WHY DID I RUN OUT OF GAS, with gas in the tank???

[motoed]

Terribly Long
The new/old ST did it to me today. Put me down on the side of the road in nowhere OK. Died suddenly going down the road as if starved for fuel.

I need to know why this happened and how it can be prevented!

The ST just quite running today on a trip. I had stopped to smoke and then took off again. About 2 miles down the road on a long uphill climp, it just died like it was out of gas.
There were only 250 miles on the trip meter and no low fuel light had come on. So, I pull her off the side of the road, still on the uphill climb. So, I can't push it forward, too heavy for me to push uphill.
Right off the bat I notice the battery seems weak when I try to turn it over. It'll turn over put won't start. First, thing I do is disconnect the radio I installed, to help insure I didn't screw it up wiring it in. Then start looking and scratching my head. It's hot and there is no shade. Cars pass by every 5 minutes or so, it's outside of Broken Bow about 20 miles and not much around.
I notice there is no fuel in the fuel filter, so I open and look in the tank and see gas. I pull the plate off the top of the gas tank (did I screw something up here?) and can't see poop so I put it back together and start putting the plastic back on.
A great man and woman riding a Yamaha cruiser stop and we talk. They say I'm about 18 miles from a gas station. But, off they go back the way they came to see if they can get me some gas. In about 15 minutes they return with 2 gallons of gas and a gas can they had to buy.
I wasn't planning on problems so I had $9 in my pocket, the gas and can cost $8.50.
Put the gas in and turned her over with the battery getting weaker. Finally starts and runs.
I thank them and offer my first born and they ride away (that's the part of motorcycling I love - I'll return the favor).
Well, here's the deal. I'm outa gas and the numbers tell me there is still fuel in the tank.
I put in the 2 gallons they brought me and drive 26 miles and then pump 4.2 gallons to fill the tank.
So even if I used no gas for those 26 miles it only adds up to 6.2 gallons, meaning I still had gas in the tank when I ran out.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Could the long uphill had something to do with it?

I'm sorry for the length, but I'm so confused. And glad to be home.
MotoEd

[Marshal_Mercer]

>>>So even if I used no gas for those 26 miles it only adds up to 6.2 gallons, meaning I still had gas in the tank when I ran out.<<<

My first guess would be that you did not run out of gas; you had an electrical problem that mended itself (temporarily). The battery may have had a substantial drain while you had a smoke. You may have disconnected something after the stop, allowing the battery to regain a sufficient charge while you waited for the Good Samaritans to bring gas.

Added any electronics lately? Had the wire chaffing service done? Battery been weak lately? Left the key on while you stopped?

Best of luck on this,

Marshal

[Horst]

... don't mean to alarm, but check your charging system asap. You want not to strain the fuel pump (the big thing under that cap) so check it out.

Also, weak batteries will cause you nothing but misery so if it's older and you don't know it's history - change it ! ... you'll be glad next you're assisting me down the road ! ... :biker: ;)

[jams]

This happened to me about a month ago. My vent hose on the gas cap was kinked, probably when I last filled up. Unkinked it and there was a woosh sound as the vaccum in the tank was released.

[Jedei]

same thing happend to me in a cage one time do to a pinched fuel line.

[severdog]

This is one of two known problems.

1) vacuum shutoff valve. Bypass it (run fuel line that goes to carbs straight into the output of the fuel filter) and block the #3 vacuum line and see if the problem goes away. I chose to entirely eliminate mine.

2) Fuel pump on a hot day - more rare problem. Fuel pump is weak and vapor locks on a very hot day. Happened to me once. Bike will run on a downhill slope, will not run on level or uphill grade. Opening up fuel line cleared the lock and allowed normal operation again, until it heated up and vapor locked again. Full tank also cures symptom.

[mageerc]

If you (or your dealer/serviceman) have raised the upper gas tank recently, it's possible that the line that vents the tank was pinched when the tank was repositioned. This happened to me after the dealer performed a recall. The bike acted just as though it ran out of gas and still had one bar showing...

[londride]

I had a bike that had a bunch of water at the bottom of the gas tank. The bike died when it got to the water.

Had to spend a lot of money to get the rust cleaned out of the carbs.

It was a bike that I had recently purchased used.

[lddave]

I had the same thing happen to me , engine died, no fuel in the float filter.I had plenty of fuel in tanks. I was able to get it going by choking the carbs and cranking the engine over until fuel pump picked up fuel and engine started. Found that if I did not let tank drop below half the problem would not reappear. Solution was new fuel pump, seems that pump was getting weak . No problems since.