Fuel gauge question

[Tigadee]

Is it so expensive or so hard to build a fuel gauge into a bike? Every car has a fuel gauge, why not every bike?

Let's leave out the arguments about how a motorcycle fuel gauge isn't accurate anyway, blah, blah, blah..., and just focus on why it isn't engineered into all bikes.

My lowly cheap-and-cheery Scorpio had a fuel gauge but so many (more expensive) bikes don't, so it isn't just a matter of price of the bike, is it?

[jellywrestler]

most of my bikes have a very accurate one, it's called the reserve option and is the same capacity every time I use it

[dogsnbikes]

I fine alot of bikes with out a fuel gauge will have a fuel light,One of my bikes has and its set too come on when I have 4 litres left in the tank...Thats usually good for 70ks at open road speed...

As for hard no its rather easy as I am installing a fuel gauge sender into a tank that has never had one,on my cafe racer project .....

[merv]

I bought my VFR because it has a fuel gauge and a fuel warning light :yes:

[ellipsis]

...thats why I replaced my tank with an aquarium and the flat top doubles as a table for the laptop when cruising the open roads where you dont have to look at where you are going so much..

[Sable]

Let's leave out the arguments about how a motorcycle fuel gauge isn't accurate anyway, blah, blah, blah..., and just focus on why it isn't engineered into all bikes.

You just answered your own question. :facepalm: It's a gimmick used on cheap shitters to add 'value'.

[Lozza2442]

most of my bikes have a very accurate one, it's called the reserve option and is the same capacity every time I use it

That's all well and good, but I'm terrified of being half way over the harbour bridge and running out of petrol / needing to change to reserve.
Cause of this I always top up way too early and will never find out how many kms I can actually do.

[dogsnbikes]

That's all well and good, but I'm terrified of being half way over the harbour bridge and running out of petrol / needing to change to reserve.
Cause of this I always top up way too early and will never find out how many kms I can actually do.

Just fill your tank up and a jerry can,set trip meter to zero and ride till you hit reserve........see what your milage it and just use that as a guide

[gammaguy]

You just answered your own question. :facepalm: It's a gimmick used on cheap shitters to add 'value'.

waaa haaaa haaaaa:shutup:

[merv]

Cars have had gauges for decades and you don't have to bend down and switch a tap after the thing starts spluttering out of fuel so how last century that some bikes are still like that and I don't hear those supporting the tap for bikes demanding its time car manufacturers fit a tap, so how dorky to have a twisted view. Long live the fuel gauge.

[ducatilover]

You just answered your own question. :facepalm: It's a gimmick used on cheap shitters to add 'value'.
Yeah, like that new fangled 6 cylinder BMW, tacky heap of cheap shit.

That's all well and good, but I'm terrified of being half way over the harbour bridge and running out of petrol / needing to change to reserve.
Cause of this I always top up way too early and will never find out how many kms I can actually do.

When the bike cuts out/coughs while riding, turn the tap.
I've never had to stop to change to reserve on any of my bikes, I've always managed whilst riding


Fuel gauges are nice I suppose, I've never owned a bike with one though.
The Dougasaki has fuel lights that flash and anger me greatly when it has 6L left, slightly hyperactive methinks?

[ducatilover]

Cars have had gauges for decades and you don't have to bend down and switch a tap after the thing starts spluttering out of fuel so how last century that some bikes are still like that and I don't hear those supporting the tap for bikes demanding its time car manufacturers fit a tap, so how dorky to have a twisted view. Long live the fuel gauge.

:D My Rover P6 V8 had a reserve

[shafty]

Cars have had gauges for decades and you don't have to bend down and switch a tap after the thing starts spluttering out of fuel so how last century that some bikes are still like that and I don't hear those supporting the tap for bikes demanding its time car manufacturers fit a tap, so how dorky to have a twisted view. Long live the fuel gauge.

I agree with Merv.

My ST1300 has a computer which gives all sorts of info on Kms per litre etc then a countdown to how many k's left in a tank

Who amongst us riding with a reserve, has encountered the "splutter zone", reached down for the reserve tap, and thought "Oh shit" I didn't reset it?

