1.3 Gallon Gas Tank Reserve

[radiummadman]

Here's the rub. This issue keeps coming up because the fuel level indicator on the FJR sucks. Who ever came up with the idea to count miles while into reserve was an idiot. We need to accurately know how many miles or gas remains.

Also the calibration of the guage is suspect and seems variable between bikes.. I go onto reserve, refill and only put in 4 gallons. Now we know this is a 6.6 gallon tank but what we don't know is how much is useable. But less say 6 Gal is usable. That means when I go into reserve I got about 2 gallons/90 miles remaining. Well great but out in the middle of the California/Arizona deserts that flashing on reserve is worrysome and makes one wish they really knew how many miles or gas remains. If the FJR had a reliable fuel guage these discussions would not keep reoccuring. Yes, I know how to manage this and I doubt I'll ever run out of gas but that doesn't change the fact that the FJR fuel gauge is unreliable and confusing at best. Bill

Holy caca de burro, I better get rid of that piece of shit FJR because the fuel gague is UNRELIABLE. Everyone else on this

forum should not ride their FJR until Yamaha fixes this serious defect by making the fuel gague accurate to +/- .00666%. Why

would anyone buy a motorcycle that has a fuel gague that isn't accurate to .043956 oz. in a tankful ???? Do the math, that is

a whole 1.758124 miles further you could have gone if those dumb asses at Yomommaha could do some decent engineering. Oh, I FORGOT,

you Gen X-Y people can't do math, guess you will have to suffer until they make an I-phone app. for you OR enlist the help of

a baby boomer like Fred W to help you figure out what to do next. There are plenty of BMW forums for you all to go whine on while

you are waiting for the fuel gague fix.

 

[FJRay]

Isn't it about time to let this dead horse rest in peace. :angry:

 

[Blind Squirrel]

If your gen 1 bike is like mine, you won't need to worry about running it empty. If you get below 1/2 tank (even with the blanket mod installed) it will start cooking your nuts in the Virginia summer. :blink:

 

[ionbeam]

Isn't it about time to let this dead horse rest in peace.

Not by a long shot. This has only been discussed a few hundred times with pages and pages each time, and there is still no good answer in sight. This is one of the Great Mysteries of life.

Nobody knows that the gas tank holds no less than 6.4 usable gallons.

It is impossible to figure out that you have never gotten worse than 40 mpg.

You can't possibly calculate that you have a total range of 256 miles before flame-out.

Who would know that you should look at where you are (middle of the desert, downtown Los Angles, suburbs, etc.) and anticipate when you should start looking for gas before you reach 256 miles.

Yamaha has been, like, totally remiss in addressing this glaring deficiency. Like, duh. I mean, really? If Yamaha can't fix this I'm like, never buying another FJR. This is, like so TOTALLY dumb. I expect my FJR to measure my gas volume to 1-3%, compensate volume by temperature, measure my current gas mileage and announce to me with accuracy of .001 inches of when I'm going to run out of gas. I also expect it to talk with my GPS and phone to find the closest gas station with the lowest cost on my route and guide me to it and tell me that I should put 5.97123843 gallons in the tank for a complete fill. Like, this is so totally confusing. My head hurts, I'm going to have to go get a latte with WiFi and surf a little porn until I forget about this enigma.

:lol:

 

[Candyman]

Jesus pleaseus, 2/10 gal fuel @ 40 mpg is a whole 8 miles. You all need to get a life, or do you stay up all

night trying to figure out how to get ANOTHER 1/10 gal. of fuel in that thing. Sounds like a bunch of

OCD engineer wannabes to me.

just looking to make the fuel gauge more realistic.. Has nothing to do with getting more fuel out of the tank, Just dont see a need to start worrying about fuel when you have more than 60 miles left till empty.. The filler neck mad allows me to be able to fill the tank to repeatable leves without wasting aot of time burping the tank.

 

[radiummadman]

Here's the rub. This issue keeps coming up because the fuel level indicator on the FJR sucks. Who ever came up with the idea to count miles while into reserve was an idiot. We need to accurately know how many miles or gas remains.

Also the calibration of the guage is suspect and seems variable between bikes.. I go onto reserve, refill and only put in 4 gallons. Now we know this is a 6.6 gallon tank but what we don't know is how much is useable. But less say 6 Gal is usable. That means when I go into reserve I got about 2 gallons/90 miles remaining. Well great but out in the middle of the California/Arizona deserts that flashing on reserve is worrysome and makes one wish they really knew how many miles or gas remains. If the FJR had a reliable fuel guage these discussions would not keep reoccuring. Yes, I know how to manage this and I doubt I'll ever run out of gas but that doesn't change the fact that the FJR fuel gauge is unreliable and confusing at best. Bill

Holy caca de burro, I better get rid of that piece of shit FJR because the fuel gague is UNRELIABLE. Everyone else on this

forum should not ride their FJR until Yamaha fixes this serious defect by making the fuel gague accurate to +/- .00666%. Why

would anyone buy a motorcycle that has a fuel gague that isn't accurate to .043956 oz. in a tankful ???? Do the math, that is

a whole 1.758124 miles further you could have gone if those dumb asses at Yomommaha could do some decent engineering. Oh, I FORGOT,

you Gen X-Y people can't do math, guess you will have to suffer until they make an I-phone app. for you OR enlist the help of

a baby boomer like Fred W to help you figure out what to do next. There are plenty of BMW forums for you all to go whine on while

you are waiting for the fuel gague fix.

should be 0.04395 gal. not oz.

