the dreaded E

[SteveThackery 3,090]

1 hour ago, Andy m said:

I don't see why bikes need to be different.

 

Me neither, but some possibilities come to mind.  

 

Cars have closed-loop control of the fuel line pressure (or at the very least, monitoring of the pressure), whereas bikes* don't - they just rely on whatever pressure the dump valve in the tank opens at.  This means that cars can calculate more accurately the volume of fuel being delivered by the injectors, whereas bikes have to estimate it.  This lets them dynamically update the estimated range on reserve.

 

Your point is valid, I think: it might be harder to measure the volume of fuel left in the tank, for the reasons you state.  On the other hand, cars corner too, and the fuel gets flung about in the tank to some extent.

 

I think those are probably the main two factors: the fuel system on a bike is cheaper and more compact, and thus has less functionality; and bikes have weird-shaped fuel tanks, bank into corners, and so on.

 

*  certainly not the NC, at least, or any others I've owned