Fuel range and the warning light.

[audiomick]

I was able to get out for a ride the other day. The fuel light came on, and the number on the trip meter seemed a bit low to me. I don't remember what it was, but less than I would have expected. If I recall correctly, I think I put a bit over 16 Litres in when I filled it up.

So...

Can anyone name a figure for a 2002/2003 V11 Le Mans for about how far one can expect to be able to go on after the light comes on?

 

Kilometres would be nice, but the internet knows how to convert from miles to proper units.

[docc]

This is a short tank/ chin pad with external filter and pump or later long tank with internal pump/filter?

[p6x]

11 minutes ago, audiomick said:

I was able to get out for a ride the other day. The fuel light came on, and the number on the trip meter seemed a bit low to me. I don't remember what it was, but less than I would have expected. If I recall correctly, I think I put a bit over 16 Litres in when I filled it up.

So...

Can anyone name a figure for a 2002/2003 V11 Le Mans for about how far one can expect to be able to go on after the light comes on?

 

Kilometres would be nice, but the internet knows how to convert from miles to proper units.

Take a look at the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas 2022. I used an app to record all my refuels versus trips. You can get an idea.

I am born with the metric system, but here in the USA, it is imperial sorry.

I always refuel at 150 miles. But I have pushed above 200 miles with still fuel to spare, but I restrain myself to 150 miles.

I am going to do the same for the tour 2023.

[audiomick]

15 minutes ago, docc said:

This is a short tank/ chin pad with external filter and pump or later long tank with internal pump/filter?

Long tank I guess. Internal fuel pump definitly. It's got the fragile red connectors coming out of the tank.

 

@ p6x : thanks, I'll look at that.

[guzzler]

G'day mate

Mine comes on at about 250 kays....

This is a 2001 V11 Sport and can only seem to squeeze about 17 litres in the tank.

Not pushed it ( range wise ) with the low fuel light on since new map but think I got at least 20kays with it on before filling just after re-map.

Cheers Guzzler

[audiomick]

19 minutes ago, p6x said:

I am born with the metric system, but here in the USA, it is imperial sorry.

No worries. Have a look at this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_Australia

In 1971 I turned 8 years old, and in 1981 18. So I grew up in the middle of the conversion process. I still sometimes think in imperial, but metric is better.

19 minutes ago, p6x said:

I always refuel at 150 miles.

Ok, that lines up well with the trip meter. I think it was scratching 200 km when the light came on, and "instinct" said that there must be at least 50 km. still available. Having said that, I don't remember how close to "really full" I got the first (and up till then only) time I filled up before that.

 

Anyone else?

[al_roethlisberger]

Metric is absolutely better (IMHO)

When I was in elementary school in the early/mid-1970s the USA was trying to convert, but then it became politicized and deprioritized... and stalled part of the way through.

So now we have the strangest mix where things like bottles of soft drinks ("soda", Coke, etc) are in liters, but we buy gasoline in gallons... for just one example.

 

I'd have to go back and reference my tank capacity threads, but my recollection is that around 150 miles was where my warning light normally came on.   I think that may have been with my original external-pump tank though, as I don't think I did too many long trips after switching to the internal-pump tank.  

It would be curious to see if the light comes on at different mileage between the external-pump and internal-pump tanks, whether due to capacity or how the sensor works and is located.

 

 

Here are a couple other threads on the topic:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[p6x]

1 hour ago, audiomick said:

No worries. Have a look at this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_Australia

In 1971 I turned 8 years old, and in 1981 18. So I grew up in the middle of the conversion process. I still sometimes think in imperial, but metric is better.

Ok, that lines up well with the trip meter. I think it was scratching 200 km when the light came on, and "instinct" said that there must be at least 50 km. still available. Having said that, I don't remember how close to "really full" I got the first (and up till then only) time I filled up before that.

 

Anyone else?

Better than words:

Remove the extremes, e.g. low mileage not as representative. Remember that in the US, the gas is baptized with ethanol up to 10%, but not necessarily. I have also done some trials with ethanol less fuel.

