Fuel gauge, Sirius radio reception

2018 K1600 GTL fuel gauge will not read full, always stays one bar low, have filled on center stand, side stand, makes no difference. Radio is solid reception going south, or west, is constantly linking going north or east . Will go linking sitting at an open intersection in those directions. Can turn 180 degrees in the same location and drop 2 bars in reception. Any ideas?

Welcome to the forum; sorry this is the reason for your first post. I used the tag cloud link at the bottom of the page and searched for Sirius radio. I managed to find a past thread that discussions issues with reception...maybe this will be something to consider. Also, look for other owners to chime in.

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?86917-If-you-are-having-Sirius-XM-signal-issues

Fuel not reading full

Fuel gauge reading one bar low when tank is filled is a known problem that is waiting for a solution from BMW.

d martin said:

Fuel gauge reading one bar low when tank is filled is a known problem that is waiting for a solution from BMW.

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If you know that is the case, why is it a problem? My VStrom does that too but since I know it I don't care.

Now if it showed 2 bars when only one would be accurate, or shows a bar when you are out of gas, now that would be a real problem.

Probably because he paid a lot of money for his bike and expects it to operate correctly for at least the warranty period.

arlynshirley said:

Radio is solid reception going south, or west, is constantly linking going north or east . Will go linking sitting at an open intersection in those directions. Can turn 180 degrees in the same location and drop 2 bars in reception. Any ideas?

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I found an older website which might help explain how Sirius XM delivers its signal. Here's the URL: http://www3.sympatico.ca/n.rieck/docs/sirius.html

My reception in Massachusetts seems to show that the signal is coming from what may be geosynchronous satellites near the equator. I lose the signal when in trees/rocky terrain to the south of me, but in the city (with the alleged Sirius repeater system) it's fine. Very odd.

Fuel Gauge Problem, 2018 Bagger

I'm new to the forum also, with the same fuel gauge problem, the last segment will not show when the tank is fully fueled. The local dealer did a software reload today that did not fix the problem. Now they are asking to keep the bike for a day to pull the "fuel pump and float", their words not mine.

Does anyone know what the BMW fix is for this problem/

Thanks for any information.

majortom said:

I'm new to the forum also, with the same fuel gauge problem, the last segment will not show when the tank is fully fueled. The local dealer did a software reload today that did not fix the problem. Now they are asking to keep the bike for a day to pull the "fuel pump and float", their words not mine.

Does anyone know what the BMW fix is for this problem/

Thanks for any information.

Click to expand...

BMW mechs just installed a new float after doing a software reload and it did not fix the fuel gauge problem.
Today (Dec 28) mechs followed a fix recommended by BMW (basically software, best I could tell). Did not fix problem.
Dec 28 was the third time the bike has been in the shop (@8hours+) for this problem without resolution.

majortom said:

I'm new to the forum also, with the same fuel gauge problem, the last segment will not show when the tank is fully fueled. The local dealer did a software reload today that did not fix the problem. Now they are asking to keep the bike for a day to pull the "fuel pump and float", their words not mine.

Does anyone know what the BMW fix is for this problem/

Thanks for any information.

Click to expand...

Back in the old days - mid 1980s to 1990s - BMW used fuel level sending units with float arms located in the K75, K100 (except 1993-1995 models ) and K1100 bikes. They were not all identical. On some bikes the fuel light would come on with 3/4 gallon left. Others might cause the light to come on with a gallon and a half left. I preferred the light to come on with a gallon left. It was easy to reach in and slightly bend the float arm to alter the float position slightly. I got pretty good at it, although sometimes it took a try or two before I was happy.

That said, I just can't see BMW telling the techs to reach in and bend float arms. They will probably design and distribute a jig with little hooks and a thumbscrew for the purpose of "aligning" the float arm to the sending unit electronics.

Gas Gauge Blues

d martin said:

Fuel gauge reading one bar low when tank is filled is a known problem that is waiting for a solution from BMW.

Click to expand...

I understand how a bike owner who's paid $$$ for a new bike would want this gauge to read all bars but waiting for a solution is like my wife waiting on the perfect man...

I get the feeling of pulling out of the fuel station and looking down and thinking 'damn, why didn't I fill this?'. On my 2001 RT, My 2014 RT, R1200R, and my K1600GT the one bar low phenomena is/was present. The only way I can solve is to fill the tank in a manner that 'tops it off' and usually spills gas. It is not what the manual says to do. And it's not long before that bar goes away...

The only fallback I have was the questioner who called in to Car Talk and asked about this same type of problem, stating the top half of his gas tank goes quicker than the second half. Ray and Tom nailed it when they said "The only two times your gas gauge is accurate is when you fill it and when it's empty. The rest is all guessing."

Enjoy!

Bagger Fuel Repair, Bag Latches

Got the Bagger back from the shop today. The fix for the top (Full) segment not coming on was to replace the sending unit. The shop had to wait on parts from Germany, as there were no sending units in the US. They also applied a campaign to fix the bag latches. Seams some owners have had problems closing and latching the bags. Even had some reports of bags opening on the road.

Fuel level fix

https://www.k1600forum.com/forum/bmw-k1600-general-discussions/181482-fuel-gauge-fixed-2018-a.html

PGlaves said:

Back in the old days - mid 1980s to 1990s - BMW used fuel level sending units with float arms located in the K75, K100 (except 1993-1995 models ) and K1100 bikes. They were not all identical. On some bikes the fuel light would come on with 3/4 gallon left. Others might cause the light to come on with a gallon and a half left. I preferred the light to come on with a gallon left. It was easy to reach in and slightly bend the float arm to alter the float position slightly. I got pretty good at it, although sometimes it took a try or two before I was happy.

Click to expand...

I did the same thing on our four K75s

Fuel gauge Sirius

Lee said:

I did the same thing on our four K75s

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My dealer ,Falcone Motor Sports, Indianapolis, IN. ,has the bike now,6/5/18, they are replacing the radio and state that BMW is aware of the fuel gauge problem. It is a software problem that. They are working to fix.

arlynshirley