how far can you get once the fuel light comes on?

Hows it going guys? Before I find this out the hard way, can anyone gimme an idea how many miles (or kilometers if you prefer) you can travel once you see the fuel light, m800

Don't do a total of 1 miles or you will end up pushing like I did.

It is supposed to 1.5 litres left when the light comes on, I have done 10 Km but I was sweating most of the way.

1.5 litres?  I thought there was more than that but never really new, flippin eck 

  just 10 kilometers? i think i've done more than that with the light on

I have done more than that.

On the C the light flashes a bit, then a lot, then stays on I think.
........then it's up to you how brave you want to be.
It also has a built in sensor that sets it off exactly three miles after you have passed a petrol station.

Badger wrote:

On the C the light flashes a bit, then a lot, then stays on I think.
........then it's up to you how brave you want to be.
It also has a built in sensor that sets it off exactly three miles after you have passed a petrol station.

I think the C is a slightly larger tank? I know what you mean about that 3 mile sensor though   2 bars in the service's, The minute I got on the slip road it goes down to one! with 30 miles from home   Yeah fuck it!    The good lady wasn't amused pushing the bike a Mile to a garage when we came off at the junction before the one we wanted    My advice? Don't even let that light come on! There's loads of fuel stations around the country and it feels better pulling the nozzle out of a full tank that's cost £15 than one at £22 and you've had to push it there.

Hi Bryan
I've got an 05 m800. On mine the light flashes intermittently as an early warning, then when it stays on, the message is fill up ASAP. On our jolly boys trip to France last year, I overcooked it at one point, light stayed on I reckon 20 kilometres from hotel, and I got back (but I did ride very steady at a constant 60). That's only a guess, but it FELT a long way (probably because I was panicking about the prospect of pushing my bike down the hard shoulder of an autoroute in the dark!)

I seem to remember on my C800 when it was down to 2 bars, that lasted only about one mile before one bar came on. I must admit when you get to my age it's more worrying if you are going to make it to the next toilet than being low on fuel 

ideally you find a petrol station with a bog, then you can empty one tank and fill up another

Well, i think the best way is the 3 simple rule (half and half and half): 6l-100, 3l-50, 1,5-25kms
If it consumes more less 5-6l/100km (62miles) with 1,5L it will make 25km (15.5miles), that's the fuel reserve.
So, what's the problem??   
Only take care when the light begin flashes. 

Regards

Just looked at the C800 owners manual as there seems to be confusion, M800 may differ slightly to c800'S but only to a slight fraction due to minor differences in tanks

If someone could look please and actually check what the M800 is in their owners manual as people guessing helps nobody

C800 reserve is 3.5 L not 1.5ltr as was mentioned, slight differences may be there between M and C's but not that much

That 1.5 ltr expressed earlier by a member is not actually the point at which you reach reserve, it is only the point at which the reserve light goes from solid to intermittent. Solely as a warning that reserve is reaching it's last usable amount before running out.

Figures apart, get to know your bike. Fill up before the light comes on if at all possible. If you want to play empty tank games - make sure you are in the AA.  

Bluesman wrote:

Figures apart, get to know your bike. Fill up before the light comes on if at all possible. If you want to play empty tank games - make sure you are in the AA.  

In a perfect world that might be possible  But we all know the world isn't perfect. If it was you wouldn't even need a flashing light. Just saying.

you gotta admit, the old "petrol tank roulette" game is a lotta fun   

I wouldn't carry fuel and run out as an experiment, as I'm sure I read somewhere that running dry don't do your bike any good.  Crap at the bottom of the tank feeding through or something? [Perhaps that was just carbs though].

FI systems will get just as blocked as the old carb bikes I rekon  :what1:

bigmal wrote:

you gotta admit, the old "petrol tank roulette" game is a lotta fun   

Not when you lose!      

I only lost once this game  with a bike.... Honda cb360 back in 1978 or something. Ran out of fuel leaving a girlfriends house at 2am in a place called wilmslow ..... Pushed it all the way home 7 miles away... But I was younger and thinner then (a lot) and the bike was lighter than the intruder!


Then another time around 1987 I got a company car... A new Nissan. At the time jap cars had far more refinements like variable speed wipers, etc. And a fuel warning light was a novelty (rather just a gauge marked "full to empty".  I read in the manual that when the yellow fuel warning light came on, you had 60 miles. So I played the game on a trip back from Bristol to manchester. Fuel light came on around 60 miles from home so I tried the ultimate test..... Ran out 1/2 mile from home !

Why in a hell can someone wanna let the fuel goes out until the last drop?
Sorry but is too much sand into my eyes…  :ill: 
When i went for a ride, i fill it up at start. If i saw that the "unit trace" joining closer to E…let's stop and fill the tank once again. 
I don't wanna to stop with no fuel on the road, because here in Portugal, nobody cares to stop and ask if i need help neither the motoriders…in some cases they laugh and point the thumbs up… :aghh:

Just does not happen when there are Motorcycle International Meetings because in those days they are all very friendly to help.
Of course are exceptions, but just a minor ones, in a special way "all the bikers". 

