Either I'm developing a sixth sense or there's something fishy about the bike when the fuel's getting low. It's taken a while for me to make the connection but I'm beginning to think it's more than coincidence. In the ten or twenty miles before the fuel light comes on I've begun to notice that the normally impeccable fueling on the Blade is taking on a more snatchy, hunting demeanour. Rather reminiscent of my old Ducati, actually. It's not chugging or misfiring at all, there just seems to be a noticeable drop off of the smoothness as I start using up the bottom quarter of the tank. Now, is this an indication that there may be some dense sediment hanging around the tank that I need to flush or is what's left of the fuel slopping around and making the fuelling uneven... ...or am I imagining it...
Cant say ive noticed on my metal horse mate, if anything mine runs smoother after a goood razz/three quarters of a tank. Every bike is different though... Could foam your tank to prevent the sloshing and see if it makes any difference?
Have you filled up a crappy station over time and ended up with a build up of water in the tank? or a poor seal on the filler lid, letting water in? should notice fuel vapour escaping if that's the case
The filler seal appears sound, a couple of fills ago, not certain of my remaining range I pulled into an independent petrol station. I have to admit to a bit of paranoia about independents scabbed onto convenience stores but in my heart I've always regarded it as just paranoia. Do you reckon a flush, to be safe?
Almost always the BP garage in the village I live, BladeWitch, and super unleaded as a matter of course, except for that mentioned in the thread above.
I would think, but someone better qualified can answer maybe, that just draining the fuel tank would take out 99% of liquid contamination, obviously it probably would not dislodge much solid or solid build up, but then again there really should not be much, if any in the tank. Another possibility is that as the tank drains you are getting a vacuum building up, but that is starting to fish a bit I guess.
do you reckon kentblade (scratch head thinking) - the blade has a fuel pump right, so the drop in power would be felt at all fuel levels not just the lower part of the tank.
Well previous experience on cars and bikes with issues like this, has shown that if the tank does not vent properly, a vacuum can build up when the fuel levels are lower and give a fuel starvation issue problem, that the pump does not overcome, but who knows if this is the issue or not I guess
Funny you should write this post as my RR9 has started to behave like this recently. It sometimes sluggish on startup, requiring a couple of blips to be crisp then absolutely fine. Then, when going for a spirited ride and changing down, it has exactly the same characteristics as yours. The description is spot on as I owned a 916 before and "lumpy" comes to mind then another blip of the throttle clears it
Sounds like a water build up in the tank mate. Give it a flush out. End of the day it will at least eliminate one possibility.
