BMW R series owners - help needed

[swee'pea99]

This is going to sound like a really dumb question, but it's one of those things you either know or don't, and I don't, so I'm wondering if someone out there can tell me which way I should have the fuel tap normally - ie, not for being in reserve, but just for the main fuel supply.

Should I have it like this:

Or like this:

 

[Wigsie]

Don't have one, but I would think it would be the top one.

 

[TVC]

I think it tells you on the rear of your indicator exemption certificate

 

[Globalti]

You need to set in to ON for normal riding until it begins to cough, which is the warning to you to refill. Turn the lever to RES and stop at the next petrol station.

 

[Proto]

My R1150R didn't have a fuel tap. Not much help, sorry

But if the tap lever has an arrow on it (which it looks like it does) then normal running would be as top pic.

 

[markg0vbr]

My R1150R didn't have a fuel tap. Not much help, sorry

But if the tap lever has an arrow on it (which it looks like it does) then normal running would be as top pic.

+1
neat trick if you forget, leave the tap on reserve and run out of petrol, lay the bike down on the left hand cylinder, lift the wheels this gives you about 2/3rd of a liter from the side of the tank that dose not have a tap.
on my r1150r you do it on the other side as that is where the fuel pump is. extream but worth knowing.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks all. That is a good tip - I'd heard something along those lines, and tried tipping the bike over when I ran out...didn't realise you had to lay it right down!

Does your +1 mean it's correct that the short pointy end has to point to 'on' rather than the long sticky end, to be on 'on', ie not on reserve? I'm asking because that would have been my assumption, but I'm pretty sure I was following that rule when I ran out, and when I turned to 'res' (ie, short pointy end to res), nothing doing.

 

[Over The Hill]

I think the little arrow on the lever is pointing to what it is doing.

So 3 or 9 oclock are off. Top pic is indicating ON while bottom pic is indicating Res.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

I think it's the other way around, the top pic is reserve, the second is main tank. That ties up with you running out on the top position. That's how it's worked with my German bikes (although they're DDR not GDR).

Or the reserve pipe's dropped off inside the tank and you have no reserve. BTDT.

 

[buggi]

really mate, i'd phone BMW because by the time you finish with this thread, you're gonna be more confused than ever LOL

by the way, just for the record, i don't know

 

[swee'pea99]

And I thought I was confused before...

 

[Globalti]

Why don't you just remove the tap from the tank and blow down the inner and outer bits while fiddling with the lever?

 

[02GF74]

by convention, the lever covers the postion you want the tap to be in; for reserve, it is first photo.

 

[swee'pea99]

So that seems to be two who feel (with some experience) that it's top pic = reserve. I think I'll go with that unless anyone *knows* otherwise. I agree with others that it seems odd - you'd think the thing would point to rather than 'cover', but covering tallies with my running the thing dry.

Thanks all.