Victory Motorcycle Forum banner

Fuel / gas gauge inaccuracy

39K views 157 replies 56 participants last post by  GrogAV 
#1 ·
I have put 450 miles on my new 2012 CCT and I've noticed that the fuel / gas gauge is very inaccurate. I've actually watched the needle move while sitting at a stop light.

The first time the fuel light came on and the gauge showed bone dry I was only able to pump 3.8 gallons into the tank. The second time I was able to get 4 gallons. This bike has a 5.8 gallon fuel tank!

Has anyone else experienced this issue? I didn't see any other posts mentioning this.

Thanks,

Kyle
 
#37 ·
I read where a guy had the same problem and his dealer told him that victory says there is a bad resistor in the sending unit.
Hope you all come back here and read this
 
#39 ·
I am puzzeled!! how some guys are worried about the gas mileage they are getting!if you wanted great gas mileage buy a scooter!! how does someone buy a $20,000 bike and then worry how much gas it eats thats some funny ****!!!! I am not rich by any means but thats the last thing on my mind.my truck gets 18 miles per gallon now thats shitty not the 40 something our bikes are getting!! i had to throw my 2 cents in i just couldnt believe what i was reading. try a vulcan next time i heard they get like 58 mpg!!!!
 
#78 ·
Gas mileage discussions are common to forums, in spite of the vehicle cost. It's a topic on Viper, Vette, Porsche , Ferrari and even Lamborghini forums. There are guys with MULTIPLE $400K cars that talk about their mpg.
 
#43 ·
"Please read the first post when I started this thread. I am not commenting on the gas mileage, I am asking about anyone else experiencing fuel gauge issues.

As you put it I bought a $20,000 motorcycle; should I not expect the fuel gauge to be accurate?"

I love my new XC but like you was curious about the gas gauge also. It goes off when I still have alot left. Like others stated, the low gas warning light is enough warning and I rather have the range read the approx. miles instead. I'm getting great MPG and thats not the problem.
 
#47 ·
So, not to dig this up but is there a common or known resistor issue? I've noticed a quick drop on the gauge too but I just watch the trip meter.

This weekend I had the light come on and off a few times, almost like the slow flash my Kawasaki would show, when off I had better then 55 miles until empty displayed.

I found this thread while doing a search for "range", I don't find it as an issue because if I have 50-60 miles left when the light comes on, easy to track no issue. But if there is a resistor issue it may be worth bugging the dealer and making another trip out there. It isn't an easy task as I work while they are open and when I'm off the tech's are typically off. Turning my "check out the bike" into 4 trips and needing 2 vehicles so I can drop the bike and come get it again later, what an expensive pain.
 
#48 ·
My only complaint on the fuel gauge is when the low fuel light comes on the estimated miles left no longer is displayed.
 
#49 ·
That and as soon as I get to 1/4 the fuel gauge immediately drops (as in I am watching the needle move while sitting still) to bone dry empty. I have filled up multiple times within a few miles of the light coming on and I am adding between 3.8 - 4 gallons of fuel.

I did mention this a few times to the dealership but no resolution.
 
#50 ·
I haven't seen that yet... 440 miles on the green machine. The low fuel light and display illuminated with 1.5 gallons left.......that is consistent with what my experience was with my XR....
 
#52 · (Edited)
I have a 2012 XCT that I bought in January, and have Fuel Gauge/Low Fuel Light issues from day one. The short version is Victory/Polaris absolutely DO NOT stand by their product, and refuse to acknowledge there are issues with their gauges and readouts.

My LFL comes on when I have 2.5 gallons of gas left when it should come on at 1.0 gallons of gas. I have documented many many tanks of gas, and have taken the bike in and had my Dealer fill the tank at 5.8 gallons, and drain it and marked at each eighth on fuel gauge, and every time the LFL came on at 2.5 gallons.

After contacting Polaris, Polaris refused to acknowledge there was an issue. Finally, they came out and said they purposely designed it that way (LFL comes on at 2.5 vice 1.0) so we would not burn up our fuel pumps. And, the even though the bike is under warranty, Polaris refused to reimburse my Dealer for their time investigating.

For anyone that would like to compare my numbers with theirs, PM me, and I'll send all my documented numbers.
 
#54 ·
My take is; when you pay $22k for a bike, and it has features on it that you expect/paid to work properly, then they should work. If the "rocket scientists" cannot get these features to work "properly" then don't put them on the bike and charge the consumer for something that doesn't work.

And, if you "actually" engineered something (i.e. LFL comes on at 2.5 vice 1.0 gallons), then inform the consumers (and Dealers) so we can use this in our decision making.

When my VSTAR 950 Tourer LFL came on at 0.8 gallons left, by god that's what it was.
 
#55 ·
What does the book say as far as how much gas is suppose to be left when the light comes on? And I can't complain about it being off much, when was the last time the gas gauge in your car accurate, I have never had one that worked right.
 
#56 ·
If you fill up to the top, you have over 5.9 gallons until you run dry and the engine shuts off. Field tested. ;)
 
#57 ·
Full tank is 5.8 gallons, Low Fuel Light is suppose to come on with 1.0 gallons left per the Owners Manual.
 
