Running on Reserve

Ever since purchasing my shiny red 2018 Honda CB650F from Martin Moto, I’ve been having an absolute blast! After work (and sometimes over a long lunch break) I’ve been finding an hour or so to hop on my new bike and take it for a ride around town. Slowly I’ve been expanding my range and exploring new back-country roads. The whole process has been an immense stress relief from a hectic work schedule.

Each time I get on the bike, I feel very much like a child with a brand new toy. I get so excited to play with it that when it is time to put it away I want to scream “Just five more minutes – please!” It was during one of those times when I just didn’t want to put the bike away that I had a little bit of excitement. Nothing serious, mind you, just a tiny flutter of “Oh no, I hope I didn’t take it just a little too far”.

I recently jumped on the bike to record a Motovlog – something I’ve also found to be quite fun. After about an hour of riding around, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was about time to start heading home. I was faced with two choices – I could gas up the bike and put it away or try and squeak in another little trip around town and gas it up before heading out for my next trip.

I looked from the clock to the gas gauge, from the gas gauge to the clock, and finally to the gas gauge again. Pretty sure I had enough gas for a quick lap around Green Lane Park, I turned down a backcountry road and opted to extend my joy ride just a bit farther.

Getting Lost

One of the things I enjoy doing on my motorcycle is exploring new country roads. They are often lightly trafficked and allow me to learn a bit more about the area I’ve been living in for years. I have a general idea of where I’ll wind up but I’m never entirely sure.

I turned down a road I wasn’t entirely familiar with and expected to pop out on a state route that would get me to where I was headed. After many twists and bends, the road eventually lead me away from my intended direction and I popped out in an inconvenient location. Backtracking would take time (and gas) but I could probably still make it home in time if I didn’t stray too much more.

Worse case scenario, I could get gas while making my lap around Green Lane. That would get me home a little later than expected but surely I could make it work!

As I got closer to Green Lane Park, I glanced down at my fuel gauge and my heart sank. It was flashing – which I knew meant I was now running on reserve fuel. My problem was that I couldn’t remember how much fuel the Honda CB650F held in reserve. Would I make it around Green Lane and hit the gas station or would I wind up pushing the bike? Even worse yet, would I have to make an embarrassing phone call to my wife for a roadside gas delivery?

I opted to turn around and try to make it the gas station close to home. My ride was going to be cut short but it was better having the bike shut off on a random backcountry road. In an uneventful end, I made it to the gas station without issue. Had I remembered the measurements from the Owner’s Manual, I would have been much less concerned about just how far I would have been able to travel on reserve.

Honda CB650F Fuel Capacity

The Honda CB650F has a Fuel Tank Capacity of 4.57 Gallons Of that capacity, it has a Fuel Reserve of 1.06 Gallons. In the event that you reach the reserve (1.06 Gallons), the display will switch over to Reserve Fuel Consumption. When this happens, the display will read “0.0” gal or “L” and begin flashing. In addition, the Odometer will begin counting up to show how many miles have been traveled since hitting the reserve. When the Fuel Reserve falls below 0.55 Gallons, the display will begin flashing at a faster rate. Needless to say, you’re going to want to fuel up as soon as possible.