Gas guage ?

[77crewcab]

I only have the low fuel light on my 80 wondering if a tach with the actual gas guage can be installed?

[red bandit]

Low fuel light takes a diff fuel sending unit, and that takes a diff tank.

[77crewcab]

So I would have to swap tanks and guages? Is there another way to tell just how much I have in the tank visually then?

[jeffe]

What ever you do don't use a amtch or a lighter!!!!

[77crewcab]

Well I think I have more sense than that. Actually been using a flashlight but can't find a reference point inside the tank to measure against.

[jeffe]

OK this reply is serious. My 78E is the only bike I've had with a gauge. It really is not that accurate. Friends that have had gauges on their bikes have all said that they have never trusted them. I've always used my trip meter. I reset it at each fill up.I've figured what my worse milage was going to be and multiplied that by how much gas is in the "main" tank. That would give the worse case number of miles to reserve . I knew that when I hit that number I need to start looking for gas. By watching it this way I've very seldom had to switch to reserve. Not really an answer to your question but what I've always done. Put 40K on my SR500 and almost 100k on my 650 Seca and never ran out. Probally will on the way to work tommorow. Oh well!

[77crewcab]

So once the fuel light comes on how much is left in the tank. I am figuring about 30 mpg being conservative but haven't seen anywhere what amount is in "reserve"

[TopCatGr58]

Patrick, it roughly about .5 to .75 gal, so ~15 miles or so, but can vary on bike setup, frame/tank angle, tilted more backward and you could possibly have more since sending unit is in front portion of tank!
T.C.

[fredintoon]

After the light comes on

Hi Crewcab,
my XS11SG will go ~10km from when the red light comes on until the taps need to be switched from ON to RES and then another ~10km until the bike totally runs out of gas. That's hauling a sidecar & reckoning ~27mpg.
Fred Hill, S'toon.