Fuel Capacity Question - Doesn't Add Up
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
if i really choke the bitch i can get 4.3 something gals into the 4.7 gal tank on my switchback...that still burns me HD didn't put the 5.0 gal tank on the switchback i know its not a lot but when the like comes on at like 140ish miles that just plain sucks.
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 300
Likes: 6
From: South Carolina
On mine if I fuel up soon after the light comes on it will take arround 3.6 gals. If I drive till it showes low fuel it will hold about 3.8 gals. There should be a bit more than 1 gal of fuel left so I should have 40-50 miles before going dry if the tank actually holds 5 gals.
Billy
Billy
6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Texas
Same here. 2009 FXDC. Specs say 5.1 fuel capacity. If I ride until the low fuel light is on and the miles remaining are at about 12, I'm lucky to get just over 4 gallons in the tank. I would hate be in the middle of no where, and hope I had another gallon to get to get to a gas station, so I just fill it.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 7,138
Likes: 26
From: Southern Oregon
On mine if I fuel up soon after the light comes on it will take arround 3.6 gals. If I drive till it showes low fuel it will hold about 3.8 gals. There should be a bit more than 1 gal of fuel left so I should have 40-50 miles before going dry if the tank actually holds 5 gals.
Billy
Billy
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 517
Likes: 3
From: Cleveland
First, I have a 2009 FXDL Dyna Lowrider. I am the original owner and its never been damaged in any way and the fuel tank has not been modified or raised.
So here is the issue. The owners manual states the fuel capacity at 4.8 US gallons. Today I drove for as long as I dared. The low fuel light was on and the mileage counter said I had 14 miles to go before empty. I stopped and filled it up until there was no way another drop was going in. It took exactly 3.55 gallons. That can only mean the gauge is off 1.25 gallons or 25%!
Of course I would rather have it this way then run out at 1/4 tank, but this is way off in my opinion. Have any of you experienced the same thing?
So here is the issue. The owners manual states the fuel capacity at 4.8 US gallons. Today I drove for as long as I dared. The low fuel light was on and the mileage counter said I had 14 miles to go before empty. I stopped and filled it up until there was no way another drop was going in. It took exactly 3.55 gallons. That can only mean the gauge is off 1.25 gallons or 25%!
Of course I would rather have it this way then run out at 1/4 tank, but this is way off in my opinion. Have any of you experienced the same thing?
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 4,990
Likes: 9
From: Marina del Rey
It's just plain silly to wait for some light to tell you when it's time to refuel. Keep accurate track of your fuel consumption by logging gallons and mileage, and average it over many fill ups. You'll know precisely how many more miles you can go w/o refueling, just by glancing at the trip odometer that you reset every time you refuel. Simple math you can do in your head.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,311
Likes: 1
From: -
This.
It's just plain silly to wait for some light to tell you when it's time to refuel. Keep accurate track of your fuel consumption by logging gallons and mileage, and average it over many fill ups. You'll know precisely how many more miles you can go w/o refueling, just by glancing at the trip odometer that you reset every time you refuel. Simple math you can do in your head.
It's just plain silly to wait for some light to tell you when it's time to refuel. Keep accurate track of your fuel consumption by logging gallons and mileage, and average it over many fill ups. You'll know precisely how many more miles you can go w/o refueling, just by glancing at the trip odometer that you reset every time you refuel. Simple math you can do in your head.
Last weekend the light wasn't on yet, the gauge wasn't on the "red" zone yet, decide i can get a little further on before refuelling. As it always is, big mistake, couldn't see another gas station for miles. And miles. I'm climbing up a mountain (5000 feet) so I ease on the gas. Not it's well on the red but I can see villages coming up so they "must" have a gas station. Reserve light is on, miles remaining are going down fast. They are going down twice as fast as the mileage I'm actually doing. No gas station at the village, but there's another village in 5-7 miles. 4th gear 45-50mph, I reckon this should burn little fuel. last time I saw the mileage left said 12. Now it just says "low fuel".
$hit, this is it, it will be me the one pushing or calling for roadside assitance. i can't enjoy the view of the mountain as I'm really scared I'm out of fuel.
The next village doesn't have a gas station, but there is another bigger village in 4miles. By now I'm well past the 12 miles the digital gauge said i had left: I'm running on air. At the next village there' no gas station! so I ask a local he said , next village 2 miles... Ok, maybe I can make it. So very swiftly restart and shift up to 4th at 45mph. I see the gas station, pull the clutch so I can get there just by rolling in neutral.
I'm finally filling up, as usual keeping the nozzle way up so I can see when it's really full that the gas is touching the gas cap tread. 4.1gallon... WTF??? that mean I still had a gallon left to burn, no need for a panic attack... Well, it still beat having to push..
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6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Minneapolis
2012 FXDWG claims 4.7 gallons. I was forced to pull a Kramer and see how far I could go on empty. Between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa Ontario there are no gas stations. 234 km or about 145 miles is a long way to go without prior warning!
So about 80 km out of Wawa I see my range decrease rapidly. I reset one of the trip odometers and saw that for every 1 mile traveled the range was decreasing by about 2!
Once the miles remaining dropped below 10, LO RNG displays. I tuck down behind the windshield and tried to hold it at 50-55 mph. 40 km sign appears, then 20 km, trying to convert km to miles and how far I'll have to walk, I keep waiting to stall.
Finally I get to Wawa and the first gas station I see is boarded up!!! WTH?? 2 more miles or so up the road I finally see one. I went just over 28 miles when LO RNG displayed and the bike only took about 3.5 gallons (converting from liters approximately). Either way I know I can extend the range out another 20-30 miles in an emergency- and that was done on a mountain- like stretch.
So about 80 km out of Wawa I see my range decrease rapidly. I reset one of the trip odometers and saw that for every 1 mile traveled the range was decreasing by about 2!
Once the miles remaining dropped below 10, LO RNG displays. I tuck down behind the windshield and tried to hold it at 50-55 mph. 40 km sign appears, then 20 km, trying to convert km to miles and how far I'll have to walk, I keep waiting to stall.
Finally I get to Wawa and the first gas station I see is boarded up!!! WTH?? 2 more miles or so up the road I finally see one. I went just over 28 miles when LO RNG displayed and the bike only took about 3.5 gallons (converting from liters approximately). Either way I know I can extend the range out another 20-30 miles in an emergency- and that was done on a mountain- like stretch.