 How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 371
Adjunct
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OP
Adjunct
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 371 |
I find it hard here in the Great Golden State to fill the tank on my America. If it is almost empty I can fill it half full with no problem. The problem comes when I try to add more. California gas stations have a guard that is supposed to protect against over filling. In order to fill the tank I have to pull the guard up and lightly squeeze the trigger a little at a time until the tank is full. The problem is that it is hard to get the light squeeze just right ~~ then I over squeeze and the gas surge spills all over. I am being serious here. Is there a secret to filling up the tank? Maybe Cali is different from other states ~~ maybe not ~~ I don't know. But what I do know is that I am tired of paying for gas spilled and I know that there has to be a better solution than a half empty tank ~~ or a half full tank ~~ however you look at it.
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 6,432 Likes: 1
Worn Saddle
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Worn Saddle
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 6,432 Likes: 1 |
I have the Kuryakan gas cap so I can't really speak to the regular filler cap but I put the nozzle into the tank about 1/2" and let the auto shutoff stop it for me. No overruns so far and generally the same amount of fuel based on my trip meter.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2 |
Here in NJ we have that same rubber guard. Some gas pumps are better than others.
Usually I shove the nozzle in all the way and pull the guard back to start. The pump shuts off when I get within about a half gallon of full. Then I pull the nozzle almost all way out to top it off.
Good luck!
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
I have had so many pumps not shut off, spilling gas everywhere, that I jam the nozzle all the way in and wait until it gets to 2.5-3 gallons. If it doesn't shut off automagically I pull the nozzle and check. Once I'm sure the nozzle will shut off, I put it all the way in, then pull it back up, but not all the way out, about .5-.75" and let it fill until it shuts off automatically. Haven't spilled gas in a couple years.
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 62
Member
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Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 62 |
Quote:
Here in NJ we have that same rubber guard. Some gas pumps are better than others.
Usually I shove the nozzle in all the way and pull the guard back to start. The pump shuts off when I get within about a half gallon of full. Then I pull the nozzle almost all way out to top it off.
Good luck!
I always wondered whether or not you could pump your own into your motocycle in Jersey.. (for those that don't know, Jersey has a no self service law - I think it was enacted after someone set themselves on fire or something like that). I hate the law - as I don't mind pumping my own gas and hate waiting for the guy when I pull up (do like, however, that you get full service for self serve prices)... Also, last year some dope took a big chunk of paint off of my jeep right under the fuel door...
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,216
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,216 |
For $8 try one of these EZ Fill Nozzle Keys:  from Aerostich. Or use the design and cut your own.
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
I always wondered whether or not you could pump your own into your motocycle in Jersey..
Pat, only once so far did a gas jockey try to insert the nozzle into the tank before I gently but firmly removed it from his hand.
He was a kid and I'm fairly certain mine was the first MC he encoutered at the pumps.
NO ONE touches my gas tank but me. 
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 807
3/4 Throttle
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3/4 Throttle
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 807 |
Regarding all the above...
HUH?
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 152
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 152 |
For me, I never take my hand off the pump, its only 3-4 gallons and I don't want to risk a spill over my beautiful green paint job. I just carefully rest the tip of the nozzle just under the shelf and pump. Full every time and no spills. Quick question though, my home state is Oregon which also has a mandatory service law (no self service). I would not trust anybody to fill my bike up right! Has anybody refused and gotten away with it doing it themselves? I haven't tried yet, but someday I will be riding back in the Pacific Northwest and I want to be prepared.
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 166
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 166 |
Quote:
Regarding all the above...
HUH?
What ^ said.
Doesn't everybody's life revolve around food?
"Remember,
People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs."
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,068 Likes: 1
Saddle Sore
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Saddle Sore
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,068 Likes: 1 |
Move to Georgia , we still let people do mostly whatever they wanna do , pickup trucks are even exempt from seat belt laws . 
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3
Old Hand
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Old Hand
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,639 Likes: 3 |
Quote:
Regarding all the above...
HUH?
Some states have special gas nozzles that have a spring loaded sleeve that forces fumes from the fuel tank back into the vehicles emission collection system. To make sure that nobody deliberately pollutes the world, the sleeve is connected to the auto shutoff system. To fill a motorcycle tank, you have to hold this sleeve back. This is one of the many reasons I no longer live in CA.
Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1 |
I hold the nozzle an inch or two above the opening in the tank. On pumps with those sleeves, I pull back the sleeve. ThenI will fill it up to the top of the opening.
In Oregon, it is against the law to pump your own gas, except on a bike. I guess it is so dangerous to punp your own gas, that we hire 16 year olds kids to do it for us.
Soren
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821
Bar Shake
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Bar Shake
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821 |
Quote:
For me, I never take my hand off the pump, its only 3-4 gallons and I don't want to risk a spill over my beautiful green paint job. I just carefully rest the tip of the nozzle just under the shelf and pump. Full every time and no spills.
Me too (except I don't have one of those slow green ones).
Nothin' to it, just practice the squeeze, and watch the fuel in the tank.
Contra todo mal, mezcal; contra todo bien, también
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,664
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,664 |
I fill it as soon as I can after I switch to reserve, which is usually 140 miles, and it always takes 3.2 gallons to fill it up.
Ride Safe,
Dennis
Triumph, it's how I live and what I ride.
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,590
Check Pants
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Check Pants
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,590 |
Today I was filling the tank on the shores of Lake Pend O Reille, ID. As per normal, I held the nozzle end an inch or below the top and slowly topped it off. Today the handle stuck and I splashed a good bit of petrol over the tank and ground. First time that's happened  Of course I blamed this subliminal thread  jh
"It's not what I say that's important, it's what you hear" Red Auerbach
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 386
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 386 |
Quote:
In Oregon, it is against the law to pump your own gas, except on a bike. I guess it is so dangerous to punp your own gas, that we hire 16 year olds kids to do it for us.
Like this one??
I fill my tank up to the opening where the vent tube goes thru. I've never had it "spill" fuel while riding after fueling and I haven't yet needed to turn it to reserve. I stop every 100 - 130 Km. It seems like a good excuse to stretch my legs. We don't have fuel stops every 10 Km, so you get it when you can.
1982 Pontiac Trans Am...K.I.T.T. in progress.
"It looks like Darth Vaders bathroom in here..."
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,623 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
In Oregon, it is against the law to pump your own gas, except on a bike. I guess it is so dangerous to punp your own gas, that we hire 16 year olds kids to do it for us.
Soren
Kevin - Luceo Non Uro
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 807
3/4 Throttle
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3/4 Throttle
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 807 |
Quote:
Quote:
Regarding all the above...
HUH?
Some states have special gas nozzles that have a spring loaded sleeve that forces fumes from the fuel tank back into the vehicles emission collection system. To make sure that nobody deliberately pollutes the world, the sleeve is connected to the auto shutoff system. To fill a motorcycle tank, you have to hold this sleeve back. This is one of the many reasons I no longer live in CA.
Thanks, Ed.
Re, that link, above: that's pretty bloody scary. 
Mind you, i needn't worry; the only thing I wear that're nylon are are my knic...erm...undergarments. 
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 478
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 478 |
Quote:
I have had so many pumps not shut off, spilling gas everywhere, that I jam the nozzle all the way in and wait until it gets to 2.5-3 gallons. If it doesn't shut off automagically I pull the nozzle and check. Once I'm sure the nozzle will shut off, I put it all the way in, then pull it back up, but not all the way out, about .5-.75" and let it fill until it shuts off automatically. Haven't spilled gas in a couple years.
Sounds more like how babies are made... 
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,690
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,690 |
Enough to get me to the next gas station, or where Im going...(sorry)...
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,606 Likes: 2
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,606 Likes: 2 |
Bucky fills his till it's p!ssin all over the ground when on it's side stand 
THE VOICE OF REASON
per: Stewart
AF&AM/Shriner/Scoutmaster
130/45 TBS 2shim SS Uni 18/42
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,240
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,240 |
Quote:
I hold the nozzle an inch or two above the opening in the tank. On pumps with those sleeves, I pull back the sleeve. Then I will fill it up to the top of the opening.
Soren
We have that type of pump handle too, unless I get way out of town - the rural stations aren't required to have them.
I never stick the nozzle all the way down into the tank. I hold the sleeve back with one hand, and squeeze the pump with the other, straddling the bike and holding it upright between my legs so I can get as much fuel into the tank as possible. I might "jiggle" the bike from side to side some too when nearly filled to the top - to let as much air escape as possible and to make room for more fuel. Plastic is great. It p*sses me off to have to get off the bike to go inside for a receipt when the pump printer does not work. My experience is that those pump's printers will never work again, and therefore if more than one pump at that station can't print a receipt, I won't be buying any more fuel at that station!
