Fuel Management

[Coyote Chris]

My owners manual says that when the needle hits "E" there is .98 (sic) gallons left. It also says the gage is "approximate".
(Who says Honda doesnt have a sense of humor?)
It also appears to me that the gage is non-linear. I believe there is no idiot light to say you are about out.
Since the MPG computer lies like a politician, how do you manage YOUR fuel?
On my Connie, I have an adjustment so I can set the fuel gauge to read "E" right when it goes on reserve.
There is no such safety margin on the NT. When you hit bingo fuel, you are probably just gonna go to the side of the road and maybe overheat the fuel pump.
Coward that I am, I need a valium if the needle touches the red. Do you just use the trip odometer and pay attention to the headwinds or what?

 

[Phil Tarman]

Chris, the gauge may not be linear, but it is very consistent. I've been down as low as two or three needle widths below the red and put in about 4.7 gallons several times. I usually figure I've got 40-50 miles left from the very top of the red. Of course, YOUR mileage may vary!

 

[Coyote Chris]

Chris, the gauge may not be linear, but it is very consistent. I've been down as low as two or three needle widths below the red and put in about 4.7 gallons several times. I usually figure I've got 40-50 miles left from the very top of the red. Of course, YOUR mileage may vary!

OK, thats interesting and contrary to the manual. They say .98 gallons left when the gage hits the empty line, not the red.....
I think you have the right idea....

 

[Rmcapozzi]

My wife experienced the same thing. The needle went into the red and we put 4.2 gallons in. She was a bit panicked getting to the fuel station but now she knows better. The needle hits the red and she has a comfortable 25 miles to find a station and still have .5 gallons left.

 

[vzshadow]

There have been a number of threads about this issue in the past. I recommend you use the odometer to gauge your fuel needs. I know I can confidently go 250 miles before I absolutely need gas. Usually when I hit 220 miles or so on a tank I try and gas up.

 

[Lorien]

Does seem to be a challenge to find that last gallon of gas doesn't it? When I hit 200miles on a full tank I start thinking about fuel stations. Have gone 225 and never put more than 4.7 gallons in as I recall-usually around 4.2. This of course with the fuel indicator in the red for the past 50 miles or so. On my bike the fuel usage goes like this: when the gauge first moves I have used 1 gallon, at half indicated the second, the third to the red, and the fourth in the red. Like I say never have really found that fifth gallon.

 

[RedNigel]

My needle drops so fast once I get into the red its unreal. Seems that no sooner do I hit red, it drops to the bottom in about 5 minutes. I can't bring myself to ride the needle below the "E"

 

[junglejim]

It is easier to stop for gas than it is to push a motorcycle. (And that was a much smaller motorcycle when I was younger) I just stop when I have about 200 miles on my tank of gas and fill up. I've gone down into the red zone just to see how much gas remained and found (like others say) there was plenty. Besides, my personal tank needs to be emptied and refilled anyway, so I stop.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I know I can confidently go 250 miles before I absolutely need gas. Usually when I hit 220 miles or so on a tank I try and gas up.

You must not cruise at interstate speeds of 80mph! I can confidently go 180-200. But on the interstates, I really want gas at about 200 max.

 

[junglejim]

"Your mileage can vary greatly" On my first long trip with the NT I kept track of my mileage with each tank full. It ran from a high of 63 mpg to a low of 45 mpg depending on speed, headwinds, windshield height, altitude, etc.. High speeds and hard accelerations are hard on gas. I get noticably better mileage with my windshield all the way down. I normally run with the windshield in the down 1 position with a Cee Bailey +1 (yes a +4 with 3" cut off the bottom) and average in the high 50's mpg.

 

[Rich]

You must not cruise at interstate speeds of 80mph! I can confidently go 180-200. But on the interstates, I really want gas at about 200 max.

I gauge how far into the red I'll go by how many miles I've gone at the halfway mark. If I see 130 miles at that point I've been getting 50 MPG. There is some variability of consumption with the type of driving you're doing, windshield position, time of year and elevation. In 10,000 miles the absolute worst mileage I've seen is 48. But even at 80-85 MPH, if there's no wind and I'm at altitude (think most any Rocky Mountain State), my mileage has been 52-54 MPG. Depending on the expected trip in front of me (the dreaded "Next Service 56 miles" sign or I'm driving around town), I'll most often fill up around 220-230. Fuel management comes out to be just as I do when flying my plane - a combination of distance, hours, and the fuel gauges.

