Hi all ,
Been floating around the site for a few weeks now and it`s helped me loads with my recent purchase of a 89 FK. The bikes great ,has a rattle at idle but this soon goes after a good warm up before the ride, the paints flaking off the wheels and theres a few cracks in the plastics but hey it`s 21 yrs old with 40,000 miles so no complaints here. But this is my question, are all fuel gauges wrong or is it just mine? What sort of mileage should i be getting before reserve is needed? is it just another cbr quirk or is it my sender switch? i know this is a very small problem but still annoying.
Thanks in advance M. ps, excuse the dirt on bike .

 

Yep. most of the fuel gauges on the 1kf's are wrong. Mine is better than most (pretty accurate), but they usually show that you have less fuel than you actually do. (better than the other way around, I suppose... )

Mine kinda stick's on full for a good bit, then plummets down to where it looks like I'm almost out of fuel and need to switch to reserve, but I can only get like 4gals in it.

I'd say I probably average about 150-185miles before I switch to reserve? I usually get about 36mpg just scootin' around. 47/48mpg on the highway I think was my personal best.
Just figure out how many mpg's you average and watch the trip meter in addition to the gauge. That's what I usually do.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

 

+1 on Trout's comments. Welcome to the Forum, Lots of great information on here.








Got any pics.

 

First off, welcome!

That's strange, I think the fuel gauge is very accurate on mine, but it depends on when you look at it. I've noticed that it's 100% accurate while the bike is moving forward (fuel moves to the back of the tank), but it shows about 1/4 less when it's standing still.

Never really payed much attention to it, but I've tested this on my last trip. The only way to tell exactly how much fuel you have left is to take a peek at the fuel gauge while cruising (wich is not a problem if you lean over the tank, it's right in your face hehe)
This is how I've tested it:

I've filled the tank, set the odometer to 0 and after 200km (at an average of 130-150 kmh / 85-95 mph), the needle was already on the "S" of RES, right in the beginning of the red zone. 30km later, the needle was completely on the red zone, and I had to switch the petcock to RES. Kept on going at less than 80 kmh (50 mph) on reserve, as I didn't know how far the next gas station will be, and I've found one 35 km ahead. The odometer read almost 270km, filled the tank to the top with 18,5 litres, so I only had about 2 litres left.

Oops, that's too much writing hehe hope it was useful!

 

Very nice looking bike! I get about 160 miles on a tank before I fill up. And thats not pushing it to reserve. My gauge works well, and gradually moves as the fuel is used.

One idea is to check your gas mileage a few times under different riding conditions. That will give you an idea on how many miles before you have to fill up again, regardless of the gauge. As with most riders, I always reset my tripometer at fill up, and thats pretty much what i use as my gauge.

 

I am surprised that the guys did not pick up on the rattle you mentioned. The Achilles heal with these bikes is the Cam Chain Tensioner (CCT). If you search for it you will find threads that will help. Easy job to replace it but they seam to fail after 15k miles again. I replaced mine at around 15k miles and now have around 45k miles on it. A little rattle when cold but goes away in about two or three blocks and is ready for the open road.

Welcome to the forum. You will learn to love these bikes.

 

Hey Marcbr , welcome to another Brighton rider where abouts are you mate?

The fuel gauge on mine is pretty pessimistic , though I would rather it was that way , saves running out of fuel at the wrong time

They all tend to rattle a bit when cold , but it's nothing to worry about . I don't think anyone on here has had a timing chain snap or slip on them.

 

Welcome Marc ...........your bike looks great man. You'll be in good
company here in the F section .............these are greaat bikes as
I'm sure you are about to find out ......don't worry about that rattle
too much ...........enjoy the forum

 

Can't say much more than everyone else. When I behave I get about 200 miles on a tank. I've had mine get right on the RES line but I never have had to switch.

Like they boys have said the CCT, but untill its constant or gets louder it shouldn't be too much trouble. When you do need to do it, we'll get you through. Like hawk said, no one here has had one rip apart, but then again there's always a 1st time for everything. (Just keep her out of the 10K RPMS and you'll be fine )

One thing no one mentioned that seems to be a sore spot around here too is the Regulator / Rectifier and its link to the battery. Keep an eye on your water levels in the battery.

Otherwise welcome! Dirt? I don't see no stinking dirt!