I always pull up with the pump on my left, using my left hand to squeeze the handle and my right to hold up the EPA sleeve.
So what if I slosh a splash out onto the tank now and then. I hate to waste the $$$, but the paint better be able to withstand it (or I would expect to be paying a LOT less for these bikes). It doesn't happen often - I usually don't spill a drop.
Keith
Houston
Ridin'Texas
'04 Speedmaster
AI removed, Pingle, UNI Filter, 1 shim, straight-through slash-cut TORs, Stage 1 DynaJet, 140 mains, 3 turns, 16/42 final drive, 115K
2020 T120 Black
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Rob, The rubber guard on the nozzle is not there to protect against over filling. It's designed to help keep hydrocarbon vapors from escaping into the atmosphere as you fill up your tank. It's a pain in the arse(for some reason they allow the brit version of that word around here  ), I know, but once you get the hang of pulling back that rubber sleeve with your left hand while holding the handle and trigger with your right hand, 99 percent of the time you'll be able to fill your tank all the way to the brim without spilling any of Chevron's finest. (However, as Greybeard noted, when I'm at my other place in Arizona, which doesn't require this questionable environmental safeguard being attached to the thing, it does make for a far easier filling process, to be sure)
Last edited by Dwight; 08/08/2007 2:12 AM.
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,590
Check Pants
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Check Pants
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,590 |
OK, now I'm feeling jinxed. Rode to a town about 80 miles away Thursday and stopped to phil-up before returning. Simple enough, remove gas cap, remove nozzle handle, press "start" button (no, it wasn't the green diesel pump). Soon as I press "start", gas is spraying all over hot bike and tank , one more . Far as I can tell, the previous person left the pump trigger slightly engaged? Mistake, a joke, an error? Ohh, one more , make that 2 jh
"It's not what I say that's important, it's what you hear" Red Auerbach
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,308 Likes: 4
Worn Saddle
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Worn Saddle
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,308 Likes: 4 |
I remember what a treat it was when I first moved back to NY from Sandy Eggo. Those gas nozzles had become part of life and I had completely forgotten how easy it was supposed to be filling the bike. Then last week when we were in NH, darned if I didn't run across a station with those on the pump. What a PITA.
A word to the wise is not necessary. It is the stupid ones who need the advice.
Pat
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,164 Likes: 1 |
Quote:
when I'm at my other place in Arizona, which doesn't require this questionable environmental safeguard being attached to the thing, it does make for a far easier filling process, to be sure
Gas (and so many other things) are much more hazardous in California than otehr places. When I use to paint, it would crack me up how many of our products (paint, reducer, etc.) would have a warning label that woudl state some thing like: This product is known to cause cancer in California. So, I always made sure to never use it in California.
Soren
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,537
Check Pants
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Check Pants
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,537 |
I remember the first America I saw in person. The guy was filling the tank at a local convenience store. I had been salivating for weeks on the internet admiring the bike and made the decision to find a used one to buy. Guess I was perhaps a little, overenthusiastic, as I peppered the owner with questions as he attempted to fill the tank without splashing. Finally, after trying to ignore my hounding about the bike he asked to wait just a minute while he finished topping off. At the time, I thought he was kind of unfriendly, but changed me mind on my first fill up - which resulted in gas all over the place. It still happens once a year or so when I'm not paying attention. I usually just fill to the bottom of the tank hole and tap the drops off on the vent tube. I try not to scrape the side of the painted tank top and so far have not endured any tank peel. When I'm on reserve, and the pump registers 3.0 gallons, I start paying real close attention. And, I never talk to anyone while filling up! A year or so later, I did apologize to that fellow I was pestering.
Once this year, in anticipation of a long ride, I filled while standing the bike upright to the very tip top. That didn't work out so well as gas gushed out the overflow tube when parked on the side stand when I went into pay....
Al
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Re: How full do you fill your tank?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821
Bar Shake
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Bar Shake
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821 |
Re: Standing up or on the sidestand, there is very little difference in the amount of fuel you get. Try filling on the sidestand and then straddling to how much more you get. What, 1/10 gallon. I decided that it's not worth the risk of gasoline on the nads. Try that too  , I'm sure you'll agree.
Contra todo mal, mezcal; contra todo bien, también
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