 

[docc]

3 hours ago, audiomick said:

I was able to get out for a ride the other day. The fuel light came on, and the number on the trip meter seemed a bit low to me. I don't remember what it was, but less than I would have expected. If I recall correctly, I think I put a bit over 16 Litres in when I filled it up.

So...

Can anyone name a figure for a 2002/2003 V11 Le Mans for about how far one can expect to be able to go on after the light comes on?

 

Kilometres would be nice, but the internet knows how to convert from miles to proper units.

I found this excellent post by @p6x on this very subject saying his (later tank) warning light would come on needing 4.3-4.4 US gallons (just over 16 liters) to fill up.  Based on the stated volume of the later tank (20.7 liters/ 5.5 US gallons) and some lost volume of trapped fuel, it might be prudent to expect just shy of 3 liters to remain when the light comes on.  So "maybe" 45 kilometers of reserve range?

"If" you can spot the very first, dim flicker of the warning whisper . . .

 

[al_roethlisberger]

As mentioned earlier though, for a given rider and motorcycle, the only real way to know is to test with a small spare can of fuel, note when the light comes on, and run it out.  Do this several times and one may get a good idea of the average for their bike and riding style.

I remember doing this a few times with my FJ1200

 

[billgreenman1]

55 minutes ago, al_roethlisberger said:

As mentioned earlier though, for a given rider and motorcycle, the only real way to know is to test with a small spare can of fuel, note when the light comes on, and run it out.  Do this several times and one may get a good idea of the average for their bike and riding style.

I remember doing this a few times with my FJ1200

 

I've been told that it is "bad" to run a fuel injection car or bike out of gas... when I did a tank-off maintenance I ran the pump a few times before hitting the starter; is this an old wives' tale?

[audiomick]

6 hours ago, docc said:

"If" you can spot the very first, dim flicker of the warning whisper . . .

I noticed that as the level got low, the light was coming on when the bike was on the side stand and going off when it got stood up straight. After a few more miles it was on constantly.

Oviously that doesn't help during a long drive, but I shall be watching for this as an "early warning system" when I start up the bike.

[Chuck]

3 hours ago, audiomick said:

I noticed that as the level got low, the light was coming on when the bike was on the side stand and going off when it got stood up straight. After a few more miles it was on constantly.

Oviously that doesn't help during a long drive, but I shall be watching for this as an "early warning system" when I start up the bike.

That is strange.. the sensor is on the left side, so you'd think it would have a tendency to come on when stood up straight.. (scratching head)

[p6x]

12 hours ago, al_roethlisberger said:

Metric is absolutely better (IMHO)

When I was in elementary school in the early/mid-1970s the USA was trying to convert, but then it became politicized and deprioritized... and stalled part of the way through.

When I took my job in the oilfield, units for reporting varied with the operator depending on country of origin, but even for oil companies based where the metric system prevailed, there were differences in what units you had to use.

This was a real nightmare. Pressure units in psi, kg/cm2, atmospheres, bars, kilo pascals. Standard systems variation: e.g. reporting according to inches of water or millimeters of mercury.

But the most difficult for me were physical measurement and mass units and of course volumes. meter foot inch, fractions, short ton, metric ton. Before computers would automatically translate everything, all computations to be vetted by the customer had to be in his units of choice.

 

[al_roethlisberger]

30 minutes ago, p6x said:

When I took my job in the oilfield, units for reporting varied with the operator depending on country of origin, but even for oil companies based where the metric system prevailed, there were differences in what units you had to use.

This was a real nightmare. Pressure units in psi, kg/cm2, atmospheres, bars, kilo pascals. Standard systems variation: e.g. reporting according to inches of water or millimeters of mercury.

But the most difficult for me were physical measurement and mass units and of course volumes. meter foot inch, fractions, short ton, metric ton. Before computers would automatically translate everything, all computations to be vetted by the customer had to be in his units of choice.

 

 

Yep, and then this can happen:

 

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/nasas-most-expensive-mistake-bb634fb36840