 

[Candyman]

Wow, A guy makes s simple modification to make his bike fit his riding tyle better and some folks get all wound up about it. Dont like it, Dont do it. Pretty simple really.

Glad its my bike and I dont really care if you like my mod or not. I can now fill the tank up to the filler neck everytime I gas up on long trips and not have to wait for teh tank to burp many times to get it full. I have a fuel gaige that works the way I want it to. When I get down to a gallon I hit reserve. Works great for me. I am happy with the mod, so ..........

 

[FJR Bill]

Wow,

Interesting responses. I'm a strong advocate for the FJR but I don't like the fuel indicator. I easily work around it and consider it a minor issue. Several interpreted my post that I think the FJR is junk. Some comments were laughable and the hyperbole is entertaining.

No, I just don't like the indicator and the way it goes into "reserve" with a couple of gallons remaining plus or minus who knows what between owners.

My purpose was to expain why I think this keeps coming up. I repeat and still hold that this reoccuring topic comes up BECAUSE of the indicator system. Never seen fuel reserve threads like this on any other motorcycle forum. You can bet it will come up again.

Is it a big problem? NO! Can you easily work around it? YES! In the future will others ask similar questions...what do you think?

Some have suggested that I and other owners can't do the simple math. Well maybe so but for decades I've managed fuel burn of approx 5000 lbs per hour in a machine holding 62920 lbs of fuel in 8 tanks,with 10 fuel pumps... flameout = death. Boy this FJR math thing is too much for me.

Time for NEPRT

Bonus to who identifies what machine I'm referring to. :yahoo:

Best wishes, Bill

 

[Candyman]

I never complained, just figured since i was going to be in the tank anyway, might as well make it more user friendly. I accomplished that and made my tank accept fuel without having to wait for it to burp out air. Mission accomplished both ways...

 

[FJR Bill]

I never complained, just figured since i was going to be in the tank anyway, might as well make it more user friendly. I accomplished that and made my tank accept fuel without having to wait for it to burp out air. Mission accomplished both ways...

Good job Candyman. :yahoo:

Bill

 

[Candyman]

I never complained, just figured since i was going to be in the tank anyway, might as well make it more user friendly. I accomplished that and made my tank accept fuel without having to wait for it to burp out air. Mission accomplished both ways...

Good job Candyman. :yahoo:

Bill

Thanks man. Its a good mod for me. I rode almost 40k miles without either of these mods so they arent needed, Just makes it fit my riding style a bit more now.

 

[Fred W]

Wow, A guy makes s simple modification to make his bike fit his riding tyle better and some folks get all wound up about it. Dont like it, Dont do it. Pretty simple really.

In response to my prior reply, you never responded in any way to my assertion that there may be a reason that the engineers provided that pesky airspace. Perhaps they don't want you to burp the tank and/or jam as much fuel in there as is physically possible. If you want to do that on your bike, then great. But I don't think that other folks will want to jump on that bandwagon if it results in raw fuel venting from the tank.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I am not wound up. I just won't be doing this mod.

Wow,

Interesting responses. I'm a strong advocate for the FJR but I don't like the fuel indicator. I easily work around it and consider it a minor issue. Several interpreted my post that I think the FJR is junk. Some comments were laughable and the hyperbole is entertaining.

Hmmm... that idea might have come from this post of yours?

This issue keeps coming up because the fuel level indicator on the FJR sucks. Who ever came up with the idea to count miles while into reserve was an idiot. We need to accurately know how many miles or gas remains.

I'll leave it for you to find the hyperbole in that quote.

 

[HotRodZilla]

OMFG...Please tell me that I don't actually agree with something Fred said. PLEASE!!

 

[Fred W]

Hey!! Us zealots gotta stick together, man.

 

[RossKean]

I don't see a problem with punching holes in the top of the filler neck to make it easier to fill the tank. It could save a lot of "burping" to get the tank topped off. As with "burping", no problem if you are doing a quick fuel stop en route - expansion/overflow is slower than the rate the fuel is burned as you continue down the road. You are ill-advised to put that much gas in the tank (by burping or hole punching) if you are going to park it in direct sunlight while you stop for lunch right after filling up. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the modification.

