I have an '03 VFR ABS. The manual says I have a 5.8 gallon tank, but when the gauge reads E after about 170 miles, I fill up only about 4 gallons. Is this common? I don't want to run out of fuel, so I haven't gone past E. Any ideas?
If you have ever seen or held the fuel level sensor, you wouldn't be surprised it isn't extremely accurate. It works on the same principal as the float shut off valve in your toilet!
[image: View Post]Wingnut, on Oct 1 2009, 03:02 PM, said:
I have an '03 VFR ABS. The manual says I have a 5.8 gallon tank, but when the gauge reads E after about 170 miles, I fill up only about 4 gallons. Is this common? I don't want to run out of fuel, so I haven't gone past E. Any ideas?
Thanks
Your guage isn't working. ? :rolleyes: No fuel guage is very precise, but yours sounds waay off. I'm not much of a mechanic so i can't tell you how to fix it.
I grew up never trusting a fuel guage. Back in my younger days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we used paper and pencils, I kept a log of mileage and fuel fillup data (when, how much, how much per gallon). That way you figured your fuel usage in mpg and just kept and eye on the odometer.
In these enlightened times you whip out your cellphone, use the calculator to calculate mpg and reset your trip meter. When your fuel guage starts flashing, look at your tripmeter to see how many miles you've gone.
If your consistently putting 4 gl in the tank every 170mi your getting roughly 42.5 mpg X 5.8 gl tank = 245 mi range (MAXIMUM)
So when it's flashing E you know you need to fill up in the next 75miles. (sorta like using the snooze button on an alarm clock. Just don't keep hitting the snooze button and be late for work :biggrin: )
I keep pretty religious track of mileage in all my vehicles. OCD I guess. I've ALWAYS been able to get 200 miles on a tank, so far. Disclaimer: YMMV :biggrin:
I average 40-42 mpg on my '04, depending on the kind of riding I'm doing, or how hard I'm hitting the throttle. I get slightly better fuel economy during long trips, and can get ~210 out of a nearly full tank, even with a loaded bike.
Since I never put the bike on the centerstand when refueling, I never get a true full tank. But for average riding I usually get 170-190 miles between fill-ups, depending on how long I let the last fuel bar flash.
I have the same issue as you. I've just gotten used to having another 50 miles of riding when the lights start to flash. Yours sounds worse, though, I've never had it flash and added less than 4.5 gallons. Still kind of silly to have the light flashing with well over a gallon of fuel left, but I just think of it as my VFR MAKING SURE I don't run out of fuel. :)
I've also noticed that since the float is more to the right side of the tank putting it on the sidestand will get a slightly higher fuel reading.
If it really bothers you it's possible to:
Remove tank.
Remove Fuel Pump assembly
Remove fuel level sensor
Bend the bar downwards.
Put everything back.
It's a bit of work, but if you're careful you won't need new gaskets. The only reason I haven't done it is that I have no idea how much the bar should be bent.
Wingnut, my two bikes do the same as yours. Mine usually start flashing around 150-160 and I generally fill up at 170-180 and regularly put in just 4.5 gals. I've considered bending my toilet float....err I mean my fuel level float for more accuracy. I think it can be done by just removing the filler cap assembly since the rod sits just to the right as mentioned above.
I stop at the next gas station when mine starts flashing. The furthest I've had to go after it started flashing was maybe 50 miles or so. It never takes more than 4.5 to 4.8 gallons on fill up, though.
For some reason that flashing bar is intimidating. When it starts, it seems to make me forget about everything else and just obsess on how much gas might be left.
[image: View Post]Knife, on Oct 1 2009, 04:39 PM, said:
For some reason that flashing bar is intimidating. When it starts, it seems to make me forget about everything else and just obsess on how much gas might be left.
+1!! I know rationally that I have at least 40 miles left, but once that light starts flashing I immediately go into panic-gas station-search mode. Maybe it's designed to have that affect on the human psyche. Mother Honda knows best? lol.
Am I delusional, or does the last dark bar flashing disappear after a while and then the only thing flashing is the little red bar? It seems like that's what I remember, but I can't remember. :huh:
[image: View Post]Ryanme17, on Oct 1 2009, 03:35 PM, said:
Anyone done this?
