Low fuel light question -- HELP!

[fastspek]

Just find that last mouse in your tank, finish it and send it to me

[dbass]

NO WAY>.....LOL...I am too old to push this bike....LOL

My 1300 got around 30-32 on my commutes...now that is jetted with pipes. On the 1300 I have a 4.7 gallon tank, 1 gallon is reserve....I would go about 105 miles before reserve.....

I think I will go with about 75-80 miles for the first tank then fill up and see what I get mileage wise....just to be safe....

Without the light working and no reserve, I wouldnt feel safe going any more than that.....

I add gas at 130 also, I have never even seen the light at 130 miles and I know I can get 145 miles before the light comes on... I never trust the light because lights can go bad. Miles is the best way to tell when to fill her up. I can test the light when there is no store around and I have to run it 145 or more to find the next gas.

[shadango]

Ok, so a followup.

Took the bike out today for while as well as yesterday.

Hit 80.9 miles and filled up....took 2.8 gallons (filled to the rim both times).

That is 28.9 mpg.

Not stellar, but thats about what my 1300 got.

This 80 miles was a mix of riding around town, stops and starts, and some country roads thrown in.

So, assuiming that I can use 4 gallons and NOT run out of gas (can I ??), I should be able to go about 120 miles and then fillup, agree?

Gonna do this again, this time will be all commuting mileage and see what I get again.

[Hans&Feet]

In the "How to" section, a post by "Toboggan" on replacing a defective thermistor on a 02 1800S.
http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?207283

1000 OHMS @ 25 C, lower resistance as it heats up OR is heated up. (hair dryer or hot water-around gasoline)

[NDAna]

Ok, so a followup.

Took the bike out today for while as well as yesterday.

Hit 80.9 miles and filled up....took 2.8 gallons (filled to the rim both times).

That is 28.9 mpg.

Not stellar, but thats about what my 1300 got.

This 80 miles was a mix of riding around town, stops and starts, and some country roads thrown in.

So, assuiming that I can use 4 gallons and NOT run out of gas (can I ??), I should be able to go about 120 miles and then fillup, agree?

Gonna do this again, this time will be all commuting mileage and see what I get again.

Don't know what you are doing do get such poor mileage- especially the 1300. I don't think I could make mine get below 30 no matter how hard I rode. Maybe if I stayed in 3rd? And the bike has a calibrated speedo too. Appears you have something else going on with your fuel system.

[shadango]

Don't know what you are doing do get such poor mileage- especially the 1300. I don't think I could make mine get below 30 no matter how hard I rode. Maybe if I stayed in 3rd? And the bike has a calibrated speedo too. Appears you have something else going on with your fuel system.

LOL

Probably the same reasons I get half the mileage out of my tires as some claim to get.

I live in a very hilly area, lots of bad roads, and as I said most of my miles are commuting in traffic, stop and go type.

Plus, I am a big guy at 6'3" and 280 lbs.....aerodynamics of a brick and extra weight for the bike.

I have hard bags and a shield (well, no shield on the 1800 yet, but SOOOOON!!!0

I dont like to lug the bike's engine so I am not riding at 30 mph in 5th......I tend to use engine braking a lot.

I DO like to rev it up and make a little noise, I rev a little when I shift gears, and I am in the throttle a lot for the grins.

So probably a combo of all of that.

I have had this debate with others before about gas and tires. But I have had enough miles on my bikes to know that its likely not the bike.

The new bike seems to run pretty well.....gonna wait and see what the next few tanks bring.

[NDAna]

LOL

Probably the same reasons I get half the mileage out of my tires as some claim to get.

I live in a very hilly area, lots of bad roads, and as I said most of my miles are commuting in traffic, stop and go type.

Plus, I am a big guy at 6'3" and 280 lbs.....aerodynamics of a brick and extra weight for the bike.

I have hard bags and a shield (well, no shield on the 1800 yet, but SOOOOON!!!0

I dont like to lug the bike's engine so I am not riding at 30 mph in 5th......I tend to use engine braking a lot.

I DO like to rev it up and make a little noise, I rev a little when I shift gears, and I am in the throttle a lot for the grins.

So probably a combo of all of that.

I have had this debate with others before about gas and tires. But I have had enough miles on my bikes to know that its likely not the bike.

The new bike seems to run pretty well.....gonna wait and see what the next few tanks bring.

Yep real similar- still don't think I could make go below 30 with the same riding style.

[Philscbx]

Yep real similar- still don't think I could make go below 30 with the same riding style.

He's probably due for a FPR (Fuel Pressure Reg) as well.
This Scoot sat for quite a while.

[shadango]

He's probably due for a FPR (Fuel Pressure Reg) as well.
This Scoot sat for quite a while.

Its a 2005, doesnt have the FPR issue that the earlier bikes did.....does it?

Where is the FPR on the 2005?

[shadango]

As a followup -- two more tanks since my last post.

First tank, just under 100 miles, a mix of commuting and some backroads.....mixed in with some "give er all she's got , captain.......23.9 mpg OUCH!

Second tank, today, just under 100 miles, mix of highway riding and backroads, a few stoplights along the way.......average speed probably 45-50.....maybe 10-20 miles were 60 mph or so.....got 36.15 mpg

So either the gas station I filled up at is ripping people off by having inaccurate pumps, or this beast is thirsty during commutes.

The second tank was much more as expected.

[shadango]

Wanted to post a last followup here just in case anyone else runs into the fuel light issue.

Drained the tank this time with just popping the fuel line and having a funnel ready......made some mess but a lot faster and easier than siphoning....I had about 2 gallons in the tank....

Anyways, installed a new sender unit and tested several times......it DEFINATELY takes between 80 and 95 seconds for the light to illuminate with an empty tank......

I am not positive now if the old unit was really bad or if I was just impatient when testing it....?

Also, I decided to reuse the o-ring for the sender unit even though the manual tells you to replace it.....the bike is low mileage and the oring looked to be very firm and supple (ok, no comments there...LOL) so I reused it.

I guess I will know if THAT was a good idea or not the next full tank I get....

Anyways, I used a stopwatch and confirmed it takes that long for it to illuminate.

Good news is, my low gas light works again.....will I ever really TRUST it? Probably not....LOL

[Philscbx]

installed a new sender unit and tested several times......it DEFINATELY takes between 80 and 95 seconds for the light to illuminate with an empty tank......

Makes sense, otherwise the light would be flashing all the time when at that level sloshing around if sensor was too sensitive.

[shadango]

Agreed......it makes sense. Someone else in this thread had said that there was a delay and I had let it sit that long, so pretty sure the unit was bad, but who knows....will keep it for a backup...LOL