Ryker fuel gauge underestimating?

[Badmotorf1nger]

Was reading some posts about accuracy of Ryker fuel gauge being off (IE saying you have more gas than you actually do), but I think mine is the opposite.
Just did my first fill up, have 120 miles on the odometer. It took just about 4 gallons which I had to sop up a little with paper towels to put the cap back on. So I know I filled it to the max.
(29.5mpg combined street & fast highway), fuel gauge was showing 1 bar left.

If the tank holds 5.28 gals, one bar is 1+ gallon? Low Fuel light if there is one had not come on yet.

thanks

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Was reading some posts about accuracy of Ryker fuel gauge being off (IE saying you have more gas than you actually do), but I think mine is the opposite.
Just did my first fill up, have 120 miles on the odometer. It took just about 4 gallons which I had to sop up a little with paper towels to put the cap back on. So I know I filled it to the max.
(29.5mpg combined street & fast highway), fuel gauge was showing 1 bar left.

If the tank holds 5.28 gals, one bar is 1+ gallon? Low Fuel light if there is one had not come on yet.

thanks

ALL gauges either electrical or mechanical are ....SWAG ..... MHO .... Mike

[Raven]

Reset your trip meter when you fill up and go by that.
After a few fill ups you will get a better idea how far you can go.
Never trusted gas gauges on a two wheeler, will do the same on three.

[Bfromla]

Tank empty- bladder full or is it other way around? comes to mind

[Peter Aawen]

Was reading some posts about accuracy of Ryker fuel gauge being off (IE saying you have more gas than you actually do), but I think mine is the opposite.
Just did my first fill up, have 120 miles on the odometer. It took just about 4 gallons which I had to sop up a little with paper towels to put the cap back on. So I know I filled it to the max.
(29.5mpg combined street & fast highway), fuel gauge was showing 1 bar left.

If the tank holds 5.28 gals, one bar is 1+ gallon? Low Fuel light if there is one had not come on yet.

thanks

The only real thing you should take away from any discussion about Spyder/Ryker fuel gauges is that due to the shape of the tank, they are inherently INACCURATE!!

While you might be lucky enough to be able to link bars on the gauge to gallons in the tank initially &/or occasionally from there on, don't count on it always being the same, cos it'll change as the volume of gas in the tank varies, so there's NO direct correlation of bars to gallons; just like there's NO real 'pre-set point or quantity' where the Low Fuel Light will always come on (altho I believe the engineers/designers at least tried to do that... unsuccessfully! ) So be warned, anything you do that RELIES on your Fuel Gauge &/or Low Fuel Light reporting the remaining fuel in your tank accurately every time is doomed to failure, and relying on them that way could mean that you end up walking &/or damage or destroy your injection system &/or engine too!

Just reset a Trip Meter whenever you the refill the tank, then check how many gallons you put in after traveling whatever the number of miles shown at your next fill (& then reset the Trip Meter). You should be able work out roughly (or as accurately as you prefer ) how far you can go on your worst average fill &/or miles per gallon, then if at all possible, don't ever ride until your tank is empty!! You NEED to try to always leave about a 1/2 gallon in the tank to properly cool and lubricate the fuel pump and the high pressure injection system; at the very least you'll need a quart in there to do that; cos if you don't keep that fuel pump immersed in whatever gas is remaining in the tank and that volume of gas is enough to dissipate the heat the pump generates AND lubricate it properly at the same time, then it'll permanently damage the pump/degrade it's capabilities!

Even just running your tank dry ONCE could cause permanent pump damage, and if it does, from there on in that damage will likely get worse with every rotation of the pump - sure, it might start out microscopic & not all that noticeable or even detectable, but it'll be there, and over time/pump rotations it'll grow, and as it grows it'll reduce the capability of your pump to provide the pressure necessary to let your engine perform as well as it should, and it could also be shedding microscopic debris that progressively damages the injectors too, so that their spray/fuel atomisation pattern gets worse over time, killing your engine's performance further, knocking your fuel economy for a loop, and by potentially causing dribbles &/or jets of high pressure fuel into the cylinders, possibly even result in piston failure & the eventual destruction of your engine!

So don't rely on your Fuel Gauge, at best it's a vague indicator of what the gas level in your tank is doing, at worst it's a trap for the unaware that might cause expensive damage! Use your Trip meter, and if you can possibly avoid it, don't ever ride too close to emptying your tank! The Fuel Gauge is NOT ACCURATE, and relying on it is NOT SAFE!

[SportsterDoc]

I rely primarily on a trip odometer.

On my 2020:

A. Fuel gauge does not register consumption until about 85 miles / 2.5 gallons used from full tank.
B. After ~85 miles, gauge is somewhat proportional.
C. Miles to empty does not recompute after filling.
D. Miles to empty recomputes after about 25 miles / 0.75 gallon consumed and then is close to accurate.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The only real thing you should take away from any discussion about Spyder/Ryker fuel gauges is that due to the shape of the tank, they are inherently INACCURATE!!

While you might be lucky enough to be able to link bars on the gauge to gallons in the tank initially &/or occasionally from there on, don't count on it always being the same, cos it'll change as the volume of gas in the tank varies, so there's NO direct correlation of bars to gallons; just like there's NO real 'pre-set point or quantity' where the Low Fuel Light will always come on (altho I believe the engineers/designers at least tried to do that... unsuccessfully! ) So be warned, anything you do that RELIES on your Fuel Gauge &/or Low Fuel Light reporting the remaining fuel in your tank accurately every time is doomed to failure, and relying on them that way could mean that you end up walking &/or damage or destroy your injection system &/or engine too!

