Motorcycle Consumer News / Motorcycle Consumer News / General Motorcycle Discussions / Fuel Gauge / Latest Posts

RE: Fuel Gauge

ironhead97 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:51:27 GMT

Ok so all this talk about fuel gages and guess what......???? Mine quit working a couple days ago.......But I had set the trip meter so all was good, but I did find it annoying to see the meter just sitting on empty all the time. So yesterday I did some trouble shooting and figured out that the sending unit wasn't working. so I took the sending unit out and found that the insulating washer had actually swelled up and pushed a connection apart so that the sender wasn't making connection on the ground side of the circuit. So a simple trim of the washer and reassemble the unit and it works fine now......

But yes it was annoying to have a guage that is supposed to work and doesn't........

RE: Fuel Gauge

motojavaphil — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:48:35 GMT

[quote]jerseyjim (1/28/2012)

MOTOJAV: I never noticed because I don't "follow" BMW either their bikes nor their automobiles. Can we take the "flashing headlights" and "headlights on" thing just a bit further? Fine. Seeing you don't object...I learned to ride in NYC. I survived, then in a few years moved to suburban/rural Southern New Jersey. ("South Jersey" we call it). NYC has a "headlight on" law. What I found out was....the car coming AT you will see you from far away...but somehow NOT see you at the next intersection while making a left-hand turn. Other than the "intersection" thing...the cage that CAN really mess you up has no idea....doesn't SEE the headlight or you...or the bike....and therefore will turn right into you. In fact, the cage has the windows up, the stereo on and a pretty promise sitting right next to him....he has absolutely no idea. So...anything smaller than a fully loaded dump truck, he don't notice.Based on that....Iturn my headlight "on" when I have to (like New York State...trying to "fight it" simply isnt worth it)...but here in NJ where there is NO "headlight on", I don't put it on until it gets dark out.

MODETTE: THAT technique sounds like a sure-fire way to get stranded.....[/quote]

I hear ya, not everyone rides or drives a Beemer.

RE: Fuel Gauge

Bwana — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:49:56 GMT

modette (1/27/2012)

Someone who is trying to get most miles per tank before HAVING to fill it up.

Isn't that a "Kramer?"

RE: Fuel Gauge

Bwana — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:42:55 GMT

Rootie (1/24/2012)

The only accurate measurement of fuel is a reserve petcock. If your bike cuts out while you are riding then it means you are almost out of fuel!

How many here forgot to turn the petcock off the reserve setting and wound up out of gas on the road? Of course, it never happened to me. Never...

Ayup, sputter sputter *flip* zooooom! Or sputter sputter *fliiii...* dagnabbit! Never 'appened to me, honest.

However, it ought to be less than rocket science to fit a bike with a reliable fuel guage. They've managed somehow to get it right with cars.

RE: Fuel Gauge

OzarkHarleyGuy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:52:11 GMT

I can tell you this; on a Harley Ultra I know it will go 38 miles and a lot of worry after the fuel light comes on.

RE: Fuel Gauge

SV-650Nut — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:23:22 GMT

I've never ran out of gas in a four wheeler but my record on bikes is not so stellar.

I keep trying to push to the next town or intersection in hopes that they have an open station so I don't have to stop every 2 - 3 hours.

The good news is that you meet some interesting farmers / rural / local folks.

My next touring bike will have at least a 5 gallon capacity.

RE: Fuel Gauge

modette — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:34:11 GMT

jerseyjim - Never been stranded. Trip meter seems to be the sure method. Not sure why anyone would for example...

You have a 200 mile range
Why would then push the next fill up to 190 miles for example.
**Maybe just me, but I would give myself a 50-60 mile buffer, that should get you to gas in most places in this country.