Yes, I have. You can cut/save a few steps if the tank is fairly empty. Disconnect the vent and overflow hoses. The tankt can be twisted, turned over and laid across the subframe (blanket or towel to avoid scratches) with the fuel lines still attached. You may have to disconnect the electrical too but I don't remember. The fuel level sensor is up at the front of the tank so gas won't spill out when you remove it. Pulling it out is tricky because of the overall configuration and length of the rod (insert joke here). I had to do this several times when I retrofitted a 6gen tank to my VTR1000F SuperHawk to get more range.
[image: View Post]FotoMoto, on Oct 1 2009, 04:42 PM, said:
Yes, I have. You can cut/save a few steps if the tank is fairly empty. It can be twisted, turned over and laid across the subframe (blanket or towel to avoid scratches) with the fuel lines still attached. You may have to disconnect the electrical but I don't remember. The fuel level sensor is up at the front of the tank so gas won't spill out when you remove it. Pulling it out is tricky because of the overall configuration and length of the rod (insert joke here). I had to do this several times when I retrofitted a 6gen tank to my VTR1000F SuperHawk to get more range.
Approximately how much should it be bent? Too far and it'd take 50 miles before the first bar even goes away. I'd hate to have to do it 5 times to get it right. But now that I know it's not required to take everything off, I will probably try this. Does the tank have to be unbolted and turned over with something to support it?
[image: View Post]Ryanme17, on Oct 1 2009, 03:46 PM, said:
I'd hate to have to do it 5 times to get it right. But now that I know it's not required to take everything off, I will probably try this. Does the tank have to be unbolted and turned over with something to support it?
Thanks!
[image: View Post]FotoMoto, on Oct 1 2009, 04:42 PM, said:
. I had to do this several times when I retrofitted a 6gen tank to my VTR1000F SuperHawk to get more range.
Sorry I did it a bit at a time with only a gallon in the tank as that is what I wanted my reserve to be at. I got about 32mpg with jetted, piped, geared, and my typical throttle hand/speeds traveled so a 30 mile reserve was what I was striving for.
Also, my particular mod didn't have a fuel pump and its bolted in hoses. I made a cover plate and put the stock VTR petcock there (no FI) so removing the tank was much easier/quicker than an FI bike.
[image: View Post]Ryanme17, on Oct 1 2009, 04:05 PM, said:
I've also noticed that since the float is more to the right side of the tank putting it on the sidestand will get a slightly higher fuel reading.
Hmm. My bike is the opposite. On the sidestand the fuel gauge usually reads one bar less than when the bike is standing upright.
[image: View Post]Macs06VFR, on Oct 1 2009, 04:42 PM, said:
Am I delusional, or does the last dark bar flashing disappear after a while and then the only thing flashing is the little red bar? It seems like that's what I remember, but I can't remember. :huh:
The last fuel bar turns from solid to flashing when you hit the 'reserve'. The red car is a permanent graphic, which is covered up by the last fuel bar. When that bar is flashing, it's exposing the red graphic when the fuel bar disappears.
If you're constantly gettin' on it, you're gonna get about 180 miles out of a full tank. If you always take it easy, about 220. If your riding style is somewhere in between, expect about 200. That's been my experience.
My E light comes on at 100-120 miles, consistently, and I fill up 4-4.3 gallons, consistently. Guess it is better than my truck, but when you figure in tire costs it isn't. :unsure:
Yes, my gauge is correct, I have run out of gas before thinking it was pessimistic.
[image: View Post]EmeraldVFR, on Oct 1 2009, 10:52 PM, said:
If you're constantly gettin' on it, you're gonna get about 180 miles out of a full tank. If you always take it easy, about 220. If your riding style is somewhere in between, expect about 200. That's been my experience.
148 miles on the trip odo on the highway when the engine stopped and wouldn't crank again...
[image: View Post]Wingnut, on Oct 1 2009, 03:02 PM, said:
I don't want to run out of fuel, so I haven't gone past E. Any ideas?
Carry an MSR fuel bottle filled with petrol. Or just fill up because you have <1 gallon remaining.
[image: View Post]gstanfield, on Oct 2 2009, 05:56 AM, said:
I use fuelly as well, take a look at my sig.
George
I use an iPhone app called Gas Cubby. Cost about $7 bucks, I enter all the data at the pump, instant mpg as well as other data. Nice little program.
Thanks for all the replies. It's not important enough for me to remove the tank and bend the pick up. I more or less wanted to be assured that I do have a 5.8 gallon tank, and when the gauge reads E, I still have about another gallon to find a refueling station.
End of thread · 26 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 12 Apr 2010