$23K and yet you don't get a fuel gauge that works; more GSA fun

[sagerat]

On Wed. I took a day off of work and had a fine time swooping through the sweepers leading into Maupin, then did the tight canyon run of OR 216 from Maupin over to Shaniko, then it was the pint-sized Stelvio Pass (lots of 15 and 20 mph hairpins) between Shaniko and Antelope then back to 97 and home.

Riding home from work Thursday night my gas gauge is down to one bar (no fuel light still hasn't come on) and digital readout says 70 miles to empty.  Given the distance and pace from Wed., those numbers seemed about right.  Then went over a speed bump at posted 20 mph and voila, fuel gauge bars are at the halfway mark and I've got 90 miles available.  Look down again and it's 95 miles, then 105, then 110.  Those wily Germans are a bunch of Teutonic alchemists, making fuel out of thin air.  

Last time my original gauge did this, kurtw found me beside the road waiting for a fuel delivery, so I quickly beat two wheels to the nearest gas station.  Fuel gauge said 130 miles when I shut bike off.  Took 5.4 gallons, so I was just a skooksh past half full.

I love everything about the bike and have put 7,000 miles on it in about four months, but looks like I may be on my way to fuel sensor #3.  Really, BMW, you cannot provide a reliable gas gauge for a $23K bike?  I was semi-kidding the service manager at BMW of Western Orygun when I said this fuel gauge system may be marketed as a technological advance, but it seems to be the opposite.  I'll just stick with the trip meter and fill up about between 290 and 340 miles and call it good.

[DNA]

On my BBG and ensuing 5K ride homw I found the fuel guage to be dead realiable - once I figured it out.

When the count down gets to 0 miles  (seems to takea long time between 50-0) I have just over 30 more miles before stopping dead..

The 9 gal tank is awesome, and only one time did I fill it over 8.8 gal...

Knock on wood - made it to an open pump every time.

The 10% etoh fuel really does suck the mileage down - be careful if you are fueling by odo.

[denydog]

I need to make an appointment this week to get fuel sensor #3 replaced.  With the first couple, no big deal since they're free, but I'm getting tired of the repeated trips to the service department, and the wait while they do the replacement.

I can get by using the odometer to schedule fuel stops, but the flashing word FUEL! and amber warning triangle is annoying.   Besides, the damn thing should work.  Everything else on the bike does.

I'm surprised this isn't a more publicised issue.

[Dave the slave]

I'll just stick with the trip meter and fill up about between 290 and 340 miles and call it good.

That's the way I've done it forever even though my ZX14 has a fuel gauge!  My "car" friends just don't understand.  

[atadaskew]

  Really, BMW, you cannot provide a reliable gas gauge for a $23K bike?...  I'll just stick with the trip meter.

At least you've got that.

Vespa is asking $6200 for it's 300, it's fuel gauge does not work reliably AND they eliminated the trip meter that the 250 had...

[Orson]

don't you get blacklisted by the BMWOA for posting stuff like this?  

[sagerat]

You should've read the hell I caught on wildguzzi for posting about the travails my Breva 1100 put me through.  They espresso-swilling faithful about spat out their dentures when I truthfully wrote my Ural has never made me walk, but my Breva did multiple times.  

[Orson]

They might have suspected that you were a BMWOA plant  

They've been tryin' to infiltrate the Guzzi substrata for years  

[chornbe]

You should've read the hell I caught on wildguzzi for posting about the travails my Breva 1100 put me through.  They espresso-swilling faithful about spat out their dentures when I truthfully wrote my Ural has never made me walk, but my Breva did multiple times.  

This is why I all but REFUSE to deal with bike specific forums any more. They're all a bunch of chest pounding apologists, no matter how good or bad a bike may be.

[Max Wedge]

Seems to be a common problem, and may be why in 2010 the standard GS got a fuel sending unit, old school style, while the GSA kept the fuel gauge strip. Hopefully they also improved the fuel pump connector in the bottom of an often water-filled well.

[twist]

The 9 gal tank is awesome, and only one time did I fill it over 8.8 gal...

IIRC it's an 8.7 gallon tank, if you put 8.8 in there, you probably overfilled it.

[twist]

Really, BMW, you cannot provide a reliable gas gauge for a $23K bike?

High ethanol content in our fuel is apparently killing those fuel strips.  Happens much quicker if you fill up at crappy gas stations who might have even more ethanol in the fuel.  Ethanol content in Europe is lower than here.  I am however surprised that after several years BMW still hasn't figured out how to make the fuel strip withstand higher concentrations of ethanol.  I've had my fuel strip replaced twice so far.

[sagerat]

Ahh, yes, the scourge fuel of ethanol.  

"Hey, kids, let's help those Midwestern farmers by using their corn for fuel, even if it means poorer gas mileage and higher food prices."  

[Jetpilot5]

High ethanol content in our fuel is apparently killing those fuel strips.  Happens much quicker if you fill up at crappy gas stations who might have even more ethanol in the fuel.  Ethanol content in Europe is lower than here.  I am however surprised that after several years BMW still hasn't figured out how to make the fuel strip withstand higher concentrations of ethanol.  I've had my fuel strip replaced twice so far.

I don't think that's the problem.  I'm still on my original after over 4 year and 47,000 miles and I've never run anything but ethanol blends.

[twist]

I don't think that's the problem.  I'm still on my original after over 4 year and 47,000 miles and I've never run anything but ethanol blends.

That's the problem according to my service manager, who heard from a BMW engineer they sent over to investigate the problem.  10% ethanol doesn't kill it.  The problem is that some gas stations have a lot more than 10%, and the amount varies a lot.  They tested gas from a bunch of different stations that all said "10% ethanol" and found some of them to be much higher than that.  I don't know how high the ethanol content needs to be before you have a problem, but if you fill up at reputable gas stations you'll probably be fine.  The first time my fuel strip died was after I filled up in some tiny town in the middle of nowhere.  Even though the station was an Exxon, I guess their fuel had too much ethanol.

[Jetpilot5]

Interesting, hadn't heard that.  

[greench440]

You paid 23K for a GS   with or without the pipe and tobacco option?  


Did they throw in a free white beard?  

[BobW]

White Beard. Slippers   I resemble that remark damnit  

No disrespect to the Service Manager that heard it from a engineer guy, that got it from ,,,,,,,,,with the ethanol root of all evil alibi. Like the new switches and the EWS or any other part on a BMW (or other OEM) that has a "high" failure rate (not going to get into splines, FD, trans seals, et al), if you engineer properly, but then don't keep vendors accountable to build and deliver "to spec", you get hap hazard quality and the resulting "mine never" and I'm on my "X" replacement stories. Ethanol is not new and parts of the world have much higher content than other regions. I heard BMW also sells cars that use gas gauges in these same places so I'm pretty sure they have researched what designs will function in the given parameters that every other OEM also builds product to be used in. Don't get me wrong, I love my bikes, R included and they all are having fits with these extreme emission and noise standards, but simple component failure is their problem to own, not anyone else. Now, would you like to talk about the Italiens

[sagerat]

Geez, Bob, you're dragging a rational approach into a fiery discussion on fuel gauges.    

[servicerifle]

Unfortunately its just a known issue.  Use the trip meter rather than wasting your time at the dealer, just getting another one that won't work.

[5OUTTA6]

$23K !          I haven't been to a dealer lately, but at $23K, I can see why BMW of Marin went out of business. Or was it the free donuts they used to have on Saturdays.

[stevent]

You paid 23K for a GS   with or without the pipe and tobacco option?  


Did they throw in a free white beard?  

Hey Wait a minute!! I shaved off the little white beard when I sold the Harley.....You mean I have to grow it back for the GS???????

[5OUTTA6]

Hey Wait a minute!! I shaved off the little white beard when I sold the Harley.....You mean I have to grow it back for the GS???????

Hey, I've got a white beard.

[sagerat]

You would have fit right in at the Beemer international rally in Redmond.  I think the male-female ratio was 95-5 and the white beards were a significant presence.  

I am secretly jealous because I can't grow a beard to save my life, even at 51.  

[Max Wedge]

You would have fit right in at the Beemer international rally in Redmond.  I think the male-female ratio was 95-5 and the white beards were a significant presence.  

I am secretly jealous because I can't grow a beard to save my life, even at 51.  

Then just grow a goatee and smoke a pipe, and hold a glass of sherry, like all the BMW ownwers who can't grow beards do.
Have you seen the new 2011 BMW smoking jackets?

[stevent]

You would have fit right in at the Beemer international rally in Redmond.  I think the male-female ratio was 95-5 and the white beards were a significant presence.  

I am secretly jealous because I can't grow a beard to save my life, even at 51.  

Well you're lucky, they just make your face itch plus in the summer it's like having a wet towel wrapped around your head. I usually let it grow out in the winter and shave it off in the summer. Some women really like them though.....

[denydog]

3rd replacement sensor installed yesterday.  We'll see how long this one lasts.  I'm starting to consider switching gas from Shell V-Tech to something else, but we generally use a shell card when fueling, so I haven't yet.

BTW- Service tech told me she was a little nervous on the test ride about how little gas was in the tank on her test ride, so she added a some.  She also wanted to be able to see that the bars on the gauge registered.   She did make a final point to thank me for bringing the bike in with a near empty tank.