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Heritage Fuel Gage Calibration

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Old Sep 28, 2009 | 08:19 PM
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Man In Black's Avatar
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Default Heritage Fuel Gage Calibration

I have a 2010 Heritage and the fuel gage seems not to be calibrated right. When I fill it up , the gage drops so fast until it gets down to the red zone, that I thought it was getting poor fuel mileage. Once it reaches the red zone , it seems to run for a long time without moving at all. I did a mileage check and I am getting an average 47 miles per gallon. The gage is worthless the way it is working. Is there a way that the dealer can re-calibrate it under warranty so it works right, or is this just a defect in all Heritages ? Anybody notice this with a late model Heritage?
 
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Old Sep 28, 2009 | 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Man In Black
I have a 2010 Heritage and the fuel gage seems not to be calibrated right. When I fill it up , the gage drops so fast until it gets down to the red zone, that I thought it was getting poor fuel mileage. Once it reaches the red zone , it seems to run for a long time without moving at all. I did a mileage check and I am getting an average 47 miles per gallon. The gage is worthless the way it is working. Is there a way that the dealer can re-calibrate it under warranty so it works right, or is this just a defect in all Heritages ? Anybody notice this with a late model Heritage?
Yep, got a 2010 myself and the gauge sux!
 
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Old Sep 28, 2009 | 08:50 PM
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Originally Posted by fireman9513
Yep, got a 2010 myself and the gauge sux!
I just traded in a 2002 Night Train with what looks like the same fuel gage, and it always worked perfect, so should we just accept this or demand that they fix it right? Is there a way to re-calibrate these or does it just need a new fuel gage?
 
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Old Sep 28, 2009 | 09:04 PM
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I picked up my 2010 at the dealer on Saturday and they had a full tank. My gauge so far sems to be working, but because of the weather here in NY, I only have around 40 miles on it. The gauge seems to be near the full mark. By this weekend (weather permitting) I will fill the tank and see how the guage does.
 
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Old Sep 28, 2009 | 09:12 PM
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it's not a 2010 issue, it's a typical HD gas gauge issue. Not reliable, not consistent. Use your odometer instead. I have a five gallon tank, I fill up every 160 to 170 miles. Consistently uses about 4 gallons at that mileage.
 
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Old Sep 28, 2009 | 10:14 PM
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Yes the guage can be re-calibrated. It involves removing the float assy and bending the float arm. Your dealer can do it and should cover it under warranty. The downside is: none of the HD, tank mounted fuel guages are all that accurate. It's best to set the trip meter at every fill up, and ride for 150 miles, then start looking for a gas station.
 
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Old Sep 29, 2009 | 04:06 AM
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I don't even bother looking at the fuel gauge on mine. I usually track miles. I also have used the remaining miles feature but found it to be pretty useless too. It will tell me I have 30 miles left but when I fill it up it takes 3.5 gallons.
 
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Old Sep 29, 2009 | 04:25 AM
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Originally Posted by billfitt
I don't even bother looking at the fuel gauge on mine. I usually track miles. I also have used the remaining miles feature but found it to be pretty useless too. It will tell me I have 30 miles left but when I fill it up it takes 3.5 gallons.
The remaining miles feature is reasonably accurate on mine! The gauge on the other hand ...
 
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Old Sep 29, 2009 | 10:45 AM
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I use my fuel gauge as only a guideline. When I get to 3/4s of a tank I look at the odometer and determine my next fuel stop from there. My buddy has the big Kawasaki and his fuel light comes on after a hundred miles. 5 gal tank but he's only able to put in, maybe 3 gals.
 
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Old Sep 29, 2009 | 09:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Solitaree1
it's not a 2010 issue, it's a typical HD gas gauge issue. Not reliable, not consistent. Use your odometer instead. I have a five gallon tank, I fill up every 160 to 170 miles. Consistently uses about 4 gallons at that mileage.
I have found this to be the case on my heritage also.
 
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