The FZ1 I had got 240 miles, hence I I use that figure that was going slow (riding in a sane manor). I always filled up at 180 miles no matter what. I also ALWAYS fill up the start of each ride, even if all I need is a gallon (why I keep gas on hand at home). On road trips I fill up and pull into a Hotel/Motel and that way I am good to go the next day. I stop to pee or get a bite to eat, I go ahead and fill up again. *shrug*

100K+ miles and I never ran out of gas on a motorcycle. Must be doing something right.

I do miss the 1999 Ninja EX250 I owned. That think went like 380 miles to a tank...I typically stopped at 200 miles because my legs needed to be stretched, my butt needed to wake up, and I need to pee and eat.

Oh people handled trip meters and petcocks just fine back in the day...tried and tested and they work the best. Fuel gauges are never very accurate. Any vehicle I have owned it seems there is a point where it drops faster then it did during the first half. Like I said, I reset my cage trip meter every time I get gas. Not only that on the Jeep I reset, hours driven, mpg, trip A, trip b. I also log mile fill ups with an app called acar (free)....so I'm the guy at the pump that takes 5 minutes to get going...LOL

RE: Fuel Gauge

OzarkHarleyGuy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:49:30 GMT

[quote]modette (1/27/2012)

Someone who is trying to get most miles per tank before HAVING to fill it up.

[/quote]

And for those desiring to be a little more pc (politically correct) you could say "hyper-mile-ing."

RE: Fuel Gauge

jerseyjim — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:43:40 GMT

MOTOJAV: I never noticed because I don't "follow" BMW either their bikes nor their automobiles. Can we take the "flashing headlights" and "headlights on" thing just a bit further? Fine. Seeing you don't object...I learned to ride in NYC. I survived, then in a few years moved to suburban/rural Southern New Jersey. ("South Jersey" we call it). NYC has a "headlight on" law. What I found out was....the car coming AT you will see you from far away...but somehow NOT see you at the next intersection while making a left-hand turn. Other than the "intersection" thing...the cage that CAN really mess you up has no idea....doesn't SEE the headlight or you...or the bike....and therefore will turn right into you. In fact, the cage has the windows up, the stereo on and a pretty promise sitting right next to him....he has absolutely no idea. So...anything smaller than a fully loaded dump truck, he don't notice. Based on that....I turn my headlight "on" when I have to (like New York State...trying to "fight it" simply isnt worth it)...but here in NJ where there is NO "headlight on", I don't put it on until it gets dark out.

MODETTE: THAT technique sounds like a sure-fire way to get stranded.....

RE: Fuel Gauge

modette — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:30:59 GMT

Someone who is trying to get most miles per tank before HAVING to fill it up.

RE: Fuel Gauge

motojavaphil — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:38:10 GMT

[quote]jerseyjim (1/27/2012)

Above posts:

What is a "milage Jew"? And what is the "new generation BMW owner? (Different than the "old generation" BMW owner?)[/quote]

I am not sure what a "milage Jew" is but BMW has made new products, bringing new customers and different expectations with them. The same thing happened when BMW went from the 2002, headlight flashing followers to the more sophisticated sedans and drivers seen today. I am surprised you never noticed this.

RE: Fuel Gauge

jerseyjim — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:28:46 GMT

Above posts:

What is a "milage Jew"? And what is the "new generation BMW owner? (Different than the "old generation" BMW owner?)

RE: Fuel Gauge

motojavaphil — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:44:00 GMT

Its really weird. My first motor vehicle was a motorcycle. It required I reset the tripometer each fillup or I had no idea how much fuel I had left. This has stayed with me in all vehicles I have owned with or without a gauge. Do I think the BMW rider was whiny, Absolutely not, (Not anymore than the new generation BMW Rider). They have stripped us of the petcocks and even tripometers in some instances.
The wife wanted me to get some service work done on her Prius, so I did, washed it and filled it up. When I went to reset the tripometer I could not find it to save my life.

