Kawasaki Concours Forum

The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => Accessories and modifications - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: B.D.F. on May 20, 2013, 06:40:12 PM

Title: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 20, 2013, 06:40:12 PM
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f82/BDF08012008/Lowfuelwarningharness.jpg) (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/BDF08012008/media/Lowfuelwarningharness.jpg.html)

So how many folks here have had the low fuel warning surprise them? OK, put down your hands. Now, how many here have been so surprised by the warning that he / she got into a vehicular accident over it? OK, put down your hand. And that concludes the humor portion of our post.

I have conjured up a plug 'n play device that fits a C-14 and eliminates the low fuel warning. The fuel gauge works as it always did other but the low fuel warning is suppressed. But the really nice feature of this device, at least to me, is that the range indicator will continue to work as the fuel level drops. No more "Low Fuel" displayed on the Range page at the very moment it is most useful- after all, who really cares if there is 175 or 190 miles left in the tank? But the difference between 12 miles and -3 miles is pretty important. Please do bear in mind though that the range indicator is a calculated product rather than an exact amount or to put it literally, your mileage may vary from the display, especially at extremely low numbers. I have successfully used the range indicator down to 7 miles remaining at which point the bike was still running but the <nominal> 5.8 gallon fuel tank took 6.04 gallons.

Now for the very best part of this seemingly magical device- it is a no tools, no disassembly / reassembly required install! Yep, you can literally install it in a couple of minutes with no tools, no wiring and no permanent modification to your bike! Fully removable too so the bike can be returned to stock at any time (but let's face it, who would want to remove such a wonderful thing?).

Now I know what a lot of you are thinking- how could anyone put a price on such a marvelous piece of technology? How could it be made available to mere mortals and be able to be enjoyed by thousands, nay, millions of C-14 owners? Well great news- we have worked late into the mid- morning and established an economic cost for such an invaluable product! And remember, nothing but the best components used- OEM or better (better wire): at the moment is $50 and includes shipping in the CONUS. Shipping elsewhere and / or insurance added at actual USPS cost.

The circuit is installed in the wiring just under the saddle.

This is a photo of the device- actually two devices but you will receive only one, most likely either the one in the upper or lower part of the photo.

This is a completely vegan product and no animals were harmed during the construction of this device.

E-mail me if you have any questions or would like to discuss this device further; my e-mail is just under my name on this page.

Brian

Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on May 20, 2013, 06:44:51 PM
I'm in!  Describes me to a T in the first paragraph it does.  Now can you get rid of the low battery TPMS message?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: PlaynInPeoria on May 20, 2013, 06:48:12 PM
Can you splain the theory behind this magical concept?   
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on May 20, 2013, 06:49:47 PM
For $50 he can... ;)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Pokey on May 20, 2013, 06:50:01 PM
I'm in!  Describes me to a T in the first paragraph it does.  Now can you get rid of the low battery TPMS message?


I think you know how to cure that ailment.  ;)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on May 20, 2013, 06:50:54 PM

I think you know how to cure that ailment.  ;)

Yeah, I do.  I just replaced the rear wheel battery.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Pokey on May 20, 2013, 06:54:31 PM
Yeah, I do.  I just replaced the rear wheel battery.


Mine is finally dead, and I am now waiting on the front to follow soon. STUPID THINGS!!!!!  >:(
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on May 20, 2013, 06:55:51 PM
You're so Pokey...  :rotflmao:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 20, 2013, 07:01:42 PM
Yep.

The circuit interrupts the original pulse from the bike itself and sends the "not empty" signal to the LCD display instead. The bike simply responds as it always does to the 'fake out' signal. The circuit is inserted into the harness on the bike using OEM connectors and is otherwise transparent to the bike (electrically speaking). I had originally designed a second signaling device for the rider but you don't even want to know what the cost of that was turning into. So this is the best compromise I could come up with, which is suppressing the real signal from the bike altogether. The fuel gauge still works as before other than the last bar will not flash when the 'low fuel' condition is reached because the bike is blissfully unaware that that has happened. 

I have been using one on my own bike since last summer successfully and do not miss that low fuel signal one bit. Of course I must caution anyone thinking about this that it puts the responsibility onto the rider and the bike will merrily run out of fuel without ever signaling the low fuel warning. You have the fuel gauge, a trip meter if you choose, and the range function which will now work down to somewhere near the end of the fuel's range (I would not go less than 10 miles remaining personally unless the bear was still chasing me) but if you are the forgetful type and occasionally use the warning as a memory jog this circuit is probably not for you.

