Fuel Gauge and Fuel Warning Light (1150GS)

[R Savage]

I displaced, i.e. lifted without (consciously!) disconnecting any pipes or cables, my fuel tank when checking a problem with the brakes. Now my fuel warning light does not come on until there are no bars on the RID.

Any suggestions?

Rgds Richard

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Mine doesn't and it shouldn't come on until rid is at zilch , then it comes on and you've got 4 lts

 

[R Savage]

Johnny,
According to p23 Rider's Manual the warning light comes on when there are 4 litres of fuel in the tank and this corresponds to 2 bars on the RID.
Rgds Richard

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Mine comes on at 1 bar and the tank will take about 19 - 20 litres at that stage. Since the manual says there is a 22 litre usable capacity, I presume there are only about 2 - 3 litres (max) left - say 20 -30 miles. I haven't been brave enough to see if I there are 4 litres left.

Paul

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

What 's the most yuo've got out of a tankful - me 230 miles and put in 21 litres - never been able to get any more in. My 1100 light came on @ 2 bars and the 1150 comes on @ zero bars - so I take it that when the light comes on , on either bike, I 've got 4 ltrs .The RID bars are notoriously inaccurate and are only a guide - my 1150 never registers full ie all the bars - even when the tank is brim - full. In 60,000 miles in 4 1/2 yrs on both GS's I 've never run out using the light = 4 ltrs system.

 

[Zwerver]

On my 1150 the light comes on at 1 bar, and most of the time
I can get 20 liters of fuel in.
Once I got 21.9 liters in after riding "on vapours" for some miles. These bikes are NOT made for walking, I found out the hard way...

 

[Hedgehog]

It's just an indicator.....

I've run out of fuel twice - once at 200miles (1998) & once at 174!(2001). Both of these times I couldn't fit the full 22 litres in ?!?
I've since discovered that the tank doesn't come with a crossover pipe as standard so on long motorway trips you can drain 1 side of the tank completely & still have up to 3 litres in the other side.
So the light can be on .... the RID can be saying what it likes ..... at the end of the day neither can be relied on to tell you how much fuel is left in the tank - only that, when the light isn't lit & the RID shows bars, you've got a reasonable amount.

Use it as a guide..... it ain't rocket science....
....& if it does run dry 1. turn off engine & 2. tip bike over to RHS - you might get as much as another 30miles normal riding out of it (lots more if you're careful).

 

[Paul Young]

There was a guy from NW USA called John Jensen who has developed a "Syphon Sucker" to resolve this issue. It syphons fuel across from left to right lobes of the tank.

Check out the archives on the Micapeak list for details. I think he was charging $25 for the kit of parts and you had to make some alterations to the filler neck to accommodate it. I was going to get one but changed jobs and don't need to fill up as often now, so I can't be bothered doing the work involved. If you regularly drain the tank in one go, this would be a great idea.

Cheers,
Paul.