 

[tawilke46]

By the time I hit 150 miles or so I am ready for a break anyway. So I usually fill up then.
Besides I feel more comfortable with the gauge reading between half and full. I like having plenty of reserve.

 

[dnktng]

Anyone try to run out of gas? I did. Carried a 1 gallon can of gas to bail myself out. Here are my results:

1. Gas gauge goes about 2-3 needles below E and STOPS. Needle will not go lower, and definately will not go to the zero position as displayed with key off.
2. Was able to get ~40 miles after needle stopped moving.
3. Got 297.1 miles on that tank.
4. Filled 4.871 gallons. Usually fill 4.0 to 4.3 gallons, so I ran an extra .5 gallons out before fill up.
5. 61 mpg. This is above my normal 55-57 mpg in summer.
6. I felt engine stutter going up an incline and filled up at next gas station, so I didn't run it till it died..... but I tried & learned enough.

 

[vzshadow]

The only time I ever got less than 50 mph was on the first tank when I picked it up from the dealer. I have always suspected that the tank wasn't "full" even though the gauge read full. Generally I get 55+ mpg. I rarely ride on the interstate at 80mph. First that would stand a good chance of getting me a ticket here in Maine. Secondly, I find Interstate riding pretty boring and avoid it whenever possible. I'd much rather take a US highway and see the sights. I use interstates as a last resort when time is short and I have to get somewhere fast. Then it's 70 to 75 mph.

 

[EX Winger]

On my trips tis summer, Oregon to spearfish & back , then oregon to Denver and bck most ly freeway, mostly 70 to 85 MPH depending on speedlimit plus 8-10 MPH over or runing with traffic flow, I was anywhere from 48-to 52 tank to tank. for those of you in the easty, when runing accross Wyoming if you are not running at least 75 y ou are setting yourselfe up to get rear ended and 80/85 is much safer and just running with the traffic flow

 

[karl]

Like most of the things about this bike the fuel gauge works just fine for me. Never had to push the bike or walk for miles after the tank ran dry. Gas stations tend to be closer together here in the east, so getting to the next one is typically not a problem. Even running highway transit stretches the bike will make the next station. Riding after midnight as I often do with the shift that I work, there are fewer 24 hr places these days and as a result I will pull in well before empty to insure I am not walking on the side of the road. Hey it works for me.

 

[Chuck 500]

Since my first bike did not have a fuel gauge, I already had the habit of using the trip odometer for fuel management. I use the fuel gauge as a guide but generally fill up between 180 and 200 miles. I have rarely put in more than 4 gallons and usually less. Manual says (from memory) that when the fuel gauge shows empty there is 1 gallon left. I find that this is generally true since I usually show very close to empty (gauge pegged at bottom) on the gauge at 200 miles. On a trip this interval works out to ever other rest stop.

 

[Rich]

My wife's bike (Suzuki LS650) has neither gas gauge NOR trip odometer. We wind up putting gas in it fairly frequently. It's a small tank to begin with and it doesn't take long for there to be not much fuel apparent in the tank.

 

[Rmcapozzi]

...for those of you in the easty, when runing accross Wyoming if you are not running at least 75 y ou are setting yourselfe up to get rear ended and 80/85 is much safer and just running with the traffic flow

Same goes for the I-95 corridor in VA. Course you also run the risk of a ticket since the limit is between 55 and 70....

I always enjoy riding out west. The traffic is so light and the roads/scenery is so wide open.

 

[Rmcapozzi]

My wife's bike (Suzuki LS650) has neither gas gauge NOR trip odometer. We wind up putting gas in it fairly frequently. It's a small tank to begin with and it doesn't take long for there to be not much fuel apparent in the tank.

Up until a few years ago, my "gas gauge" was running out of gas on the main tank. I would then flip the fuel valve to "reserve" and then hit a fuel station in the next 20 or so miles. My wife really hated that method of fuel level. She really likes the gas gauge.