2 Questions

[D-BigGuns1800]

Hey all.
I have my VTX1800C for 3 weeks now and have 2 questions. what is the average mileage i should get when the low fuel light comes on?
And 2, i have a fuel smell when i pull the bike in the garage. i smell it as soon as i pull in. it seems to be coming from the rear of the tank above the heads.
Any info is appreciated.

[Chicago-Spike]

You have about 1 gallon left in the tank when the light comes on.
I get the fuel smell almost everytime I get home after filling the tank up. Could just be venting a little fumes

[X-Beast Driver]

Usually the fuel light comes on at around 105 to 108 miles. Sometimes sooner. The VTX will pass anything on the road except a gas station!
As Spike said, you have about a gallon in your tank when the light comes on. Prolly a little less but pretty close. The downside is that the C model has an internal spicket and it is positioned in such a place that it is unable to pick up all the gas that is in the tank so there is about half a gallon that you will never be able to use. Kinda stupid but that's the way it is.

[D-BigGuns1800]

i get the gas smell even when tank isnt full. wondering if it's just the vent. i'm sure the tank builds pressure even when not full.

[tnvnl]

Originally Posted by D-BigGuns1800

i get the gas smell even when tank isnt full. wondering if it's just the vent. i'm sure the tank builds pressure even when not full.

You have an 1800cc heater directly beneith the fuel tank, it causes a lot of venting.

[Danny Lewis]

same here- about 105 miles before the light. look at the threads here for openning up the air box- should help on the smell. The X needs more avalible air than the stock air box allows. Also, more wrist = less milage!!!

Good looking scoot- red Cs are the fastest!!!!!!!

[D-BigGuns1800]

i agree with the red ones being the fastest. hoping to get my V&H Bigshots by next weekend!!
gonna look into opening the airbox a little, but will that screw around with the AF mixture? or will the ECU adjust for it by itself?

[Chicago-Spike]

Originally Posted by D-BigGuns1800

i agree with the red ones being the fastest. hoping to get my V&H Bigshots by next weekend!!
gonna look into opening the airbox a little, but will that screw around with the AF mixture? or will the ECU adjust for it by itself?

Go over to the "How To;Step-by-Step" board and you will find a thread called "Air,Fuel,Motors,Missives..." and it will answer a lot of questions on how the VTX engine and ECU works and what fuel managers can do for you. There is also a write-up on how to install those Vance&Hines you have coming.

Here's a little part of the above mentioned thread;

Most members run without a fuel manager while having aftermarket air intakes and exhaust and have no problems at all. The following is from the “Sticky” thread called “Air,Fuel,Motor,Missives…” http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21749 and the first post by Tapper. The entire post is filled with great information on the VTX engine.

Originally Posted by Tapper

After Market Fuel Computers

This is a good time to talk about aftermarket fuel controllers, so lets hit on what they do real quick. The 1300 guys can manipulate their A/F ratios by changing jets, but it’s a bit more complex (and expensive) for the 1800 riders. For the VTX, there are basically three types of controller available. All three do exactly the same thing – they manipulate the amount of time the injectors are turned on during the intake stroke, by intercepting the voltage the ECU sends to the injectors. How the decide how much longer or shorter to turn the injector on, varies a bit though, and that variety is important thing to know when selecting which controller to use on your bike (if in fact you choose to use on at all – none of them are ever really necessary, regardless of what pipes or airboxes you add on to the bike.)

It’s also important to understand this: None of these controllers is ever a necessity, regardless of whether you change pipes or airboxes on your bike. The stock ECU will, in almost every case, adjust to the changes in airflow you’ve caused, and give you a reasonably good A/F ratio. But you should understand, that the ECU is not programmed to give you an A/F ratio that is optimized for horsepower from the factory – instead, Honda worries about things like pollution, engine temperature, and rider perception, and so the ECU can be said to be “de-tuned” in order to address these other concerns. So the real function of these add-on controllers is to correct the error (or eliminate the de-tuning) that Honda induced in your fuel curve on purpose, in order to reclaim the lost horsepower and improve engine efficiency (possibly at the cost of making more pollution, hearing more deceleration backfiring, etc). Adding on aftermarket pipes or airboxes can sometimes exaggerate this de-tuning as well, so we need to be able to modify our fuel curves to match the configuration of our bikes. Got that? These boxes aren’t necessary, but if you’re hunting more horses, they can sure find them.

[greggkastner]

My response comes from my 1800R, so please take that in to consideration. I think I have heard some different things about the tanks on all the variations of VTX models.

Around town, to and from work or just joy riding, I get about the same as the other folks have posted, about 110 miles before the light comes on. When I take it on the highway, for all day riding, the light does not come on until about 150 miles, give or take 10 miles, are on the tank.

G

[D-BigGuns1800]

thanks for the info guys! greatly appreciated. today the light cam on at 105. intermittent riding, some hwy, some street, some romping on the throttle. so i guess i'm within range.

[X-Beast Driver]

Originally Posted by greggkastner

My response comes from my 1800R, so please take that in to consideration. I think I have heard some different things about the tanks on all the variations of VTX models.

Around town, to and from work or just joy riding, I get about the same as the other folks have posted, about 110 miles before the light comes on. When I take it on the highway, for all day riding, the light does not come on until about 150 miles, give or take 10 miles, are on the tank.

G

That's cuz the R,S & T models have the same big ass gas tank!

[HereByProxy]

Mine comes on between 140 and 145 and takes about 4 gal to fill.

[danater]

I consistantly get 127 miles/fillup
most of my riding consists of highway 30 miles one way, and 30 back home. since I put the cruise control on im getting 130/fillup + lots of wierd looks from people when I rest my right wrist lol.