Well, that and of course the low fuel warning incantation which is included in the installation instructions. :-)

Brian


Can you splain the theory behind this magical concept?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Pokey on May 20, 2013, 07:05:32 PM
You're so Pokey...  :rotflmao:


Come to my Laborday rally and I will show ya how pokey I am not.  ;)   Sorry for crapping on BDF's post, so sorry sir.  :-[
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 20, 2013, 07:08:32 PM
Yeah, cut it out! I've never de-railed anyone else's thread! Never, not once!

KiPass rocks. Opps, first time ever. ;D

Brian


Come to my Laborday rally and I will show ya how pokey I am not.  ;)   Sorry for crapping on BDF's post, so sorry sir.  :-[
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Slideways on May 20, 2013, 08:02:00 PM
Preachin' to the choir, I am so in.

We now interrupt this thread to discuss oil....  ;)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: stevewfl on May 20, 2013, 08:05:23 PM
IN

Just because BDF is a mastermind like this  :D
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: stevewfl on May 20, 2013, 08:06:13 PM
BDF will these work on the ZX14s as well?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Son of Pappy on May 20, 2013, 08:23:07 PM
Preachin' to the choir, I am so in.

We now interrupt this thread to discuss oil....  ;)
Boiled linseed oil for Ambrosia Burlwood?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: PH14 on May 20, 2013, 08:26:27 PM
Great work Brian. Now, how about a newer improved model with a switch that allows the low fuel warning, then allows that to be switched off by hitting a button.  :)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: just gone on May 20, 2013, 09:00:51 PM
Great work Brian. Now, how about a newer improved model with a switch that allows the low fuel warning, then allows that to be switched off by hitting a button.  :)

OOOOHHH what he said...I like it.  :thumbs:

Brian, I think you could sell a lot more of these! (Charge more too!  :D )
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maxtog on May 20, 2013, 09:37:09 PM
Great work Brian. Now, how about a newer improved model with a switch that allows the low fuel warning, then allows that to be switched off by hitting a button.  :)

Good question but not sure that is possible.  Will the bike revert to a normal condition if the "low fuel" alert line is removed AFTER is has signaled low fuel?  Sounds like it might be the best of both worlds.

Although I like the idea a lot, I am not sure I want to COMPLETELY lose the low fuel warning.  What I hate about the warning is that it is too difficult to remove while riding (having to press two buttons in perfect sequence ON THE DASH while MOVING is not easy nor safe- yet I do it every time).  And of course, that it then stops the ability to use the miles remaining.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Gumby on May 20, 2013, 10:15:15 PM
I'll take one Brian. I hate that I lose the display functionality because of low fuel. Are we doing Paypal to your email on here or are ordering instructions forthcoming?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: firehawk618 on May 20, 2013, 10:32:16 PM
 :-X
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: denver6 on May 21, 2013, 09:25:07 AM
I'll take one! Email sent.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 21, 2013, 10:28:33 AM
Yep, thought about all those things. Some of them are possible, some are not and mostly it is not feasible. Then again, given enough time and money a new instrument cluster could be built to display anything anyone wanted to but I suspect it would sell poorly.

I was originally planning on using a separate, remote warning in the form of a simple red LED that affixed somewhere on the dash. That way the bike would ignore the warning but the discreet LED would light when the 'low fuel' level was reached. The two basic problems with that method were cost and the fact that the remote LED would need to be wired onto the bike and a lot of people either cannot or do not want to do any dissemble, wire routing, possible drilling of holes, etc. This is the truly 'plug 'n play' version that can be added to the bike easily.

As to the other idea of displaying and removing the warning, it could be done but only sort of. There is a significant delay built into the system that cannot be overcome so if I sent the warning signal for, say, one second, the display would hold that warning mode for some time- something like one minute. And in addition to such a device not working the way I (and I think most others) would like, it would also be quiet expensive.

So like most of life, this is a compromise and a best effort for a reasonable adjustment, all in my opinion of course. It ain't perfect but it is workable, affordable and removes the biggest negatives without introducing any large negatives itself (again, in my opinion of course).

Brian


Great work Brian. Now, how about a newer improved model with a switch that allows the low fuel warning, then allows that to be switched off by hitting a button.  :)
OOOOHHH what he said...I like it.  :thumbs:

Brian, I think you could sell a lot more of these! (Charge more too!  :D )

Good question but not sure that is possible.  Will the bike revert to a normal condition if the "low fuel" alert line is removed AFTER is has signaled low fuel?  Sounds like it might be the best of both worlds.

