Fuel Guage

[The Spaceman_imp]

How well does your fuel guage work? Mine goes into red flashing mode when there's still almost half a tank left. I don't expect the guage to be perfect, but this is too much.

In a recent review on Motorycle.com they had a very similar issue; on their bike the guage would show Full for 3/4 or more of the tank, then suddenly drop all the way down into "reserve" mode.

This may be a production defect that Honda needs to address for everyone. If you feel your fuel guage doesn't work like it should, please post here and perhaps we [/b]can take it to Honda US as a group.

 

[wildezt_imp]

Mine also acts wierd at times....had a sudden dropping experience too to flashing..from 3 bars..once

 

[dBuster_imp]

Okay I am at work and not by my manual but don't our bikes have a 3.9 gallon capacity? At what point does the thing start flashing?! I have ridden my bike down to the one bar and rode for almost 40 miles at that then said I better fill up and then only ended up putting 2.5 gallons in, to the bottom of the filler neck that is.

So at what point does the reserve kick in and the gauge flash at you to fill up?! Would like to know so I don't end up pushing the bike somewhere...

 

[the Ferret]

The fuel gauge has 5 led bars. One would think that each 1/5 th of a tank of gas used would cause 1 bar to go out, but it's not like that.( doesn't work like that on my car either). The bars on the CB's fuel gauge drop pretty quick down to 2 bars ( on mine it used to be at 80 miles) down to 1 bar (at 105 miles) and the last bar starts flashing at about 126 miles. As my mileage has improved with miles so has my mileage and the distance between bars has lengthened. See results of my last tank below.

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=570

On my last tank I went nearly 175 miles before filling up and I still wasn't empty. These days I run the regular odometer until Im down to 1 bar, then hit the button that I zeroed at the last fill up, and feel confident about going 160 miles on it before needing gas.So, no, its not linear, but you don't have to panic that it quickly goes down to 2 bars.

The most Ive put in, and that was at 171 miles, was 3.1 gals ... and in theory still had .8 gallon in the tank or approx another 40 miles at 50 mpg, but I dont know if you can actually put in or use the whole 3.9 gallons Honda claims will go in the tank.

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

Okay I am at work and not by my manual but don't our bikes have a 3.9 gallon capacity? At what point does the thing start flashing?! I have ridden my bike down to the one bar and rode for almost 40 miles at that then said I better fill up and then only ended up putting 2.5 gallons in, to the bottom of the filler neck that is.

So at what point does the reserve kick in and the gauge flash at you to fill up?! Would like to know so I don't end up pushing the bike somewhere...

This is pretty much the problem: the gauge says you're on reserve, which ought to be 1 gallon remaining, but the bike is still half-full.

Like the ferret, the only way I can "gauge" how much fuel is left is with the odometer. I'm getting around 40 mph average, so I reset at fill up and start looking to refill around 120 or so. Meanwhile the bike says I ran out of gas 80 miles ago...

 

[the Ferret]

At 120 miles my reserve light isn't even flashing yet. You should still have at minimum (at 40 mpg) another 30 or 40 miles before you actually need gas.

 

[ChipBeck_imp]

When only one bar remains on the fuel gauge (but it's not flashing), that should indicate that the bike has .8 gallons remaining. Obviously it doesn't as the bike runs for some time before that last bar starts flashing and the flashing indicates .9 gallons if I remember right. When I have about half a tank my gauge changes readings when going up or down hill and braking or accelerating. It's not a real precise instrument. The old style gauge on my Road King is better but still not great. The trip odometer appears to be the better way to estimate fuel remaining.

Chip

 

[the Ferret]

Could always do what we did in the old days...remove (open) the gas cap, bend your head down and cock it to the side, one ear down, rock the bike back and forth between your knees, and listen to the volume of the slosh.

 

[_imp]

It doesn't work too well. Just use your trip odometer to be sure.

 

[dBuster_imp]

My Yamaha XS850 didn't have the luxury of a fuel gauge so a tap on the side of the tank to hear the dead space/air or open the tank up and slosh. After a while though you learn the mileage to go by between fill ups and I am sure I will be doing the same thing with the CB1100...

