I have an 85 700. I thought someone said it had a 3.8 gallon tank. My fuel light came on on my way to work. I went to the station at lunch and could only get 2.5 gallons in? Everytime I fill it I get between 2.5 and 2.75 gallons before it starts splashing out. Any ideas?
Myke
I have 84- V45. The MOST gas I have ever put into it is about 2.9 gallons. My fuel light does not work, but that time I had run out of gas, way out of gas. county service truck stopped and gave me about 1/2 a gallon of gas maybe. Not much. I then rode it about 5 miles to nearest gas station and put that 2.9 in it. Usually I put about 2.6 in on average after having driven about 110 (fast) miles or so.
yeah, i have 85 v30, supposed to be 3.9gal i belive. I dont' recall ever putting a bit over 2 in it either. .9 is the reserve which i believe is about when the light is supposed to come on.
Well I can safely update my information today. I put 3.1 gallons in it and when I saw it sighed a relief I had not run out of gas.
Here is something to be careful of. When you fill it up go slow as the lower "reserve" tank has to fill when u get really low. You can see bubbles coming up and it is kinda gurgling as it runs into the lower tank. I think that is how I ran out of gas the first time, and almost this time. I thought I had filled it but was in hurry and it "gurgled down" after I capped it and took off, so I did not have the full tank I thought.
Today, I filled it tip top full, 2.5 gallons (which is about avg for me between fill ups). Put the pump back and saw a friend pull up to a pump. We exchanged short small talk and I went back to close the gas cap and it was down. I then put another .6 gallons in it and coulda squeezed a little more into it. Had I not paused, or in a hurry, I would have left thinking it was full.
I thought the reserve tank was only on 84 and earlier models. (?) I could be wrong.
I thought thru 86. Not sure though.
85 and 86 Vf700C's have a 3.7gal with no reserve. Thats why they have the fuel light. The fuel light comes on with about 1 gal left in the tank. (owners manual) What is you average mpg? I have been getting about 40mpg on my 86.
IIRC all Magnas had a fuel sub tank and the Sabres and Interceptors did not. Then again I could be wrong.
My 84 has "no reserve" and a fuel light also. course my fuel light does not work. Which is why I know my gas mileage every tank. :-(
Find it hard to believe both tanks together hold 3.7.
I have an '85 700, and I get 38-40 mpg with it. The fuel tank is supposed to be 3.6 gallons, but the low fuel light does tend to come on too early for my tastes. I would rather it come on with about the .6 of a gallon left. Of course, having a gallon of fuel left when the light comes on isn't bad either. At least you know you have about 35 miles or so before pushing!
There is a way to adjust when the light comes on, but it involves removing and draining the tank, removing the sensor, bending the sensor to come on at a lower fuel level, then put it back together. The sensor sets in the bottom back end of the tank, and sticks up into the tank at an angle. Getting it bent to just the right level isn't an exact science, either. Not a hard job, just takes time.
All in all, it's probably best to just run with it as is. If you do change it, then you have to experiment with how far yu can go with the light on. As is, you know!
Mike Petersen AKA TigerRider
1985 VF700C Magna 'ShereKahn'
I also have an 85 700cc v45 Honda Magna.
My personal best for mileage was 140 miles before I filled up.
When I was traveling from New York to Maryland, I had a friend with me and we measured the theoretical maximum mileage you can get out of a tank.
I filled up 2.01 gallons going 70 mph at 100 miles (give or take a mile each way).
So I just did the ratio:
2.01 gal / 100 miles = 3.7 gal / x
x = *184 miles for 3.7 gal of gas
*theoretical
Of course, in real life conditions, you are not going to be able to maintain this constant speed 99.9% of the time (not to mention, the conditions: wind/road..etc.. will negatively affect you).
I think I'm safe to say if you fill up to the top, and you don't do jack rabbit starts or excessive speeds, you should probably fill up at around 160 miles to be safe.
I personally like the gas light because since I don't have a speedometer/odometer...I can't track my speed/mileage (can't afford a replacement right now).
P.S. 2.01 gallons at 70 mph at around 100 miles = 50 mpg ...not bad, not bad at all!
I'm getting right at 40mpg out of my '86 and I am like many owners who just start looking for a gas station around 100 miles or so since the light has never worked!
QuoteThe sensor sets in the bottom back end of the tank, and sticks up into the tank at an angle.
On my 84 it is on the top of the tank and is not adjustable as far as I can see. If you did bend it would come on sooner. Course, it don't work no how. :-?
I too have a 85 700 v45. I always reset my trip odometer to zero when I fill up. My light comes on after I've gone around 80 miles but I usually fill up after I've gone 120 or so. The farthest I've gone before filling up is 138.