Although I like the idea a lot, I am not sure I want to COMPLETELY lose the low fuel warning.  What I hate about the warning is that it is too difficult to remove while riding (having to press two buttons in perfect sequence ON THE DASH while MOVING is not easy nor safe- yet I do it every time).  And of course, that it then stops the ability to use the miles remaining.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 21, 2013, 10:30:16 AM
21 May 2013: all of these are sold at the moment. I will contact the people who actually got the stock I had and will let you folks know when more are available- I expect by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.

Thanks for all the  interest.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: TRBN on May 21, 2013, 11:13:31 AM
21 May 2013: all of these are sold at the moment. I will contact the people who actually got the stock I had and will let you folks know when more are available- I expect by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.

Thanks for all the  interest.

Brian

I'm IN.  Let me know when you have more stock!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gPink on May 21, 2013, 04:11:45 PM
Brian, does a piggyback fuel controller screw up the ECU's range calculations?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 21, 2013, 05:14:11 PM
Excellent question! And the answer is yes with a but....

But overall it does not seem to make any noticeable difference in accuracy, bearing in mind that I have never gone below 7 mile remaining, and generally the maps for a C-14 that I have seen actually remove fuel at small throttle openings which is where most if not all of us would be interested in range anyway. In other words, if we were drag racing we really would not be concerned with the range.

Before I installed my PCIII, my fuel economy readings were astoundingly accurate. Now with a map 1/2 way between the standard Fuel Moto map and the economy map, my mileage readings are about 4% off toward the high side- my ECU thinks I am getting better mileage than I really am. So that would throw the range indicator off the same amount or about 2 miles error when the range indicator showed 40 miles remaining (there would really be 38 miles remaining). That error would have to be added to the other tolerances in the fuel tank size / shape (they are all a tad different), the fuel gauge calibration and a pile of other variables, none of which are particularly large. So overall my opinion and experience suggests that it does not matter enough to worry about but that overall inaccuracy is also why I suggest that no one ever go too close to 1 mile remaining. I am comfortable going to 15 miles, and still 99% confident there is plenty of fuel when the range indicates 10 miles but do not generally go any lower than that.

Brian

Brian, does a piggyback fuel controller screw up the ECU's range calculations?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Ddfee on June 16, 2013, 08:01:03 PM
Brian

Just saw this thread for the first time. Email sent then I saw you are out of stock, any new stock coming? I so need this for my next trip (vancouver to New Mecico, then north to Manitoba then west bound back home).

Thx
Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on June 16, 2013, 08:03:24 PM
I think that you'll survive.  It only scares you the one time you don't expect and from then on it's a PITA.  The miracle device does work and even I could install it.....once I found that darn harness.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 16, 2013, 08:16:43 PM
Yep, responded to your PM.

I do have some in stock but am trying to set up a website to detail them as well as provide a portal to purchase them. I am hoping to have it up in the next few days and will announce the location of the website here when it is ready.

Thanks for the interest,
Brian

Brian

Just saw this thread for the first time. Email sent then I saw you are out of stock, any new stock coming? I so need this for my next trip (vancouver to New Mecico, then north to Manitoba then west bound back home).

Thx
Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on July 04, 2013, 06:10:04 PM
Finally I have a website up to take orders for the low fuel warning eliminator. <whew> A basic site, it does not yet have any information on the devices yet but it will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I do have some in stock and now a method in place that can be used to purchase them. As long as the 'Buy' function remains, I have stock; when the stock is gone the buy function will no longer work. Or so it is supposed to work that way.

www.incontrolne.com (http://www.incontrolne.com)

Kirby even has his own space although the little guy does not know about it yet.... :-)

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on July 05, 2013, 12:11:16 PM
Quick update- apparently these things STILL cannot be purchased- PayPal won't accept payments. Hmmmmm. Working on this issue with PayPal now, and will post when it is working. Sorry about this.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on July 05, 2013, 12:17:36 PM
Good luck, you'll need it!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on July 05, 2013, 12:38:37 PM
I am on the phone right now with PayPal.... in the Philippines. For the second time. That said, the first person's English was outstanding so I cannot complain. The tech. help was not quite as good :-(   It takes around 30 minutes to get to a human once the call is started. I am not complaining though 'cause there is plenty of room to go downhill from here....

