So, last week, we went to the dealer here in st louis, and bought my GF a brand new black and silver GS500, and it never occured to me when sitting on it, until I was riding it home(she doesnt have her license yet) that there is no fuel gauge. Am I missing something? or can someone tell me if they have, or if I can add my own aftermarket fuel gauge, and where to get it from?

Mike B.
St Louis, MO

Welcome to GSTwin! 

And welcome to the wonderful world of motorcycles without gas gauges!  I don't know about after-market gas gauges. I think most just figure out how many miles they can go before they fill up. Hopefully someone else can chime in on the after-market options.

However, some bikes have some sort of low-on-gas gauges. My '06 SVS has a little blinky light that starts blinking when I have about 1.1 gallons left, and it goes solid when I have about .4 gallons left. It was quite a step up to have the blinky light! 

thanks. and the problem is is the bike, like i stated before i my GF's bike. and while i may notice im running low on fuel while driving it, she may not and will just forget since there isnt a gauge to remind her

Teach her how to work the petcock at speed, and teach her about the reserve tank. You can also help her figure out how far she can go between fill ups (on my ol' '92, I could go 100 miles, but I'm betting your gf can go closer to 160 or 180). I'm sure she'll do great (both the bike and your gf!)! 

You know you're running out out when the bike starts sputtering, so you flip the petcock from "on" to "res" (reserve).  You still have more than a gallon of gas (see owners manual for exact amount.)  Then you go to the nearest gas station and fill up.  Turn the petcock back to on.

Not as technologically advanced as a low fuel light or a fuel gauge, but it works remarkably well for it's ancient design

Like Pandy said, the bike will probably go 160-180 miles before you need to switch to reserve, depending on her riding habits

you two must have obviously never met my GF...lol im trying to teach her, but shes scared sheetluss just going around the parking lot by our house.....im working on it though

PS
thanks for all the support....i love online forums

Make her take the MSF (or similar certified training class) and learn to use the Petcock without looking for it....

Just switch to reserve when you start running out of gas...  And get gas within the next 35 or so miles...  No problem.


The GS is my 5th vehicle without a gas gauge...  But, the other 4 were cars or trucks.     I've learned to reset the odometer with every tank... And WATCH the mileage!!!   

honestly i havent even looked for the petcock lol, ill have to find it. i was just FLOORED that they would sell a new rider a brand new bike with no gauge....and kinda pissed off

When I got my 05 GS I thought the same thing wtf? no fuel gauge?  Then when I got my 06 GSXR's and they didn't come with a fuel gauge either I just figured it was a Suzuki thing.

But at least the GSXR's have the same blinky light as Pandy's SV 

Quote from: phlash on March 20, 2007, 03:39:57 PM
honestly i havent even looked for the petcock lol, ill have to find it. i was just FLOORED that they would sell a new rider a brand new bike with no gauge....and kinda pissed off

at least they didn't try to sell her a gixxer600 instead.

Y3

Welcome phlash! I'm also in the St. Louis area, so just holler if you ever need some local help.

My old 1984 Honda Magna didn't have a reserve, but instead had the low fuel light. One day I wanted to see how far I could go until the light came on. Turns out the sensor was bad so I just ran out of gas on I-270 one day. Live and learn.

Just watching the odometer works pretty well.

Wrecent is right. You don't get fuel gauges on bikes of most makes until you're into high-end (expensive and powerful) models.

check out veypor gauges: http://www.veypor.com/veypor.html

"Want more info on your mileage, how far a tank gets you? Don't have a gas gauge? The Veypor fuel estimation tools accurately predict fuel use, distance remaining on a tank, instantaneous and average mileage. Track how far you've gone on a tank with a separate tripmeter and see your fuel level with the fuel gauge graphics."

its like a digital trip meter that does the calculations for you. 

I guess you really check out your bikes really closely before you buy them    gotta make sure all the bells and whistles work (or exist) before you take her home. 

P.S. Dont forget to change your clutch fluid at 600 miles  Oh and the brake cables usually need to be adjusted then too 

Have fun 

Quote from: phlash on March 20, 2007, 03:27:03 PM
you two must have obviously never met my GF...lol im trying to teach her, but shes scared sheetluss just going around the parking lot by our house.....im working on it though

Being skeerd sheetless is perfectly normal! I remember when a trip around the block was a momentous occasion! I was still too scared to go out on the REAL streets, so it was parking lots and vewwy, vewwy quiet streets for a while. +1 on having her take the MSF (take it with her! it's a great bonding experience!). 

Quote from: ducati_nolan on March 20, 2007, 06:14:23 PM
P.S. Dont forget to change your clutch fluid at 600 miles  Oh and the brake cables usually need to be adjusted then too 

You forgot to mention the blinker fluid. 

The fuel guage is the tripometer...roughly 150 miles before switching to reserve...after that, get fuel.

not to be really friggin rude....
If you are too lazy or dumb to not realize that the bike has about 150 mile range, and run out of gas....well, it's your own damn fault.
Now if you do this 3-4 times in a row.... ya might want to take up a different hobby, like tiddley winks or nascar

it's part of the learing curve
listen to the masses....MSF course!!!!
if she is scared of the GS...get a XR80-xr100 for her to learn on first.
heck, I still love riding my xr80 puttin' around in the woods
and I bought it....20 years after I learned to ride.

Welcome!

It sounds like she needs to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, and learn how to ride first before she worries about gas.  The only thing I can suggest is to use the tripmeter, set it to zero when you fill up, and refill it every 100 miles, til she gets used to riding a bike.  Hope this helps.

I've only run out of fuel once.  I just wasn't paying attention.  Hasn't happened since, I find that in town I get about 150 til RES adn about 190 on the Hwy.    As far as being scared learning,  I learned the hard way,  I rode it home 100 miles.  First time ever on a bike.  Maybe not the smartest way, but I survived.