How do you gauge fuel reserve?

[BLACK COMET]

Noob questions.

 

As I have never ride a bike without fuel guage before. Thus This question has been wondering in my mind for a long time.

 

Most bike have fuel guage. Thus we kinda know when the fuel needs to fill up.

 

But for bike without fuel guage like the phantom. or DR200.

 

How the hell do you know when the tank needs refilling?

[Guest NPNT]

remember la from the trip meter!!!!

[blast3dGaL]

i like bikes with no fuel gauge, make me do maths everyday.. exercise my brain to remember the figure i last refuel, and allows me to do the maths..

 

it's not that tough...

[DM]

it's pretty simple.

 

eg. my tank has a total of 10L - 7L is main and 3L reserve fuel that can be tapped by opening the reserve fuel **** valve.

 

my Fuel consumption is 22km/ L

i calculated this by running the bike until my 7L finish, yes until the bike sputter and die because it has no more gas (main). clocked 170+km so u divide that distance by 7L of fuel = fuel consumption aka FC.

 

bike die how? still got 3L reserve mah, switch the reserve fuel **** valve open and can still go to the nearest gas station to top up. i can travel 66km before the reserve runs out (22km/L x 3L)

 

sooooo, once you calculate your Fuel Consumption, you can gauge when to top up.

most bike dashboards have odometers AND trip meters. trip meters work like odometers but can be resetted everytime you top up fuel so you can start clocking mileage again to record how far you travel.

 

eg. i pump a full tank of gas now so i reset my trip meter back to 0km. run the bike until the trip meter registers ~170km then i know must pump gas liao. to be safe, i head to the nearest gas station when it's ~160km. the trip meter is not to be confused with the odometer which measures total mileage that the bike travelled and cannot be resetted from the dashboard.

 

if you do not have a trip meter(check you manual first), you just have to base your mileage for 1 tank of gas by looking at the odometer. eg. i pump a full tank of gas, odometer registers 26001km. i can travel ~170km at most before the tank is empty so i remind myself to top up the tank before 26171km is registered on the odo.

[Jfor_Jimmy1986]

hahzz... like what Flea. had said, calculate yr fuel consumption based on per lit lo...

 

however, bro Flea., although ur reserve is 3 litre which is 66km. It is advisable to round down ~ 60km. (if not u'll end up pushing ur bike).

 

Another thing is the riding style, we cant possibly whack ur bike if in reserve...

 

It happened once by my reserve knob was turned by other buggers, i thought how come my fuel consumption was that good for that week, and when i realize tt my bike was jerking and i tried to switch to reserve, fcuk, it was in the reserve already.

[DM]

yes i know, that is why i don't even run on reserve unless i have to. once my main tank is going to finish, i try to top up asap. even if i switch to reserve, i can tahan less than 66km but from changi to tuas also not that far hahaha no problem one la

[BLACK COMET]

Thanks guys, I guess that is the only way for bike without fuel guage.

[econbizer]

For my current ride w/o a fuel meter, I use distance to gauge. Reset once refueled, then once hit XXkm, go refuel.

 

For my old ride w/o a fuel meter + my mileage gauge was spoilt, ride until bike 'chokes' then switch to reserve & then go refuel.

[newcomer]

i oso like without fuel gauge. use maths to calculate more chun. usually chun within 5km.

[barefoot]

open tank cap and see

[hairisg76]

open tank cap and see

 

but please dun use naked light(to brighten up) if you cannot see the fuel inside..hehehe.

[SV650]

but please dun use naked light(to brighten up) if you cannot see the fuel inside..hehehe.

Aiya... Just install LED light inside the fuel tank. Light up when the fuel cap is open. Pretty similiar to a car boot light. Swee Swee Bo Chao Chwee.

:angel:

[vtec88]

SP,CBR,RVF....all tested and proven by ME.....at least 40KM extra ....

 

CBR till JB second hump (complete empty tank,push bike to shell ;-) ) 62KM in reserve mode.....try at own risk plus keep your leg muscle strong!!!

