Low Fuel Warning - how many miles left

[bhodge10]

I'm sure it was posted on the old site, but I was just curious how many miles (or how much fuel) is left when the Low Fuel warning message first flashes.

[mtn.connie]

I got my first low fuel warning light the other day and my range left said 55 miles. Keep in mind that this number only speaks to the throttle position at that exact moment. My gut says that it would be fairly close to that number w/ average throttle input. That`s the best I can offer.

[B.D.F.]

1.1 gallons according to the owner's manual. That number seems to be correct in actual use.

Brian

I'm sure it was posted on the old site, but I was just curious how many miles (or how much fuel) is left when the Low Fuel warning message first flashes.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

I have gone over 40 miles with the low fuel warning and still had almost 1/2 gallon in the tank.  If I fill up as soon as the light goes off I usually put 4.5-4.8 gallons in.  So that would be very close to the 1.1 quote from Kawi.

[bhodge10]

Who knew the manual would mention it. I'm glad to hear that there should be 1.1 gallons left, it'll give me enough to get to the gas station by my house that is 30 cents cheaper per gallon than the one by my work. Thanks all.

[S.Ga.Rider]

About the most I have dared is around 20 miles but usually still have plenty left in the tank.

[B.D.F.]

I pushed it as far as I dared one day and fully expected the bike to run out of fuel but it didn't. It went well over 40 miles after the low fuel warning came on. That day the 5.8 gal. tank held 6.02 gallons too- I have the receipt around here somewhere. Doing that is hard on the nerves though 'cause I was afraid my wife was going to have to push us to a gas station.

Brian

About the most I have dared is around 20 miles but usually still have plenty left in the tank.

[Shoe]

If you're leaned over so that the remaining fuel is sloshed away from the fuel pickup then your engine might sputter and die. The C14 is too heavy bike to be pushing around.

You can run a test. Put some spare gas in a container and then run the bike until it stops. Then you'll know how far you how many miles have after the warning comes on. You then add your spare gas and fill up.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

I don't like running my tank till it is getting close to dry, that can be hard on the fuel pump.  Plus if there is any crap in the tank you can run the risk of getting clogged in the pick-up.

[Gearhead82]

I don't like running my tank till it is getting close to dry, that can be hard on the fuel pump.  Plus if there is any crap in the tank you can run the risk of getting clogged in the pick-up.

Doesn't the pick-up always suck gas from the bottom of the tank anyway?  Seems like if there's crap in the bottom of the tank, the amount of fuel sitting on top of it isn't going to affect whether or not it gets sucked into the filter/pump.

[Sea Level]

Doing that is hard on the nerves though 'cause I was afraid my wife was going to have to push us to a gas station.

 

[B.D.F.]

Yes, I believe that is how it works on a C-14 and most other bikes. Some autos have the pickup in the float arm and so draw fuel from the top of the fuel level but not motorcycles as far as I know.

Brian

Doesn't the pick-up always suck gas from the bottom of the tank anyway?  Seems like if there's crap in the bottom of the tank, the amount of fuel sitting on top of it isn't going to affect whether or not it gets sucked into the filter/pump.

[B.D.F.]

There is no side force on a motorcycle when it is being ridden. All force is always straight down through the centerline of the bike. In fact, if any side forces ARE generated when riding the bike is going to fall over on whatever side the force is pushing towards. You can generate fore / aft forces through acceleration and deceleration but not side forces.

Try it sometime- put a small cup of water on the top of the fuel tank and go for a ride. The water in the cup will remain perfectly perpendicular to the centerline of the bike no matter what the lean angle.

Physics, a blessing and a curse. A string with a weight (a plumb bob) is always perfectly perpendicular to a body of water underneath it. The ancient Egyptians used this principal to level and flatten the bases of the pyramids. Unfortunately they had to learn the lesson of 'angle of repose' the hard way (see the fallen pyramid and the bent pyramid for these lessons).

Brian

If you're leaned over so that the remaining fuel is sloshed away from the fuel pickup then your engine might sputter and die. The C14 is too heavy bike to be pushing around.

You can run a test. Put some spare gas in a container and then run the bike until it stops. Then you'll know how far you how many miles have after the warning comes on. You then add your spare gas and fill up.

[JetJock]

Doing that is hard on the nerves though 'cause I was afraid my wife was going to have to push us to a gas station.

Brian

Is this before, during or after she tells you what an idiot you are to run out of gas? Or all three?

[B.D.F.]

I am guessing you have not been married long enough- I didn't tell her we were that low on fuel and I really wasn't planning on her pushing: I thought that if we did run out of fuel by <ahem> accident we would just have to decide amongst ourselves who could sit on the bike, use the controls (steering and brakes at least) and reach all the way to the ground. The other person would push.

And as far as whinin' and moanin', I figured the panting and gasping from pushing would prevent most of that. Depending on which one of us ended up pushing of course.

In reality I would have just called AAA or Progressive. Maybe both and then they could fight over who got to rescue us.

Brian

Is this before, during or after she tells you what an idiot you are to run out of gas? Or all three?

