Is it just me or what???

[ChicoFowler]

I was riding the other day with a full tank, and it seems you can go forever and the gas gauge moves so slowly down to the half tank mark.
After that, it seems like there is a sucking sound and the gauge drops much faster towards the empty mark!!!! Is it just my imagination???

 

[finless]

You do not say what model or year Spyder you have?

If you have an RT and the analog gauges, many hate the analog gauges because of this issue and the inaccuracy. Most have removed the analog gauges. Later model RT some say the new analog gauges work better. On my 2011 I removed my analog gauges for this reason. I would have loved to have kept the analog temp gauge since that does work well but Alas to get the digital gauges on the dash screen, you have to remove both analog gauges.

Bob

 

[coz]

Top half / bottom half

The top half is bigger than the bottom half, looking at the shape of the tank. My bottom half goes quicker too. that's my theory , anyway.:roflblack:

 

[Cruzr Joe]

The top half is bigger than the bottom half, looking at the shape of the tank. My bottom half goes quicker too. that's my theory , anyway.:roflblack:

:agree:

 

[donkes]

After half, I begin to look for a fill-up. Same problem

 

[MRH]

The analog gauge looks good, but few of us are in love with it otherwise.

If you disconnect it (along with the temperature gauge, I am told), they will both revert to a more accurate digital version that shows up on the display. This info is for my RT.

 

[ARtraveler]

Most vehicles show the same thing. The first bar/line seems to go 50 - 75 mile or so. The next less, and by the time you are heading towards empty, you can see the needle move or the bars disappear before your eyes.

I don't pay much attention to the lower half of the gas gauge. I keep in mind total miles run since fill up. The 1330 ACE will give you about 200 miles before the warning light and the 998 will give about 150 miles. We did 178.2 miles and 5.4 gallons on the 2011 RT two days ago. (33 mpg).

 

[BikerDoc]

This is typical even on 2014s although maybe to a slightly lesser degree than on my 2010 or 2012. Unless you remove the analog gauge, most use mileage indicators for fill ups not the gauge

 

[BajaRon]

The top half is bigger than the bottom half, looking at the shape of the tank. My bottom half goes quicker too. that's my theory , anyway.:roflblack:

You are correct. The tortured configuration of fuel tank (necessary to fit into the space allowed) makes for a fuel level gauge nightmare.

 

[Bob Denman]

...But the 2014 analog fuel gauge on my RT is currently the most accurate one that I have... in ANY vehicle! nojoke
I used to get to a quarter of a tank reading on my 2010, and be VERY nervous... :shocked:
Now; it just means that I've got at least another 40 miles or so to go! :thumbup:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

On my RT digital gage the first bar drops off depending on how close to overflowing I fill the tank, and how much wind I'm bucking. Generally, if I fill the tank to just before spill over I go about 30 miles before the first bar drops off. After that it's fairly consistent at about 10 to 13 miles per bar with about 15 to 20 miles left after the last bar is gone. I think of it in terms of the 9 bars showing plus one invisible one above and one below. But it does vary. The lower five bars represent fewer miles each than the top four do, but not by much.

 

[MRH]

...But the 2014 analog fuel gauge on my RT is currently the most accurate one that I have... in ANY vehicle! nojoke
I used to get to a quarter of a tank reading on my 2010, and be VERY nervous... :shocked:
Now; it just means that I've got at least another 40 miles or so to go! :thumbup:

I didn't find that, but then again I didn't use mine for very long (5000 miles). It was certainly better than my 2010, no question about that. I've always struggled with knowing just how much gas is really in my tank, as I've never let it go to empty and I don't trust the stated capacities. Has anybody figured how much gas a 2014 RT-S really has in it when it is full? I've never added more than 4.5 gallons, even with the gas light on.

 

[Dudley]

I was riding the other day with a full tank, and it seems you can go forever and the gas gauge moves so slowly down to the half tank mark.
After that, it seems like there is a sucking sound and the gauge drops much faster towards the empty mark!!!! Is it just my imagination???

Seems to work that way. I use mine as an alert tool. I use the trip A setting as the more accurate showing. I have gotten up to 200 miles, but I was sucking fumes. A few days ago I tanked up at 188 with 6.1 gallons. My more acceptable practice is 150 miles.

 

[CanAmChris]

That is normal behavior for all ground vehicles with liquid fuel tanks. Here is a long article that explains it:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-gauge1.htm

Long story short, the float drops more rapidly as the volume of liquid fuel gets lower. This is true regardless of the shape of the tank. I have gone 3.7 miles with no bars showing when I pulled into a gas station. I don't think I will test it more than that. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Yazz]

It's easier to go by the odometer than the fuel gauge for when to fuel up...

 

[Chupaca]

Best policy....

Don't wait till the end....odometer is a good method. Use trip A for your partials and mpg and trip B for your overall. I ryde till I could use a stretch and a refreshment and fill up then. 100/150 miles...:thumbup:

 

[ChicoFowler]

Great responses......I also use the trip odometer as my best gauge. My practice on long runs is to stop about every 100 miles, stretch and fill 'er up again. I liked the article on how the fuel gauge works. Makes sense on what I'm seeing, now that I read that article.
Curious about the thread that indicated disconnecting the fuel/temp gauge and those will show up in the read out.....unless I read it wrong, I'll have to give that a shot. T
here are lots of things about the Spyder that I continue to learn, from practical use, great feed back from the forum and just plain luck. I only realized couple months ago, I could open the frunk while the bike was still running...and I learned this by accident. Needed to get something out of the frunk and without thinking, I pushed the key in and turned.....to my surprise the frunk opened!!!!

Hmm-m-m, wonder what other cool things there are, that isn't published!!!!????

 

[medict]

Noticed the same thing on my 15 RT s SE:banghead:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

It's easier to go by the odometer than the fuel gauge for when to fuel up...

Unless you're fighting headwinds, in which case you better pay attention to the gas gauge. Ask me how I know!:lecturef_smilie:

 

[flaggerphil]

I had my original analog gas gauge replaced with a new one about a year after I got my RT. While not perfect, it does better than the original. I keep an eye on it until about half way, then revert to my odometer. Works pretty well for me. I usually fill up between 100-120 miles.