Got my first bike only 5 weeks ago. Little Suzuki GN125. No fuel gauge. But I'm learning the art of wobbling to hear the fuel sloshing and figuring it out from that.
Aftermarket fuel gauge systems are definitely a thing (I've used them on custom thanks on boats and hotrods plenty of times) the only thing stopping you is having a flat area on the tank which you can get a reliable seal on, decide where you want the gauge and crack on
i had a 125cc dirt bike and it always sat at 9800 rpm but i knew i could give it all the beans for in time wise, 1 hour. 1 Hour is when it would start spluttering through long sweeping corners in trails but i eventually blew it up and swapped to a 140cc with 4 more brake and i ran out of fuel twice learned the hard way but eventually i figured it out when i needed to refuel. Lovely educational video.
I've gone from a ybr125 with fuel injection and gauge to an old gs500 with carbs/tap and no gauge. Still not that confident as bike isn't running right - way too rich - thus haven't established a normal tank range yet. I'm using the open cap and look in technique! On the plus side, no injection, gauge (or even a fuel pump) makes it nice and easy to take the tank off for fixing the carbs!
ive owned my 2010 pulse adrenaline for about 2 months now and can really start to feel when im low on fuel now but when i first got it i would fill it up every few rides aahha
After 30 years I can definitely feel when a bikes low. I think for me it's tha handling so much more flickable as the weight from the top of the bike goes down. I also trip my bike an LC T4 125 which has a 12.5ltr tank, I fill up at 200m it does 100mpg so it's always 9ltr going in so do still have 3.5ltr left about 75 of I ride normally if I eco ride probably 100m
I mean, I think the biggest thing is just to take a break and check. You can do all these other slightly complicated things, or you can literally just open your gas tank and Look. If it’s worth it to you to take the time to learn a different way that’s fine but if you guess you’re gonna have to open the tank anyway. Although I would like to test the limits of my bike and like time it or something, At different speeds. Also it’s pretty easy to find a cheap fuel gauge to hook up online.
That's my point! My last video basically said this and from the 300k + views it has, it has a 40% dislike ratio. Normally it's 1-2% haha they really did not like that answer.
I'm becoming a pro at this game😁 I noticed if I am flat out on the motorway I will get no warning on my GS. even after switching it to reserve it can take a bit to feed the fuel again after draining the lines, thought I'd blew her up,but a bit of cranking got it going for a much more chilled trip to the next PS.
I started riding a little under 2 years ago, and most of that was on my 125 which had a fuel gauge (and a gear indicator and clock, I was very lucky). I have since sold my 125 and got a 2006 cbf500, which not only doesn't have a fuel gauge, but the sensor that the fuel light uses has been tampered with, so I've ran out of petrol twice and my mechanic only thought to tell me after I asked him if he can look at it. I asked if they can replace it, but untill then I guess I will have to just reset the trip and give the bike a shake before every trip. Still don't regret getting the bigger bike, though - its a blast despite its lack of fancy gizmos!
Half to say I owned a varadero 125cc ( 06 plate ) witch does not have a fuel gauge. And after watching your video a year ago I took your advice on using the trip computer witch worked a treat for myself. Every time I got to 120miles on it I stopped at the petrol garage.
You can totally tell, 10-20kgs of weight difference (depending on the size of tank) makes a difference when manoeuvring it manually. I currently have two bikes one with a gauge and one without, both (being injected) have a warning light, but that is no good when you don't know where the next petrol station is. Both of them I use the "trip 2" reset method (never trust the gauges). Another great vid BTW. Oh and even bigger engines don't always have gauges, my gaugeless bike is a 986cc Buell that only gets about 110 miles to a frame (tank) and only 9-11 miles once the light comes on so not much warning.
As an older rider, who rode in the 70s and 80s the petrol tap was way easier and simpler than the modern obsession with fuel gauges, which most, not all but most are very pessimistic, saying that you need fuel when you have a quarter of a tank or more, I personally have a lexmoto vendetta 250 and that gauge is frankly rubbish, way to pessimistic and from the owner group I'm in its common across them all, it will start flashing at 130-140 miles when in reality you will get 230 miles to a full tank!
