It may be a 5 gallon tank, but we don't know how close the fuel pump pickup can come to actually emptying the tank, before it starts drawing air.

I ran one of my bikes down to an indicated 9 miles remaining once, but I certainly wouldn't make a practice of it. I don't trust the accuracy of these things at all, or the consistency from one model to another.

 

Best bet is to get one of those bike gas cans for backup, ride the bike until it runs out and then you know how far you can go. That will vary some depending on how hard you're running. Add the gas from the backup. When you get to the station add To the total what you added from the backup can and that's how much gas you used out of a five gallon tank..

 

Submersing a pump in fuel will keep it cooler than if it weren't surrounded by fuel. Submersing it also cuts down on the noise it produces. The only way you're going to burn up a pump is if you run it completely dry and then you keep running it.

 

My 2014 breakout has been recalled to the dealer as they say some bikes have an error in the distance shown left to travel. I believe that some bikes are running out of fuel whilst the clock still shows x miles of range left.

 

Definitely not wanting to chance it on mine, seems to be very hit and miss among bikes. Good information, though.

 

I don't trust the accuracy of the gauges either. I trust what miles I get and how much fuel it takes to fill up my tank in spite of the gauges. I think it's a pretty safe assumption that if I am still going down the road at 75 mph and manage to pull into a gas station after 20 or more miles after the "LO" indicator comes on then it means that my fuel pump isn't "sucking air".

My low fuel light (the yellow fuel pump icon on my dash) comes on when the miles meter says I have just under 40 miles left of range. The "LO" message comes on when it reaches around 13 or so miles remaining. Beyond that I have gone over 20 miles and when I fill up it only takes about 4.5 to 4.6 gallons. Harley Davidson states that my tank holds 5 gallons and there is no reason for me to not believe that. As such, the math tells me that when I fill up so long after my "LO" indicator comes on that there is still roughly half a gallon of gas left in my tank. I'm sure all of you know what half a gallon looks like. If not just go to the store and pick up half a gallon of milk. I have a real hard time believing that Harley Davidson designed a tank and fuel pump system that is going to leave me on the side of the road while there is that much gas still sitting in it!!!

After 52,000 miles of estimating my fuel economy, I have determined that I average roughly 45 mpg. Given all the info that I've gleaned from personal experience over nearly six years and 52k miles, I would wager that I could go at least 40 miles past the "LO" warning before I really need to worry about sputtering to a stop. And after 52,000 mile of riding week in and week out and fueling up at these intervals on a rather regular basis, I've yet to burn up any fuel pumps or run out of gas on the side of the road or anywhere else for that matter!

I'm sure there are all kinds of variables that can effect all this from one bike to the next. So I am not saying that everyone with a Softail can or should expect the same results that I get when it comes to range.

I guess the point I am really trying to make is that if you're trying to figure this stuff out, you shouldn't be put off so much by all the "boggy man" stories that get thrown around on these forums so easily. There's a lot of good info on here and I have gained a ton of knowledge from other members. But I've also learned over time that there are so many ideas floating around that are based more on belief than on any real world experience or data.

For example; does anyone really believe that Harley Davidson makes such a $h!t product and is willing to put millions of motorcycles on the road with fuel delivery systems that are going to fry the moment you run them under a certain level? If I really believed that I would never touch a Harley Davidson. What happens on the off chance that you are on a ride where there isn't a fuel station on every other city block? Are we now not only to fear being left on the side of the road needing gas but also a trip to the garage to get a new fuel pump installed? Honestly...

 

I'm guessing you guys don't have Ethanol in your petrol across the pond? Kills my range.

 

one thing is for sure, the fuel reading accuracy is inaccurate. lol When the low fuel light comes on, I have between 1~1 1/2 gals left.