#58 ·
I have to agree that with the price they charge for these bikes that something as simple as a fuel gauge should work right. My cheap little ol' Suzuki has no fuel gauge but the light always comes on with what its manual says, 0.8 gallons left on a 4.0 gallon tank. My low fuel light on my XR has come on twice (once at 138 miles and once at 155 miles on the trip meter) and both times it took about 3.5 gallons of gas to fill up. That leaves 2.3 gallons of gas left in the tank. It is not a major problem for me since I got used to not having a fuel guage on my other bike but still looks like Victory could have done a better job on this.
 
#59 ·
Ever since fuel gauges have come on a bike they have never read correct.
Thats why all bikes come with two trip settings. One for gas and one for oil.

There is a roomer that a engineer at harley had it all figured out but they let him go before he could do something about it.
 
#63 ·
My old Road King's fuel gauge was right-on. When the needle got to E, I had about 30 or 40 mile before it totally empty. I have always used the trip meter, as a second gauging device.
My new 2013 XCT has all these issues. I have gone 50 miles past "low fuel" a few times already and barely put in 4 gallons.

There is definite "room for improvement".
 
#60 ·
Not all bikes come with two trip meters, the XR's don't unless you pay for the upgrade.
 
#65 ·
toke mine to the limit thursday coming home from work light came on at 170 miles and when i got to the gas station by the house i had 208 miles on it and put 5.4 gal in it leaving .4 gal left according to the manuel and i fill it to the same spot everytime and im getting 38 mpg on mine with 5300 on it
 
#68 ·
You should not run your bike down like that. You could very well burn up your fuel pump. Fuel in the tank keeps the pump from getting hot even in your car.
 
#70 ·
I don't recall all of the specifics, but a few years ago I followed a thread on the Kaw forum about adding an inline resistor to a Vulcan to fix the fuel gauge. My wife's 900 gauge acted very much like my XR gauge acts now. For less than a dollar and less than an hour's work, her gauge became very accurate and the low fuel indicator light came on at a more appropriate time.
 
#71 · (Edited)
fuel

if the fuel light comes on, put gas in the tank asap , why wait,

you will never have a problem that way lol


11 xr

spoons a.s.m.c.
 
#73 ·
if the fuel light comes on, put gas in the tank asap , why wait,

you will never have a problem that way lol


11 xr

spoons a.s.m.c.
Why have a large gas tank, if all the space inside it is not usable.

Why stop almost a hundred mile early for gas.

Where does this resister go?

KEN
 
#72 ·
I sent a Facebook pm to my dealer, Victory Motorcycles of Scottsdale after conversing with visionjohnny..... See what they say....wac
 
#74 · (Edited)
Today I had ridden 211.5 miles and filled my tank with 5.793 gallons, so close to being empty. That's 36.51 mpg.

Avg. mpg shown was 40.1; I think their calculations are a little off.

I had ridden hard and at high speed on this tank so mpg was down a little as I usually get around 37.5 mpg

What's strange is after fill up Range then shows 6 miles, I wonder is that's how much father I could have driven.

I had in reality .26 of a mile left if indeed it is a 5.8 gallon tank.

My light usually comes on around 158-165 miles depending on my riding and I currently have approximately 3,800 miles on my bike now.

I always reset my second trip so I know that as I approach 50 miles I need to be close to a gas station.
 
#75 ·
My dealer PM'd me back. They wanted to know which forum was discussing this. I am unsure if they knew about the issue, but I also assume they will be looking into it. I will keep you posted to see if they prescribe a remedy. wac
 
#79 ·
I think this thread morphed more into an MPG discussion. It started as a discussion on how inaccurate the fuel gauge appears to be, specifically in the last half of the dial. Then members started talking about how much fuel was left when the low fuel light illuminated......and that translated into overall MPG. Funny how that happened. And of course that translated into criticism about how some of us appear to be disappointed with how much our bikes sip or guzzle fuel.

I would like to suggest we get back on track, find out through our various resources, what exactly the problem is and figure out how to make Ma Vic put out a TSB to fix it. Just my Three cents, adjusted for inflation of course. :)
 
#81 ·
My 2012 Cross Country has all the same issues…* gas gauge moves real slow at first and then moves real fast for the last quarter tank, the idiot light comes on with about 2 gallons left in the tank (aprox. 80 miles), and the displayed MPG (average 46.7 MPG) is a bit optimistic.* I have gotten to know my bike and just deal with it.* A full tank will outlast my butt, and anyone else’s tank for that matter.* I just fill up when it’s convenient or soon after the idiot light comes on.* I don’t even watch the miles any more.
 
#82 ·
That being said... it would be nice if all these things were accurate. Can't imagine what would happen if I designed something as inaccurate as this thing.
 
#85 ·
I too would like to find out what the fix is for this. My Road King's fuel gauge is always right on. There is no reason the XCT's gauge can't work correctly.

When I can go almost a 100 more miles after the low fuel light come on, that's just not right.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top