Fuel gauge - when does it actually Flash? Down to that last bar...

[Andy m 23,473]

63 mpg isn't great for an NC. Is the use all flat out motorway or filtering? 

 

10 litres main tank, 3 litres reserve, 1 litre dead volume is about right. The light is pretty pessimistic. 

 

Andy

[Scootabout 2,248]

I've had as low as 50 mpg in heavy London traffic. 

[Empty_Ten 441]

18 hours ago, Andy m said:

63 mpg isn't great for an NC. Is the use all flat out motorway or filtering? 

 

10 litres main tank, 3 litres reserve, 1 litre dead volume is about right. The light is pretty pessimistic. 

 

Andy

 

Not sure if that was directed at me, if so then pretty much as you've said.  Avg MPG on dash says 62. something.

 

50 mile commute, first 5 miles is from house through town to the dual carriageway & motorway for about 35 miles.  Then get to J1 M1 Brent Cross and it's another 10 miles across London to get to work.

 

I don't tend to hang about on the dual carriageway/motorways. 

 

Riding in S2 for most miles although with the recent fuel shenanigans, I started using D instead.  Only marginally better MPG (around 65-67) and that was with going a bit slower on the dual carriageway/motorway.

[Andy m 23,473]

Nothing wrong with the bike then IMHO. If you want 200 miles before the light you need to gently go with the traffic flow, which at Brent Cross in rush hour is going to be slow 

 

Andy 

[turgut kalfaoglu 1]

On my 2020 nc750s things are a bit different . When it starts flashing , it starts counting up the kilometers traveled. Not the amount remaining . Yesterday I did 10km on reserve and was very happy to find a gas station afterwards..

 

[turgut kalfaoglu 1]

On 02/08/2016 at 10:14, PoppetM said:

Sorry - v stupid question. You all mention that it "flashes" - is that the last bar thing next to the E that flashes, or does it disappear and the E flashes?  

 

I am on that last bar and hoping that it will flash at me and I can fill up on the way home rather then just run dry? And also you mention the trip computer, at the moment it tells me my miles/litre, so does that start a countdown when the bar starts flashing? 

 

Sorry - it's just so I know what I am looking for - the manual didn't give much away, and I prefer the old school gauges, not these "bars". 

 

First two fill ups were quite close together, but am noticing I am getting more out of a tank now. Or maybe that's me learning how to fill it properly and not be so scared then when it shows the last solitary bar I go straight to the petrol station! 

 

Many thanks. 

 

 

Yes the last fuel bar starts flashing ..

 

[Jamesc 3,640]

My 2021 also supposed to switch to 'reserve tripmeter' when the fuel gauge last bar is flashing/3 litres or less left, according to the user manual. Normally I fill up at half a tank and forget to reset any of the trip meters. Slowly will get the hang of it...

[PoppetM 16,832]

6 hours ago, turgut kalfaoglu said:

Yes the last fuel bar starts flashing ..

 

It's ok...the bike went in 2019 🤣

[steeve139 98]

Hi,

 

I get 80mpg according to my Forza 750 display, permitting 200 miles between fill ups.  I am happy with that.  But I still wish that most motorbikes, including my own, had bigger petrol tanks.

 

I wrote to Honda telling them that I would trade some of the underseat luggage space for a bigger petrol tank.  Unfortunately, scooter storage capacity is measured in full face helmets - and it is a bit of a crude unit of measurement.  The Forza is a natural tourer and would benefit from a larger tank.

 

Even with petrol-tank-over-the-engine motorbikes, there is no practical way to get a bigger petrol tank than the one the designer chose.  CB500X 17 litres - wonderful.  CL500 12 litres - not in my garage.

[PoppetM 16,832]

22 minutes ago, steeve139 said:

Hi,

 

I get 80mpg according to my Forza 750 display, permitting 200 miles between fill ups.  I am happy with that.  But I still wish that most motorbikes, including my own, had bigger petrol tanks.