I again apologize to anyone / everyone who tried to buy one of these farkles- you would think it would be simple but not so much. Dis here Interweb is.... pesky. :-)

Brian

Good luck, you'll need it!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on July 05, 2013, 03:39:28 PM
Same here but with Directv....wanted to kill someone by the time I got to a tech.  Had to hang up three times and redial.  And to top it all off, I figured out what was wrong and fixed it myself.  :censored: :censored: :censored: and  :censored: !
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on July 05, 2013, 03:55:24 PM
Well feel free to come by and fix mine if you want....

Tech support was very nice but not helpful. Going to go up the ladder.... on Monday :-(

Brian

Same here but with Directv....wanted to kill someone by the time I got to a tech.  Had to hang up three times and redial.  And to top it all off, I figured out what was wrong and fixed it myself.  :censored: :censored: :censored: and  :censored: !
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on July 10, 2013, 05:19:23 PM
At long last, my website will now be pleased to accept payment for the farkles listed.

If anyone is interested, I will report on what the problem was in a day or two- I am still savoring the sweetness of the victory.  ::) 

www.incontrolne.com (http://www.incontrolne.com)    for all your really important C-14 farkling needs, starting with the Low fuel warning Eliminator.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: alexx45 on July 31, 2013, 04:54:59 PM
Just finished ordering one from your website. Everything worked great. Looking forward to never again having my screen taken over by the screamin' LOW FUEL demon. Thanks for the fix I didn't even know I needed.  8)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on August 01, 2013, 12:58:55 AM
And don't forget that the range function will now continue to function all the way to.... well, no fuel.

Yours will go out first thing today (order came in last night) and you should see it by Sat. with a bit of luck, otherwise by Monday I would think. Tracking number already sent to you so you can watch it creep across the country.

Thanks for the order,
Brian

Just finished ordering one from your website. Everything worked great. Looking forward to never again having my screen taken over by the screamin' LOW FUEL demon. Thanks for the fix I didn't even know I needed.  8)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Ddfee on August 04, 2013, 10:08:18 AM
Brian

Installed my low fuel warning eliminator harness...love it! No more low fuel warnings, I have an aux ful tank, so in trying it out, i rode the main tank down to showing 8 Kms remaining.

Thx again

Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on August 06, 2013, 06:28:23 PM
Thanks for the kind words, and glad to hear you like the circuit. Glad to hear they work OK in Canada too.  ;D I think the long distance C-14 community is the big fan of this farkle- I have sold quite a few to people I know in the LD community. I think it is useful even around town but the range function continuing to work is a real plus for people riding in open areas, especially at odd hours and / or on weekends. I live is southern New England and I cannot sneeze without at least one fuel station hearing me but in the open western spaces it is great to know if you have 25, 15 or 5 miles of fuel left. Although 5 miles is cutting is too close for me (this bike pushes poorly, especially if you are in a hurry and have to run with it).

8 km might be a new record in low fuel readings too- that is about 5 statue miles and I have not heard of anyone testing a bike that far other than you (me included- I wussed out at 7 miles).

Brian

Brian

Installed my low fuel warning eliminator harness...love it! No more low fuel warnings, I have an aux ful tank, so in trying it out, i rode the main tank down to showing 8 Kms remaining.

Thx again

Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: longrun on August 19, 2013, 07:40:26 PM
BDF will these work on the ZX14s as well?

I didn't see this question answered.  I have a couple of friends with ZX14's that are interested if it does.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on August 21, 2013, 02:58:54 PM
I do not know if it will work on a ZX or not. I would have to see a schematic and see a ZX 'in the flesh' so to speak before I could address the question. My gut instinct is that it will work but I am not willing to send one out for testing or use without knowing that it will work correctly.

Anybody got a ZX 14 around southern New England who wants the pain and the glory of being the first kid on his / her block to test- wear a Low fuel warning eliminator.... maybe? You will get the glory right here on the pages of this forum, and I will provide the pain. :-)

Funny thing is that I had a ZX here for a little work- I pulled those pesky 'flies out of the throttle bodies of the thing but of course did not bother looking into any of the bike's circuitry. Who knew this would be coming?

Brian

I didn't see this question answered.  I have a couple of friends with ZX14's that are interested if it does.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Kirby on September 04, 2013, 07:48:06 PM
I am like a slave I tells' ya'- all day long working my paws to the bone (proverbially speaking) and no one appreciates me.

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f82/BDF08012008/Kirbytestingfuelwarningeliminators.jpg) (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/BDF08012008/media/Kirbytestingfuelwarningeliminators.jpg.html)

Kirby
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: PlaynInPeoria on September 12, 2013, 01:12:49 PM
I just installed mine. What genius decided that hiding the 'miles remaining till empty' display was a good thing when the bike is low on gas?  DUH !!!!!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on September 12, 2013, 02:55:51 PM
The same ones that engineered the transponder low battery warning that takes over the screen.....real men of genius.

Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Gumby on September 12, 2013, 03:31:41 PM
What genius decided that hiding the 'miles remaining till empty' display was a good thing when the bike is low on gas?  DUH !!!!!
The same one that put a potato launchers on Kawi's.  ;D

I was going to buy one of these when Brian first posted about it, but then I thought I kind of like to be reminded that I need gas. When you put it that way PnP I think well maybe I should buy one.

Brian I can't remember if you already said this or not, do we still get any kind of warning that we are low on fuel with this installed?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on September 12, 2013, 04:15:13 PM
No, no warning once the circuit is installed. For better or worse, the low fuel warning on the LCD and the generic red LED on the dash that goes with it are a 'all of them or none of them' kind of deal.

The flip side of the coin is that you can then use the range function which appears to be reasonably accurate, at least for most of us, once the warning itself is gone. So you still have a fuel gauge that works as it always did, a trip meter which you can use (I use trip meter A for fuel, B for oil changes) and now the range function continues to work; once I get low on fuel I tend to go to the range function and leave the LCD there until refueling.

But it is definitely a choice we all have to make- while most people don't care for that obnoxious screen flashing, some people do appreciate the warning being given. So far most people seem to like the bike without the warning but I did have one gentleman who tried the warning eliminator and preferred the bike with the warning present. From what you said though, perhaps you like the warning more than you dislike it an the eliminator circuit wouldn't be the best way to go for you.

Of course a really talented person would design a low fuel warning eliminator that simply eliminated the low fuel condition directly by filling the fuel tank. Betcha' those would sell like hot cakes....  ;D

Brian

The same one that put a potato launchers on Kawi's.  ;D

I was going to buy one of these when Brian first posted about it, but then I thought I kind of like to be reminded that I need gas. When you put it that way PnP I think well maybe I should buy one.

Brian I can't remember if you already said this or not, do we still get any kind of warning that we are low on fuel with this installed?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Gumby on September 12, 2013, 08:31:02 PM
From what you said though, perhaps you like the warning more than you dislike it an the eliminator circuit wouldn't be the best way to go for you.
I've never really had a problem finding a gas station so it has not been that big of a deal. I'm still going to kick this around for a while. Thanks for the reply.

On a side note, remember the days we had to turn the lever to the up position for reserve and then guess how far we could make it? Ahhhh, the good ole days.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Dan Forker on September 14, 2013, 10:54:03 AM


Just received and installed my fuel warning tool from BDF. Installation took all of 5 minutes and it works well. Thanks for the quick delivery. You do need to be aware that the range function read out varies as your mpg calculated by the bike computer varies so you can be showing 45 miles range one second and 25 the next if your are speeding up or slowing down. 

Fork
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on September 15, 2013, 04:28:17 AM
That's normal.  Mine did that before the mod.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on September 16, 2013, 06:24:19 PM
Glad to hear you like it.

Yep, the range function is a result of the ECU doing a calculation based on the current amount of fuel vs. the current fuel usage. The range function uses the instantaneous mileage function to determine how much fuel is being used so if that is changing quite a bit, so will the range function. Just base your hopes and expectations on the lowest reading it gives and you should not have any surprises.

Brian


Just received and installed my fuel warning tool from BDF. Installation took all of 5 minutes and it works well. Thanks for the quick delivery. You do need to be aware that the range function read out varies as your mpg calculated by the bike computer varies so you can be showing 45 miles range one second and 25 the next if your are speeding up or slowing down. 

Fork
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Canada-Dan on September 24, 2013, 09:37:27 AM
I got one of these ingenious little gadgets a couple of weeks ago.  I absolutely love it.
The only down side is trying to get the Range to read as low as possible before fuelling up hahaha
I rode it down to 7 miles to empty and lost my nerve.
Easy to install once you locate the wires under the tank.  Mine were jammed way under and over but that only took me an extra 3 minutes to find them. Simple plug and play.
Well worth the money. 
Thanks again
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on September 29, 2013, 04:36:46 PM
Thanks for your thoughts and glad to hear you like the circuit. Glad to have another happy customer.

Brian

I got one of these ingenious little gadgets a couple of weeks ago.  I absolutely love it.
The only down side is trying to get the Range to read as low as possible before fuelling up hahaha
I rode it down to 7 miles to empty and lost my nerve.
Easy to install once you locate the wires under the tank.  Mine were jammed way under and over but that only took me an extra 3 minutes to find them. Simple plug and play.
Well worth the money. 
Thanks again
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gwocni on October 23, 2013, 07:01:24 PM
Thanks for your thoughts and glad to hear you like the circuit. Glad to have another happy customer.

