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Fuel Gauge?

2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  surfclod 
#1 ·
I know a lot of people just watch their mileage real close but I was wondering if there are any aftermarket fuel gauges out there that work half way decent. It seems like any lean from left to right or front to back would give you a false reading but I cant help but ask the question and see if anyone has experimented with anything or heard of anything that gives an accurate reading. I plan to build a tank out of fiberglass one day and when i do I want to put a small strip of clear plastic down the side to act as a fuel gauge (It will probably be more a conversation piece than actual function but I thought it would be cool). Anyway, if anyone has heard of anything I would love to know about it. Thanks

Cody
 
#2 ·
There isn't any cheap or easy one on the market yet. This seems to get talked about every 6 months. Some I have seen are inline bottles with the petcock or nipples welded to the tank with a hose connecting them to see what's up.



The one think I have always wondered was the kawasaki bayou has a simple float setup like an external boat gas tank. And I have been wondering about mounting one up but I believe the nut goes on the inside so it would be a trick to put in without an access plate.







 
#5 ·
I have been working on a way to pua fuel gauge on my bike, but even though I have several ways of doing it, they all require welding a fitting to the tank. For this reason I have put off the project until I can get a couple of old custom tanks and cut them apart to make a super tank like Blindstitch has :)



I am going to use a "removable" tube section that is similar to the petcock tube, but bigger. Going to use a hall effect sensor array to monitor a floating magnet. I plan on constructing the tube ( actually a tube inside a sealed tube) in such a way as to dampen any fast actions. Tank fluid may swish and change levels all over the place, but the tube will prevent any fast changes in its level. The beauty of using this method is;



- the electronic sensors are isolated from the gas, no possibility of sparks

- entire unit can screw out incase replacement is needed

- can be made to drive regular gauges and electronic ones (like the custom one Im putting in my custom tach)



I figure its better to do the install in a "second" tank so i can keep my original and still ride, and after for a just in case or new project.
 
#6 ·
Well with a bigger tank you just stop when you need instead of when you need gas. Big difference. Like 2 to 1. I went 300 miles with my brother and stopped 4 times. Same trip would have been 2 stops at 150 to stretch my legs.
 
#7 ·
Yea :) that would be nice. Kind of stuck project wise as im not sure if I should fix the CX first or try to get the GW running so I have something to ride. Im figuring Im looking at about a week min before this strike is over and I get my mech seal. Then I have to do the tripple bypass, service the oil pump (when I change the tack cover to a working one ... yea, may actually get a working tach) and install an electric fan. The GW, have no idea what needs to be done yet as im still charging the battery and working on finishing the shed (just have to put a roof on tomorow and I can start emptying the garage :) )



Well, if nothing else I did pick up 2 gell pads from Canadian tire for $9.99 each :) just wish I had a working bike to try them on lol
 
#10 ·
Several weeks ago I went for a Sunday afternoon ride and kept track of my mileage. I was riding about 55-60 mph for 2/3rds of the way and then up around 70 mph the last third, all on flat prairie landscape. My average was 52 MPG (US gallons) or 62.5 MPG (Imperial gallons).



Theoretically I should be able to go 200 miles on a tank but if I have a heavy head wind it would be nice to have a fuel gauge to be know whether or not to press on to the next town.





Now that our darn postal strike is over hopefully I will get my fork seals and get back to riding it again.
 
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