Dumb question from first time Spyder owner

[Marc]

OK time for a dumb question, does my 2014 SE6 RT LTD have a low fuel light or any indication of such? My manual doesn't specify, just says about X amount of liters in reserve. I'm trying to get my GPS to monitor fuel range as it did on my BMWK1600GT. I'm loving the Spyder and am on a steep learning curve; it had 1800ish K's on it when I traded the BMW in 2 weeks ago and am now just under 3000K's, so still running the engine in even though the bike is 7 years old. Am going to fill out the warranty card and send it off as technically I'm the first registered owner as it was sold to me by the dealer as ex demo, so never know my luck, may get the 2 year warranty! Only fault I've found so far is the gas strut that holds the seat up, needs regassing as its a bit weak, and I've noticed that when it's stopped it feels like there is free play in the steering, but it rides like its on rails. Have already blown near 2K on farkles for some bling and functionality....

 

[spyderider1]

I don't think there's a light. I have a 16 and have no light either I just watch my miles and fill up when it's getting down there. For me it's between 200 and 275 for miles to being close to empty.

 

[pegasus1300]

My 2012 has a light that comes on when I get to one bar. I have my range ( on a VTwin) set on the GPS at 165 miles and have the Zumo warning come on at 130 miles,so when 35 miles are left, I figure that will give me enough range. I have a Zumo 660.

BTW if you don't know the answer, it's not dumb.

 

[JayBros]

Look on pg. 27 of your operator's guide. In the picture of the analog tachometer, at 6K rpm you will see the gas pump light icon that is the low fuel light. If you don't have an operator's guide, go to this link, drill down to your year and model of Spyder, download and save to your computer: https://www.operatorsguides.brp.com/Index.aspx?lang=e&s1=c92be10d-46ea-42d2-a7dc-ab5112a1778b&brands=roadster&type=og.

 

[Steve W.]

Look on pg. 27 of your operator's guide. In the picture of the analog tachometer, at 6K rpm you will see the gas pump light icon that is the low fuel light.

The biggest problem with that is that it is just like the other lights in that area, ... NOT VISIBLE IN DAYLIGHT.

And you don't have to wait until you are low on fuel to see the light. Watch the gauges when you turn the key ON, it goes through a check of all the lights so you can see that they all work.

.

 

[Peter Aawen]

All of the RT's that I've seen, ranging from 2010 models right thru to the latest versions, have a Low Fuel Warning Light! :thumbup:

The bad news is that the low fuel warning lights & the fuel gauges themselves ALSO have a well deserved reputation for being somewhat unreliable, inaccurate, & problematic, altho there's no denying this was much more of a problem up until the 2014 models! Still, if you do a search and spend some time reading the threads here on the Forum, there are more than just a couple of threads discussing how wildly inaccurate these lights & gauges can be! :cus: In many instances (like mine! ) they are so randomly inaccurate that they are actually WORSE than useless, so much so that it's better to ignore them completely and rely on your trip meter/s and known range limitations rather than relying on them to either give you adequate warning that you're about to run out of gas, or to show you with any degree of consistency how much gas is truly left in your Spyder's tank! :yikes:

I'm not alone in this, but as an example, I've had the low fuel warning light come on less than 20 kms after completely and properly filling the tank, and despite the gauge still showing it was almost full (it was! ); on another occasion the gauge plummeted from full to below empty within 200 metres of leaving the servo where I filled it up, yet the low fuel light didn't show AT ALL that time; and I've also had the gauge remain showing 3/4 full for almost 200 kms of fairly spirited ryding, after which it took about 20 litres to top it up!! Btw, my 2013 RT only has 22 litres of tank capacity vs the 2014 & on RT's having 26 litres (I think?!?) And also btw, you really don't want to run these 'fuel pump in tank injected motors' completely dry, cos they use the fuel remaining in the tank as both coolant AND lubricant for the pump and the rest of the injection system - so anything less than about 2-3 litres remaining in the tank won't be able to do that properly and is very likely going to be damaging things, even if it's only 'slightly' to start out with! Such damage is cumulative z& irreversible! :shocked:

