Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 24

Thread: Fuel gauge question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    2nd October 2011 - 19:50
    Bike
    2000 Honda Hornet 600
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    2,428

    Fuel gauge question

    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?
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behaviour does.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    28th May 2006 - 19:35
    Bike
    suzuki
    Location
    lower hutt
    Posts
    8,229
    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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    18th February 2007 - 22:47
    Bike
    RATS & RICE
    Location
    .
    Posts
    2,142
    Blog Entries
    4
    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 .....

  4. #4
    Join Date
    13th March 2003 - 11:47
    Bike
    2006 Honda XR250L
    Location
    Porirua
    Posts
    7,355
    I bought my VFR because it has a fuel gauge and a fuel warning light
    Cheers

    Merv

  5. #5
    Join Date
    10th December 2009 - 22:42
    Bike
    less than I used to have
    Location
    Canterbury
    Posts
    3,168
    ...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..

  6. #6
    Join Date
    26th April 2008 - 00:01
    Bike
    KTM 950SM, '78 X7, FZ750, GN250
    Location
    Wellington
    Posts
    706
    Quote Originally Posted by Tigadee View Post
    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. It's a gimmick used on cheap shitters to add 'value'.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    10th May 2012 - 12:58
    Bike
    2004 Suzuki GN125
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    308
    Quote Originally Posted by jellywrestler View Post
    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.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    18th February 2007 - 22:47
    Bike
    RATS & RICE
    Location
    .
    Posts
    2,142
    Blog Entries
    4
    Quote Originally Posted by Lozza2442 View Post
    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

  9. #9
    Join Date
    1st January 2007 - 19:48
    Bike
    Suzuki RG400 Yamaha ST125 Yamaha TDR250
    Location
    Singapura/Banks Peninsula
    Posts
    1,474
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Sable View Post
    You just answered your own question. It's a gimmick used on cheap shitters to add 'value'.
    waaa haaaa haaaaa
    "more than two strokes is masturbation"
    www.motoparts-online.com

  10. #10
    Join Date
    13th March 2003 - 11:47
    Bike
    2006 Honda XR250L
    Location
    Porirua
    Posts
    7,355
    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.
    Cheers

    Merv

  11. #11
    Join Date
    17th July 2005 - 22:28
    Bike
    Dougcati, Geoff and Suzi
    Location
    Banjo town
    Posts
    10,162
    Quote Originally Posted by Sable View Post
    You just answered your own question. It's a gimmick used on cheap shitters to add 'value'.
    Yeah, like that new fangled 6 cylinder BMW, tacky heap of cheap shit.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lozza2442 View Post
    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?
    Quote Originally Posted by Paul in NZ View Post
    Ha...Thats true but life is full horrible choices sometimes Merv. Then sometimes just plain stuff happens... and then some more stuff happens.....




    Alloy, stainless and Ti polishing.
    Bling your bike out!
    PM me

  12. #12
    Join Date
    17th July 2005 - 22:28
    Bike
    Dougcati, Geoff and Suzi
    Location
    Banjo town
    Posts
    10,162
    Quote Originally Posted by merv View Post
    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.
    My Rover P6 V8 had a reserve
    Quote Originally Posted by Paul in NZ View Post
    Ha...Thats true but life is full horrible choices sometimes Merv. Then sometimes just plain stuff happens... and then some more stuff happens.....




    Alloy, stainless and Ti polishing.
    Bling your bike out!
    PM me

  13. #13
    Join Date
    30th March 2004 - 21:29
    Bike
    GL1800
    Location
    Matiere, King Country
    Posts
    1,847
    Quote Originally Posted by merv View Post
    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?
    "If you haven't grown up by the time you turn 50, you don't have to!"

  14. #14
    Join Date
    19th August 2012 - 19:32
    Bike
    1994 Kawasaki ZZR1100
    Location
    Milford Auckland
    Posts
    380
    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.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    26th February 2007 - 23:15
    Bike
    In the rubbish bin
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    2,364
    One of the most accurate and straight forward fuel gauges on the planet.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	sight_glass.jpg 
Views:	34 
Size:	15.7 KB 
ID:	269974
    Find out more at www.unluckyones.co.nz

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •