I have a 2009 883 custom (bought new in Sept) and have just put 1000 miles on it. I have a few questions about my experiences so far.

1) My gas light seems to come on when I have about 2 gallons left...is this a concern or should I just consider that with deciding when to fill up. Manual says it should be 1. I usually just gas up when it comes on, but maybe I should test it.

2) Gas mileage....In general I'm getting 45-50 mpg no matter what type of riding I'm doing. What is the best way to get better gas mileage. Or what might I be doing which isn't smooth?

3) somewhat related to #2...shifting. In general I shift as follows: Gear 1 1-18, gear 2 18-30, gear 3 30-45, gear 4 45-55, gear 5 55+ . This is what I have found that feels right. When I broke in the bike I followed the manual, but it doesn't feel right to me. Such as, gear 4 and 5 always felt like they were lugging the engine in what the manual states. So, do these numbers sound wrong for this bike? Or should I continue to go on feel and not worry about it. I don't have a TAC so not sure what RPMs I'm at.

Thanks for any help!

 

My best guess for #1 is a bad sensor. I usually use my trip meter to gauge when to fill up. As for better gas mileage I'd say to thats about the last thing on my mind when riding. Sounds like you're getting decent numbers, I'd just enjoy the ride. Despite HD advertisements, it's not a Prius. Better gas mileage could mean a better experience for the miles you ae driving. As for shifting, yes higher is better. Lugging the engine is bad, whereas your engine won't be hurt by higher revs, although you will use more gas. I agree the user manual settings are notoriously low. Keep riding and relax and enjoy...oh yeah, and watch out for cars...

 

Congrats. 1. The fuel lights have proven time and time again that they are really not accurate, use your tripometer. 2. 45-50mpg is not bad at all. 3. Shift when it feels natural.

 

+1 on all above. With a custom, I believe you should get close to 150 miles/tank before fill up. I get around 120 miles on my 883 Hugger before hitting reserve with about 55 mpg. I get about 43 to 47 mpg on my N.

 

1) doesn't seem right at all. How are you figuring there is 2 gal left? If you just fill it at the pump until the handle shuts off it's likely you are still well shy of a full tank. That means it may only take 2-2.5 gal. for the handle to shut off (leading you to believe there is 2 gal. left in your 4.4gal tank) when in actaulity if you filled it to the bottom of the filler neck (a FULL 4.4 gal) it would take 3gal or more; meaning there was only 1 gal or so left in the bottom of the tank and as such, your fuel light is correct.

2) gas mileage can vary WILDLY based on a number of factors. If you're doing mostly highway with some in town 45-50 is about right. My 883C gets right at 50 in the 80/20 (hwy/city) mix I run. Straight open 2 lane
I get just over 60mpg in town probably drops into the upper 30's.

3) your shift points are just about right for conservative riding. I typically shift at 20/30/40/50 when I'm just taking it easy. The bike will definately tell you when you're shifting too early (seems as though you already know that one).

 

Get a comfortable travling distance to consumption...
I use a 150 kilometers between fills.
If it clunk/clunks change back the NighTster has long gears at slow speeds,it took a while to get used to.Your changing obviouslly will vary to rate of acceleration and road gradient.H

 

In general, my light was coming on at 119 miles. I then would pump 2.6 gallons into the tank. So I was figuring I still had a couple gallons left. It's been pretty consistent, so I suppose I could use the trip odometer and see how close I could get it to empty (better do that in my town in case I need someone to help).

I'm not too concerned with the gas mileage...but wanted to make sure it wasn't something I was doing wrong.

Thanks for the answers so far!

 

I use the indicator light as a reminder to look at my trip wich is reset each time i fill up. I use 1 trip to track gas the other to track overall milage.

 

The fuel light on my '10 1200C has worked the same way since I got it new in May. Each fill up when the fuel indicator comes on is about 2.5 gal. And yes, i hold the nozzle so the tank is completely full. It must be where Harley factory decides to set the guage/indicator. I get 45-50 mpg. I didnt ask dealer service about the fuel light at the 500 mi service, but I will before the warranty is up.

 

My light comes on at one gallon left, the stealer said you get what you get.

I get 45-50, you wont get much better than that. I have ridden at 65 for a week, then 75. Same fuel mileage.

I use a ThrottleMiester to get the most I can. Then I ride 150 miles a day.

I shift on the 10s 10-20-30-40-50