[105]

My low fuel light comes on at about 125 miles every time. Is that normal? I've filled up a few times and my gas mileage is about 50 mpg every time. Thats about right.

 

[COrun]

Mine comes on at about the same, maybe a bit later. I fill up soon after and never get more than 3.5 gallons in.

 

[SuperSmitty]

i rode mine up to 198 and my fuel light never came on. ???
the tank is a little over 4 gallons (if that is right) then i was getting close to 50mpg.

125 doesn't sound right to me

or my light was broken ;D

 

[Oh My Sack!]

Mine would typically fade on and then off, depending on the topography of the road at the time, at the high 130's and would stay on at about 140 miles. She runs out at about 190.

Since I have installed all my Givi Luggage and have been riding 2 up pretty much since, she comes on steady in the low 130's. I haven't calc'd my mileage since the install but before, the best I ever had was about 45mpg.

Get an MSR Camp Fuel bottle and fill it with 87 octane. Run your sled out of gas a couple times and learn the limits. Just plan ahead where you'll be riding when she conks out. Best to be on the side streets when it happens.

 

[Oh My Sack!]

i rode mine up to 198 and my fuel light never came on. ???
the tank is a little over 4 gallons (if that is right) then i was getting close to 50mpg.

125 doesn't sound right to me

or my light was broken ;D

Your light is broken or something is amiss and you had to have been all but bone dry.

 

[o2lily]

Good post! i was wondering about this myself! sounds like i m normal tho. my light flicks on and off too sometimes. i err on the side of caution tho and get gas asap when that happens. good to know its the topography tho and not a loose wire or fuse!!

 

[18inch]

i rode mine up to 198 and my fuel light never came on. ???
the tank is a little over 4 gallons (if that is right) then i was getting close to 50mpg.

125 doesn't sound right to me

or my light was broken ;D

198MILES or KM ??!?!
when i ride really hard, i do 140 to 160km a tank, when im zen, i can do around 200 to 240km.

i dont know how u did 330km a tank, were u riding below 4-5krpm all the time?

 

[Dang12457]

I forget where I read it, maybe the manual, but it starts to flash when you have approx 1 gal. left and goes solid at a 1/2 gal. iirc

 

[jameswing]

My low fuel light comes on at about 125 miles every time.

That's just about when mine starts blinking.

 

[SuperSmitty]

198MILES or KM ??!?!
when i ride really hard, i do 140 to 160km a tank, when im zen, i can do around 200 to 240km.

i dont know how u did 330km a tank, were u riding below 4-5krpm all the time?

198 miles. from what i remember it was very relaxed highway riding. very little hills. from what it sounds like my fuel light was broken ??? and i got lucky i didn't run out. but to me 4 gallons at around 50 mpg would equal around 200. could be wrong though

 

[Panth]

Do remember California models of the SV have a smaller fuel tank by 1L (~1/4 gallon). Although this doesn't sound like much, it makes my fuel light blink on around 125 miles, a good 15-20 miles before a friend's non-California SV.

 

[tryce018]

Glad to see my fuel light isn't the only one that seems to come on a bit early. I filled up and rode a max of about (no gauges so i'm extimating here) 130 miles and my light started doing the blinkie show as well. Not wanting to risk running out I filled up, but I thought that seemed a bit premature. I guess not tho since she took almost a full 4 gallons. Also my riding style is... well... noobish. Since I have no tach/ speedo/ trips I'm using my ears, maps and head (math are hard) to try and figure my milage as well as when I need to shift and such. makes life interesting to say the least

 

[erstadw]

before I got my m4 slip-on and pcIII I was regularly getting atleast 190 miles before the light came steady on. about 70% of my riding is highway. Now after the mods it dropped to about 170 miles. I also shift between 4k and 5k And always stay in the highest gear possible. Thats just my 2 cents.

 

[flybyuin2.2]

I average 160 between fill ups, not many hills here in FL, the low fuel light should start blinking when getting low 1.1gal of fuel left, once under .4gal it should stay lit and no blinking but than again not all fuel gauges are the same so don't push your luck too far if no gas station near by;D

 

[Zokambaa]

i rode mine up to 198 and my fuel light never came on. ???
the tank is a little over 4 gallons (if that is right) then i was getting close to 50mpg.

125 doesn't sound right to me

or my light was broken ;D

Mine never came on, on my 1999 too.... then one time I ran out of gas when I forgot to set my trip meter...

the fuel level sender was bad... even though the little test you do in the manual to test the system said it was OK.... it just meant the light and the circuit was OK... it didn't mean the sender was good...

You'd have to take it out and stir it in gas to test it... or just do like I did and buy a known good unit and swap it out.... you can get a pretty nasty gasoline high too unless you somehow manage to drain all the gas out perfectly... or it was already empty...

 

[Zokambaa]

198MILES or KM ??!?!
when i ride really hard, i do 140 to 160km a tank, when im zen, i can do around 200 to 240km.

i dont know how u did 330km a tank, were u riding below 4-5krpm all the time?

His sender is bad and had almost nothing left I'm guessing...

 

[Wazioc]

This is the first bike I've had and when I bought it the guy told me the flashing/solid light thing when you need to refill... I was new, didnt really know what to expect, I was riding the speed limit and shifting at ~4k rpm... ended up finding out my fuel light doesnt work and ran out of gas at 211 miles. Since then I just refill around 120 to be sure since my riding has gotten a bit more aggressive.... now to figure out how to fix my light...

 

[r3t1awr3yd]

Light on at 150-180 miles. Average 3.5 gallons to fill.

 

[nevenelestate]

Do remember California models of the SV have a smaller fuel tank by 1L (~1/4 gallon). Although this doesn't sound like much, it makes my fuel light blink on around 125 miles, a good 15-20 miles before a friend's non-California SV.

good point although 15-20miles could easily be a matter of riding style, when i hit the canyons my light somes on around 115miles, highway commute during the week(40miles a day in CA traffic, splitting lanes) i usually don't start flashing till 135miles. this morning i rode all the way to work with solid light also depends what slope you are on. Going down a steep hill will make the gas cover different parts of the sensor in the tank, riding up a steep hill can make the sensor think there is more gas. I always try to remember to get gas when it starts flashing though.

 

[Zokambaa]

If your lights flash when you turn on the ignition, the bulb is ok... you can do the test of the system as per the manual.. I forget the procedure...


and if you really want to be sure... drain the gas out and hip the sensor in some gas and see if the light goes out... if it doesn't light up when out of the gas then replace the unit... it is easy.. unplug harness.. get a crescent wrench... undo the nut with the unit and pull it out... very easy except even if you have little gas in the tank it still gets everywhere...