I think most people dont want to get anywhere near that last dribble of fuel but if the shit hits the fan so to speak, it would be great to know what you got in the reserve for piece of mind if nothing else. Saying that tho when I was a youngster I saw the reserve in the same way as a lot of people see their bank over draft facilities

I was very glad to have my reserve tap on my little Yamaha 50 when I was younger, after I ran dry just as I passed a gang of skinheads and flicked them the V

I had a few bikes with those little reserve taps when I was younger, I always forgot to turn it to it's 'on' position when I filled up though and ran out anyway   That was in the days before the entrepreneur in me decided I couldn't really afford petrol and set up my own petrol syphoning company    Ahh the days of the none locking petrol caps on cars, garden hoses and Castrol GTX tins.
 

Sim ...you have brought back memories there ... Hands n knees, mouthfull of petrol...happy days

Ha Ha Ha happy days  

Sim wrote:
Ahh the days of the none locking petrol caps on cars, garden hoses and Castrol GTX tins.

We used to call those Hoses, Oklahoma Credit Cards. It was an art. 

When I go away I always carry some large bore plastic pipe on the bike & have often used it for others as I have a always done a little mental note of 100 miles think about fuel, 150 look for fuel now!
It's always worked for me no matter what bike I've ridden & I'd sooner stop for 10 minutes to fuel n stretch than stop n push!

Hi all,
Like Peter I start looking for fuel at between 140 and 150 miles.  Good fuel consumption depends upon. A well tuned engine, tyre pressure, weight and riding style. I fill the tank full, zero the A trip. When only the last bar is showing on the gauge fill up recording the mileage and number of litres used. My numbers are:-
155.7 miles (249.12 Km) using 2.96 galls (13.36 L) Which ever way you do the maths it gives just over 50mpg which I am well pleased with. Having said all that it is a cruiser and that is my riding style.

I got to 189 miles before I got to the last bar yesterday! Mind you, Lindsay was leading the ride on her classic 125 Intruder at a steady 40!

G

There you go then Graeme, everybody needs a Lindsay for good fuel economy  

Hi Boyz !
Excuse my ignorance ... but what is a fuel light ? ...... clearly they were not dreamt of in 1996 when my VX rolled out of 'Highway' motorcycles in the Black country !
I have to make do with a reserve tap - but it is something I feel more comfortable with (Except if you forget to switch reserve back to normal after refuelling !

I have ridden more modern machines with such luxuries, but always err on the side of caution. If you brim the tank - zero the trip - & the run it till the light comes on, make a mental note of when it came on (i.e. at what miles on the trip). Refuel ASAP and note how many litres/gallons you put in to brim it. Compare that to the rated capacity and it may give you an indication of how much 'reserve' you had left in the tank.

This is only an approximate, but should err in your favour. If you then work out how many miles per litre you got based on the trip miles at refuel, you can then calculate how many miles you MIGHT get from the calculated remaining litres. This is an estimate & it is not recommended to push it right down to the wire ... but it should help you make a more informed judgement on what risks to take if you do not want to end up pushing your pride & joy !

Hope that's not too much egg sucking for Granma !

Going off to rest my aching bones !

Yam it works no matter which way round you do it, i have a velocette also & have always used my 100mile mantra & have used it with a lot of bikes i've had over the years.
Horses for courses & whatever works for you at the time.

Fuel lights came later on the Intruder and in doing so they took away the reserve petcock. not sure which is better or worse?

Hi Peardrop3

Yes - no problem - I ain't saying my way is the only way - just putting some ideas on paper for those who seem to be struggling with this issue.
As mentioned by others in the thread - learn & know your bike .... & you should save a walk. But I do my anally retentive checks to help me understand better those occasions where I might have to play 'reserve gamble' .... the last time that happened was up in North Yorkshire on the F6C, on a Sunday, on Bank Holiday weekend .... I was running on whiffs .... but managed to catch a single pump station that was about to close (Near Hawes). Saved looking for someone to stay the night .... & I don't like pushing 'The Fat Lady' .... she soon has me panting & out of breath !

Regards for the Velocette ! .... as well as your Suzuki - Cheers - Yam

Fuel light went from flashing to permanently on, so I went up the road today to get petrol, and engine was chugging on and off as I got to station, I had to rock the bike, swishing the fumes around, to help it along, must have looked like I was a nutter.    Quite a buzz. .... will it, won't it? ........   
My guess is around 10 - 15 miles with light staying on, that light on means you really need to get petrol .. no, seriously... get petrol.  

Zero on the trip now, as I brimmed it, and see how many miles before the light comes on again, for future reference.

[Bike is a C800 mind, not an M].

Hmmmm... I'm sure I got more than 10-15 on mine when light was solid.

Suppose there's bound to be some differences.... At least you got to the petrol station

Could have been more than 15, mine is a C800, don't know if there would be a difference.

Saying that, I was guessing, and my mind wasn't focused at the time.  :aghh:

I got 25 miles from mine when we were in France this year & rode at a steady 30mph to achieve it as I did not want to have to push it.
Had no problem getting it so if I were you when the light comes on be looking for fuel & drop the revs & speed to get the range.

That could be the answer Peter, as I was following my mate, we were very near home, and not hanging about. [he was on reserve too]  ... we hate buying petrol it seems. 
Scary to be in that situation abroad though.

Oh yeh I know what you mean Badger it aint fun to run out but I have always managed to get to fuel when desperate especially when I've got the twat nav on the bike it gets to be a very useful item!