My petcocks broken, but I always used to get around 110/120 miles a tank. I went out one day and ran out of fuel after just 40. Not a faultless system, but its been pretty reliable for the last 5 years. Pretty sure my bikes not happy because I can't smell a leak. I can't afford the garage or the tools sadly, so she's gotta wait.
Every bike iv had the fuel gauge is thirsty AF even full to the brim won't say full cos the sender is moody.. but after riding for 13 years with you spicy I just shake the tank now.. I took my mum's bandit for a trip it cut out and needed switching to reserve at half a tank 🤔 ride safe 🤙👌
Yep, not just small bikes or old ones either. My 2020/21 Kawasaki W800 has no gauge, just a warning light, but does have a trip counter which I reset at every fill up.
Wish my Harley Iron 883 had a proper fuel gauge instead of a low fuel light. Distance depends on wether I’m riding in town or getting out on longer rides. I carry a 1.5l reserve tank now just in case and ride the bike till it sputters. Range is crap with a peanut tank anyway. Harley does offer a fuel gauge but at £350 I think I’ll stick to carrying the reserve tank. I reset the odometer every refuel too. Good advice and yes ultimately, get a bike with a fuel gauge 😂
I know the approximate number of miles I get before going to reserve and I just reset the trip meter every time I fill up with fuel and plan ahead. If your going slow, bikes usually become sluggish, if you're going fast, then the engine will cut out pretty quickly. but once you know the approximate tank range then it's easy to plan fuel stops around that.
Just bought a zx9r no fuel gauge, no nothing. Just as i got it the previous owner told me to get fuel but i was having such a good time on the bike i completely forgot. So it eventually started bogging (i thought it had carb issues at first since i thought of the worst) was trying to crank it, emptied the whole battery while doing so and remembered that it had no fuel. By the time i remembered about the reserve tap the battery was dead and had to jump start it. Really dumb mistake 😂
I have a 1998 zx6r, no fuel gauge! just used to ride it as normal, and I'd just shake the bike a little to listen, If it sounded low, I'd top it up, spicy, do you use E10 or E5?
20 Litre tank on my 125 and no fuel gauge. Low fuel light comes on when there's about 3 to 3½ litres left, more than enough to be shooting in to a garage to fill up.
Hi Spicy, what hand guards do you use? My old ones are a bit sun-bleached and I'm looking for replacements. How does their colour match the rest of the bike and do they fit well with the fat bar handlebar? Cheers.
I do use the trip method as I know with my CBR 600RR I get about 160 miles to a tank with my style of driving and the fuel gauge sucks on that bike. But I do have say I had a sprint st 1050 before the CBR and I would get 220 miles to a tank and that fuel gauge was broken. but when you get and new bike remember you are on the new bike and That it might not get the same miles to a tank. It will keep you from having to push the bike to the gas station like I had to when I got my new bike in summer in Florida. 😭
I have a Scrambler that has no fuel gauge. I always fill to the brim. The first time I ran out of fuel was at 177 miles. Second time was 124 miles. Kinda depends on your application of the throttle 😬 I now fill up as soon as the light comes on 😅
My Triumph 900 has no fuel gauge, I reset my trip counter every time I refill to full and not let it go over 120 miles before refueling. Worst case I can use the 3.8 litre reserve.
My bike has a really nice IMS semi-transparent fuel tank on it, so I can see how much fuel I have as I walk up to the bike.. the downside is the daily occurence of people's questions: "is that the petrol tank?" "you can see through it?" "is that safe?" "but it's plastic?" :)
I can feel when my adrenaline is low on fuel, feels lighter, sounds a little less thumpy but it's just a feeling. Also, just a phone torch, look in the tank job done
My Yamaha SR125 has a very similar thing… I get 95-110 miles to a tank but don’t risk over 95 as the engine starts to feel unstable, power delivery becomes an if question instead of how much.
