Range function accuracy

[Rhino]

The speedometer is more accurate now that I'm running a 55 rear tire. I still don't know why they put the inaccuracy into the speedometer on purpose. My Ford escape speedo is dead on accurate as it should be.

[maxtog]

The speedometer is more accurate now that I'm running a 55 rear tire. I still don't know why they put the inaccuracy into the speedometer on purpose.

Almost all vehicles are are that way (read too high on the speedometer).  I believe it has to do with Federal regulations- there are penalties for the speedometer reading low but not high, so they are adjusted from the factory to be on the high side.  It is very annoying.

[Rhino]

Almost all vehicles are are that way (read too high on the speedometer).  I believe it has to do with Federal regulations- there are penalties for the speedometer reading low but not high, so they are adjusted from the factory to be on the high side.  It is very annoying.

As I said my Ford Escape is dead on as well as my Nissan Titan. Even my Suzuki DR650 is more accurate then my C14. Absolutely no need to read 6% high to avoid being low. And it is very consistent. If they can make it consistently 6% high they could make it consistently 0.5% high.

[maxtog]

As I said my Ford Escape is dead on as well as my Nissan Titan. Even my Suzuki DR650 is more accurate then my C14. Absolutely no need to read 6% high to avoid being low. And it is very consistent. If they can make it consistently 6% high they could make it consistently 0.5% high.

Tested my tire sensors today.  One was perfect all day.  The other read 1 psi lower than it was.
Also tested speedometer.  It was a little more than 2MPH slower than indicated at 60MPH, which is 3.5 to 4% or so.

[connie14boy]

I agree with Max. My C-14 speedo is now dead nuts according to my GPS (with rear 55 P2), the tire pressures are always within 1-2 lbs. indicated (the best safety feature along with ABS) and the long term MPG average is accurate when I check it against actual fuel used every fill up within a mpg or so. I would say that is a lot of finesse, and as accurate as my Infiniti to boot. Also, never had a problem yet with the gear indicator. The clock keeps perfect time and never needed corrections, other than time zone changing. The "instant mpg" is useless.. I'm just so freakin' happy, I could sh--.

[Son of Pappy]

I agree with Max.  My gear indicator is going in all sorts of directions other than the gear it's supposed to be in (sensor needs to be replaced but it isn't quite bad enough to take in) and the clock has either been too fast or too slow.  I can't remember this early in the morning.

Only warranty claim I have made.  Worried the indicator may be tied to the ECU so I had it fixed ASAP.  Took the mech 5 minutes to validate issue, rode away, 2 days later they had the part and one hour later I was riding away

As to fueling at a half tank?  I reckon if you only ride 50-100 a week that may work but when you do 450+ a week that gets old really quick.  I have been in single digits a few times and I also find the MPG fairly accurate, same with the TPMS.  Since the 55s have been mounted the speedo is deadnuts on..

[B.D.F.]

I did a few tests on mine and cannot get it to 'go stupid' by turning the ignition off and back on no matter how low the fuel level. I am starting to wonder if your fuel gauge might not be off a little bit and could use calibrating (read: bend the float arm until it screams 'Uncle' and behaves properly). At this point, I would ask that you note where your fuel gauge bars change regarding mileage and we can compare them. The first bar lasts a long time, far more than 'one bar's worth' of fuel; the fuel gauge is very non- linear and not calibrated to the fuel tank in any way. All of this, coupled with you running out of fuel early leads me to believe that your fuel gauge is off or your fuel pump sock is partially clogged, forcing the fuel pump to draw fuel from higher than it normally does.

I ran my bike until the calculated range was 22 miles then shut it down overnight. After starting off again, the range reading did start off in the high 30's range but quickly (less than a mile) settled down to 24 miles, which is more than repeatable assuming there was 1/2 gallon or so left in the tank. I filled the tank about 3/8" above the splash plate and the bike took just under 5.5 gallons, again leading me to believe that the 22 to 24 mile range was very close to correct. I will continue to test this as I am curious but so at this point it does appear that the ECU and / or the dash readout stores and re-reads the last estimated fuel level when the bike is turned off and back on.

Otherwise I am out of ideas. ??

Brian

I installed Brian's low fuel warning eliminator last week. I can actually use the range function now when it is actually needed (thank you Brian!). It's a great concept. Anyway I decided to test it this weekend in a controlled setting. Unfortunately the bike ran out of gas when it said I still had 24 miles range. Disappointing but good to know. I was on ECO fuel map and taking it easy to stretch the range. It was also good to find out the bike doesn't just die. The engine starts missing and surging for a few minutes before total loss of power. I got it to the top of a hill, put it in neutral and coasted down the hill to a gas station. By the time I got to the gas station the engine was not running.  It took 5.75 gallons in up to the bottom of the filler neck with the bike on the side stand.

[Rhino]

Is there an easy way to drain the tank? Because it would be much easier to start with an empty tank, add fuel a quart at a time and see where the fuel bars respond. I also thought about pulling the sender and bending it a bit up but not sure how much bend to put in it. If I'm out at 24 miles then I would guess it's off by about 1/2 gallon. How much bend at that point in the tank would represent 1/2 gallon? Maybe I could dip the tank with some aquarium tubing. Run the tank low again, snake some tubing to the bottom, thumb over the top of the tubing, pull out and see where it is, add 1/2 gallon and do it again. That might give me an idea of how much bend to put in the float.

[B.D.F.]

No real easy way to drain the tank- I have taps in mine for an ext. tank and while that works, it is still not the fastest thing on the planet. You could probably use a long length of 1/4" vinyl tubing to drain the tank through the gashole (there, I said it). Once that was done, and you are confident the tank was very close to empty, then I would probably add fuel one quart at a time while watching the resistance of the fuel level sender. That way you would have both the reading where it starts to float as well as readings all the way to the top. I can do the same thing and then at least we would have two examples to compare; not exactly a hugely standardized test but probably an acceptable way to find a clear error.

Brian

Is there an easy way to drain the tank? Because it would be much easier to start with an empty tank, add fuel a quart at a time and see where the fuel bars respond. I also thought about pulling the sender and bending it a bit up but not sure how much bend to put in it. If I'm out at 24 miles then I would guess it's off by about 1/2 gallon. How much bend at that point in the tank would represent 1/2 gallon? Maybe I could dip the tank with some aquarium tubing. Run the tank low again, snake some tubing to the bottom, thumb over the top of the tubing, pull out and see where it is, add 1/2 gallon and do it again. That might give me an idea of how much bend to put in the float.

[stevewfl]

The fact that my C14 is a rough cut, crude Kawasaki with not much accuracy or anything is OVERSHADOWED by the fact KiPass has kept it running flawlessly for >79,000 miles and I've never had to walk/wait on tow truck

My C14 finally to get a MUCH DESERVED break, I'll be running a single cylinder thumper on my next X-country trip. I'll put a fresh FOB battery in, and I may even cover the bike in the garage just because it is so deserving of this rest. 

[martin_14]

hey Steve,
you take the FOB from the C14 on the trip with you? who knows, maybe the MPoKP covers the KLR too... 

[stevewfl]

hey Steve,
you take the FOB from the C14 on the trip with you? who knows, maybe the MPoKP covers the KLR too... 

I didn;t think about that....thanks!