Brian

When mine comes I'll let you know exactly how low it goes... lololol.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on October 24, 2013, 10:38:41 AM
It should be along shortly, unless customs has held it up. It was shipped on the 15 Oct.

By all means, let us know how you like it and how the installation goes. I encourage feedback and if you don't like it or something about it, maybe it can be addressed in future versions.

Brian

When mine comes I'll let you know exactly how low it goes... lololol.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gwocni on October 27, 2013, 04:56:23 PM
It should be along shortly, unless customs has held it up. It was shipped on the 15 Oct.

By all means, let us know how you like it and how the installation goes. I encourage feedback and if you don't like it or something about it, maybe it can be addressed in future versions.

Brian

No problem. Should be here next week methinks :)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Rhino on October 28, 2013, 08:44:47 AM
Now I need a similar product to block the TPMS low battery warning. I know I can and will change the batteries in my TPMS senders but until I get a round to it, cold mornings are a PITA with the blinking and the loss of all other display functions.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gwocni on October 29, 2013, 06:55:19 PM
Arrived today,

I'll fit it over the w/e. The only thing is, I just filled the tank...  :doh:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on October 29, 2013, 09:21:03 PM
Thanks for letting me know. Not so bad, ordered on 13 Oct., shipped on 14 Oct. and delivered to Northern Ireland on 29 Oct. after clearing customs, probably twice (US and UK). Glad to hear it arrived OK.

So now we know, shipping to the UK is $13 (yeah, I charged you $7 for shipping- my mistake).

And just so you know, I nearly came home from the post office with a dog. Yep, a long haired German Shepherd named Zeus was in the back of an SUV but looking for a new home as his human is moving from a house to an apartment. I said hello to the dog and his human let him out of the vehicle and Zeus curled up between my knees and leaned up against me (I was kneeling to say hello). It took everything I had to refuse the dog but really only after I was convinced that his human would not put him down nor take him to a shelter that euthanizes dogs. A beautiful, intelligent, healthy dog about seven years old.... it took all my willpower to let him go. So you almost cost me unknown years of happy dog ownership :-)  Not quite ready after losing my last pup last spring but if ever I was tempted, that dog was it.... Sorry, waxing philosophical but it really was a special dog I think.

Brian

Arrived today,

I'll fit it over the w/e. The only thing is, I just filled the tank...  :doh:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on October 30, 2013, 04:36:53 AM
 :thumbs:   Pictures or you're just making this up to bring tears to our eyes...
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on October 30, 2013, 10:34:35 AM
No pictures, just fond memories.... :-)

Brian

:thumbs:   Pictures or you're just making this up to bring tears to our eyes...
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gwocni on November 03, 2013, 12:51:24 PM
And just so you know, I nearly came home from the post office with a dog. Yep, a long haired German Shepherd named Zeus was in the back of an SUV but looking for a new home as his human is moving from a house to an apartment. I said hello to the dog and his human let him out of the vehicle and Zeus curled up between my knees and leaned up against me (I was kneeling to say hello). It took everything I had to refuse the dog but really only after I was convinced that his human would not put him down nor take him to a shelter that euthanizes dogs. A beautiful, intelligent, healthy dog about seven years old.... it took all my willpower to let him go. So you almost cost me unknown years of happy dog ownership :-)  Not quite ready after losing my last pup last spring but if ever I was tempted, that dog was it.... Sorry, waxing philosophical but it really was a special dog I think.

Brian

You should have taken the dog, you know you should. Did you get the guys number???

I fitted the gismo in 30 seconds flat, just waiting for the fuel to run out now. :thumbs:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on November 03, 2013, 01:17:27 PM
Yes, I have Walter's phone number (Zeus' human). But I am pretty confident that I convinced him (Walter, not Zeus 'cause Zeus was already a believer) that there are animal shelters that do not euthanize animals and that while not a puppy, Zeus was a great candidate for adoption. And yes, I know I should have taken the dog..... and my wife thanks me every day for NOT bringing him home 'cause she would not have been able to resist him either. I love dogs and expect to have one again in the future but right now we are enjoying the ability to stay out past 5:00 PM without having to rush home and tend to the dog.