Just reset a Trip Meter whenever you the refill the tank, then check how many gallons you put in after traveling whatever the number of miles shown at your next fill (& then reset the Trip Meter). You should be able work out roughly (or as accurately as you prefer ) how far you can go on your worst average fill &/or miles per gallon, then if at all possible, don't ever ride until your tank is empty!! You NEED to try to always leave about a 1/2 gallon in the tank to properly cool and lubricate the fuel pump and the high pressure injection system; at the very least you'll need a quart in there to do that; cos if you don't keep that fuel pump immersed in whatever gas is remaining in the tank and that volume of gas is enough to dissipate the heat the pump generates AND lubricate it properly at the same time, then it'll permanently damage the pump/degrade it's capabilities!

Even just running your tank dry ONCE could cause permanent pump damage, and if it does, from there on in that damage will likely get worse with every rotation of the pump - sure, it might start out microscopic & not all that noticeable or even detectable, but it'll be there, and over time/pump rotations it'll grow, and as it grows it'll reduce the capability of your pump to provide the pressure necessary to let your engine perform as well as it should, and it could also be shedding microscopic debris that progressively damages the injectors too, so that their spray/fuel atomisation pattern gets worse over time, killing your engine's performance further, knocking your fuel economy for a loop, and by potentially causing dribbles &/or jets of high pressure fuel into the cylinders, possibly even result in piston failure & the eventual destruction of your engine!

So don't rely on your Fuel Gauge, at best it's a vague indicator of what the gas level in your tank is doing, at worst it's a trap for the unaware that might cause expensive damage! Use your Trip meter, and if you can possibly avoid it, don't ever ride too close to emptying your tank! The Fuel Gauge is NOT ACCURATE, and relying on it is NOT SAFE!

..... and let me add, when you do fill the tank - you NEED to fill it to the same level EVERY time. For me I put the nozzle all the way in .... when it shuts off, I retract it and Slowly add gas until I can see the gas, then Stop - it's absolutely Full. I have encountered some pumps where this method is a bit more difficult, but they are rare in my experience..... good luck .... Mike

[chris56]

here is the picture how it works .. !!

[Captainmal]

What would be useful is a straight-up sliding float with a mechanical readout at the top of the tank. That would give a more accurate reading of fuel levels.

As so aptly stated above, use your odometer and get fuel around the 120 mile distance. You may be able to go over 150 miles. The key word is "may". Sometimes I get 34 mpg. Sometimes I get 30 mpg. Just never know.

[Quickdraw]

With the wife's Ryker, the dealer told us to go by miles left to go and not by the gauge because the gauge is not accurate enough. Good advice because the fuel gauge on her Ryker is definitely not something I'd rely on.

[TIMEMACHINE]

..... and let me add, when you do fill the tank - you NEED to fill it to the same level EVERY time. For me I put the nozzle all the way in .... when it shuts off, I retract it and Slowly add gas until I can see the gas, then Stop - it's absolutely Full. I have encountered some pumps where this method is a bit more difficult, but they are rare in my experience..... good luck .... Mike

It's funny how everyone has a different method. If I try to add gas after the automatic shut off, even slowly, I end up with dripping down the outside of the gas tank which is visible through the plastic fairing. Even worse, I might get the Ryker vomiting from the overfill tube behind the front wheel.

I let it automatically shut off and I call it a day. Anything extra I can squeeze in there isn't worth the hassle.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

It's funny how everyone has a different method. If I try to add gas after the automatic shut off, even slowly, I end up with dripping down the outside of the gas tank which is visible through the plastic fairing. Even worse, I might get the Ryker vomiting from the overfill tube behind the front wheel.

I let it automatically shut off and I call it a day. Anything extra I can squeeze in there isn't worth the hassle.

I can't address the Ryker gas tank ...... however the one on my RT ..... consistently takes 1 1/4 gallons after the auto shut-off clicks in .... for me that about 55 miles .....JMHO .... Mike

[BajaRon]

In the olden days, motorcycles didn't have a fuel gauge. The Ryker has the most inaccurate fuel gage of any vehicle I've ever owned. I'm thinking it would almost be better off without one than the one that it has.

[Markubis]

I use the "miles left to empty" setting. I fill the tank and it reads 100+ miles for awhile until it slowly starts counting down. Then I refill when it gets to a number I'm comfortable with, and that depends on where I am and my proximity to a gas station. That method has never failed me.

[Badmotorf1nger]

thanks for the suggestions guys, about to come up on my 2nd fill up soon, just hit 215 miles

[DickB]

Why the Ryker fuel gauge is so wonky

The reasons the Ryker fuel gauge is so wonky is the shape of the tank and the very limited travel of the fuel sender float. The float will not move from a full tank until about 1.5 gallons are used. At 1 gallon remaining it bottoms out and also does not move. When first indicating empty, the fuel pump is still immersed in gasoline, although probably not fully, which is good for cooling the pump motor. If you fill at 1 or 2 bars the pump should remain immersed. The gauge basically moves only between 3.5 an 1 gallon remaining.

fuel gauge.jpg