gas gauge wonky?

[Whiteknuckle]

Tried to search but nothing came up..

noticed something odd about my gas gauge and wondering if something is off.
I will be riding along and will have 2 bars showing on the gauge. When i come to a stop
the gauge is flashing along with the 0.0 L flashing in place of the odometer. Figured it was just the gas
sloshing around and going back to level once i was moving again.

But if i put it in gear it goes back to 2 bars and repeats at next stop.

It was doing it again this weekend. I went farther this time to see if i could make it to a gas station
but soon the 2 bars disappeared and it was the last flashing bar. so i chickened out and headed to the nearest
gas station. Only wish i had filled to rim instead to see how much gas was left.

Just find it odd that it goes from 2 bars to flashing so fast. Kind of hard to trust how much gas is actually left.

One thing i liked on my former Ninja 650 was it had a fuel range based on how much is in the tank. Kind of handy. Not near
the manual now so not sure if the NC has this. The only bad thing about the Ninja remaining fuel range was it stopped working once the bar is flashing. Kind of stupid as that is when i would want it to work.

 

[Jelly]

Yeah the fuel gauge takes a bit of getting used to, I usually fill up as soon as the bar flashes for the first time, going downhill usually, if I recall correctly.

I never like running too low on fuel anyway, but that's just me.

Wait till you see your trip meters reset themselves!

A lot of owners of 2014 models are having trouble with them, there's a thread somewhere but can't remember what it's called.

My whole display unit/dashboard is being replaced under warranty, my dealer expects it to be in within a fortnight.

 

[Old Can Ride]

My advise about the gas gauge is learn to hitch hike, or carry extra gas. Both I do quite often.

 

[davidc83]

yea, it goes from 2 bars to flashing bar; would be better if it went from 2 bars to 1 bar then flashing bar. When it goes from 2 bars to flashing bar, usually means 1 gallon left. It would have been better to go to 1 bar, then flashing bar with .5 gallon in the tank; but Honda engineers...... I have never seen the 0.0L message.

 

[bigjeff]

If you know your average mileage - go by the odometer

 

[bamamate]

I've had it flip back and forth a few times before settling down to the flashing last bar. My opinion, the last bar means reserve and they made it flash to get your attention. It is an odd shaped tank which makes it hard to have an accurate and perfectly linier gauge. Lots of cars do the same type of things if you watch them closely and run the gas as low as we tend to do on motorcycles. I’ve had cars that the gauge would go below the empty mark.

 

[ColinW]

Had the same with my NC750X. Can't even trust the odometer as it lost the last 80km leg of my trip. I'm going to see how many posts I can find about this problem on this and other forums, copy and paste and send to Honda South Africa.

 

[Brillot2000]

Tried to search but nothing came up..

noticed something odd about my gas gauge and wondering if something is off.
I will be riding along and will have 2 bars showing on the gauge. When i come to a stop
the gauge is flashing along with the 0.0 L flashing in place of the odometer. Figured it was just the gas
sloshing around and going back to level once i was moving again.

But if i put it in gear it goes back to 2 bars and repeats at next stop.

It was doing it again this weekend. I went farther this time to see if i could make it to a gas station
but soon the 2 bars disappeared and it was the last flashing bar. so i chickened out and headed to the nearest
gas station. Only wish i had filled to rim instead to see how much gas was left.

Just find it odd that it goes from 2 bars to flashing so fast. Kind of hard to trust how much gas is actually left.

One Gallon (3.785 L) is the "Threshold" where fuel gauge starts to trigger the "Low Fuel Warning". I filled up the other day, at times it would flash and then go back to "2" bars. .9 Gallons (3.4 L) is where the "Low Fuel Warning" will be constantly "ON".

 

[StratTuner]

200 miles on the odometer is the limit for me. When the ODO gets to 200, find gas!

Just for fun, here's a chart of what your mileage would be at different MPG.
(I average 69.0 MPG, so if I wanted to really push it, I could get close to 255 miles showing on the tripometer.)

MPG	Distance (in MILES)
50	185
51	188.7
52	192.4
53	196.1
54	199.8
55	203.5
56	207.2
57	210.9
58	214.6
59	218.3
60	222
61	225.7
62	229.4
63	233.1
64	236.8
65	240.5
66	244.2
67	247.9
68	251.6
69	255.3
70	259
71	262.7
72	266.4
73	270.1
74	273.8
75	277.5
76	281.2
77	284.9
78	288.6
79	292.3
80	296

 

[670cc]

It goes from 2 bars to one flashing bar "so fast" because there is no step between that. A single solid bar is not one of the display modes. Generally when you brake or angle downhill the fuel level indication drops, but when you go uphill or accelerate the indicated level rises. This can make it flip back and forth a few times before it settles at the next level tier.

 

[AP1]

I was about to post a new thread until I found this one.

I experience the same "problem" with my 2012 NC700X. The fuel gauge drops one bar at a time (pretty steadily) until two bars remain. Then, it goes from two bars directly to one blinking bar. Then, it might go back to two bars for a while then back to one blinking bar. This pattern might repeat ten or more times for 10 miles or more, especially in stop-and-go traffic or going up and down hills.

There's no solid single bar. Is that true?

When the problem started the first time, I had ridden around 140 miles. I went about 10 miles more and when the gauge stayed on one blinking bar, I filled up, and it only took about 2.5 gallons or so. It just happened again today and I'm at about 140 miles again.

Is the common knowledge that this is exactly how the NC fuel gauge works?

Thanks

 

[670cc]

I was about to post a new thread until I found this one.

