Softail gas gauge
Softail gas gauge
Ok I started a new thread for this because I didnt want to ruin the feel of my still smiling thread, when I bought my bike the gas gauge said full so I thought great theres 15 bucks I dont have to spend, I rode 61 miles yesterday it never moved I stopped at my brothers and when I left I got on it and was a little embarassed when it fell on its face, it felt like it was running out of gas but the gauge still said full wich should have told me something was wrong since I rode 61 miles it probably should have been down to half or so, when i parked it 1/2 mile up the road I took off the gas cap and sure enough it was almost empty, so why would it read full? Could the sending unit be bad already with only 8k miles? Is there any other easier solution? Any idea how much it would cost for a sending unit and how much for a dealer to install? Thanks guys, but hey after my first 61 miles I am still smiling.
Supporter
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,685
Likes: 36
From: Hoboken, NJ
I have an '08 Nightrain and my gas gauge is useless as well. Even if my tank is topped off, it will tell me that the most I have is 1/2 tank. I mentioned it to my dealer and he said, "It's a Harley. That's why they put the remaining miles feature in the digital readout."
Just keep your eye on that. Disregard the gas gauge.
Just keep your eye on that. Disregard the gas gauge.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 251
Likes: 2
From: Upstate, NY
When you turn off the the ignition, does the gas gauge go to empty or is it always stuck on full? I had a similar problem on a '05 Deluxe. The arm on the gas sending unit was hitting the side of the gas tank. Always full when iginition was on and empty after about five minutes with ignition off. Removed the sending unit, bent the arm, now it works fine. If you do a search, there are threads on this fix. Hope this works for you. You could also have a ground problem?? Do some searches on this forum tons of great information!
Last edited by onionfmr; Feb 27, 2009 at 08:44 AM. Reason: spelling
Novice
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Earth
I have an 03' injected FatBoy. The gas gauge is worthless. I zero the odometer at every fill and go with that. I fill up somewhere between 100-125 miles, or at the max 150 miles if I'm doing distance vs. around town.
I learned the hard way too.
I learned the hard way too.
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Tourer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 251
Likes: 2
From: Upstate, NY
From what I've read, I guess there was a problem with the sending unit arms on some softtail models?? Do you have a Harley service manual for your year and model? If you do, you can check out what is involved to remove the sending unit and bend the arm. If I remember correctly, there are a couple of hose clamps to replace and a gasket? Like I said, do a search on this forum, there is a lot of information on troubleshooting gas gauge problems. As others have said, I always use the trip meter to determine when to get gas. Regardless of the fact that the gas gauges aren't super accurate, it is nice to have it working to the point that with a glance, you have a rough idea how much gas you have left in your tank.
