What a nifty little geegaw to have on the Ultra eh? A countdown to empty on your fuel range in the digital odometer. It would be - if its accuracy had some basis in fact.
My bro Peet and I both ride '09 Ultras. He has the full screaming eagle stage 1 and I have the V&H stage 1. Essentially the same.
We were riding recently with some of our regular crew on a 4 day run and gassing up at the same stops etc. We (me 'n' Peet) had pretty much the same dollar amount going into our tanks at each stop and yet for a full tank his fuel range displayed as 380 kms on average and mine at 310 kms on average. That's almost a 20% variance but I was too ***** to ride my bike dry to check its validity.
Couple weeks back I took the bike in for its scheduled warranty service check and I raised the issue with the service department. They said they would look into it as they had no ready answer. They conferred with their peers locally and in Australia (I am in NZ) and the eventual reply (and I do thank the shop crew for going the distance to get me an answer) was that the readout is basically a digital guess and not to worry because in fact I have the same amount of gas as Peet.
There you go folks, computers can guess now - so be nice to your bike cos the next evolutionary step might bite you in the azz.

 

yeah, I see fuel gauges and digital odometers as estimates. Or more like a guideline for my specific bike.

Another thing I think about is how some bikers swerve a ton around in their lane. Over time, that's gonna throw your miles off from someone near you, right? just a side note thought I had. I'm sleepy.

I've heard that speedometers have a 10% variance for error... that's a lot, IMO. I know mine is off because I've speed checked with a friend right next to me in their cage, and against posted radars that display numbers for me. I'll see the radar telling me I'm going 45, but my speedo says I'm going 50-52 mph

I don't know if I'm right about this next sentence, as I am typing while sleepy... But... wouldn't that variance cause your odometer and fuel mileage to be difficult to read accurately? Just another thought.

As long as I never run out of gas unexpectedly, I won't whine too much. I'm just blessed to own a fun-to-ride motorcycle that doesn't get too shabby of mileage (45-50mpg if I'm riding casually)

 

When I fill it reads 410 to empty. I get about 340.

When the tank is dry and the engine stops (as happened last week) it said 80 to go.

Kilometers of course.

 

So that gives us a near 30% variance on essentially the same motor and setup at read out and I reckon I still get the same real mileage (kms ) as you at around 340 for a tank.

Not complaining cos I love my bike but I'd be happier if they'd accept a 30% variance in cost (to my advantage of course) when I bought the bike.

 

The readout is fairly dynamic, which means it displays a figure based on the very most recent usage.. as in the last few minutes. Therefore, just one heavy crack of the throttle can send the reading down somewhat. So you really can't compare one bike/rider to another.

Another point, once the tank is filled, the readout doesn't update right away... ride a bit for that to happen.

 

I only use that feature when on the highway using cruise control for extended periods of time. My mileage estimate is "fairly" accurate when used like this. Of course, I also keep an eye on the fuel guage and a lookout for the "idiot" light to come on. When the light does come on, I ususally have about 1 gallon left in the tank. Around town riding, the mileage countdown feature is useless, but on the highway for extended rides, it serves me well in conjunction with the other fuel guage and light.