Fuel Gauge

[Ectopic]

Hello all

2021 R1250GS-TE

My fuel gauge has stopped going down as it should. Up until now it's been fairly linear (by which I mean it goes down as you would expect and has shown half full after about 100 miles). Filled it up last week, and noticed it hadn't gone down at all after a quick ride of 30 miles or so. After a ride this morning I've covered 100 miles since refill and only two bars on the gauge have gone out.

I recall issues with the fuel gauge sensor strip on an older BMW (a K1200GT) and that had to be replaced a couple of times. But I thought I'd read that BMW had since stopped using sensor strips and gone back to the old float system. I might have dreamt this, of course.

Has anyone had anything similar? How did you resolve it? My current plan is to use this tankful and then see if it starts behaving once I've refilled, but I'm off on a quick Euro jaunt in a couple of weeks and I'd like to get it sorted before then if possible.

(On the plus side, my MPG has shot up as the bike clearly thinks it's not using any fuel!)

Thanks.

 

[Santa-2512]

You may want to give the month of manufacture as well when you give the mnodel year, it helps looking for stuff

Good news it appears to be a fuel float and not a strip

Most bikes and cars have a dead spot on fuel gauges at the top end (if that meakes sense)

Your fuel float will be calibrated at say 60 litres giving the max position and 5 litres giving the min position

if you put 65 litres in (because filling to the filler neck gives me extra miles ) the gauge can only display full - whether you put 60 or 65 litres in

so for the first 5 litres the display dosent move, but the range and mpg calculate, becase your using fuel

when the fuel in the tank drops and the float starts to move, the ""normal"" fuel calculations haoppen, and the range / amount etc drops

Unfortunalty its not a 25% quarter system on the gauge if i recall but a large bar, meduim bar, and then smaller bars ..

There is a calculation / expalation in the mandbook if i recall

so your not getting free fuel so to speak, just a by product of over filling the tank

 

[littleade]

You could use one of the trip meters to keep an eye on things if you're worried the fuel gauge is not doing what it should?

 

[Ectopic]

You could use one of the trip meters to keep an eye on things if you're worried the fuel gauge is not doing what it should?

That's what I do anyway, so I'm not massively concerned in the short term if the gauge has gone a bit wobbly.

 

[Ectopic]

You may want to give the month of manufacture as well when you give the mnodel year, it helps looking for stuff

Good news it appears to be a fuel float and not a strip

Most bikes and cars have a dead spot on fuel gauges at the top end (if that meakes sense)

Your fuel float will be calibrated at say 60 litres giving the max position and 5 litres giving the min position

if you put 65 litres in (because filling to the filler neck gives me extra miles ) the gauge can only display full - whether you put 60 or 65 litres in

so for the first 5 litres the display dosent move, but the range and mpg calculate, becase your using fuel

when the fuel in the tank drops and the float starts to move, the ""normal"" fuel calculations haoppen, and the range / amount etc drops

Unfortunalty its not a 25% quarter system on the gauge if i recall but a large bar, meduim bar, and then smaller bars ..

There is a calculation / expalation in the mandbook if i recall

so your not getting free fuel so to speak, just a by product of over filling the tank

Thanks.

I got the bike in January 2021.

The fuel gauge is 10 small bars. (My F700GS had one big block from half full to full, which was fine, but not the 1250.)

What you say all makes sense, except that up until now the blocks have disappeared in a very even fashion - first block goes out after 20 or 30 miles. I didn't fill it any differently last time compared to what I normally do - I get it as full as I can every time.

I'll get some more miles in over the next couple of days and see what happens to the gauge as I know the tank is getting towards empty.

 

[Ectopic]

Had a lovely early morning ride today. By the time I’d finished, I’d done 148 miles since last fill, and gauge was showing 5 bars (out of 10).

Filling took 11.3 litres (capsvitybis apparently 20 litres). So 60 mpg since last fill and gauge possibly being a little optimistic, but not much.

So whatever caused the initial reluctance seems to have refilled itself, thanks.