Gas Gauge Question

My new '06 gas gauge works very different than my '00 one did. Shortly after buying gas the first bar will disappear, usually only after going about 17 miles! Anyone else see this and is it "normal"?

 

Yes, the same with my 02. I did fill it on the centerstand the last time and I noticed that it still shows a full tank, that was only about 15 miles ago. I say this because ever since I have gotten the bike I have filled the fuel tank while it was on its sidestand, this last time, I don't know why, but I filled it on the centerstand.
I also noticed that when the last light starts flashing, you are supposed to only have .8 gallons left, but I find that I can never get 5 gals in there unless I ride it quite a while after the last light begins to flash. Thats OK, I would rather not run out of fuel.

 

Thanks! Yes, I've been filling my bike on it's centerstand also. I'll have to see if it's any different filling it while it's on its sidestand. I would think you'd get more gas in while it's on the centerstand as the opening isn't tilted!

Also, it never did this on my 2000 VFR so that's why I'm asking...

 

This is what I get, as well. But, lets see, 19 miles or so, using a little less then half a gallon...thats about right.

I remember a few years ago when Cadillac had a customer happiness problem with their digital gas gauges. They had tons of customers complaining that the gauge would show the gas gauge (or as the GM car displayed it, GAGE) as not quite full just a few miles after driving the car. The next year, GM launched the same Cadillac with a meter that would just skip the first bar and leave it lit as the gas was being consumed, until there was enough of a drop to make the second bar go too. That way, after driving some 50 miles or so, two gauge marks would disappear at the same time, but most people didn't notice it that way, because their fixation on fuel was gone after that many miles. Same solution with their cars that showed the fuel in gallons on a digital gauge. It would go from 16 to 15 gallons directly, not counting the tenths. Problem solved for Caddy and GM!

Think that would solve the VFR's gas gauge complaints? A blindfold?

 

I think you're right... just looking at it too closely I guess! All in all, it's not even how many miles you get before it's empty that counts anyways, right? It's how many smiles you get along the way!

 

I have noticed this same behavior with my '07. I always fill up on the center stand, as that allows for maximum capacity. I guess it makes sense that the last mark would almost immediately go out based on Lansonfloyd's explanation. But seadooloo's comment also must be considered in that the pseudo warning/low fuel indicator doesn't seem accurate either. It would seem that meter needs to shift a half mark.

 

My '06 behaves the same way. My advise is to worry over the last bar. It seems more important.

Mac

 

It seems like a bug to me. My point is, if you know the behavior of the gauge and you know that when the blinking light comes on, it doesn't mean the same thing as when each bar goes blank, especially the first (full) one. In contrast, my autos (both Honda products and one has a LCD gauge) work as expected.