Reserve tank issue

[awf]

Hi guys,

I am a new rider with limited mechanical skills but willing to get my hands dirty. I have had my 2000 model GZ for three months and am loving it, I decided to do an experiment and see what the range of a full tank was so on the way to work yesterday it started to splutter at 370 kms (230 miles) at which point I turned the switch to the reserve tank and it continued to splutter not getting me more than a couple of kms. I left it on the side of the road, brought a jerry can back to it after work, filled up and it wouldn't start, just spluttered away as if it was out of fuel.

The previous owner was a woman, she had only put 16,000 kms on it over the course of ten years, I have put 2000 on it already. I am wondering if she had ever used the reserve tank being a careful rider, and if not could there have been a build up of crap etc in it?

The forums posts I have read seem to suggest that a carb clean out may be the way to go, at the moment it is still on the side of the road, is there a roadside fix I can give it to get it 20 kms home?

Also, I don't know much about the reserve tank, how far should it get me? Should it be used fairly often to keep it fresh? Any other advice would be great.

Thanks, Andy.