Good to hear you had no trouble installing that thing. I really do try to make 'plug 'n play' devices because I have found too many things that I thought might take a little 'adapting to your particular model' to require a machine shop and full 3D modeling software :-(   A wise man once told me that the good farkles install in the parking lot of the place where you bought them and I never forgot that.

Brian

You should have taken the dog, you know you should. Did you get the guys number???

I fitted the gismo in 30 seconds flat, just waiting for the fuel to run out now. :thumbs:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gwocni on November 16, 2013, 04:31:17 PM
Well now............ I put Constance in the garage with the range on 12 miles. I rolled it out two days later and it appears the angels have had their share and it had gone down to nine. Even at nine miles it should've been enough to get me to the start of todays run or at least to a filling station. Doh!! I started out and the range went up to fifteen and then quickly down to seven miles. I had actually done about four miles in total.

Then Constance started coughing and spluttering, I managed to nurse it a further mile and the range then showed five miles and the motor cut out..... Luckily this was only 50 yards or so from the filling station (not the one I intended mind you) and I was able to coast into the pump.

I managed to squeeze in 22.33 litres or 5.898 US Gal or 4.911 Imp Gal. This is probably about right since the capacity is 22 litres. I will try again to get it to zero or better but I think in normal times I will make ten miles my absolute minimum :)

Verdict....... Great job  :chugbeer:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on November 16, 2013, 07:28:40 PM
Thanks for the kind words.

The fuel tank, at least mine, will hold six US gallons but it must be quite low on fuel (but not empty because the bike was still running correctly) and it must be 'overfilled' well in to the filler neck.

Your experience seems about on par with most- the key in your readings was that seven mile point you saw (always go by the lowest number you see anytime during the tankful). So you actually saw it read seven and then got another mile- yep, that was really 'testing the water'. :-)  I usually recommend people do not go below about 15 miles and anything in single digits is risky.

And thank you for taking the results so reasonably. The range estimate is of course just that- an estimate. Trying to get down to the last, say, two miles is a mistake that will punish the rider sooner or later. That is probably why Kawasaki removes the range estimate with so much fuel in the tank- it is inconvenient for the rider IMO but they can say 'we told you not to do that'.

Brian

Well now............ I put Constance in the garage with the range on 12 miles. I rolled it out two days later and it appears the angels have had their share and it had gone down to nine. Even at nine miles it should've been enough to get me to the start of todays run or at least to a filling station. Doh!! I started out and the range went up to fifteen and then quickly down to seven miles. I had actually done about four miles in total.

Then Constance started coughing and spluttering, I managed to nurse it a further mile and the range then showed five miles and the motor cut out..... Luckily this was only 50 yards or so from the filling station (not the one I intended mind you) and I was able to coast into the pump.

I managed to squeeze in 22.33 litres or 5.898 US Gal or 4.911 Imp Gal. This is probably about right since the capacity is 22 litres. I will try again to get it to zero or better but I think in normal times I will make ten miles my absolute minimum :)

Verdict....... Great job  :chugbeer:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: galaxieman on December 04, 2013, 01:02:03 AM
Finally got around to getting my inspection and plates back up to spec, so I was able to test out the eliminator I got and installed a while back.  Got to where low-fuel light should have come on, and it just kept trucking. It got down to 17 miles left, and given the traffic situation I pulled in and put... 5.02 gallons in.  Definitely something wonky with the calculations since I had been dealing with stop and go traffic for a good chunk of the morning.  I'll keep an eye on it as I plow through this tank, and see where it ends up next go round.  I might even fill up one of the MSR fuel bottles I brought along on my Iron Butt ride just to see how far she'll go.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: stevewfl on December 08, 2013, 06:15:41 PM
I am like a slave I tells' ya'- all day long working my paws to the bone (proverbially speaking) and no one appreciates me.

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f82/BDF08012008/Kirbytestingfuelwarningeliminators.jpg) (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/BDF08012008/media/Kirbytestingfuelwarningeliminators.jpg.html)

Kirby

Kirby!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on December 09, 2013, 06:59:48 AM
Yep, that sounds odd. But I would give it a few cycles to see how it really works. And bear in mind that the whole range indicator thing works best at a steady speed under constant conditions: the highway is the best example.

Remember when the bike is accelerating / decelerating and especially if there are hills, that tends to drive the estimate the bike comes up with off, sometimes by a considerable amount. The good news is that it does seen to trend on the low side as in your case, which is the better way to it to err I think.

But please do use it a bit more and report back on how that works out.