RE: Fuel Gauge

Danno — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:45:40 GMT

For what it's worth I ride an old 1984 Honda CB650. It has a fuel gauge and surprisingly a gear shift indicator. Even though the bike is 28 years old the fuel gauge on my bike is deadly accurate. I still reset the tripmeter after every fuel-up and watch it in correlation with the fuel gauge. Plus I do have the handy reserve feature with the petcock. And while I have yet to leave it on reserve and ride I have on a few occasions left it in the off position and sputtered to a stop a mile or two down the road.

RE: Fuel Gauge

OzarkHarleyGuy — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:28:49 GMT

What if your gas mileage is worse on the tank then you stand the chance of walking. Many years ago on an old GoldWing my gas gauge quit and I did go by the odometer for a while but I knew I was selling the bike soon and didn't want to go to the trouble of fixing it. But if the Beemer was relatively new you pay a fortune for those things the gauge ought to work. Here is a good formula: the "F" means "Full" and the "E" means "Empty." Buy gas before the little needle gets to "E" and you wont have to walk, set the odometer or worry about how often you need to pee. Scratch that last one; you still need to worry about when you need to pee or risk wet pants.

RE: Fuel Gauge

drummer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:24:30 GMT

This is a humorous thread to me. If you purchased a car and the gas gauge did not work, would you be pissed? Yes, and that is what the guy is expressing. Most Beemer sites are riddled with this thread, this and the fact that the seats on new Beemers suck, plus the final drive failure. All of that together has a common theme, BMW is not addressing fundamental concerns by those that own the machines. I have long stated if it were not for the mechanic I know who is local and not a dealer but specializes in Beemers, I would not be riding one.

Some people get there panties in a wad over the strangest things and for that guy, it is the fuel strip. Others its the wife putting her shower towel on the door handle, for me - the RT saddle sucked and I had to purchase an after market. Everybody has their likes and dislikes, and I think the guy (no matter the length of time as a rider) has a legit gripe - if it is supplied at purchase it should work.

RE: Fuel Gauge

locoblanco — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:39:05 GMT

these days i have to stop to pee @every 100 miles, and they usually have gas there, but more to the point, the trip meter and good old fashion look in the tank works pretty well. (note: it may be dark when you look in the tank- DO NOT light a match.)

RE: Fuel Gauge

modette — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:54:18 GMT

Maybe just me but I tend to add up the numbers on a map and say next gas 150 miles even if I have a 240 mile range riding the speed limit. If I stay in a town for the night after riding 16-18 hours the day before and that last tank I only used 30 miles of the gas I still top it off in the morning. No matter cage or motorcycle it gets topped off before the beginning of the day. 2001 FZ1 had a hidden petcock, no access but it did technically have one under the tank, made tank removal nice.

It does not take long to TOP off a gas tank on a motorcycle, maybe ibafran takes his sweet time, I simple pull up swipe my card and take off. That simple, I would guess no more then 5 minutes wasted...I'm not eating (unless its breakfast) and even then its grab a breakfast burrito from the station and fill and go. Maybe int hat case 10 minutes used up.

I'm proud to say I have NEVER ran out of gas on any motorcycle with the 100,000+ miles I have done. I did run out 5-6 years ago in my cage for the first time...I loved it...it was an Adventure in NV, I actually just laughed my butt off. As for fuel pumps I ran that Explorer dry and it was fine, added gas and it started right up. Not sure why people worry about it. I would never worry about it on a motorcycle *shrug* Now a Diesel engine that is a different story.

Would it make me mad if I bought BMW GS and it did not work right...sure. I gathered from the article the guy bought a used one anyways...small issues like this should always be expected in a used vehicle. Sounds like an easy fix too, even a DIY fix.

But on the flip side its not a SAFETY issue, if you ride a motorcycle like people have for decades. New rider, maybe has no clue...I would argue Ibafran that a trip meter works best, you learn the mileage of a motorcycle it doe snot drastically change you learn the low and the high and you get a feel for it....if you want to eeek out ever last possible mile from a tank then that is your issue if you run out. (All my trips I have yet to find a closed gas station, or one that had issues)....but then that is not the bikes fault and could happen to anyone if they are mileage Jews.

