My fuel light came on and within 10 miles the bike turned into a bucking bronco. Maybe the light tripped a little late that time. My recommendation is to start looking for a station at the 100-110 mark, regardless of fuel light indication. I was on fumes at the 136 mark. Do as I say, not as I do.

 

yeah, diff models have diff fuel settings.
on my 08 1200c the fuel light comes on at about half a tank... kinda useless, and i would rather have a reserve tank!!

 

And I thought my '08 XL883C was just a fluke. My light turns on at ~ 120 miles, have ridden 160 miles with great anxiety trying to ignore the warning light, but still only put 3 gallons in the tank. I just wish I knew how much of the 4.5Gal tank is actually available without risking a burnt fuel pump or long walk to the gas station.

 

My light came on at 110 and I rode another 16miles before fueling up - think I managed to squeeze 3Gals in the tank which sounds about right given how I had been riding that day.

This is the smallest tank/range I've had on a bike - forces me to have to plan my rides, paying close attention to fuel stops

 

Reset you trip meter every time you refuel. By keeping track of your miles you will Know how accurate the fuel light is.

 

Yup. tripmeter is your friend.

 

I reset one trip odometer on every fill-up (and the other one on every oil change). The fuel light very repeatably turns on at ~120 miles.

I know my typical MPG. What I don't know is just how many gallons are actually available from a full 4.5 gallon tank, so I'm still guessing how many miles I can go without running out of gas.

Back in the carb days, I could pull a fuel line of of the petcock and measure how much gas came out. With EFI, I have a pump in the tank eating up some of the space, and I don't know how low the fuel goes before the pump starts to suck air.

Maybe we should start a poll "How many gallons have you put in at once", or maybe "How far before you became a pedestrian"?

 

Yeah the 08 1200C's fuel indicators are worthless, anyone have the LED gas cap indicator? If so, how do they work?

 

I took the bike out for a canyon run and my light came on at 77! I was riding it rather strong though but the next tank I"m going to take it easy to see what I pull. If feels like the light turns on with a gallon left.

 

I seem to remember reading that the LED gas caps wouldn't work on a Sportster for some reason or other. Anybody else hear that?