What's up with my fuel gauge?

[victorluiz1980]

So the bike carries like 6 gallons of fuel, right? I fill my tank to the top, ride it until the gauge starts flashing and giving me the "count up" on how many miles I've ridden with it flashing and then I go top her up again but she only takes like 4 gallons according to the pump!! What am I missing? Is my gauge off? Did they lie about how much fuel she takes? Are the pumps all undercounting?? (well we know its not the last one because then the gas stations would be losing out on $$$ and we know what the chances of that happening are.)

 

[Sierra1]

This topic is a beaten dead horse. You're right, this gauge is not a precise instrument. It is almost impossible to know for certain to know how much gas you have left in the tank. You can toggle through the screens to get off of the one that is counting up. I generally won't go past 250 miles with out fueling up; no reason to. If you use 40mpg and/or 50mpg, and 5 gal, you're safe for 200-250 miles. If you're just out riding, or commuting, there will be plenty of place to refill.

To answer your question, I assume that they have designed the gauge to be pessimistic so you don't get stranded by mistake. If you run her dry, it's your fault. 'Cuz as you know, she shows near empty w-a-a-a-a-y before she's even close.

 

[victorluiz1980]

Ah, I did a (very brief) search for the topic figuring someone else would have asked.

It just bugs me, maybe I'm asking too much but I'd like my gauge to be not more than about 5% off. Like you say, it doesn't matter around town, but as far as going off the beaten track, I have big plans I tell you!!! Big plans!!! (and they don't involve me worrying that I'm gonna run out of fuel ten miles from the next station)

 

[Kelvinator]

I know this is an old topic, but please indulge us new Tenere owners. I've had my new-to-me 2017 for only 7 weeks now and put over 2000 mi. on her. I'm still getting used to the fuel gauge. And I've only owned Yamahas so I'm well aware of their quirks, but this is a whole new level of quirkiness. It's gotten to the point that I want to fill my 1 gal. gas can and ride till I run out ... just to see what's up for real. Trust me, I'm not complaining about the Tenere's fuel economy, far from it. My last bike was a 1900 Stratoliner Dlx. that had me looking for gas at 100 mi.! No more fuel anxiety me, but this has gauge thing is driving me crazy. I do love the bike though. Did my first oil change yesterday, what a piece of cake! How great to finally be able to do my own service. With the Strat I did 1 oil change when I first got it and swore never again. I don't care if my bike ever sees dirt, I love her as she is. Right tool for the job.

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

 

[thughes317]

I simply ride 200 miles and then start looking for gas.

 

[Cycledude]

Definitely better to show less fuel than more ! I have ridden 50 miles on empty several times, yes it’s risky but doable if necessary. If I start getting worried about possibly running out of fuel I simply slow down to conserve. Yes it would be a good idea to carry some extra fuel to test how far it will actually go before running out but I have never actually done that.

 

[Kyle_E]

The gauge for me. And I'm one of those weirdos that tracks his gas fill ups (my company pays mileage).

I hit the F flashing and starting to count up right at 1.5 gallons left in the tank every single time. So I know at F and flashing I have a comfortable 40 miles to go, and realistically 50-60 if I needed it.

 

[Zuan]

When my low fuel warning light starts to flash, it only takes 17 litres to fill the tank (rated at 23L capacity). But I know that I can still ride at least another 75 Kms with a low fuel warning before running out. Trial and error and experience will inform you.

 

[Eville Rich]

Standard practice from yamaha appears to be to indicate a low tank when 25 percent is remaining. For the 6 gallon tank, that means you've used 4.5 gallons. On my wr250r, that means I used 1.5 gallons. I'm sure there is some variance in this. But 25 percent gives you a reasonable amount of distance to get to a gas station. For the S10, roughly 40 to 60 miles depending on conditions and riding style. And you don't really want to take it all the way to empty, anyway. There are definitely places that you may be further than a gas station than 40 to 60 miles will cover, but in that case, you should not be relying on the gauge warning, anyway.

Eville Rich
2016 S10

 

[VRODE]

Once I get to 200 miles, I look to fill up. I know I can probably easily get to 240-250 miles, but I don't care to squeeze every mile out of a tankful. The most I've ever put was about 5.5 gallons and I think I had close to 240-250 miles on it at that point.

 

[Sierra1]

Another issue of driving at very low fuel is that the fuel cools the pump. That being said, apparently fuel pump failure is quite rare after reading the fuel pump thread. I've never put much faith in motorcycle fuel gauges. The shape keeps them from being accurate. That and being put on a side stand. I do believe the old analog gauges were slightly more accurate than the new electronic ones.

 

[Don in Lodi]

The float arm can be re-bent to get you closer to however much fuel you want to be warned at. Eric reshaped his on his Iron Butt Ténéré just because he could.