How far do you go with the fuel gauge flashing?

[cyclemike4]

I try to fill up before the light starts flashing but when it does I ride to the gas station. How ever far it is to the station is how far I go with it flashing. Around here it is no big deal. One time years ago I had to go about 40 miles maybe more not sure just how far it was. I have never been able to get any where near 6 gallons in my bike even with the fuel light flashing. Way back in the 70's and 80's I saw that the manufacturers rated the amount of gas a tank would hold with how much water the tank would displace if sealed up and dunked under. Not sure if that is or was ever true but I tried it with a dirt bike and that was more accurate than how much it held. Of course those old bikes didn't have fuel pumps in the tanks or areas for expansion of gasses. Just a tank with a vented screw on cap.

 

[TenereGUY]

When OE gives a fuel tank capacity there is a bit of misconception or understanding.
For example the S10 fuel capacity claimed by Yamaha is around 23litres or 6usgals. Now here is the misconception, the capacity claimed is filled to the maximum the tank will hold(to the rim), the tank volume. It doesn't include fuel expansion and overflow breather hoses that are incorporated in the tank. You would not be able to put 23L/6gal in the tank with out the fuel spewing out the overflow which is a built in design to prevent over filling.
So when you read fuel capacity on specs, it is not actual useable capacity but only the volume of the tank size. A manufacturing standard is about 10% of total volume for expansion.

If you get a pump that can pump real slow I filled it up in Alaska and Yukon and got it filled up tonthe brim. How??? No I didn't punch a hole in the filler skirt to remove air space for expansion. If you gonslownthe air will escape out the vent... which you see when the gas cap is open. Towards the rear of the filled and it has a rubber seal around it. I fill it like that when I don't really know where the next station is and I get on it right after filling and run down the road and remove gas by burning it before it can expand to much. Once I didn't and it sat there a bit... then Cycledude noticed gas dripping from the bottom of my bike. Oh, it's coming out of the gas tank vent tube. Soon we hopped on the bikes and problem was solved. So correct... be aware of filling it too much and letting it sit.

 

[Little Joe]

When OE gives a fuel tank capacity there is a bit of misconception or understanding.
For example the S10 fuel capacity claimed by Yamaha is around 23litres or 6usgals. Now here is the misconception, the capacity claimed is filled to the maximum the tank will hold(to the rim), the tank volume. It doesn't include fuel expansion and overflow breather hoses that are incorporated in the tank. You would not be able to put 23L/6gal in the tank with out the fuel spewing out the overflow which is a built in design to prevent over filling.
So when you read fuel capacity on specs, it is not actual useable capacity but only the volume of the tank size. A manufacturing standard is about 10% of total volume for expansion.

I have put 22L in tank on two occasions. It did not spew out the overflow but i was on the verge of walking. Lol


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[Tenman]

I ran out and coasted in a station. Put 6 gal in. Got 30 mpg on a rolling up n down hiway doing 75-80 with a hard side wind. Normally I get 42 mpg

 

[Chav]

Ran through my first tank yesterday, started flashing around 160 but I also was doing a bit of hard riding and interstate. I pushed on for 40 miles and filled it with 5.2 gallons.