2017 CB1100 EX FUEL CAPACITY

[emptysea]

Doc, I ran my '78 CB750F dry while crossing Utah back in 1979. I was fighting a stiff crosswind and was heeled over for many miles. Unbeknownst to me, because the bike was leaned over so far, it was able to suck the last of the fuel through the normal petcock tube. When the engine began to sputter, I flipped over to reserve, only to find there was precious little fuel remaining. The bike ran out of gas and rolled to a stop about ten miles later. The next town was 24 miles ahead. I wasted about three hours hitchhiking up and back to get gas.

To your point about crossing Nevada, Tonopah to Ely is about 170 miles and it's very difficult to do it at less than 90-100 mph. There is no gas (or anything else) between those towns. Gotta pay attention to your gas gauge at those speeds!

Must have been serious crosswinds!!!

Yes, highway 6 is desolate. The ghost town of Warm Springs is at the junction of 6 and the Extraterrestial Highway

I didn't mean to imply that it is not important to know the capacity, Doc, and your trip plans are a great example of why it is important. I just was trying to point out that it just takes one ride to get the tank to (or extremely close to) empty and once it is filled up you will know the tank capacity. If you ran it until the pump started sucking air, you would know that capacity, too. Since there appears to be at least two different capacities listed by Honda, I think that the easiest way to verify it is first hand...and not on the side of mountain. LOL

As best I understand, 2014 standard is 3.9 and Deluxe 4.4.
Are all 2017 4.4?

As best I understand, 2014 standard is 3.9 and Deluxe 4.4.
Are all 2017 4.4?
I can only tell you that everything I have read (aside from a couple of comments in this thread) shows the fuel capacity for the 2017 EX as 4.4 gallons. I don't know of anyone that has stated with authority the effective fuel capacity (how many gallons until the fuel pump has nothing to pump). I would guess that the easiest way to know for sure the effective capacity is to fill it up, run it down, and re-fill it.

 

[SpamJ_imp]

Most Vehicles use the Fuel in Fuel tank to cool the Fuel pump, so running it our "might" lessen the Fuel Pumps life span.

Just a thought

 

[SportsterDoc]

Most Vehicles use the Fuel in Fuel tank to cool the Fuel pump, so running it our "might" lessen the Fuel Pumps life span.

Just a thought

That has been my thinking for many years, however it depends upon the pump system:

A. If continuous flow with unused fuel recirculated to the tank, then flow cools pump.

B. If regulated, such as variable voltage or a pressure regulator and flow is not continuous, then the pump may get hotter.

When I managed an electric motor repair shop, we also sold and repaired pumps and most would burn the seals if run without fluid.

OTOH, the 12 VDC water pumps at our ranch are supposed to be able to run dry without harm. They sure don't like it if not purged before freezing weather!

 

[peterbaron]

Most Vehicles use the Fuel in Fuel tank to cool the Fuel pump, so running it our "might" lessen the Fuel Pumps life span.

Just a thought

That has been my thinking for many years, however it depends upon the pump system:

A. If continuous flow with unused fuel recirculated to the tank, then flow cools pump.

B. If regulated, such as variable voltage or a pressure regulator and flow is not continuous, then the pump may get hotter.

When I managed an electric motor repair shop, we also sold and repaired pumps and most would burn the seals if run without fluid.

OTOH, the 12 VDC water pumps at our ranch are supposed to be able to run dry without harm. They sure don't like it if not purged before freezing weather!

That has been my thinking for many years, however it depends upon the pump system:

A. If continuous flow with unused fuel recirculated to the tank, then flow cools pump.

B. If regulated, such as variable voltage or a pressure regulator and flow is not continuous, then the pump may get hotter.

When I managed an electric motor repair shop, we also sold and repaired pumps and most would burn the seals if run without fluid.

OTOH, the 12 VDC water pumps at our ranch are supposed to be able to run dry without harm. They sure don't like it if not purged before freezing weather!
+1

PB

 

[SportsterDoc]

People used to say that it wasn't wise to run a fuel tank down to empty because of the sediment that might have formed and settled in the bottom of the tank over many years time. There probably aren't any CB1100s that yet qualify for such concerns.

Another thing in our favor with these new EFI bikes is the fuel filter being used. These are much better than the old paper gravity filters from back in the day, and the systems are under a lot of pressure.

In R&R'ing the tank on my 2013 (which had to be done several times for various maintenance procedures) I took note of the fuel connector and the overall setup. Manufacturers are very careful about this stuff these days.

Doc, I ran my '78 CB750F dry while crossing Utah back in 1979. I was fighting a stiff crosswind and was heeled over for many miles. Unbeknownst to me, because the bike was leaned over so far, it was able to suck the last of the fuel through the normal petcock tube. When the engine began to sputter, I flipped over to reserve, only to find there was precious little fuel remaining. The bike ran out of gas and rolled to a stop about ten miles later. The next town was 24 miles ahead. I wasted about three hours hitchhiking up and back to get gas.