[sootie]

The Piaggio Fly scooter I have as an around town bike had a fuel gauge problem when I bought it at 5000kms as an insurance write off. The gauge seemed to show anything it liked!
When I took the sender to pieces I discovered it used a displacer rather than a float, but the displacer did need to move slightly against a spring to register the level.
When the scooter was made in China, some assembly worker had left threads of glue obstructing the displacer movement & causing random jamming.
It was an easy fix, but I bet there are other bikes out there with similar issues.

[The Lone Rider]

One of the most accurate and straight forward fuel gauges on the planet.

269974

[sootie]

One of the most accurate and straight forward fuel gauges on the planet.

269974
"Can have issues where a bike is swiped from the right hand side" :laugh:

[pete376403]

Ducati 750ss solved that particular problem

[Lozza2442]

Well I now know what it feels like to run out of petrol on the northern motorway in rush hour traffic haha

[FJRider]

Cars have had gauges for decades and you don't have to bend down and switch a tap after the thing starts spluttering out of fuel so how last century that some bikes are still like that and I don't hear those supporting the tap for bikes demanding its time car manufacturers fit a tap, so how dorky to have a twisted view. Long live the fuel gauge.

Even WITH a fuel gauge ... people still run out of petrol. Please explain why this is ... ??? :killingme

[sootie]

Even WITH a fuel gauge ... people still run out of petrol. Please explain why this is ... ??? :killingme
It is not hard with mine. The tank shows empty for the last 30% of what it holds!

[merv]

Even WITH a fuel gauge ... people still run out of petrol. Please explain why this is ... ??? :killingme

Coz some people are dicks regardless :yes:

[F5 Dave]

Space is a reason & less so cost to fit a sender. With multiple bikes I find it useful on bikes with reserves to make a small label to give normal ks to reserve & then ks on reserve

My old RF900 for example had a pretty shitty tank range if you believed the warning light. In fact it had a geat range.

I think the (sold some years back):

light would come on at about 220
Reserve 250
Run out 330.

I tested it with a gas can on the carrier & couldn't believe I went 80k on reserve. Meant I regularly had the light on & regularly had to change to reserve which on the RF was a pain (I made a easier if ugly lever that gave more leverage). My YZF750 had a rocker switch near the dash-easy.

Stupid. So I pulled the warning sender out & soldered it an inch lower in the tank. I cut the reserve tube in half.

This meant the light didn't come on till about 270 & I knew I had another 50-60k to go which is heaps. If I was cutting it close I hit reserve & had another 30k so I rarely had to use the switch except on longer trips that I knew I could stretch out the gas to a planned stop.

No point transporting 1/3 of the tank on a never ending tiki tour. I've ridden with people that keep filling up if down to 1/2 tank & its infuriating. Long trips one tends to plan fuel stops whilst riding anyway.

[sootie]

Space is a reason & less so cost to fit a sender. With multiple bikes I find it useful on bikes with reserves to make a small label to give normal ks to reserve & then ks on reserve

My old RF900 for example had a pretty shitty tank range if you believed the warning light. In fact it had a geat range.

No point transporting 1/3 of the tank on a never ending tiki tour. I've ridden with people that keep filling up if down to 1/2 tank & its infuriating. Long trips one tends to plan fuel stops whilst riding anyway.

Really neat to see a thinking man talk on the subject of fuel reserves, fuel gauges, fuel stops and the like!
I seem to have had a never ending succession of problems in this line with different bikes. My answer has always been to get to know what the heck all indications are actually telling you re range remaining.

My present bike has quite a high c of g and a big range on a full tank (more than 500kms at legal speeds). I much prefer to mainly run it with the tank less than 70% full, and I do, but it does require understanding. I will actually tackle a 100km journey on it now with the fuel gauge showing nearly empty at the start, because I understand that it shows empty on the last quarter of the tank, and that is how the gauge has always worked. :weird:

[FJRider]

When my fuel low warning light comes on and is steady on .. I have 60-80 km's (depending of style of riding) left.