Fuel Gauge...Drove 100km Before Needle Moved

[jstluise]

Well at first I thought my gauge (or sending unit) was broken.  After 100km the gauge still read 'full'.

Pushing 120km on the tank and I just started to see the needle move.  I'd imagine the needle will fairly quickly now since the tank is getting low.

This can't be normal behavior.  I've read that the fuel indicator on these aren't the best, but how does your gauge act?

I suppose the arm of the sending unit can be bent to give the most accurate reading of the fuel level, but its not worth the trouble to me to tear it apart.  I guess as long as the sending unit isn't broken and I have some indication of when the tank is getting low, I can't complain too much.

[axy]

Well at first I thought my gauge (or sending unit) was broken.  After 100km the gauge still read 'full'.

Pushing 120km on the tank and I just started to see the needle move.  I'd imagine the needle will fairly quickly now since the tank is getting low.

This can't be normal behavior.  I've read that the fuel indicator on these aren't the best, but how does your gauge act?

As you described. It behaves like that with most "swing arm" (not "cylinder" type) sender units. It's normal.

[jesionowski]

Mine does the same. Shows full until its almost empty. I take a piece of masking tape and put it on the display. I estimate that 120km from current odometer reading will put me near fill up time. That way I have a safety if the fule gage gets stuck. I also carry a MSR canister of fuel with me just in case.

[jstluise]

Good to know.  Thanks.

I filled up the tank today, and I was very surprised by my fuel economy.

I drove 125km on 2.979L >>> 2.38L/100km >>> 99 MPG!

I was expecting good gas mileage, but not that good!   

Now the question is how accurate is the speedometer.  I haven't had a chance to test that out yet.

[axy]

Good to know.  Thanks.

I filled up the tank today, and I was very surprised by my fuel economy.

I drove 125km on 2.979L >>> 2.38L/100km >>> 99 MPG!

I was expecting good gas mileage, but not that good!   

Don't report that low consumption, or Cortez will go insane. 

Btw. with such a small tank it is very difficult to calculate consumption, because a few dl more or less when filling up the tank can cause the difference of 0.5-1 l/100 km.

Depending on your weight, and if you drive slowly, in the summer it is certainly possible to reach levels similar to 2.8-2.9 l/100 km.

[noel28]

But did you ride in urban ares or on the motorway ? I live in a very small country and we don t have very long motor ways and my big curiosity si how much Km will a full tank give you in a straight line at a constant speed ?

[jstluise]

Axy, this was my second fill up, and I actually filled it up more this time than before.  On my first fill up I wasn't quite sure the max I could put it, so I left it a little bit below the filler neck.  I topped it off pretty good this time.  So, my fuel economy readings are probably a bit better than reported.  Anyways, it doesn't really matter.  But your right; its hard to get an accurate reading when filling up such small tank.

On this tank:
I drove the scoot from my parents house to my apartment (~90km), and that was mostly cruising at speeds 50-90km/hr.  The rest was driving around the city at speeds more in the 35-60km/hr range, with a lot of stop and go.  I haven't been gentle on the throttle either...its too much fun to throw the hammer down 

I'll know more about my fuel economy after I go through a few tanks with strictly city driving.

I'm a 77kg rider, btw.

[jprestonian]

Use Fuelly.com -- it uses actual fuel dispensed vs. miles traveled, and you can get a neato badge to use here, like mine.  ;)
.

[jstluise]

Use Fuelly.com -- it uses actual fuel dispensed vs. miles traveled, and you can get a neato badge to use here, like mine. 
.

Awesome!  This is great...I've always tracked everything using excel, but I'd always forget to update everything.  Now I can just send a text message from the gas station to log my data!

Thanks!

[jprestonian]

You're most welcome -- Fuelly.com has helped me analyze problems with my scooter, such as dirty air filters, spark plugs, etc. I know about what to expect from my scoot depending on the type of riding and temperature, so if it starts to get off the norm, I can look to see what's holding me back. Great online tool, easy to use.
.

[jesionowski]

Good to know.  Thanks.


I drove 125km on 2.979L >>> 2.38L/100km >>> 99 MPG!

99MPG seems way high. I keep very acurate long term records and my average is 76 mpg, never varying by much. But where I live we have that 10% ethanol gas, which kills your milage.

[jprestonian]

99MPG seems way high. I keep very acurate long term records and my average is 76 mpg, never varying by much. But where I live we have that 10% ethanol gas, which kills your milage.

No, it doesn't, but it's a horrible waste of taxpayer dollars to fatten the wallets of ConAgra, ADM, et al. It takes more energy to make the ethanol than we get out of it by burning it in our engines.

But the U.S. government has always been fond of paying one humongous business interest to dig a hole, and pay them again to fill it back in.
.

[Red Horn]

Anyone know at what point in or below the red bar the tank runs dry?

After fill up needle stays in blue zone for a  l o n g  time then blows right through the white zone in only a few short miles.

During ride home today it hit red quick with no stations around and closest one it about 4 miles from home.

BTW, with about 350 miles on it rough calculations have put me at 75MPG.

[jstluise]

Anyone know at what point in or below the red bar the tank runs dry?

All I can say it carry some spare fuel with you and run it dry, while keeping track of the mileage and gauge reading.  Jesionowski has a good idea of carrying an MSR bottle of fuel.