Fuel Level Display Accuracy R1150RT

Does anybody know if the Fuel Level Display in the 2002 R1150RT model is accurate enough? My owners manual says that when you have two bars only, you still have 4 liters (a little over a gallon which is the "reserve") in the tank and that the orange fuel light should also be on. I have gone to only one bar and the light still does not turn on.
Is this normal in this model?

According to the manuals the usable fuel is 6.6 gallons. Has anybody had the orange fuel light came up and how many gallons did you filled up when this happened?

Thanks!

It depends.

There are 2 different components at work here when dealing with the fuel levels. The float arm on the fuel pump plate inside the tank is for the low fuel light. The fuel level display on the RID has a separate float inside the tube on the right side (also inside) of the tank. If either float has a bend or hangs up then the information that you receive with the light or the RID could be inaccurate.
Most times they are consistent and you learn about your bike and figure out what it's telling you. Bike to bike it does differ based on the different systems.

In general the information about 1 gallon of gas left when the amber light comes on is accurate. Mine and many of my riding buddies act that way. You're going to have to experiment a little to see what your reserve is. Could be that your amber light bulb is burnt out, or it may just come on when your RID is showing no bars.

Forget the manual. Calibrate and get to know your particular fuel gauge.

The next time it switches from two to one bar and it usually flashes back and forth between the two, gas up and note how many liters it takes to fill. You now know how many liters remain. Based on that, you can calculate when you'll be pushing. Do this a few times and see if your results are consistent.

sriverag said:

Does anybody know if the Fuel Level Display in the 2002 R1150RT model is accurate enough? My owners manual says that when you have two bars only, you still have 4 liters (a little over a gallon which is the "reserve") in the tank and that the orange fuel light should also be on. I have gone to only one bar and the light still does not turn on.
Is this normal in this model?

According to the manuals the usable fuel is 6.6 gallons. Has anybody had the orange fuel light came up and how many gallons did you filled up when this happened?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I have actually put 6.6 gallons in my 2002 R1150RT twice and 7.0 gallons once (wittnessed by Herb Anderson, owner of Grass Roots BMW in Cape Girardeau).

I forgot to fill up before a Wednesday night RTE last summer. When I realized my mistake, we were 30 miles from gas. I asked Herb to follow me at 45 mph to conserve fuel. The RT never hesitated, but I suspect was near running on vapors.

My fuel light comes on about ten miles after I drop to one bar. That would suggest at least on gallon remaining when you first go to one bar.

I did refueled yesterday after it changed from 2 bars to one bar (may be I drove around 5 miles after it happened) I filled 5.54 Gallons. The amber low fuel light did not came on. Seems to be I still had left over a gallon.

In order to test my system further, I may carry a one gallon gas container with fuel and wait until all bars have disappeared and see if the light comes on. If not, I may keep riding until it lights on or I run our of fuel!
This way I'll be able to confirm how much gas I have left once the light comes on, or if the light bulb is damaged!


Thanks for you input!

Don't pay much attention to when the last RID bar goes out. The fuel gauges on these bikes are junk and every one seems to be different. Experiment with yours and get to know what is "normal". On my RS, I typically can burn thru 1 gallon AFTER the last bar goes out before the low fuel light comes on and there is probably at least 1 more gallon after the low fuel light comes on.

Do not run out of fuel!

sriverag said:

I did refueled yesterday after it changed from 2 bars to one bar (may be I drove around 5 miles after it happened) I filled 5.54 Gallons. The amber low fuel light did not came on. Seems to be I still had left over a gallon.

In order to test my system further, I may carry a one gallon gas container with fuel and wait until all bars have disappeared and see if the light comes on. If not, I may keep riding until it lights on or I run our of fuel!
This way I'll be able to confirm how much gas I have left once the light comes on, or if the light bulb is damaged!


Thanks for you input!

Click to expand...

You may damage or destroy your fuel pump if you run out of fuel!

The bar indicators are not very accurate. I have three BMWs that use the same indicator and over time, there accuracy changes.

I have found the best way to keep track of fuel is the old fashioned way of setting your trip meter after each fill. The MPG on my bikes are pretty consistent, so you should have a good idea when the low fuel light comes on for each bike. The low fuel light tends to be very accurate. I use the bar indicator as nothing more than an a rough estimate, since each bar is approximately 30 miles.

GlobalRider said:

Forget the manual. Calibrate and get to know your particular fuel gauge.

The next time it switches from two to one bar and it usually flashes back and forth between the two, gas up and note how many liters it takes to fill. You now know how many liters remain. Based on that, you can calculate when you'll be pushing. Do this a few times and see if your results are consistent.

Click to expand...

That's a cool idea... I took a different approach, but it does require a reserve light that does come on.

As an FYI, for my 2004 R1150RT...