[Fritz]

For me, I'll just top up every night before i go home since the Shell station is nearby my place. Gilera's fuel gauge isn't that accurate, beats me.

[swat_]

are there aftermarket fuel gauge dat can be installed on a bike w/o a fuel gauge?

[BLACK COMET]

are there aftermarket fuel gauge dat can be installed on a bike w/o a fuel gauge?

 

From My research. U will have no prob putting any guage u want on the meter. The only problem is the fuel sender unit.

 

Fuel sender unit is alway in the tank. It have a float arm. And it will send signal to the guage.

 

The problem is, how to put one in when the priginal tank is not design with the fuel sender unit?

 

I was looking at this issue. XR125L, no solution. TW no solution.

Phantom 200 old. Can just use the current fuel tank of the latest model. It have a fuel sender unit

 

Those without fuel sender unit. U may have to mode by cutting a section of the fuel tank and bolt one on. But this will not always work as we are not bike engineers or metal welders. Also we will have to take note of the float arm shape and dimension.

 

The next closest solution I can think of is via the petcock. Fuel level sender unit. ther's 3 design. 1 is float arm type. 2 is the dieletric differences sensor type (just one rod, and it use low electric current for it). 3 type is those auto scooter 2t level sensor. Same a type 2. But it have a magnetic ring at the rod. The magnetic ring is encase in a small float.

 

best type in this case is the type 3. But I haven't seen one in the market that is small enough to fit thru the petcock hole.

[DM]

lol don't be so lazy la, just calculate your FC mileage lor hehe been doing that for years already.

[MonoWorld]

even with fuel gauge, i use my Trip 1 / Trip A as a gauge when to refill. the fuel gauge is normally not accurate.

[bernardk]

I rode TW before i knw how you feel. Sometimes you JUST forget. Anyway i have very very bad memory thus always forget. BUT!!! I always travel the same place same distance and same route. Thus i tried 1 week. I notice on thusday my fuel reach reserve. Thus if i were to go further or other plans of outing i have to pump on wednesday.

 

Another method is knock on your tank. You can hear roughly how low is the fuel. That time to master this but it does work after sometime you are trained. Or you can rock your bike and hear the squash of the petrol, of cos with caps open.

 

This is the lazy method if you dun wanna use calc. And you never knw when you wanna play on the road thus FC becomes lower.

 

And also once you are very familiar with your bike, you FC will go lower also. WHY??? Cos you are riding faster and faster. Thus Beware, cos that is when ignorance and recklessness comes and i kaboom many times due to this.

 

Nevertheless enjoy your ride.

[barefoot]

my must really see or rock the bike see the fuel sound anot. mileage meter spoil, no trip meter, no fuel gauge, neh neh

[ulysses_sc]

Noob questions.

 

As I have never ride a bike without fuel guage before. Thus This question has been wondering in my mind for a long time.

 

Most bike have fuel guage. Thus we kinda know when the fuel needs to fill up.

 

But for bike without fuel guage like the phantom. or DR200.

 

How the hell do you know when the tank needs refilling?

 

None of my bikes over the last 15 years have fuel gauge. First time when I ride any bike, I'll pump full tank, then run it to reserve, then observe the mileage. Upon every top-up, reset the trip meter. Pump again when trip meter reaches the "reserve" mileage.

 

Never failed me.

[bernardk]

None of my bikes over the last 15 years have fuel gauge. First time when I ride any bike, I'll pump full tank, then run it to reserve, then observe the mileage. Upon every top-up, reset the trip meter. Pump again when trip meter reaches the "reserve" mileage.

 

Never failed me.

 

No skill leh like that. HHAHAHHAA Joking joking...

[heyjezza]

maybe no skill, but damn smart!

[bernardk]

maybe no skill, but damn smart!

 

Horrrrrrr you go one round say TS dumb to buy a bike with no trip meter? Horrrr.......

[heyjezza]

Horrrrrrr you go one round say TS dumb to buy a bike with no trip meter? Horrrr.......

 

harrrr ... how did you come to that conclusion ... i meant rmbing [agar agar] mileage per tank has been the best suggestion so far. even i did not manage to think of such a common sense solution haha