Reserve fuel capacity and tyre pressure

Your Fastback tank will have probably had replacement fuel taps over its lifetime so the only way to find out is to drain it it out into a measuring jug. If you have a normal tap with a stack pipe, then because both sides of the tank are not interconnected, once you reach that level and select the non stack pipe reserve, (on the other side) then the fuel under the stack pipe is not useable without turning the bike upside down. Remove the stack pipe from the tap to access all fuel. (never could understand why they were put there in the first place)

Roadrider tyre pressures, as with all tyres, depend on how heavy you are and how much kit you haul. I run between 28 and 30 on the front and 30 and 34 on the rear. Much more than the old haynes manual used to recommend. An Avon man (not the Avon lady) came to the Kirkby Lonsdale National Rally a few years ago and stressed the need to up the pressure on the modern generation of tyres.

Back in 2002 when I was running Avon AM18 I called Avon and their technical man recommended:

Solo 24psi front/ 28 rear

2-up (also suitable solo if you don't want to keep changing pressures) 28/32

2-up + luggage 32/36

I still use 28/32 solo and 2-up now I'm on AM26 Roadriders.

I was at a BMW club event yesterday and we had a very interesting talk from Avon's chief tyre designer.

when asked about tyre pressures he said that all modern tyres need to run at higher pressures than in the 70s and his advice was to always run at the pressures suggested by the tyre manufacturer and to stick pretty close to that recommendation.

I think I have got to the bottom of a weave that I've had at about 80mph despite a straight frame, tyres that are perfectly in line, new isos, swinging arm, rod end head steady and lansdown fork internals. I have 18 inch wheels and Roadriders. I put the tyre pressures up to about 36 rear and 34 front. Returning from the AGM yesterday I was giving it some stick and it was stable right up to full throttle in top. A white line upset it a little but it calmed down quickly.

Higher tyre pressures seems to be the answer in my case.

I have the correct 19 inch tyres on WM 2 rims with Avon Roadrider tyres. I find 34 front and 36 rear to give impeccable handling. I always add at least 2 psi when carrying a passenger and have gone as far as 40psi rear when carrying a lot of camping gear. Modern tyres do seem to require higher pressures.

Thanks that confirms my suspicionâs regarding the reserve capacity how did they get away with the design in the 70s

I often run to the limit and that little bit of reserve in the non reserve side can be a life saver. I got back from a ride Monday and left the bike running when it died. I knew it was on the limit of reserve (appx. 1 litre in my Roadster) but as I had to pull the tank (a 5 min job) to retorque head bolts I measured what came out.....0.30 litre on non reserve and 0.06 litre reserve, enough for 5-6 careful miles. That's not a lot of use in the middle of nowhere but then you wouldn't be running that low in those circumstances!