On top of all that, you don't really have a 'reserve' as such in the tank either - it's all the one tank with an effectively level base; no deeper pockets or 'other side of the frame rail' reserves like many older style bikes; and no switch, petcock, or tap that'll let you switch to a hidden reserve stored elsewhere! Once you've emptied the tank, that's it; no 'reserve' that'll let you ride another 50 kms, or even another 2km!! So if you get to that 'empty tank' stage &/or it splutters to a stop with no gas, then besides the potential for having damaged the pump &/or injectors, you're probably gonna be calling for help/gas, or possibly even pushing or walking!! :lecturef_smilie:

Sorry, but as with many things BRP/Can-Am, the concept is great, the execution, not quite so great! :gaah: It's a good thing our Spyders/Rykers are such fun machines to ryde, isn't it?!? hyea:

 

[bigbadbrucie]

Once my ‘14 RTS SE6 gas gauge shows 1/4 tank, regardless of how many miles/kms I’ve driven, I start watching for fuel stations. The bike runs “better” on the top half, and my stress level doesn’t soar.

 

[canamjhb]

A few years ago, when I was a relatively new Spyder owner, I was touring with a couple other bikes, one of which was another Spyder. I was leading to the motel for the night. Watching for a fuel light because I knew we were close to our maximum range. Pulled into the motel. The other Spyder rider told me they were on fumes with the low fuel light on for many miles. Turns out the 2014 RTL has a low fuel light but it was not where I expected. It is located on the tachometer! Why BRP put it there instead of on the fuel gage is beyond me. Turns out we each had more than 1/2 gallon of fuel but, still, a stupid place to put the warning light..... Jim

 

[cruisinTX]

I don't think there's a light. I have a 16 and have no light either I just watch my miles and fill up when it's getting down there. For me it's between 200 and 275 for miles to being close to empty.

Don't want to detract from the OP's initial question, but I wanna know how you are getting over 200 miles on a tank. I tediously top off our '14 RTL every time I fill up but have only reached the 200 mile mark once or twice and the gauge was very nearly at the bottom.

 

[Plarimer]

There are no dumb questions on this site. Ask away!

 

[spyderider1]

You're correct sir, I meant to say 245 and that would be bone dry.

 

[JayBros]

...The biggest problem with that is that it is just like the other lights in that area, ... NOT VISIBLE IN DAYLIGHT....

I must say I can't remember a single time in 72K+ miles that I've been unable to see the the low fuel light when it came on. Yes, I will admit that if the sun was shining on the instrument cluster from directly behind me it might be harder to see, but I am tall enough that I block out a lot of sunlight from the rear. I also start watching the trip meter when it reaches 1/4 tank if I'm barreling along at interstate speeds. I also have my Zumo 590 set to warn me based on its fuel tracking app.

 

[pegasus1300]

To find the gas tracking on your Zumo when it comes on push tools,next screen push settings, next screen push down arrow. You will now see the gas pump, push that and you will be at the screen where you set your range. Just fill in what you want and go back to main menu. Enjoy

 

[ARtraveler]

Don't want to detract from the OP's initial question, but I wanna know how you are getting over 200 miles on a tank. I tediously top off our '14 RTL every time I fill up but have only reached the 200 mile mark once or twice and the gauge was very nearly at the bottom.

Depends on the engine. The 998/2's had a range of less than 200 usable miles. My most ever miles were 184. Fuel light was on and needle showed less than empty. It took 5.8 gallons to refill. I believe the tank was 6.4 or close to that.

The 1330's with a 7 gal tank and higher gas mileage (40's) will take you about 250 miles. I always fill 200 or less miles on the tank. I don't like sucking fumes.