To your point about crossing Nevada, Tonopah to Ely is about 170 miles and it's very difficult to do it at less than 90-100 mph. There is no gas (or anything else) between those towns. Gotta pay attention to your gas gauge at those speeds!

That must have been a serious cross-wind!!!

Working on Ipad, I thought I dropped this post, which is now redundant.

Tried to delete, but do not have permission

Lol, I believe the time limit is 60 minutes or less. So be sure you don't say anything you will later regret; it'll be there for posterity.

I know that the time limit has definitely changed my approach to posting; I may be disputatious at times, but try to keep it reasonable, respectful, and lay off the ad hominem stuff, while I attempt to stay on point.

It was just a few minutes after posting.

 

[jtopiso_imp]

Most Vehicles use the Fuel in Fuel tank to cool the Fuel pump, so running it our "might" lessen the Fuel Pumps life span.

Just a thought

That has been my thinking for many years, however it depends upon the pump system:

A. If continuous flow with unused fuel recirculated to the tank, then flow cools pump.

B. If regulated, such as variable voltage or a pressure regulator and flow is not continuous, then the pump may get hotter.

When I managed an electric motor repair shop, we also sold and repaired pumps and most would burn the seals if run without fluid.

OTOH, the 12 VDC water pumps at our ranch are supposed to be able to run dry without harm. They sure don't like it if not purged before freezing weather!

If there is no fluid then there is no load, so it may overrev --> burnt seals.

Also, if there is no load, current through the pump will be much higher unless the electronics can avoid it. This could also harm the pump.

In any case: I think any modern fuel pump can be run dry for a while without being damaged at all. ("Modern" as "designed after the 80s").

 

[emptysea]

People used to say that it wasn't wise to run a fuel tank down to empty because of the sediment that might have formed and settled in the bottom of the tank over many years time. There probably aren't any CB1100s that yet qualify for such concerns.

Another thing in our favor with these new EFI bikes is the fuel filter being used. These are much better than the old paper gravity filters from back in the day, and the systems are under a lot of pressure.

In R&R'ing the tank on my 2013 (which had to be done several times for various maintenance procedures) I took note of the fuel connector and the overall setup. Manufacturers are very careful about this stuff these days.

Doc, I ran my '78 CB750F dry while crossing Utah back in 1979. I was fighting a stiff crosswind and was heeled over for many miles. Unbeknownst to me, because the bike was leaned over so far, it was able to suck the last of the fuel through the normal petcock tube. When the engine began to sputter, I flipped over to reserve, only to find there was precious little fuel remaining. The bike ran out of gas and rolled to a stop about ten miles later. The next town was 24 miles ahead. I wasted about three hours hitchhiking up and back to get gas.

To your point about crossing Nevada, Tonopah to Ely is about 170 miles and it's very difficult to do it at less than 90-100 mph. There is no gas (or anything else) between those towns. Gotta pay attention to your gas gauge at those speeds!

That must have been a serious cross-wind!!!

Working on Ipad, I thought I dropped this post, which is now redundant.

Tried to delete, but do not have permission

Lol, I believe the time limit is 60 minutes or less. So be sure you don't say anything you will later regret; it'll be there for posterity.

I know that the time limit has definitely changed my approach to posting; I may be disputatious at times, but try to keep it reasonable, respectful, and lay off the ad hominem stuff, while I attempt to stay on point.

It was just a few minutes after posting.

It was just a few minutes after posting.
You can edit (within either 60 or 30 minutes, I don't recall), but you cannot delete a post once it's posted. Let me try..just to be sure. brb
Nope... cannot delete..only edit.

 

[the Ferret]

60 minutes for editing. That's generous. Another forum I am on has a 3 minute time limit for edits before you have to contact the administrator. You really should be able to figure out what you wanted to say in an hour. After an hour you can contact a moderator or administrator to edit the post for you. As far as deleting a post, due to an issue in the past, only a moderator or adm can delete a post. If you want a post deleted, you must pm Guth, Cormanus or myself and we can take care of that for you, as long as it's doesn't upset the flow of conversation.

 

[SportsterDoc]

60 minutes for editing. That's generous. Another forum I am on has a 3 minute time limit for edits before you have to contact the administrator. You really should be able to figure out what you wanted to say in an hour. After an hour you can contact a moderator or administrator to edit the post for you. As far as deleting a post, due to an issue in the past, only a moderator or adm can delete a post. If you want a post deleted, you must pm Guth, Cormanus or myself and we can take care of that for you, as long as it's doesn't upset the flow of conversation.

For casual posts, yes.
For technical posts, I should delay posting and finish research, first.
If the issue is already solved, then no need to post.

