Quick Cure for Gas Light?

[White Dog]

I've tried to read (and understand) all the posts for gas light problems but they are way over my head.  With a 5.5 gal tank, how many miles of non-aggressive riding should I expect to get before buying gas--irrespective of when gas warning light comes on?

[johnny]

greetings white dog...

its not a good idear to run them low cause the hot gas can cause whack...

so... im gassing up at 180 miles at the very latest... prefer 150 miles if possible...

i gotts my light set up to come on with 20 miles of fuel... if the light comes on i gotts a half a gallon of usable superheated gas in there... 

this is what a full tank of boiling gas looks like... think of the whack if it was just a half a gallon...








j o

[Chaos]

take the flapper out if you haven't already, then you can just look to get an idea how much gas you have left.  I'm good till about 200 miles but the odometers on these things can be flaky.

[Laitch]

I've tried to read (and understand) all the posts for gas light problems but they are way over my head.  With a 5.5 gal tank, how many miles of non-aggressive riding should I expect to get before buying gas--irrespective of when gas warning light comes on?

The only way to figure this out with certainty in my opinion is calculate the mileage from half a dozen fill-ups in mixed driving conditions. When I first bought my bike, I filled the tank to the flapper, set the mileage to zero and ran it until it sputtered to a stop. I coasted into a gas station. Then I had a good idea how far I could go before I'd start walking. The fuel pump is cooled by fuel immersion in the tank so it's not a good idea to run low, as johnny indicated. My bike gets from 48 to 52 mpg but I'm usually in no hurry. I fill at the same mileage as johnny. My light comes on reliably between 145 and 150 miles.

[johnny]

coasting into a gas station is motobrick acceptable... especially if you been coasting down a mountain for a half an hour...

pushing an outta gas motobrick into a gas station should be avoided... its known as the walk of shame...

j o

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I am going to do a cruising range check on Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS, when she goes on the road this spring.  To avoid the walk of shame I will be carrying a gallon of corn-free in the iconic 22 liter top case. 

One puzzling thing about fuel efficiency is that when I am commuting I get ~45mpg at 65-75mph.  When I am touring that drops to 38mpg at 75mph.  Only difference beyond a 5mph increase in average speed is that commuting is done with corn-free while touring I am forced to run 10% moonshine.

[Chaos]

I gave up tracking my mileage between corn, summer and winter blends, yeeehawing and siphoning gas out for the lawnmower.  It used to get low 40's around town and high 40's on the highway.  Handy trick is when it gets low, goose the hell out of it in first, if it sputters start looking for a station (fuel runs to back of tank away from pickup)

[TimTyler]

My fuel warning light comes on with a little more than one gallon remaining in the tank, at about 165 miles. On long trips I often refuel when almost empty, at around 200 miles, but that's not recommended.

Johnny - Have you witnessed in-tank boiling fuel with the fuel pump turned off?

[johnny]

hold on... i just ingested a significant amount of trimethoxyphenethylamine...



 i will turn the fuel pump off and getts back to you straightaway...

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Since I hung the fuel cooler off the front of my engine the tank never gets hot enough to be uncomfortable, never mind boil the contents.   I don't worry about cooling the pump as it should be happy up to and above 150F or higher.  Fuel temperature normally runs only a couple degrees above ambient.

Around town I usually run 200 miles on the trip meter between fuel stops.  Low fuel comes on at about 192 miles with a little less than 1 gallon.  When touring I get the light after 160 miles, and gas up before 175.  If I hear the pump running in the tank I know I'm really low as it usually doesn't get that loud until I'm down to a half gallon or less. 

One thing I have noticed is that riding upwind in the open takes a lot more fuel as does bucking the turbulence from 18 wheelers.  This is probably the reason for lower mileage when touring as I seem to always be going to windward, and it's always blowing stink.

[White Dog]

Since I typically fill up my CB1100 at 140 miles, I'll do the same for the BMW and my Goldwing.  That keeps it simple for a simple-minded guy like me.  So maybe my Gas Light is not that far off from the rest of youse guys?

[Chaos]

if you fill up when the light comes on and it only takes 3 gallons or the tank is just about empty, bend the float are up or down to compensate.

[rbm]

Don't bend the float arm.  There's an adjuster on the sensor for setting the level where the reserve light lights.

[White Dog]

Robert, where is this part located?  Which way is the wheel to be turned?

[Laitch]

Robert, where is this part located?  Which way is the wheel to be turned?

Here are Roberts instructions from his k100 forum post with this photo.
In the photo above, you can see a toothed wheel.  This wheel rotates on a nylon pivot, causing the bottom plate to be rotated and the contact to change position.  Using a small screwdriver, get a purchase on either of the indicated lever points and engage the tip of the screwdriver's blade with one of the teeth of the wheel.  Rotate the wheel with a levering action. 

Rotating the wheel CLOCKWISE will cause the wiper to contact earlier, resulting in a LARGER reserve volume.
Rotating the wheel COUNTERCLOCKWISE will cause the wiper to contact later, resulting in a SMALLER reserve volume.

[White Dog]

This is good info.  Where is this part located on the cycle?

[rbm]

It's part of the fuel level sensor inside the tank.  Read my posting on "Messing with the in-tank fuel sender" on the K100-forum.  It describes in text and pictures the details of the fuel sender.

[Laitch]

It's part of the fuel level sensor inside the tank.

I read somewhere you used to need a trailer to carry it behind the bike. This is a big improvement.

[johnny]

i read somewheres the wheel is in the instrument cluster beneath the gas light...

[White Dog]

It's part of the fuel level sensor inside the tank.  Read my posting on "Messing with the in-tank fuel sender" on the K100-forum.  It describes in text and pictures the details of the fuel sender.

Thanks for the response.  It DEFINITELY is over my head.  Being I am new to BMW cycles and this was the first time I had seen the light come on, I naturally was concerned.  I wanted to run the tank down so it would not be so heavy when I have to remove it to install my new flasher switch.  So, I did not put but a couple gallons in, rather than complete fill-up.  The previous owner said he had seen it come on but he was either going up or down a hill and stuck with his regiment of filling the tank around 130-140 miles.  So, the light appearing at 133 miles does not seem to be that far off but as I said earlier, I'll use 140 miles as my benchmark to start looking for a station and fill up.  I wonder what mpg I might expect to get on this puppy?  I am not an aggressive rider by any stretch.

[Chaos]

Thanks for the response.  It DEFINITELY is over my head.

That's why I just bent the float rod.   As said over on the Ural forum, it's what Ivan would do.