 

I wrote to Honda telling them that I would trade some of the underseat luggage space for a bigger petrol tank.  Unfortunately, scooter storage capacity is measured in full face helmets - and it is a bit of a crude unit of measurement.  The Forza is a natural tourer and would benefit from a larger tank.

 

Even with petrol-tank-over-the-engine motorbikes, there is no practical way to get a bigger petrol tank than the one the designer chose.  CB500X 17 litres - wonderful.  CL500 12 litres - not in my garage.

I must be heavy handed…. I am getting around 150 miles and had to pull into Fleet Services to fill up on way home as the light started flashing 🤣 I am certainly not getting 80mpg, I a, lucky to get to 70mpg. But then 80 miles of my 90 mile commute is motorway- that may have an impact on my figures - plus I can’t help opening her up on the slip road…😇🤣

[Scootabout 2,248]

Ahem, may I recommend a Moto Guzzi V85TT? I've heard they have a 23 litre tank, with a range of 300+ miles. 

Actually, 200 miles from a tank is what I would consider a reasonable range, personally.   

[john mackay 702]

on all my bike the fuel gauge have never been accurate apart from the early bikes .

they didn't have fuel gauge only our eye balls. lol

the only way to get an accurate  gauge is to fill up to the brim.

go for a ride as normal(don't try to conserve fuel) brisk/slow riding etc.

say you've done 150 miles ,fill up manage 8.5 ltrs.

150  divide by 8.5 = 17.6 x 4.56 = 80 miles.

do this a couple of times inc winter ,you should be able to work out on average mpg.

[Winston 72]

dont put faith in these gauges on my BMW F800gt it when  from full to half a tank in one go

[Andy m 23,473]

8 hours ago, Winston said:

dont put faith in these gauges on my BMW F800gt it when  from full to half a tank in one go

They used a car type metal strip sensor (electricity through fuel has a resistance) instead of a cork on a stick type thing. In a car it dries out gradually and gives the reading. On smaller bike tanks it seems either the whole thing is wet or it's dry, giving the behaviour described.

 

You have to admire the Bavarians for repeatedly refusing to use what every other bike maker has shown to work, thus proving Honda, Suzuki etc. did a good job 🤔😁😁😁

 

Andy

Edited August 13, 2023 by Andy m

[jeremyr62 2,538]

As has been mentioned in other threads on here, the fuel gauge on the NC is just a float on a stick so it either works or it doesn't. The "accuracy" is just related to how the volume of fuel is related to the fuel level. It's not going to be linear due  to the shape of the tank, but from the images of the fuel gauge sender on the that auction site site, the gauge has 6 evenly spaced resistance pads so there's no way the fuel gauge is going to anywhere near accurate in terms of fuel used. However, my 2018 bike has shown to have a very accurate calculated fuel used, so I just use that all the time. The reserve on the NC is huge (3.2 litres) so filling up after 30-40 miles is fine ime if you do use the fuel gauge.

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by jeremyr62

[count von count 118]

I reset trip A after every fill up and keep an eye on the average MPG. I take no notice of the bars on the fuel “gauge,” like on most bikes they’re pretty meaningless.

 

Then when the display flips to “reserve” mode and the last bar of the fuel GUIDE ( better than gauge) starts flashing, I know I have at least 40 miles to empty (@ 60 mpg), possibly 56 miles (@ 80mpg). Either way, I look for my next fuel stop immediately.

[Slowboy 20,361]

8 hours ago, count von count said:

I reset trip A after every fill up and keep an eye on the average MPG. I take no notice of the bars on the fuel “gauge,” like on most bikes they’re pretty meaningless.

 

Then when the display flips to “reserve” mode and the last bar of the fuel GUIDE ( better than gauge) starts flashing, I know I have at least 40 miles to empty (@ 60 mpg), possibly 56 miles (@ 80mpg). Either way, I look for my next fuel stop immediately.

+1