Regarding the design of the Yamaha fuel system; I like the count up feature. The fuel guage might not be accurately calibrated or the same from one bike to the next but as mentioned earlier in this thread, it is pretty reproducible for any given bike. When the count-up starts, I KNOW I have something a bit over 1.5 gallons left. If I am an uncertain distance from gas, I will probably start riding more conservatively and reset the "average MPG" display to monitor actual mileage on the remaining fuel. That way I can have a pretty good idea of the potential range.

Ross

 

[ionbeam]

The fuel gauge is just a trend indicator, not a lab instrument accurate to 6 decimal places. It isn't even necessary to have a fuel gauge to keep track of real and accurate fuel consumption, I have hinted at how that works a couple of times in this thread. If the fuel gauge is going to drive you nuts then put a piece of tape over it and move on with your life. How have you ever survived the fuel gauge in your car? And, your car doesn't even have a reserve.

 

[RiderX]

Some have suggested that I and other owners can't do the simple math. Well maybe so but for decades I've managed fuel burn of approx 5000 lbs per hour in a machine holding 62920 lbs of fuel in 8 tanks,with 10 fuel pumps... flameout = death. Boy this FJR math thing is too much for me.

Time for NEPRT

Bonus to who identifies what machine I'm referring to. :yahoo:

Best wishes, Bill

Now that we know you're a Herc driver, this explains a lot.

Your riddle should have said the appropriate temperature of this max fuel state, since aircraft manuals (NATOPS, DASH-1) for some reason rarely give us the max fuel weight at a standard day (instead something arbitrary like 75 deg F). Obviously the aircraft can hold a max volume of gas but weight is more intersting to the operator.

Death is a little dramatic as I've notice the five parachute rigs hanging in the back if you happen to flameout all four motors. I always seem to be the sixth guy. Doh!

Buy an aux tank, I love it. Bend the reserve thingy to where you want it. Keep on keeping on.

Send bonus points.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Sounds like a bunch of OCD engineer wannabes to me.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

You don't know how many times I think that very same thought on so many things posted on this forum! I think the FJR bike attracts the pseudo-engineer type for some odd reason. So many people micro-analyze the minutia of things and IMO they miss the big picture...like simply just riding the bike because it's fun.

- What oil to use?...which ever one you want!

- What tires to buy?...which ever one you want!

- Which windscreen to buy?...which ever one you want!

I just ride because it's fun, it relieves stress and its something I enjoy. I'll leave all the arguing and bickering over the inconsequential minor details of the bike to others.

Anyway, with the bike on the center stand, she took 6.7 gallons of fuel, and I'm sure there was still just a little sloshing around in the bottom when I pulled up to the pump. So if it had been bone dry, 6.8 may have gone in and I haven't drilled anything out of it. Don't waste your time.

Interesting. I would not of thought that would be the case. I think I'v put 6.1 gallons in a few times and I was running around 260 miles on the tank. That's good enough for me.

I'm not punching any holes in my filler neck that's for sure. The bike has a terrific range as it is and I got 44.9 MPG (first time I ever took the time to actually do the math and figure it out) on my last tank and for a 4cyl 1300cc 600+lb bike I think that's pretty darn good!

 

[Candyman]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I am not wound up. I just won't be doing this mod.

I recommend you not make the mod, if you are not comfortable with it. Thats kinda how mods work. If not all our bikes would look exactly alike and have the same mods.

 

[FJR Bill]

Some have suggested that I and other owners can't do the simple math. Well maybe so but for decades I've managed fuel burn of approx 5000 lbs per hour in a machine holding 62920 lbs of fuel in 8 tanks,with 10 fuel pumps... flameout = death. Boy this FJR math thing is too much for me.

Time for NEPRT

Bonus to who identifies what machine I'm referring to. :yahoo:

Best wishes, Bill

Now that we know you're a Herc driver, this explains a lot.

Your riddle should have said the appropriate temperature of this max fuel state, since aircraft manuals (NATOPS, DASH-1) for some reason rarely give us the max fuel weight at a standard day (instead something arbitrary like 75 deg F). Obviously the aircraft can hold a max volume of gas but weight is more intersting to the operator.

Death is a little dramatic as I've notice the five parachute rigs hanging in the back if you happen to flameout all four motors. I always seem to be the sixth guy. Doh!

Buy an aux tank, I love it. Bend the reserve thingy to where you want it. Keep on keeping on.

Send bonus points.

I

Five Bonus points in the mail. However, the operator I flew for removed all parachutes some 25 years ago. I work with Herc crews from around the world, for many operators parachutes are a thing of the past. Dead sticking a Herc certainly may result in death as proved about 15 years ago by a crew that mismanaged fuel. The Herc fuel system is an engineering marvel considering 1950's technology.

Nice job, Bill :yahoo: