Been enjoying the V7 in the first month of ownership. Have managed to put on just under a 1000 miles in the first month, including 250 this very wet weekend!
Unfortunately I almost had a nasty shock when set off to work this morning. The bike was very difficult to start, being low on fuel. The fuel light had been flashing on and off periodically for the last 20 miles or so, but wasn’t on continuously for any length of time. I didn’t have the inclination to fill up before I got home on Monday. I did make it to my local petrol station, but managed to get 14.9 litres into a 15 litre tank!
Now I would have expected the fuel light to be on continuously if it was that low on fuel, but the digital fuel indicator was only showing 1 mile travelled on reserve (since the last time the light came on), so I thought there was at least a litre or 2 left.
Are Guzzi fuel lights notorious for being hit and miss? It’s not a real problem, I could always fill up as soon as the warning first appears, and always reset the trip each time anyway. However it would be good to know what the reserve light means in real terms!
The fuel gauge is a thermister, a temperature sensitive resistor that alerts when it’s temperature changes (like when the fuel level drops, uncovering it). Riders report that it’s unreliable in cold weather, but other than that it’s supposed to be good.Listed tank capacity it 17 liters (4.5 gal), but there is some debate whether or not that includes the in-tank fuel pump assembly.Joe
That’s why I asked.
My lil’Breva is 17l light comes on full at 14.5l.
I have so far found it reliable but like all luddites would preffer a mechanical reserve plus a second trip as my fuel meter.
I have got £20.00 of fuel in my lil’Breva which was 16+ litres.
Sorry, you are both right, it is 17 l, I’m not sure where I made up 15 l from. Thanks for the explanation of the workings, I was just presuming it was some mechanical float attached to a switch, at least that gives me a clearer picture in my mind.
I’m a bit concerned then about why it was so difficult to start. I presume it has a fuel pump, so it wasn’t fuel starvation, and it was on level ground. Might try to be more adventurous next time, and see if I can get it to stay on continuously for 10 miles or so. I presume having a cat means it’s a bad idea to run out completely though.
Thanks. I take my previous correction back. Have just double checked the owners manual and it’s 15 litres (including the reserve of 2.5 litres.)
However a number of sources (from a quick google) list the tank capacity of 17 litres, including a technical data sheet from reasonably official looking http://www.motoguzzi.com.au/pdfs/specv7.pdf
Anyway - long and short of it, I dont know what the capacity of the tank is, and I’m thoroughly confused by Italian documentation.
Also just found out that the new V7 2012 model has a 22 litre tank! (Well, according to the website anyway).
its called character !!
heine Gericke do a nice 2 litre fuel cn for 9.99 thats a tenner in our money
they also do a carry case to strap it on the rack
of course one disadvantage of fuel taps that I found was when riding hard and the fuel stopped for a few seconds before reserve the weak mixture did some damage to the top end of the bike ( an elderly BMW)
and being thick I often forgot to turn it back to the main tank so just ran out
not very technical me
a horse is more able to sort out these problems
Also just found out that the new V7 2012 model has a 22 litre tank! (Well, according to the website anyway).
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And the tank is steel, presumably to get around the ethanol problem.
So will the new tanks fit on my lil’Breva when the tank starts to rot?
Ethanol does corrode steel tanks too… from what I read the only solution is stainless steel OR a tank lining.
I believe Frosts do a product to line a tank for car and a kit for motorcycles that is ethanol proof, there were a few kits for sale at the Stafford Show from what I could see they were the same as Frost’s sell but of course more expensive
A fellow on another site filled his up from running dry, and it was 15 L for him, from no-run empty, to filled to the brim. I imagine the tank in theory holds 17 L, but once you add the pump, filter, etc you’re down to 15L. Might explain the different figures in the manuals.
maybe italian litres are smaller like american gallons !!!
although not when you buy vino
Ps I an the one good thing about a horse is its conversational skills
they are great listeners and my lawn is well fertilized my roses have come on a treat and with the price of fuel the vets bills are just about outweighed nicely
I had an eccentric uncle who when his car broke down ( often) raised the bonnet and shouted alarmingly at the thing
some times this worked !!
The handbook is right, it’s definitely a 15L tank despite the spec being quoted as 17L everywhere except the handbook. So far, (one year from new and 7,500m), I’ve found the fuel light 100% reliable, flickering at around 160m and staying lit at 175m or so. That’s consistent with 2.5L reserve with low 60s mpg. Golden rule is refuel every 180m or so whatever the fuel light is doing and you should be OK. It’s a decent range but that 22L tank would be so much better! I got the Cafe Classic btw, LOVE it!