Honda Pacific Coast ipcrc Archives

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Fuel gauge
Written by jhawkins on 2/16/2012 at 07:57 pm

Hey Tom,

Thank you, and other Coasters, for sharing your experiences with me! I tend to
revel in these discussions since I LOVE motorcycles! It started when I was 15
and in the 46 years hence I've had a dozen bikes in all. My heyday came in the
mid-seventies, while living in Scottsdale Az, with a '74 Honda XL250, a '69
Husqvarna 400 and a '73 Z1 Kawasaki 900 in my stable. Over the years I have
gravitated to the litter class bikes for their shear grunt and dominating road
presence. My all-time favorite, without a doubt, was my Honda Superhawk
purchased new in 1998! Unfortunately, I couldn't physically tolerate much time
in the saddle as both my hands would go numb after 50 minutes or so. "Think
cruiser". 23 years back, when I laid eyes on a Pacific Coast it was love at
first sight! Of coarse, at that time owning such a "practical" machine was
totally un-cool, or so I thought. I've changed a lot since then, now the idea of
hauling groceries home from the market, sitting upright and riding without
pulling against a 60 mph wind blast holds great appeal. Since buying this 30K
'98 PC and joining your rank and file I have learned much from your insights and
have several up-grades in mind at this time; swap out final drive unit, install
tapered steering head bearings and perhaps even fine tuning the fuel sending
unit.

Being semi-retired and an empty nester I tend to spend too much time on these
group discussions and focusing on my new toy so please forgive me for boring you
with my take on a subject so near and dear to my heart.

If any of you ever find yourself in south-eastern Wisconsin, Grafton area,
please give me a shout @ (262) 375-9901. I'm always up for a ride and making new
friends of a common interest! We may even have a spare bunk for those of you
just passing through.

Sincerely

John Hawkins

----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Humphrey
To: ipcrc@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 10:38 AM
Subject: RE: PC800: Re: Fuel gauge


Fuel gauge on my 2 '94 PC's.

When fuel is full, the gasoline gauge needle rises above the "F" position
and stays there for about 35-40 miles.

When the needle points straight down I have used 2 gallons of fuel. That
means I have gone through almost half the tank capacity.

When the needle first touches the RED area I had a little bit more than 1
gallon left.

When the needle moved from the red toward the gasoline pump symbol it was
time to start thinking about fuel.

As the needle approaches the hose on the gasoline pump symbol I am almost
out of fuel.

I have driven many times where the needle actually touches the hose on the
gasoline pump symbol but was almost completely empty.

I have gotten as little as 38 mpg while blasting up the grapevine out of LA
in 100 degree + weather and running about 80 mph. I had to fill up with
just over 130 miles on that tank.

I have gotten many tanks that gave me over 200 miles per tank. Once I got
60 mpg on a very boring ride around Lake Tahoe - there was a group of
Sheriff cars in front of me so it was 35 - 45 mph all the way.

I too kept records of every tank of fuel and my overall average was 47.7
mpg. I used the cheapest gasoline available (85-87 octane) and I tend to
short shift but ran at higher speeds on the roads (but always safely and
with respect.)

And yes, I was constantly looking for sixth gear on the roadway..

Leland gives great advice - run your PC tank dry by carrying spare gasoline
in an approved container in your trunk. You will be surprised how far you
can go. And once you KNOW your available fuel availability you can use it
more effectively and without fear of running out.

I always carried a pair of camping fuel 1 litre bottles of gasoline in my
trunk - never had to use them for myself but they did help other
motorcyclists quite a few times. If needed, those 2 bottles will get you
another 25 miles.

"Tuppie" Tom, a.k.a. Hump-the-Grump

"Lemmings Non Sumas!"

'94 black PC "Tuppie II", 75k rider

Lelands Rides, MSTA, AMA, No. Cal. PC'ers, ipcrc, all eleven Y2K rides

President - Brentwood Foothills Pacific Coast Owners & Riders Club - BFPCORC

In the western foothills of the Great California Central Valley

In the end it will be alright. If it is not alright, then it is not yet the
end!

"I am among the very small minority of human beings who honestly don't care
what anybody else thinks. If I did, I'd probably own a bike just like
yours...Peter Egan"

From: ipcrc@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ipcrc@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
mostlyhondas@...
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 8:15 AM
To: ipcrc@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: PC800: Re: Fuel gauge

This is the best advice, I always do it with all bikes and I can run it
down to
need 3.8 - 4.2 gal. every time. The only difference is that I may not
start carrying the
extra gas until its at least half empty.

On Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:59:02 -0800 "Leland C. Sheppard"
<lcshepp@... <mailto:lcshepp%40directcon.net> > writes:

Hi John,

I trust my fuel gauges completely. They are very consistent and all
four PCs behave the same way.

You just have to learn to read it.

The first thing I did when I bought my first PC was to fill it up, fill
a gallon can and stick it in the trunk and ride the bike until it ran
out of gas. I watched the gauge and learned where the needle was when
it ran out. After that, I filled it at various points to see how much
gas I had left (left end of the white line, left side of the red square,
right side of the red square, etc.)

I have done nothing since but read the gauges and fill up as needed.

The 200 mile figure doesn't work because it depends too much on speed,
wind, your weight, whether or not you have a passenger or a load, etc.

That's why learning to read the gauge works like a champ. Let the bike
tell me when it needs gas.

My two cents. Acquired with over 2000 tanks of gas in PC800 motorcycles
over the past 18+ years...

Leland

...Life is good on the Pacific Coast...

Thanks,

Jimmy

Work cures these three Evils, Poverty, Vice, and Boredom

Voltaire
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