifth @ 9000 rpm would be in the 95-100 mph range.