How to add a fuel gauge to a motorcycle

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It’s a good idea to have a fuel gauge on your motorcycle so you can track how much fuel is left in your tank.

It definitely sucks when you’re out riding and you run out of gas because you forgot to track your mileage or you weren’t sure how much was left in the tank.

If your bike doesn’t come equipped with a fuel gauge already, and this post we’re going to look at how to add a fuel gauge to a motorcycle.

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As long as you have some basic Motorcycle Maintenance skills and a set of motorcycle tools, you should be able to figure this out on your own.

Worst case scenario you can always refer to YouTube for some helpful tutorials or extra advice on how to get the job done.

Now that you have an idea what this article is about, let’s jump right into it!

How to add a fuel gauge to a motorcycle

You’re going to want to have a fuel gauge on your motorbike so you can get an accurate reading of how much fuel is left.

It’s a pretty straightforward process so let’s take a look at how to get your fuel gauge installed on your bike.

Feel free to take a look at our post on dirt bike speedometers if you need one of those for your dirt bike as well.

Grab a fuel hose kit

The easiest way to install a fuel gauge on your motorcycle is by using a fuel hose kit. While this isn’t necessarily a gauge, it lets you see the physical amount of fuel that remains in your tank.

Instead of having a display gauge or monitor, you just need to look down at the hose to see how much fuel is remaining. This gives you a very accurate indication of the fuel level of your bike and will let you know when you need to worry about refueling.

If you find that you’re running out of fuel regularly, you might have a gas guzzler of a bike. Check out our post on the most fuel efficient motorcycles to find something that’s going to be a little easier on the wallet.

It’s easy to buy a fuel hose kit online. All of these kits come with a fuel hose, elbows, bungs, and tension clamps.

Each of these components is designed to be used throughout the installation process and is what makes it easy to see how much fuel your bike has left.

Installing a fuel hose kit on your motorcycle gas tank is relatively straightforward.

You will want to work with an experienced welder because you’ll have to drill holes into your empty gas tank. With the holes drilled in, it’s possible to weld the bungs in place so that they’re able to perform properly.

Once you have everything installed, you’ll be able to see the fuel level through the translucent hose. This is an easy and straightforward way of installing a fuel gauge on your motorcycle.

Consider using an electrical fuel gauge kit

Some people find the fuel hose kit to be rudimentary. Thankfully, there are some aftermarket options available that come with a physical gauge and don’t require as intense of an installation process.

When you pick up an electrical fuel gauge kit it comes with a number of components. These components would be the sending unit, the physical gauge, electrical wiring, Hardware, the fuel line, and an installation manual.

If you’re not confident with your motorcycle mechanic skills, do you recommend bringing your bike to your local bike shop.

They will have no issues installing a fuel gauge on your motorcycle so that you can start tracking how much fuel is left in your bike.

YouTube video

Problems with fuel gauges on motorcycles

The biggest problem with motorcycle fuel gauges is that they aren’t always 100% accurate. This is why you’ll find that some bikes don’t even come with one installed.

The concern here is that motorcycles come with small gas tanks, especially compared to cars and trucks. Because of the displacement of any fuel inside, there can be dramatic fluctuations on the gas gauge and it’s why many manufacturers choose to forego installing one.

Even with the fuel slashing around inside or going around sharp curves or uphill is going to result in the fuel gauge changing its position.That’s why even some Riders don’t find a motorcycle fuel gauge to be the most accurate or reliable way to see how much fuel is left in the motorcycle.

How to measure fuel in a motorcycle gas tank without a gauge

The safest and easiest way to measure how much fuel is left in your motorcycle is to calculate mileage.

When you get a new bike, start tracking how far you’re going and how much fuel you’re adding.

Never push it too far, especially with a new bike that you’re not familiar with, or there’s a likely chance that you’ll run out of fuel.

Eventually, you’ll start to get a better idea of how far you can go on a single tank before you need to fill up.

Is it possible to add a fuel gauge to a motorcycle?

Yes, it’s definitely possible to put a fuel gauge on a motorcycle.

There are a few different types of gauges available, as mentioned in our article.

If you’re having trouble determining how much gas is left or if you’re running out of gas regularly, it might be a good idea to add a fuel gauge to your motorcycle.

How do you install an aftermarket fuel gauge?

There are a number of factors that will go into installing an aftermarket fuel gauge.

Ultimately it depends on the gauge that you’re using, the type of bike you have, and how accurately you want to measure your fuel consumption and remaining fuel level.

Every gauge will come with an instruction manual or you can check out YouTube for some helpful tutorials on how to install an aftermarket fuel gauge.

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