95 miles before fuel light comes on

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Aug 21, 2014 | 08:41 PM

#31

Joe_G

Stellar HDF Member

Joined: Jan 2013

Posts: 2,721

Likes: 103

From: St. Louis, MO

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spartanden

Some call me ****, but i like to know.... I record every gallon of fuel my bike uses. I have a small spreadsheet that I enter the essentials and it will calculate my fuel mileage. I always use the trip odometer. I had Sporty previous to the SG and I used the tripometer as my fuel gage. I have fuel gage in the SG and still use the odometer. But I do know I can get 200-230 on a tank of fuel. I use the fuel gage as reference only.
Suggestion.... fill your tank. Reset to 0.0... ride 100 miles and re-fill. See what you used. Increase the mileage until you know the range of miles you can ride on 4 gal (if 5 gal tank).... then continue to use your odometer as your fuel gage. If you're getting less than 35mpg, it's either your riding style or an engine issue.
wish there was a way i could plug a spreadsheet in here to share....

I do the same, don't feel bad. But I'm a CPA so it's in my blood I guess. Lol

I've been using the trip odometer and mpg method for 32 years now on a bike. It's fool proof if you are religious about filling and resetting. I do miss the reserve feature now that I have a fuel injected bike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhell

Ok, just filled up the tank. Bike took 3.39 gallons to fill completely. If it's a five gallon tank I must've had about a little over a gallon and a half left in the tank.

So...if I divide what I filled up and multiply by the miles traveled according to my trip meter (96 miles) from last fill up then I'm getting about 28mpg.

My math sound about right?

Math is good but 28 mpg is about 10 lower than you should be getting unless you ride WOT at 110 mph...I would bet you didn't fill the tank all the way or reset the odometer part way into the tank. Do the math on your next fillup and see what you get.

Aug 22, 2014 | 02:45 PM

#32

my67pnycar

Elite HDF Member

Joined: Oct 2010

Posts: 3,504

Likes: 12

From: DOWN SOUTH

Quote:

Originally Posted by davemc

I don't think it works quite the way you might be thinking. The computer figures your fuel consumption, speed, etc. since the last reading and basically reports "If you keep riding like you are now, under the same conditions, throttle, etc., you will only go another XX miles." But it is not a hyper-accurate system to begin with.

A big long speech about how the ecm computes miles to empty just to agree with me in the end, ITS NOT RELIABLE. I know what I seen on my dash as I was going down the road. Thanks for the lesson on the ecm though.

Aug 23, 2014 | 08:28 AM

#33

bigskyroadglide

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Sep 2010

Posts: 2,630

Likes: 185

From: Mountain West, Big Sky Country

Op

I have an 04 rod glide, built engine 107 high comression 650 lift cams etc.

I get 30 mpg on a good day and consistently fill up around 120 miles.

At 150 miles im pushing the bike if you know what i mean. Thats no way to deal with an 800 plus pound beast

Have your tune checked especially if you have an add on fuel mgmt module

Otherwise accept that is your fuel economy and plan your stops accordingly.

I know my mpg is related to my tune. And i would rather have **** poor mpg than lack luster performance.

Aug 23, 2014 | 08:55 AM

#34

mhsmith451

Cruiser

Joined: Jul 2006

Posts: 239

Likes: 3

From: Castle Rock, CO

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhell

That's a good idea but 95 miles? That's pretty crappy fuel mileage when I've read I should be getting 35-40 mpg. How much is left once the fuel light comes on?

Years back I'd had a 04 RK and its light came on with about 3/4-1gal left. What you might want to do is next time the light comes on, gas up and see how much fits. Should tell you if it's the light or the mileage. And/or if you really suspect it's a mileage/running rich thing, see if your plugs are really black as opposed to a brownish/tan color... Could be an easy telltale.

Aug 23, 2014 | 09:02 AM

#35

cohoosier

Advanced

Joined: Apr 2013

Posts: 94

Likes: 0

From: Mass.

Call me silly or lucky but my 2013 Road King I've went by gauge and light since I've bought it. Knock on wood no problems and usually get 200-220 a tank. I ran it down to the light no longer giving mileage and just saying Lo not by choice mind you just on back roads and that was about 230 on that tank.

Aug 23, 2014 | 09:05 AM

#36

Raddazzz

Road Captain

Joined: Jul 2010

Posts: 659

Likes: 4

From: Michigan

My 2001 ultra doesnt even come off full until i am over a 100 miles, then the low fuel light comes on around 190 miles. Most of the time filling up after the light has come on I put about 4 1/2 gallons in. My mpgs range from high 30's to mid 40s.

Aug 23, 2014 | 03:59 PM

#37

cficole

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Jul 2014

Posts: 3,133

Likes: 504

From: Lake County, IL

You've always got the old-fashioned techniques for analysis. As soon as the light goes on, drain the tank, and measure that fuel quantity. Or drain a tank that's at your normal level after a fill-up, and measure that.

Oct 7, 2014 | 05:13 PM

#38

greenhell

Thread Starter

Advanced

Joined: Jul 2014

Posts: 56

Likes: 0

From: Pueblo

I wanted to note my last fill-up I put in 3.4 gal of gas. Today, my fuel light came on at 109 miles according to the trip meter. My daily commute from home to work is under 10 minutes. All city riding. No highway.

Bike is an '03 EG anniversary edition with stage 1 kit and Rinehart true dual exhaust.

Any ideas or things I should look for would be appreciated.