[MAN OF BLUES]

Doesn't the pick-up always suck gas from the bottom of the tank anyway?  Seems like if there's crap in the bottom of the tank, the amount of fuel sitting on top of it isn't going to affect whether or not it gets sucked into the filter/pump.

the C14 fuel pump pulls fuel from 2 areas, one just off the bottom of the tank, another about 2 " up. Both areas pull fuel thru a "filter pad" of sorts, and also thru a "sock" of mesh.
The high probability of having some moisture in a tank is always there, but the water "globules' tend to slosh around and keep moving because they are a different (thicker) vicosity, the look like "bubbles' when you see them, and thay tend to keep moving. Totally sucking the tank dry insures that you WILL suck them up, this is not good as they will clog the fliter, and carry anything like debris and particulate matter (dust) along with them.
Rebuilding the fuel pump, cleaning the pads, and such Is possible, but it's very tricky, and you take chances with damaging components internally. It is not shown as a servicable item, it is a "replace" thing, and it costs big bucks.....best to do what I say, and never let the fuel get that low. I also suggest sucking the bottom of the tank out periodically using a mightyvac to remove any debris and moisture.....pre-emptively.

Our departed Aussi friend Davo (RIP) did a very comprehensive article on rebuilding this, he had lots of problems with the fuel in his area as far as contaminants go. If aanyone has a link, it would make a good stickey.

[Mister Tee]

There is no side force on a motorcycle when it is being ridden. All force is always straight down through the centerline of the bike. In fact, if any side forces ARE generated when riding the bike is going to fall over on whatever side the force is pushing towards. You can generate fore / aft forces through acceleration and deceleration but not side forces.

Try it sometime- put a small cup of water on the top of the fuel tank and go for a ride. The water in the cup will remain perfectly perpendicular to the centerline of the bike no matter what the lean angle.

Physics, a blessing and a curse. A string with a weight (a plumb bob) is always perfectly perpendicular to a body of water underneath it. The ancient Egyptians used this principal to level and flatten the bases of the pyramids. Unfortunately they had to learn the lesson of 'angle of repose' the hard way (see the fallen pyramid and the bent pyramid for these lessons).

Brian

Certainly this is the case when you ride bolt upright.  But the whole idea of leaning inward during high speed turns, and counterbalancing in low speed turns is to alter the C.G. of the bike/rider combination.

[B.D.F.]

I don't think that can be right Rich- if the pump has two inlets, one above the other, as soon as the upper one was open to air as the fuel level went down the pump would only intake air- the thinnest of the two fluids (air and fuel in this case). I don't believe you can have two intakes at atmospheric pressure, one covered with fuel, the other one open to air, and have the one with the fuel take anything in at all- any pressure difference would be totally satisfied by drawing in air and not fuel.

That was a great thread and photos where Dave took his fuel pump apart. Too bad threads like that are gone....

Brian

the C14 fuel pump pulls fuel from 2 areas, one just off the bottom of the tank, another about 2 " up. Both areas pull fuel thru a "filter pad" of sorts, and also thru a "sock" of mesh.

<snip>

Our departed Aussi friend Davo (RIP) did a very comprehensive article on rebuilding this, he had lots of problems with the fuel in his area as far as contaminants go. If aanyone has a link, it would make a good stickey.

[B.D.F.]

Yep, you are exactly right and I did not consider hanging off the bike. So let me restate what I said so it works in all cases: The downforce on the bike will always be through the center of gravity of everything resting on the tires, including the rider but is still independent of any cornering lean. If a rider sits upright on the bike, the center of downforce will go right through the centerline of the bike (assuming it is laterally balanced) whether the bike is going straight or around a corner with as much lean as it can generate. The same thing would be true if a rider hangs off the bike: the downforce will still be through the center of gravity but not it will be offset because the rider is offset on the bike. The new angle of downforce will be in-between the bike's and the rider's centers of gravity but greatly biased toward the bike because the bike weighs more than the rider (usually the case). But that angle will not change with any lean generated by the bike going around corners and will remain constant with the rider's position on the bike regardless of bike lean, speed or any other factors.

Whew!

Brian

Certainly this is the case when you ride bolt upright.  But the whole idea of leaning inward during high speed turns, and counterbalancing in low speed turns is to alter the C.G. of the bike/rider combination.

[MAN OF BLUES]

Brian,
I'll try to find his stuff, I know its out there on the Aussi site.
I may have explained that setup in a confusing manner, I think there is only one true port it is pulling fuel from, but the way the pads were located, and the fact there was a tube running vertically with multiple holes it will still pull fuel when the level is higher or lower, as the true port is at the lowest point. i think this was done to provide more effective filtering area, and still function when the level is at it's lowest....to allow some sense of longevity to a marginal fuel filtration media.
I think Davo showed it as such also, but it's been a long time since I read his recon.

http://www.davojones.com/

so, yes, you are correct, there is only "one true opening", but the tube allows multi level filtration.  This is why a few people I know that had problems with the clogged filter only had the problem arise when levels were in the 1-2 gallon range, they were fine when the tank was over those levels. My pal Roger, that ran the IronButt  2 years ago,(the same one Davo was killed in)  has one on the shelf,he had issues during the rally with this also, and pulled and cleaned it 3 times in the crosscountry meeeleee.... I'll see if I can get it for a post mortem.