Ive never put in more then 2 gallons. I always fuel on the 1/4 mark. Never seen the light yet. maybe i will push it tonite.

 

Same thing happened to me recently. I was riding in the mid day sun and really didn't even see the warning light come on. By the time I noticed it, the reading was 8 miles to empty.

I was in the middle of the Ocala National Forest, and ran a good 20+ miles after the reading went to 0, and the fuel gauge was solid E...and it still wouldn't take much over 4 gallons of fuel!

 

I have a '06 deuce w/4.9 Gal tank... *** is slammed, and front of tank lifted 1.5"...
I drained my tank, completely empty, then added 1/2 gallon...
Then, reached into my tank w/ a long hook (made outta a piece of coat hanger) pulled up on the rear of float rod while pushing down on front of rod near float.
Adjusted til it showed "E"... that's it, when I'm on "E" I have about 20 miles reserve!
Also, I got the Kuryakyn Flush Mount Cap (right side) & Gauge (left side)...
Gauge is Digital, a series of 8 LED's from Green (Full), to Amber half tank), to Red="E".
It's a flashing red, and catches yur eye even in Bright Sunlight...
That's it, no more problems... yu can also calibrate gauge via a series of On- Off w/ power switch... has worked great for me! Also I re-set the trip odo when I fill up just in case ( for me...175-180 miles is time to look for a station).
be patient, keep after it, don't give up... It Can Be Done!!!

 

Glad to see I am not alone! There are few things that makes me feel more uneasy while riding than thinking I am running out of fuel. It takes away from the fun if it. I have Power Vision and it claims I am getting 48 MPG consistently. Based on a 4.8 capacity I should get 230 miles from full to on the side of the road. But as I posted originally I had only gone 138 miles and the HD trip meter showed 14 miles left until empty. That is a HUGE margin of error. Also like others said, the miles remaining was going down at least 2 miles for every mile I traveled.

It is obvious from all these posts that HD does this by design, or at least I hope they do. I like being a bit cautious, but imagine if everything had a 25% margin of error or 25% tolerance. Almost nothing you use would work correctly.

Has anyone asked a dealer to look into this or asked to have their fuel gauge calibrated? If so what was their response?

 

Ghira75, you never did say how many miles on your trip odometer you went on 4.1 gallons. It would be interesting to know.
I am hoping that I get some place near 40 MPG so will feel comfortable to go 200 miles max.
Bob

 

I didn't take notice on that particular occasion, but I always fill up to the same level (gas touching thread of gas cap), and keep the receipts, then at home work out my mpg.
I have two mpg:
1) 45mpg at almost constant 75 mph - on the highway or country roads on very relaxed riding
2) 40mpg mix of country roads, mountain and city or highway at 90mph some time faster for short periods and with windshield, loaded with gear (60lbs approx)

Therefore, although everytime I fill up the display says in excess of 200mi range, in reality with a full tank I go from 160 to 185mi to the point where it says "low range", dial well into the red "E" and reserve light on when I'm praying for the bike not to stop. Then I fill in and it's 4 to 4.1 gallons. Maybe (probably) there is another gallon of gas still there, but I'd rather leave at that.
One day I'll get a couple of quarts of gas in the saddlebags and run the full tank till it stops.

So if i were you, I'd be positive in being able to do 40mpg, but I wouldn't risk it to stretch it to 200mi. That would mean running 40mi while the bike is telling you "the tank is already empty"...
Btw mine is a 96" stock engine+Xieds so consumption should be on the low side...

 

All motorcycle fuel gauges don't report an acurate amount of fuel left, its most likely by design so we don't run out of fuel as often by accident. My BMW R1200GS consistantly gets 40 to 45 MPG , holds 5 gallons of fuel, and always tells me at 170 miles i'm empty... i have actually had pushed it to 225 miles on one trip while looking for a fuel station, and it held 4.8 when i filled up... FXDF is the same, my low fuel comes on typicaly at 130 miles, and when i fill up it holds from 3.2 to 3.5 gallons, so i know that my range is about 190 to 200 miles...
I never count on the fuel gauge, only milage... so many things can affect accurate reading... if your really curious what the range is, strap on a 1 gallon fuel can, and go for a ride until your bike starts sputtering... then you will know what your range is for sure...

 

IslandHog, I like your paint job! Where did you get that done?

 

Those of you with fuel injected bikes seem to have more issues with this... I cant prove it, however I believe Harley may have did this on purpose, so that your fuel pump always has fuel around it. Although you can go much farther than your fuel gauge says...keeping your fuelpump in the gas is a good idea.

Cars with in-tank fuel pumps need the fuel to help keep the pump cool. If you are constantly running the fuel low enough to expose the fuel pump, it is not being cooled and decreases pump life. This may also be the case with a motorcycle fuel pump, but I have not read anything specific about it.

 

I have a 2012 Superlow with a 4 ½ gallon tank. The light comes on at about 117 miles. I thought the light was bad so I kept going. (4 ½ gallon tank at 50 mpg = 225 miles.) Not! Started running out at 170 miles. Had dealer check it at the 1000 mile service. Said the reserve cam on at 2 1/2 gal. Had 1 gallon left.??? They told me the gage and pump takes up about 1 gallon. So a 4 ½ gallon tank only holds 3 ½ gallons. Beware.