Even if I run out of gas on a motorcycle its not like you stop in the middle of the road...you coast off to the shoulder. Sounds again like people panic to easily. Not really a big issue, and if your in a city and your that low I question why someone would not pull off at the first sign of fuel and fill up....LOL

Sorry I just don't get it...

RE: Fuel Gauge

jerseyjim — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:20:33 GMT

Seeing the bike was a BMW, I'm really surprised that the BMW factory didn't tell this guy it was HIS fault.

Anyway...he has a tripmeter, too...but for the money he paid, EVERYTHING should work....accurately, too!

I have both a fuel gauge and a tripmeter. The gauge itself seems to be 1/8 tank off (full tank = ALMOST full on the thing), so it is a handy REFERENCE, nothing more. My re-settable trip meter is what I use for any accuracy. It's always been that way since my 1971 Honda 450.

All this talk about fuel pumps...and burning them out....and the absence of pet-cocks, and no reserve.....boy, am I glad I have a pre-historic (21 year old) motorcycle with gravity feed (never fails), carburator (I can fix the thing without a 500 dollar computer hookup), I have a petcock and 1/2 gallon "reserve". All the things that give me, at least the IMPRESSION that I'm in charge....not some electronic gizmo.

And that, to me, is what motorcycling is all about. Could be that's also why the Honda and Motoguzzi automatic transmission versions never sold well and were discontinued after only 2-3 model years.

RE: Fuel Gauge

ST-TLW — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:22:16 GMT

Ok, I had responded before I read the letter. My copy of MCN arrived today. In response to the first question was the guy whiny? I don't think so. As has been said. I'd be more than a bit upset if I spent that much money on high end, bike with a name and reputation like the BMW GS enjoys. If I buy a car with power windows I expect them to go up and down with the push of a button.

Since I use my trip odometer and have a semi-guessimate fuel gauge I think the Zumo fuel tracking would be redundant??? yes no?

As an east of the Mississippi rider, the first big 3 week trip out west found me and my wife in the middle of the nowhere after heading out of Sante Fe toward Cortez, CO. via Shiprock, NM and who knows where else on my ST with my fuel gauge way too low and then the light on. I used the Zumo find fuel feature but 30 miles in New Mexico as the crow flies is much different than 10 miles in New Jersey to the next fuel. We made it and I didn't tell my wife how close we were to having an "issue" until we were at the gas station. I learned a lesson about predicting fuel stops.

I don't have one on any of my current bikes but I do recall the security of a petcock with reserve. And I never left it on reserve after fueling once too.

RE: Fuel Gauge

ironhead97 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:27:24 GMT

Nope.....Never happend to me and won't ever happen again....

Actually It happened to me just last summer on the Sporty...... I had to get some gas from a guy that was mowing his grass.....

anyway for me since I started riding in 1967......( I was 14 and had a 1964 Honda CA-200- 90) Like this one.....

http://www.adclassix.com/a4/64honda90ccmotorcycle.html

I used the trip meter some, but mostly I just looked in the tank!!!! Just like I had done on my Lil-Indian Mini-bike for the 4 years before I got the Honda.......nowadays I have a "modern" 1999 Harley that is carbureted...I have yet to own a fuel injected bike..... but I have a fuel gage and a trip meter and I use both, but I rely on the trip meter more than the gage.

RE: Fuel Gauge

ibafran — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:27:41 GMT

Rootie (1/24/2012)

Never happened to me either...on several occasions. Seen it happen once. Very good biker budd did that. It dang near broke my heart to have to explain to him that it was a very hard and accurate sign that he wasn't good for bikes anymore. I hate to have to council good people away from bikes for those kinds of reasons. Sigh. He took it well and didn't cry till he was some distance from me. As difficult as that was for me, I consoled myself that I didn't have to shoot him to put him out of his misery.

