Fuel Guage Light?

[liv2wrshp]

Am I supposed to have a fuel guage light on my 1978 GS550? It ran out of gas the other day and I had no fore-warning.

On another note, I switched it the reserve tank and it didn't work. Any ideas?

[Jethro]

There may not be a gauge or light on the early 550's.

If reserve didn't work, I'd bet you have grit in your tank, clogging the port for reserve, which is at the bottom of the tank. The regular on position draws from a few inches higher in the tank.

[liv2wrshp]

So how do I know when I'm out of gas? Mileage?

[renobruce]

With a properly funtioning petcock, you should have around a gallon of "reserve" fuel. Check your mileage and see how many miles you should get on a tank. I usually fill up before I have the need to switch to reserve.

[Tom MLC]

So how do I know when I'm out of gas? Mileage?

No low level light on my 1100, and my gas gauge/sending unit is way off. I know how far I can go on a tank of gas, and have gotten used to filling up before I get too close to empty.

Jethro put together a killer how-to on repairing the tank sending unit.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=81513&highlight=tank+sending+unit

I'm gonna take mine apart during the winter. In the mean time, I watch the milage.

[scotto58]

Fuel Guage Light

MY 77 GS550 didn't have a fuel guage or light. Only way to keep track was/is mileage. As for your lack of "reserve"- the petcock has a plastic/wire mesh screen attached that fits up in the tank. This has 2 levels to it and that gives you your "reserve" setting. On my 77 the o-ring that held the filter in place shrunk to the point the filter wouldn't stay in place and I lost my reserve. That may be what's happened in your case, so you won't get any warning when fuel is low. If this is the case you'll need to fix the screen so it stays in place or replace the petcock.
BTW, I never fixed mine-just kept an eye on the mileage for the last year or so that I rode it.

Good Luck!

Scott