Gurus

Is it usual for the fuel gauge to be completely empty resting on the post beneath the red zone and the fuel warning light not to be on.
I rode it pretty empty about 160miles (97 Bird) I could see hardly any gas in tank. Filled up little over 5 gals, never go completely to brim on filling

Maybe it had more left in reserve than I thought but didn’t want to test the theory :wink: as I was under redline of gauge for 10-15 miles.

Checked out the circuit when I got home bulb lit, so if its faulty its the tank sensor.

TC

Share the experience - double the wisdom half the stupidity

I checked that when testing instrument panel but it felt snapped tight, sounds like it should have been on. Not that I need it just would be nice to know what the max is without finding out the hard way.......

TC

I also have a 97, and was testing my fuel limits this weekend. At 160 and some change, the needle was below the last red tick, still no light. A few miles down the road, and *BING* red fuel light came on. Filled up, she took 4.9 gals, IIRC. The owner's handbook p. 18, says that when the needle touches the upper corner of the "E", there should be .79 gallons left, but I thought I remembered someone here saying that there was about .4 gallons unusable.

L8r
chad

Maybe the red light is Honda's Idea of a joke.......

........A stop light
Or prepare to push light!

TC

My last refill was exactly like Chad's. Gauge touched the stop at about 155 miles, then at 160 the light came on. At 168 miles, I put 18.6l in, so about another gallon or so left. Pretty normal.

David

Well simple solution next time I will siphon out the residual until the redlight comes on and see whats left.

TC

is mine the only one that gets to the 1/2 empty mark very slowly, then RUNS for E like it's going out of bullet holes in the tank? :lol:


I was massivly impressed that at over 85 miles the gauge still read 3/4 but once it got to 1/2 I could almost WATCH it got to 1/4 then to E :cry:

No. That's pretty normal. I think the gage calibration is pretty liner, but the gas tank is much larger at the top. I can run about 80-100 miles before the gage starts to drop below the Full mark. Then the process speeds up. After the gage gets to 1/2 tank, it seems like it drops so fast that I can see the needle move. It gets down to the E, and the low fuel warning light comes on. After the light comes on, I can safely go another 30 miles. (If I ride easy)

I did test out the non functioning red light took, I the tank off empty and the wiring and bulb was all good tested +ve but the red light sensor has failed, is this a common problem....out there?

Seems expensive to replace and not really needed as you say it hits empty and you beter fill up in next 20-30miles

Tc

Just curious, why don't you fill it up completely?

Joe

My red light has died as well, but I don't really miss it. Figure the entire tank unit will have to be replaced at a lot of $$ so haven't pursued it.

Actual useable capacity 5.666 gal. till dead engine.

I've started filling into the neck of the tank as long as I know I'll be rideing a while after. If I'm fueling and then parking, I leave room for cold gas to expand.

I know this is an old thread (last post about a year ago) but I have a question about the fuel reserve, so thought I'd add to this rathter than start a new thread.

I have the digital guages ('03 'bird, only had it since late November) and I have noticed that the low fuel warning (blinking Empty mark on LCD guage) comes on at about 4.5 gallons. According to the specs, the tank on the 'bird is 6.3 gallons, so warning at 4.5 seems early to me. Is this about what others have observed? Is the tank 6.3 gallons (useable) in reality? If so, then I should have about 70 miles left in the tank, give or take.

That's another question: I'm consistently getting about 37 MPG; is that about right? Seems pretty bad, based on the nearly 50 MPG I always got from my Triumph Sprint RS (955cc). It doesn't seem that the 200cc size difference should make that big a mileage difference.

Thanks.

-Keith

There's a little short of six gallons usable for the FI bikes, and yes, the light comes on way early.


I wish I was getting 37mpg. I average in the low 30s. The higher state of tune would explain the difference between the XX and your Sprint as much as the displacment, a hundred and thirty some odd horsepower is gonna cost at the pump, evn if you're not always using it.

That's about what I get on my 02

Well since this thread has been given CPR.

I played with my tank sending unit again. still no red light but I took off the cover (just bend the tabs straight) so I could see the wiper arm and coils for the rheostat. It is attached with a nut so with a little playing I got it to read on the F for full and go below the red, just touching the E when empty.

It gives a more realistic idea of what's in the tank.

As Joe said I took a 1/2 gallon of gas along for a ride. I went 175 miles till needle was on top of red line, and at 215 miles with needle over E engine sputtered and died.

This is with 40 MPG.

I'm still not satisfied though, I want to bend the arm down a little more so needle is not on the pin quite so fast. That way I still see the last bit of gas on the gauge.

Me too...I consistantly get 36 mpg on my 97

Pete,
What is your average speed when you do the test ?

By the way is it true that for fuel injection bike, if your tank really empty it will spoil the fuel injection system and you might not be able to start the bike after you refill ?

No, that's not true.

In fact, it will probably be easier to start a FI bike that runs out of fuel than a carb version as you don't need to fill the fuel bowls on the FI bike.

When the fuel pump stops sucking fuel, the fuel pressure will drop, and the engine will quit. Once you put fuel back in, the pump is self priming, and will build pressure almost right away.

Engine will start, and you'll be back in business. :)

North's right, when I sputtered out on the side of the road and filled it took awhile to start. If it was bad to run out of gas for FI vehicles the roads would be empty and the shops full.

For madrazcbr, it's hard to average a speed where I live. That tank was all back road running, up and down ridges, curves, etc.

Unless I really flog it I get 40 mpg. If I baby it a tank, I've gotten 52 mpg.