 

[oldyaler_imp]

My Yamaha XS850 didn't have the luxury of a fuel gauge so a tap on the side of the tank to hear the dead space/air or open the tank up and slosh. After a while though you learn the mileage to go by between fill ups and I am sure I will be doing the same thing with the CB1100...

That's the way I've always done it. I can't understand why it seems so difficult to make a fuel gauge that reads accurately. The ZR7s I owned had an analog type gauge that was almost useless too but a member of the ZR7 forum discovered a simple fix- he installed a resistor between two posts on the rear of the gauge and Voila!, the gauge was dead accurate. Maybe if someone here has or knows someone with an electronics background could come up with a solution?

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

It doesn't work too well. Just use your trip odometer to be sure.

Suit yourself, bu I don't think that's good enough for a $10k motorcycle from Honda. Maybe a $4k bike from China, but I expect more from this bike.

 

[the Ferret]

It doesn't work too well. Just use your trip odometer to be sure.

Suit yourself, bu I don't think that's good enough for a $10k motorcycle from Honda. Maybe a $4k bike from China, but I expect more from this bike.

Suit yourself, bu I don't think that's good enough for a $10k motorcycle from Honda. Maybe a $4k bike from China, but I expect more from this bike.

The one on my $17k Honda motorcycle, my $19k Honda car or my $ 35k Honda truck doesn't work much better. None of them are linear. On the 4 wheelers it stays on full forever, then drops like a stone. On the bikes just the opposite.

Can't compare it to much else, about all I drive are Hondas's. The vehicles are so good I will forgive them for goofy inaccurate fuel gauges.

 

[oldgoat01_imp]

I always thought the trip odometer WAS the fuel gauge.
I guess watching the odometer comes from once having a car with a broken gauge. Add to that, being broke and trying to get every last mile before putting $2 in the tank (yes $2 would get you a half dozen gallons), and I became conditioned to the odometer as fuel gauge routine (and why I thought the invention of the trip odometer as a godsend as I must admit running out a couple of times). Heck, I still reset the trip odometer on my car when I fill up.

 

[Buffalohead_imp]

I always hold a match down at the gas filler so I can see how much gas is in the tank! ;-)
It works well but you can't do it very often.

 

[_imp]

I always hold a match down at the gas filler so I can see how much gas is in the tank! ;-)
It works well but you can't do it very often.

I was with a guy who did that to see how much water was in my car's battery; this was almost 40 years ago. The battery blew up in my face (no sh*t). People actually do that kind of thing. I didn't know any better at the time.
I wonder if the gage is self-calibrating. I was told my new little Chevy Sonic's six-speed automatic tranny would actually pay attention to how I drive and "learn" my driving style to optimize shift points. Since it's electronic and the bike has a main computer (remember the "check engine" light) like a car, that capability could well be there. I am pretty sure that the gage is now reading much more accurately after the second fillup.

 

[CB1100dan_imp]

Mine starts to flash with over a gallon left in the tank. I have yet to put three gallons in the tank on a fill up. The gauge seems to consistent if not very accurate.

 

[soggybottom_imp]

I have owned many, many motorcycles and cannot remember any that had a gas gauge that worked even close to accurate. Cars and pickups aren't much better. I always used the trip-0-meter. But inaccurate speedo's really get my goat and I don't think I ever had an accurate speedo on a bike except for a BMW K75 and a few later model Harleys, most are 3% to 5% optimistic.

 

[flynrider]

I have owned many, many motorcycles and cannot remember any that had a gas gauge that worked even close to accurate. Cars and pickups aren't much better. I always used the trip-0-meter. But inaccurate speedo's really get my goat and I don't think I ever had an accurate speedo on a bike except for a BMW K75 and a few later model Harleys, most are 3% to 5% optimistic.

With the old mechanical speedos, you were lucky to get within 3% at higher speeds (i.e. above 70 mph). I tested the CB11's sensor driven speedo up to 100 mph with a GPS and it was right on the money the whole time.

 

[soggybottom_imp]

My NC700dct is on the money, I forgot about that one, I'm happy to hear my cb should be also. The electronic speed checkers are all over N. Scottsdale now and are usually followed by a picture taker. But the checkers seem accurate at least.