I experience the same "problem" with my 2012 NC700X. The fuel gauge drops one bar at a time (pretty steadily) until two bars remain. Then, it goes from two bars directly to one blinking bar. Then, it might go back to two bars for a while then back to one blinking bar. This pattern might repeat ten or more times for 10 miles or more, especially in stop-and-go traffic or going up and down hills.

There's no solid single bar. Is that true?

When the problem started the first time, I had ridden around 140 miles. I went about 10 miles more and when the gauge stayed on one blinking bar, I filled up, and it only took about 2.5 gallons or so. It just happened again today and I'm at about 140 miles again.

Is the common knowledge that this is exactly how the NC fuel gauge works?

Thanks

That is exactly how the gauge works. Yours is normal. See post #10.

 

[L.B.S.]

I was about to post a new thread until I found this one.

I experience the same "problem" with my 2012 NC700X. The fuel gauge drops one bar at a time (pretty steadily) until two bars remain. Then, it goes from two bars directly to one blinking bar. Then, it might go back to two bars for a while then back to one blinking bar. This pattern might repeat ten or more times for 10 miles or more, especially in stop-and-go traffic or going up and down hills.

There's no solid single bar. Is that true?

When the problem started the first time, I had ridden around 140 miles. I went about 10 miles more and when the gauge stayed on one blinking bar, I filled up, and it only took about 2.5 gallons or so. It just happened again today and I'm at about 140 miles again.

Is the common knowledge that this is exactly how the NC fuel gauge works?

Thanks

In a word, yes.

Having said that, realize that one guy may have a bike where all the manufacturing tolerances are at the outer limits of acceptability, and therefore be a fair ways off of another owner's figures, who has a bike where it got all the "perfect" parts, and performs much closer as to how one would think they all should.

The odd shaped tank, the manufacturing and assembly line tolerances of a crude, swinging, weighted float on a stick, being sloshed about to and fro in a fluid and transfering mechanical arc-movement into electrical resistance, a computer then translating that ever changing variable into an algorithm of electrical impulses, which are sent to a flickering liquid crystal display... personally I'm amazed that any Rube Goldberg contraption like this even works some of the times, lol

 

[Fuzzy]

If on the borderline of one vs two bars on gage then accelerating or going up hill will light the second bar while braking or going down hill will go back to single blinking bar.

 

[ld_rider]

Apparently, the technology needed to build a reliable fuel gauge and trip meter has escaped Honda on these models. My trip meters (both A and B) are completely out of sync with the odometer...My bike (like all 2014s) has an AVG MPG reading that is completely untrustworthy. Same with the remaining fuel or miles covered since last reset. Pathetic. I <get> that Honda wanted to manufacture a reasonably priced commuter..but I think most of us would have paid another $100 for actual working instruments...

 

[ld_rider]

When the problem started the first time, I had ridden around 140 miles. I went about 10 miles more and when the gauge stayed on one blinking bar, I filled up, and it only took about 2.5 gallons or so. It just happened again today and I'm at about 140 miles again.

Sounds about right. My bike goes to flashing red about the same distance as yours..You must be running on a highway at normal speeds (70 mph+)??

I've run just under 7,000 on the highway and have never seen anything more than about 58 mpg...Which means the red flashing light comes on around 140 miles :-(

 

[kjang]

I just don't worry about it. When I see it flashes RED, then i go to the gas/petrol station.

ken

 

[L.B.S.]

Apparently, the technology needed to build a reliable fuel gauge and trip meter has escaped Honda on these models. My trip meters (both A and B) are completely out of sync with the odometer...My bike (like all 2014s) has an AVG MPG reading that is completely untrustworthy. Same with the remaining fuel or miles covered since last reset. Pathetic. I <get> that Honda wanted to manufacture a reasonably priced commuter..but I think most of us would have paid another $100 for actual working instruments...

Haha! My Honda fuel gauge is infinitely superior to the hideous $$$ F800ST BMW I had, and take the time to look up: "BMW 1200GS fuel strip".

 

[ld_rider]

Haha! My Honda fuel gauge is infinitely superior to the hideous $$$ F800ST BMW I had, and take the time to look up: "BMW 1200GS fuel strip".

BMW's (cars and bikes) are total POS (as are many European vehicles)...most people know that ;-)
I expect more from Honda..I mean...we are talking about a freaking instrument cluster for crying out loud! Dump the Chinese (low cost bidder) and bring it in house and be done with it!!!

My dealer wants $100 for a new meter panel...what does that <suggest> as to the quality? ...Considering it has to be manufactured half-way across the planet, shipped to him here in Maine, United States and both he and Honda <still> make a profit? I'm guessing the manufacturing costs are about $10 USD...

 

[ld_rider]

I just don't worry about it. When I see it flashes RED, then i go to the gas/petrol station.

ken

Cool story bro! What do you do when it flashes RED and then goes back to two black bars?? Me? I check out the trip meter to see how many miles I actually ran...but of course, those trip meters are flakey and don't actually work...My new thing is to just memorize the last three digits of the odometer. I'm <hoping> the odometer is somewhat reliable ;-)

Sooo..In essence my motorcycle doesn't really have a fuel gauge or a trip meter...the jury is still out if it has a working odometer

On my last run the odometer said I ran 160 miles...the trip meters (both) said I ran 133 miles....The fuel gauge said I used 4.6 gallons (!!) to run those miles....The AVG MPG said I was getting 56 mpg.....I obviously traveled through some sort of black hole..

It all gave me a headache and made me miss my GL1800 even more ;-)