You have a 1982 susuki gs850 on the fuel valve there are 3 positions on prime and reserve when you switch the cycle off what position do you pout the valve to and is it the top or bottom of that switc?

Answer 1

"ON" is the normal position. There is either an arrow on the part you move, or a ring on it. The arrow will point to the word representing the position the valve is currently in, or the little ring will circle the word.

When the valve is on, fuel should not flow unless the cycle is running. Suction from the carbs opens the valve via the smaller of the two hoses that connect into the fuel valve (petcock)

Fuel will continue to flow until the quantity in the tank gets low. at this point a stand pipe in the tank is uncovered and the motor quits, essentially because it's just run out of gas. When this happens, you can switch to 'reserve' and you'll get about another 1/2 gallon of fuel from the bottom of the tank. That should be enough to make it to a gas station. The reserve position isn't so important in the days of fuel gages, but before there was a gage it was a lifesaver for many riders.

If the bike hasn't run for a while or has been worked on the carb bowls may be empty. In this case, the 'prime' position allows fuel to flow even if there is no suction. Never leave it in prime because the carburettor bowls can overflow and fuel will leak out, draining the gas tank onto your garage floor.

When parking, leave it in the on position. Since there is no 'off' that's the best, and really the only choice.