With a "full tank" (filled when bike is on the side stand) my first bar "disappears" after about 24 miles.

I also make a mental note how many miles I've done when my reserve light comes on (usually around 220 ~ 230), and based on my MPG for that tank of gas (more accurate then gallons to fill) for the tank, calculate that I typically have about .9 gallons in the tank when the light came on...

Basically: Reserve = 6.6 - (Light On / MPG)

MPG is when I actually do fill up, which could be 10 to 20 miles from when the light came on.

Personally, I don't trust any fuel gauge, car, truck, boat or bike. I go by mileage. 200 miles then I fill my 2002 RT.

GlobalRider said:

Forget the manual. Calibrate and get to know your particular fuel gauge.

Click to expand...

I think that is the best way, and JamesDunn, I think you are right as well, fuel pumps don't like to run dry but you gotta do it once.
My bike went 460kM on a tank(I had a jerry can that day), I get a low fuel light with 160kM remaining(which is way too far to be useful) and I use the trip meter to fill up no later than 400kM.
I think fuel gauges on bikes are a bit of an afterthought, maybe the big touring bike gauges work better...

MotorradMike said:

Fuel pumps don't like to run dry but you gotta do it once.

Click to expand...

Well I haven't read it on any official site, but I believe the reason is that the fuel acts as a coolant and heat transfer medium. Plus the fuel may also act as a lubricant for the internals.

I don't even know how our fuel pumps work as I've never had one apart. Are they a plunger type, a vane type, or...? They have to build up quite a bit of pressure compared to the mechanical and electrical pumps that supplied carbs (on cars).

MotorradMike said:

My bike went 460kM on a tank(I had a jerry can that day), I get a low fuel light with 160kM remaining(which is way too far to be useful) and I use the trip meter to fill up no later than 400kM.

Click to expand...

Almost all of my fill-ups are in the 450+Km range (bigger tank) with a handful above 500 kms. The furthest being 530 kms, taking 26.1 of a possible 30 liters. When I get to the 25 liter mark, my last bar will start to disappear (based on memory) and thats usually at the 450 km mark when I ride more spirited. I know when my warning light goes on (last bar), I could ride another 100 kms if I keep it below 90 kph.

The best part about my old R100 GS is that it has 2 fuel shut off valves. When the engine begins to sputter, I turn the left one off and the right one to reserve, note the odometer reading and wait for it to sputter again and note the new odometer reading. The difference is how far I can go again on the left side of the gas tank. I then shut off the right side and turn the left side to reserve. Anything that splashed over to the right side will be enough to get me up a driveway to ask for gas if it came to that.

The right half of the gas tank has the relays, ignition module, etc. under the tank, so that side is a bit smaller and will run out quicker.

Just a trick I employed that really works...probably came from my flying days where fuel management is a bit more critical.

GlobalRider said:

Plus the fuel may also act as a lubricant for the internals.

I don't even know how our fuel pumps work as I've never had one apart. Are they a plunger type, a vane type, or...? They have to build up quite a bit of pressure compared to the mechanical and electrical pumps that supplied carbs (on cars).

Click to expand...

Typical injection fuel pump:
Vane type / fuel cools & lubricates the internals as well as washing away any dirt including carbon from brushes.
I once did an autopsy on a failed unit and found the brushes to be completely gone with a deep groove in the commutator where they once rode. The entire pump was spotless inside

Mine is pretty accurate. What I recommend is doing a trip where you fill up after each bar mark. That is what I did and I learned that when I hit 1 bar left I have about 0.75 gallon left. Also remember that your tank will expand and contract as temperature changes (as will gasoline)

GSAddict said:

I once did an autopsy on a failed unit...

Click to expand...

We don't hear about it often, but I wonder at how many clicks these are failing or wearing out at.

On my 04 RT the low fuel light come's on about the time the last bar disapears. I gone 62 miles on the light (poor planning on my part) and when I filled up it took 6.4 gallons. So I guessing about 1.5 gallons when the light comes on.

Thread Hi-jack
I average between 43 and 51 mpg depending on riding style and have done 310 miles on a tank. see above, how about you..

I just returned from Daytona Beach and averaged 40 to 41 MPG (@75 to 80 mph indicated). I did not let the bars drop to the bottom but I'll test a little bit once I ride it more and may be the light may come on after the last bar disappears.

After refueling, my fuel gauge drops 1 bar after riding 10 miles only, but the rest of the scale keeps dropping in a more consistent way.

Anyway I don't want to empty completely the tank since I've heard that the fuel pump is lubricated by the same fuel.

Thank you very much for your comments and I'll do some homework on this!

My yellow fuel light comes on only when there are zero bars displayed in the RID. In fact, hardly any time at all passes between when the last bar disappears and the yellow light comes on, meaning I have 40-50 miles left before I run dry.