RE: Fuel Gauge

ibafran — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:08:38 GMT

Well, I support the whiney beemer rider. The dang fuel gauge should work in a reliably consistant manner. The varieties of fuel gauge tech have been around for a long time and it ain't rocket surgery. Or is it? I had the sending unit fail on my Sprint and was really honked off that it cost me $100 to replace it. And it is not the kind of part that takes a beating. The thing should have lasted for the life of several bikes. So. Why am I so PO'd about the fuel gauge?

My bike is fuel injected. I am 'told' that it is 'very bad' for the fuel pump to run dry. The fuel pump is not available at the local chain store. The pump is expensive. One would think that the factory might have wanted to put some sort of 'safety' on the pump to keep it wet if this was so important? THERE IS NO 'RESERVE' FUEL! Thus, it is entirely too easy for me to run out of fuel and blow the fuel pump in the process if I have no real clue as to how much fuel is really in the tank when the level gets low. Depending on how much fun I am having with my bike, I could be getting sub-40mpg for a while and then switch to econo-mode riding for a while and get 50+mpg. My trip meter will not be a very reliable tool to guess my fuel level while doing that. Because my tank bag sits over my locked fuel cap, it ain't convenient to open the cap in the time honored fashion and slosh fuel in the tank for an educated guess (ala Steve McQueen in the "Great Escape") during a long traffic light. And, yes, I have run it dry once already. It didn't seem to have hurt the pump, afaik.

Most rural cagers without a working fuel gauge will 'pack' a gallon or two in a very sturdy container and not even bother to worry about any silly fuel pump. Why, as bikers, we have to be so concerned about our fuel pumps escapes me? Anybody out there 'packing' reserve fuel most of the time?

East of the Mississippi R. fuel is not that far away most of the time and a 40 mile 'low fuel' indicator is usable. West of the River, fuel could easily be out of range of a 'low fuel' indicator. Yes, I have bought fuel from farmers, ranchers, campers, et al due to being too far from a gas station when the low fuel indicator came on. A real reliable fuel gauge is a very nice thing to have.

Yes, it is easily possible to route myself on a remote flower sniffing trip that passes nowhere near a gas station that might be open when I go past. Yes, I have used the GPS to go to the nearest 'gas' and found the place out of business. Yes, several times I have rolled into a gas station that had some sort of electrical glitch (lightning, power grid outage) that wouldn't let the pumps work and there was no 'manual' or 'emergency' way for the station to dispense fuel. Such a station might be only 25 miles from a station that does work but I might be down to my last 2 quarts at that moment. Having an accurate fuel gauge, especially as it approaches the bottom of the tank, is a really, really good thing to me. I didn't bother to fit my bike with a 3gal aux. fuel tank for the humor of it all. Although, it does make me smile a lot and giggle a little to watch the fuel gauge go back up while riding and turning on the aux. fuel tap.

Yes, I do set one of my trip-meters (of five) to record mileage since last fill-up. It makes it easier to record the numbers and do the mpg math which I do for every fill. Best mpg ever for the Sprint happened in CO last summer. Got a smidgen over 60mpg for 160 miles including one mountain pass and a little speed work down in the valley.

No, I don't recall being in a gas station, ever, where I had a really good time. (Dodging rain/poor weather or warming up frozen feet/hands in a gas station is not exactly what I call a good time. Nor is the cuizine much fun if there isn't a dedicated diner attached.) Why would I want to be in one if I could avoid it? Anybody time their fuel stops in order to know how much time is wasted doing that instead of riding?