 

[alprider]

btw.

last year at the DLX i put littel bit more in as the honda specs. tell and i was not run out of gaz ( ok i think short before that, in short cornering i felt a short littel faltering engine ).......or the gazstationindication was so much inaccurate...but/ and if i remember right as i made the count from the middel consumption it was the normal amount l/km

 

[the Ferret]

60 minutes for editing. That's generous. Another forum I am on has a 3 minute time limit for edits before you have to contact the administrator. You really should be able to figure out what you wanted to say in an hour. After an hour you can contact a moderator or administrator to edit the post for you. As far as deleting a post, due to an issue in the past, only a moderator or adm can delete a post. If you want a post deleted, you must pm Guth, Cormanus or myself and we can take care of that for you, as long as it's doesn't upset the flow of conversation.

For casual posts, yes.
For technical posts, I should delay posting and finish research, first.
If the issue is already solved, then no need to post.

For casual posts, yes.
For technical posts, I should delay posting and finish research, first.
If the issue is already solved, then no need to post.
You can always put your post in a Word file and save until you get everything you need, then copy and paste to the forum.

 

[peterbaron]

..... or I think we can "Safe as Draft" .... this is what I do...and update any time later...

pb

 

[Cormanus]

Don't you blokes with these new-fangled post 2013 CB1100s have a trip computer that tells you how many miles you have left in the tank? I thought you did? I also recall that Ferret and others have commented on its accuracy. Why not also review the thread on Noroomtomove's First Law of Motion and Fuel Consumption which will give you a handy tip or two on how to work out on any given occasion how much fuel you have left in the tank and how far it is likely to take you. The reserve light on my bike starts flashing at different mileages depending on a whole range of factors, like wind, riding style, temperature. What matters is how much juice you have left after how long and how far it will take you on that occasion.

Given that my riding style means I don't seem to go near the sort of MPG the Ferret and Noroomtomove are capable of achieving, my CB is going to run out of gas long before theirs. That's what I want to be able to work out.

By the way, NRTM's formula has given me a great deal of comfort. Today I happily rode more than 30 kms past the point where I would normally have filled up and achieved a personal best on kilometres ridden before filling up. I still had at least a couple of litres left so could have gone further.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

Don't you blokes with these new-fangled post 2013 CB1100s have a trip computer that tells you how many miles you have left in the tank? I thought you did? I also recall that Ferret and others have commented on its accuracy. Why not also review the thread on Noroomtomove's First Law of Motion and Fuel Consumption which will give you a handy tip or two on how to work out on any given occasion how much fuel you have left in the tank and how far it is likely to take you. The reserve light on my bike starts flashing at different mileages depending on a whole range of factors, like wind, riding style, temperature. What matters is how much juice you have left after how long and how far it will take you on that occasion.

Given that my riding style means I don't seem to go near the sort of MPG the Ferret and Noroomtomove are capable of achieving, my CB is going to run out of gas long before theirs. That's what I want to be able to work out.

By the way, NRTM's formula has given me a great deal of comfort. Today I happily rode more than 30 kms past the point where I would normally have filled up and achieved a personal best on kilometres ridden before filling up. I still had at least a couple of litres left so could have gone further.

My EX has a trip computer. If I remember which of the buttons I am suppose to push twice, it will display some information. Hopefully before I run off the road trying to access it.

Then the sun usually makes it unreadable. So If I lean forward and put my glove over it, I may be able to read it. Hopefully before I run off the road trying to steer the bike with one hand.

I have 100 maps which I use to set a route for my day ride. Each of the maps has the distance of each leg. I know I average 21 kilometers per liter on my EX. So I plan to my gas stops for 250 to 275 kilometers.

The maps also have the time required for each leg. So I can plan when and where I will stop for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon break. If possible I will stop at a place for lunch that also has a nearby gas station.

That way I don't have to worry about running out of gas or running off the road pushing buttons and trying to read some tiny and hard to read information.

These new fangled devices are like the rear view camera on my Impala LTZ. Great when you are in the shade of the garage, provided you remembered to clean the slush, road salt or dust off the lens before you pushed the starter button. But totally useless when you back out into the glare of the sun. Fortunately cars still have three mirrors.

Can you tell winter makes usually friendly and polite Canadians GRUMPY!

 

[Cormanus]

I don’t envy you winters like yours. I’d be very grumpy indeed!

The numbers on the trip meter (which is all I have) are easy to read in nearly all conditions. Sometimes simple is good.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

In the spring I will run a fuel capacity test on my second day ride.

I average 21 kilometers per liter on my 2017 CB1100 EX. If the tank holds 16.8 liters as the Owner’s Manual shows, the maximum calculated fuel range should be (16.8 L x 21 KPL) approximately 350 kilometers.

