Out of gas - Beware estimated miles remaining!

[NightRider_imp]

Learn your "dots" for your bike's gauge - know how much quantity NOT distance is left. Then from doing your own calcs over the years, know your specific mpg for highway and city driving. Then do a mental reset when you see your light come on as to how far you can go before you need to fill up. On my 13, I have 1.7 Gallons remaining when the last dot comes on and 1.05 gallons when it disappears to reserve. At that point, I can go apx 30 miles around town and 40-45 on the interstate highway.

If I am not on a long trip, I fill up each time I ride and certainly before 1/2 tank as routine to keep condensation from the fuel tank. If nothing else, it provides time to talk to people that are in AWE of the CB.

I don't remember a 50. I remember a 90. Here's a link for those of us who go back that far...you remember, a summer evening with that Honda small bore bike sitting on the concrete porch and you and the neighbor teen sitting around admiring what to you is a great motorcycle...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CL-/3...e361:g:LgoAAOSwstxU6jBf&item=351646770017

 

[Huladog_imp]

Ummmm, am I the only old fart who never trusts the fuel gauge on a bike and always resets the trip odometer and uses that to figure out when I need to refuel?

Then again I trust the fuel gauge on my cars, so I guess I SHOULD trust the fuel gauge on the bike.

OK, I guess I'm just old school and continued that habit of using the trip meter since bikes in the old days never had fuel gauges.

Aloha,
Huladog

 

[Cormanus]

No, Huladog. I suffer all the symptoms you describe.

 

[the Ferret]

Nope. I always use odometer. This fuel gauge is extremely pessimistic. Use the odometer on my cars too, but rarely drive the car lol

 

[flynrider]

The CB11 is the first bike I've owned that has a fuel gauge. I really miss the petcock with the reserve position. I've always used the trip meter to keep track of fuel remaining. Instead of reserve, the newfangled gauge reliably starts flashing with somewhere between 1 and 1.1 gallons left, so it works kinda like the old reserve method (as long as you remember to look at the gauge occasionally).

 

[rboe]

Ya, I've looked at the gauge it would be blinking red for low and I think, Dang, how long has it been doing THAT?

Typically I've only missed a few miles so it's not big deal (and I'm in town with lots of choices).

 

[Toddman_imp]

Aaaah the old faithful petcock that I usually remembered to turn on at about the time it started dying or forgot to turn off and was greeted with a small puddle of fuel on the ground.

How many times did I see a friend reach down to turn on his gas while trying to keep it running going down the street.
It made that sound... buhwaaa buhwaaa when you pumped the throttle.

The good ole days...

 

[kmoney_imp]

I do the same as you Hula. I don't think I've ever owned a bike that actually had a fuel gauge that was either accurate or in any way linear. I get that part of it is you're restricted by tank shape much more than with cars, but it does amaze me they can't make them better.

 

[Inhouse Bob]

My butt needs to stop before the bike does, so I always stop for gas early. #oldguyproblems

 

[the Ferret]

Which reminds me, you need to plan those into the rally routes lol

 

[Inhouse Bob]

Which reminds me, you need to plan those into the rally routes lol

Men, outstanding in their fields :angel:

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Had this happen to me on the ZX-10R. It has a fuel consumption readout to the nearest 0.1 gallon. CA models have less than the stated amount, as I learned, about a half-gallon less. Ran out of gas while waiting at a light, 3.5 gallons consumed, don't know what the actual odometer read as I don't worry much about fuel mileage. The bike calculates all that. I had to push the bike across two crosswalks at a busy intersection to a gas station and fill it up.

No one even blinked, they acted as if guys were pushing motorcycles around in full leathers every day in the week.

 

[rboe]

Pushing bikes is not all that common anymore compared to good ol' days when you had a manual reserve but ended up pushing because you forgot to reset it. Gah!

Just saw a fellow pushing his Harley up an exit ramp the other day. Oops.

 

[lol_imp]

never pass a open gas station once i get to 1/4 tank