What has happened to the fuel gauge

[davsato]

who needs a fuel guage? bike fuel guages are hopeless liars and im happy i dont have one, the one on my triumph was useless.

the taps on the vara arent regular fuel taps, they are there to isolate the system for tank removal?
a light is fine, when you 1st ride the bike you should carry a bottle of fuel just in case and run the bike down as low as you dare. you should never run an Fi bike dry it can cause airlocks in the fuel pumps, but when the light comes on you need to know you can go at least another 30miles. more like 50miles on my vara, seems to have a big reserve on it (comes in handy when youre trying to find fuel in france on a sunday).
then when youve emptied it, zero one of the trips and brim it, then find out how far you can can expect to go on a full tank.

the lowest ive dared to go had me putting 26.4litres in it. they are supposed to have a 25ltr tank so bigH give a bit of headspace i think.

[StumpyFingers]

Maybe Mr H realised the Gauges were a waste of time so decided not to fit one, but If the bikes could be made to do a consistent distance on a tankful then life would be great.

[mathand1]

So....At the end of the day is it safe to say that when the fuel light comes on you have approx 30/40 miles left before your left high and dry...

[davsato]

find out for youself so you know you can trust it.

fuel light comes on at 4ltrs according to the handbook.

10mi/l is easy if you ride gently, so thats plenty for 30 miles at least and ive gone over 50 with the light on, so i assume thats honda giving a bit of leeway again.

[StumpyFingers]

The only problem I find with this scenario is when on a nice ling trip the fuel light suddenly comes on and you have no way of knowing where the next fuel stop is, if it had a light or some way of identifying a quarter of a tank, at least you would be prepared for the reserve.

[jarl]

I take my alp off road and burn a completely ridiculous amount of fuel/mile travelled when compared to road work. Makes me glad for a fuel meter, though I certainly wouldn't rely on it being accurate in any way shape or form! For a bike predominantly used on the road I'd have no problem with a fuel light.

[tonyk]

Hi Folks,

I have a new to me (only have it 2 mths) 2001 carbadero fuel light has been coming on at 130 to 145 miles which seems really bad mpg compared to what's been suggested in this thread.mostly city driving and give it a lash from time to time but couldnt be considered driving it HARD all the time.

any Ideas suggestions as to possible cause??
has been fully serviced including new iridium plugs and fuel filter,previous owner said carbs had been cleaned and balanced however she seems to "throb" while idling at tick over also a bit jumpish when revs are at a constant 2.5 to 3.5 rpm

filled her up today when fuel light came on at 133miles she took 22 litres filled to the brim for that!!!

any suggestions help appreciated,

cheers,and thanks,

Tony K

[StumpyFingers]

I would suggest changing the air filter.
You do seem to be proving a point that the bike needs more than just a fuel warning light, the consumption seem to vary by a vast amount, for a modern bike that is rubbish.
I know the engine design is old but I had a CX which had better MPG figures, surely over the years the refinements should have included better range per tank.

[jasonbc]

Hi Folks,

I have a new to me (only have it 2 mths) 2001 carbadero fuel light has been coming on at 130 to 145 miles which seems really bad mpg compared to what's been suggested in this thread.mostly city driving and give it a lash from time to time but couldnt be considered driving it HARD all the time.

any Ideas suggestions as to possible cause??
has been fully serviced including new iridium plugs and fuel filter,previous owner said carbs had been cleaned and balanced however she seems to "throb" while idling at tick over also a bit jumpish when revs are at a constant 2.5 to 3.5 rpm

filled her up today when fuel light came on at 133miles she took 22 litres filled to the brim for that!!!

any suggestions help appreciated,

cheers,and thanks,

Tony K

Mines a 99 carbed model and is booked in on thursday for the 32k service which is the big one although i was advised not to bother with it as the valves "Don't go out on these bikes once there set" as quoted by my dealer. At the moment my reserve light normally comes on around 175-185miles the worst i've had was posted above from paris to LeMans two up and kitted that was around 135miles.

I would suggest you get it serviced properly get a dealer to do the whole lot for you unless you have vacuum guages and can balance the carbs yourself at least that way you know all the filters would have been changed so fuel air mixture should be better then they can balance the carbs properly then you can ride it for a while and see if the if the problem persists.

The other thing did the previous owner put fancy exhausts on it and then jet it to suit? but then put it back to standard when they sold it without the jets. Were the plugs looking like it had been running rich when you changed them?

[davsato]

Hi Folks,

I have a new to me (only have it 2 mths) 2001 carbadero fuel light has been coming on at 130 to 145 miles which seems really bad mpg compared to what's been suggested in this thread.mostly city driving and give it a lash from time to time but couldnt be considered driving it HARD all the time.

any Ideas suggestions as to possible cause??

yes two causes, its a carbadero which are known for having thirst issues, not having the 6th gear of the Fi's, and city riding, constant acceleration and braking is the worst scenario for economy. my '06 is only good for 150mi of town commuting.
good job the vara is so much fun, i dont care how many fossils mine burns im doing my bit and going for it till the oil runs out