My 66 X-6 Hustler had a sight tube on the tank as well as a reserve tap. Worked very well and had a rubber cork for a gas cap making the 'slosh' technique the mode of choice most of the time. Ducati had an unpainted strip down the side of a 'glass tank that showed fuel level. Had a CA-95 Honda with a saddle tank that kept enough fuel on the side opposit the tap that I could run the reserve dry and tip the bike over to get another pint-quart and still get to a gas station. My Auld Nail triumph tank with a tap on both sides of the saddle does the same thing but not quite as well as that Honda did. Some trumpet riders installed reserve taps on both sides of the tank with one being a little lower or taller than the other and got a kind of double warning that the fuel was low. Why modern FI fuel pumps are not plumbed for 'reserve' fuel pick-up if the pump can withstand being dry for a bit and triggering an idiot light/safety escapes me?

Yes, I have put 5.6gal in a 5.5gal tank with the bike still running up to the pump. Just once so far. Who knows?

RE: Fuel Gauge

Rootie — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:10:11 GMT

RE: Fuel Gauge

trauscher1 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:53:01 GMT

modette:
He did sound a little whiney, didn't he? However, wouldn't you? After all, he paid big bucks for his high zoot scoot, and it has a defect. Apparently, he is not happy with a work-around. Technologies fail--the more technology you have, the more likely there will be a failure. Do the newest bikes still have a reserve on the fuel tap? My 32 yr old bike has a gauge, trip meter, and a reserve. On the other hand, my FORD van has a non-working gas gauge and no reserve. I seem to get along fine with either.....

RE: Fuel Gauge

modette — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:41:45 GMT

ST-TLW - For the Zumo 550 its one screen away. Just hit the bottom left (speed ?) button and then click the gauge to reset it. Its actually quicker then holding down the FZ1 button to reset...lol Please note now with the XR650R I mainly use the GPS, although looking through the tank is easy enough...and at this point I know where I can get to and back on 6.3 gallons of fuel...LOL The bro just used a sharpi-marker and marked his tank on the outside for gallons.

I found the Zumo to be dead on too, mileage for FZ1 and XR650R are pretty close.

RE: Fuel Gauge

sgtslag — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:16:09 GMT

He sounds like a 'relatively' new rider, to me. Fuel gauges started showing up in the mid-80's, I believe, on larger bikes. I started riding in the early 80's, and some of the old bikes I rode lacked even a trip meter!

We normally gas up at 1/4 -tank, on the gauge, and it usually is at around 1/2-tank, based on how much gas it takes to top it off -- the gauge is way off. We just learn how big the tank is, and how many miles we can go, safely, gassing up long before we get near the bottom of the fuel tank. To me, this is just common sense. Fixing the gauge is not worth my money, but his mileage, and money, may vary. Cheers!

RE: Fuel Gauge

ST-TLW — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:04:06 GMT

I primarily use my trip meter on the bike along with the fuel gauge. I don't use the one on the GPS because it seems like too many steps to reset it. In fact, I set my Zumo GPS to think I have a fuel tank range 9,999 miles. The fuel gauge on my ST1100 is fairly accurate. I'm not so confident with the VStrom.

Fuel Gauge

modette — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:52:19 GMT

A letter from a BMW rider in the February issue had me shaking my head. Sounded to me like the guy was too whiny about the Fuel strip in the tanks being faulty. My first thought was, USE THE TRIPMETER.

Do most people trust the fuel gauges anyways?

On my FZ1 I would always reset the tripmeter on the bike, on the GPS before pulling away from a station. So not only did I have a fuel gauge for a quick glance, I had a GPS that would pop up a low fuel warning and the bike's tripmeter to back that up. The tripmeter is what I mainly always used. I get to 150 miles I filled up.

When I think about it I do the same in my cage. I go by the trip meter more then the fuel gauge. I get to 300 mile sin my Jeep, I'm stopping to fill and take a 10 minute leg stretch....same on the motorcycle.

It's my opinion the guy in the magazine is just whiny. Not having a fuel gauge is no big deal. And resetting the tripmeter is also not a big deal. *shrug*

So what do you all use?