According to the Owner's Manual the last segment of the gauge should flash when there is 3.6 liters of gas left in the tank. So I should be able to travel about (13.2 L x 21 KPL) 275 kilometers before the last segment of the gauge flashes. If it flashes before that, I will know Honda Canada was right about the tank holding 14.6 liters and re-fuel.

It is does not flash until 275 kilometers, with 3.6 liters of fuel I should be able to travel another (3.6 L x 21) 75 kilometers. But I am not going to push my luck. Push being the operative word.

According to the Owner's Manual the last segment of the fuel gauge should go blank when there is 1 liter of fuel left. So I should be able to ride about (2.6 L x 21 KPL) 55 more kilometers before that happens, and still have enough fuel to find a gas station within the next 20 kilometers. If that happens I know the tank holds 16.8 liters.

 

[alprider]

i dont know...but in the owner manual you can read how big is the total tankvolume....i hold this 14.6 on the canadian page as a writing error..

has not the old "standard" just this 14.6l ?

and i dont belive honda makes extra realy 2 versions of a edgeless tank for the 17' models...

every pic/ (tank)-desing that i saw until now from a 17' model looks for me identical

 

[Cormanus]

Nortoon, if you're planning your fuel stops for between 250 and 275 kms, your fuel tank must be bigger than 14.6 litres. Although noroomtomove has run his 14.6 litre tank dry in the region of 300 kms on a couple of occasions, there's no way I'd plan on allowing more than 250 kms between fuel stops. Even then I'd be nervous.

I'm confident my tank is 14.6 litres and the wee red flash has been known to start before I've gone 200 kms—usually only in city traffic or, for some reason, when I've had fuel stabiliser in it. More usually, though, it starts flashing between 200 and 220 kms. If it starts at 200, I'll confidently go to 230 and a bit before refuelling, although I usually put around 10-11 litres in it. Pterodactyl, with whom I've ridden a good few kilometres, has a similar fuelling experience.

My manual says I have 3.5 litres left when the light starts flashing.

But then, I draw your attention to the curious incident of VLJ's refuelling, reported here.

One final thing. Either Honda Canada or Honda US is wrong. Honda US says [url=http://powersports.honda.com/2017/cb1100/specifications.aspx]here that the fuel capacity of the 2017 EX is 4.4 gallons (or 16.6558 litres). I don't know that I'd rely on it, but using Google Chrome with its in-built translator tells me the Japanese web site claims 16 litres for the EX and RS and 14 litres for the standard.

 

[alprider]

by the standard i dont know of course i have only a DLX......but there if you mean its already full....you get with a lot patience swallow for swallow more in....mabye until 1/2 l more. by the end........at the 17' model is that this effect not that big ...but...

 

[cookiemech]

All this talk of fuel capacity might prompt me to do something I've considered for years, which is to strap a one-gallon plastic gas can on the back and run the bike out of gas to learn its true usable capacity. In my experience, most (but not all) vehicles are very conservative with their gauges and low fuel lights, for the obvious reason that manufacturers don't want unhappy owners running out of gas.

But I find it silly to feel the need to refuel a small (less than five gallons) tank when there may be two gallons left. I just sold a Moto Guzzi with a reputed tank capacity of nearly five gallons. The stupid thing only returned 37 or 38 miles per gallon (and yes, it was stock and perfectly tuned), and the low fuel light turned on consistently at about 133 miles. I could only stuff 3.2 or 3.3 gallons in it . . . so what was the usable capacity?

And I had a 2009 Harley Ultra (stock, like all my bikes) that allegedly had a six-gallon tank. It also had a gauge and a "miles remaining" calculation that was selectable on the dash. Once the low fuel lamp illuminated, the display switched and started the countdown. I was on I-77 in Ohio early one morning, approaching the New Philadelphia area; the countdown was in progress . . . 25, 20, 15 . . . then "LO". (Note: When it says "LO", believe it!) I knew where the gas station was (the BP) and could actually see the sign in the distance. Well, the near-900 pound SOB started chugging. Terrific, at 70 mph with traffic. I eased off the throttle and hoped. Made it to the exit, but there was a traffic light at the bottom. Please, please, be green . . . It was, and I rolled into the station on the fumes. I stood there and nursed every bit of gas into the tank that I could. It took 5.48 gallons. Not six. Irritated me to no end. If you claim six gallons, the damn thing better take six. POS.

On the other hand, I had a similar experience with my old Road King near home. It was late autumn, so time to put the King away for the winter. I knew it was low on gas, but the station was just one exit down I-70. Yep, started chugging on I-70. Pulled into the station and filled it. It took 4.97 gallons. That one was a true five-gallon tank, as advertised.

My BMW R1100RT was advertised as having a 6.6 gallon tank. But one day I ran it up over 300 miles on a tank and put 6.8 gallons in it . . .