Brian

Finally got around to getting my inspection and plates back up to spec, so I was able to test out the eliminator I got and installed a while back.  Got to where low-fuel light should have come on, and it just kept trucking. It got down to 17 miles left, and given the traffic situation I pulled in and put... 5.02 gallons in.  Definitely something wonky with the calculations since I had been dealing with stop and go traffic for a good chunk of the morning.  I'll keep an eye on it as I plow through this tank, and see where it ends up next go round.  I might even fill up one of the MSR fuel bottles I brought along on my Iron Butt ride just to see how far she'll go.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: h2oplayer on January 22, 2014, 01:06:02 PM
I ordered one of these up today. Thanks Brian.

Did you ever finish the cruise control project?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on January 22, 2014, 02:13:38 PM
Got the order, thanks and it will go out tomorrow.

Cruise control: nope, finally found a way to execute a decent design for the mechanics but never did come up with a cost effective method to make the actuator. It is not a problem making them, but it is a problem making them in small numbers and for anything even approaching a reasonable price. Everybody wants one but not at a price 3 or 4 times higher than a Rostra I suspect. And while there might be a reasonably large market out there across a lot of motorcycle models, that would require different designs, different software algorithms for the control loop, access to each and every bike that the unit could be fitted for, and a fair amount of time and effort into each model. And with the Feejer coming out with CC on board, it really took a lot of the potential out of the equation I think because 1) the market for Feejer customers (at least with new bikes) just disappeared and 2) frankly, I think both Kawasaki and Honda (ST 1300) have to compete before long, which will wipe out the original market. While there will be a pile of earlier models of all of those sport tourers out there, as they age and lose value I think it is less and less likely the owners would but such an expensive device to attach to them.

On another topic, I would like to do something about the lack of self- cancelling turn signals though. Same problem of price but not as bad of course. And it would fit a lot more bikes without a re- design for each one. But it would not be true self- cancelling turn signals for a number of reasons but a warning that the directionals had been on too long for the conditions rather than just time (like it would know you were sitting at a stop light, had not yet made a turn, etc.).

Brian

I ordered one of these up today. Thanks Brian.

Did you ever finish the cruise control project?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: firehawk618 on March 03, 2014, 10:30:14 PM
Well now............ I put Constance in the garage with the range on 12 miles. I rolled it out two days later and it appears the angels have had their share and it had gone down to nine. Even at nine miles it should've been enough to get me to the start of todays run or at least to a filling station. Doh!! I started out and the range went up to fifteen and then quickly down to seven miles. I had actually done about four miles in total.

Then Constance started coughing and spluttering, I managed to nurse it a further mile and the range then showed five miles and the motor cut out..... Luckily this was only 50 yards or so from the filling station (not the one I intended mind you) and I was able to coast into the pump.

I managed to squeeze in 22.33 litres or 5.898 US Gal or 4.911 Imp Gal. This is probably about right since the capacity is 22 litres. I will try again to get it to zero or better but I think in normal times I will make ten miles my absolute minimum :)

Verdict....... Great job  :chugbeer:


FYI mine ran out and was sitting ~20 miles on the DTE display.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Gumby on March 04, 2014, 07:56:35 AM
FYI mine ran out and was sitting ~20 miles on the DTE display.
:o

I'm sure Brian has a disclaimer in one or two of these pages.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on March 04, 2014, 08:21:34 AM
Was it by chance stop- and- go city driving? And did you run the fuel level well down and then shut the bike off? There was one other guy who had a similar thing happen after he used up most of the fuel in the tank and shut the bike down at least overnight; the next time riding it, he ran out of fuel at a pretty high range remaining level like you did. I have not been able to duplicate this with my own bike though and am not sure what is going on.

It may be nothing more than an inaccurate fuel level gauge to begin with. Kawasaki would not be overly concerned with this because they remove all information about fuel when there is 40 or 50 miles of range remaining.

Have you gotten the range remaining to go a lot lower than 20 miles at other times? I am very curious as to whether this was a one- time thing or is more normal for your bike. ??

Brian


FYI mine ran out and was sitting ~20 miles on the DTE display.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on March 04, 2014, 08:29:54 AM
I normally recommend NOT going under about 10 miles of range remaining and suggest that perhaps 15 miles is a better level yet. But 20 or more miles is really a long way off and I am surprised when this happens. I do not know if this is something to do with a particular bike (the fuel gauge is a variable resistor with a float on a bent metal arm- not exactly the shining example of precision) or a quirk in the sequence of how the bike is used. In other words, there may be a particular sequence that throws off the accuracy of the estimated range readout but I have not been successful in 'tricking' my own bike into a very inaccurate or odd reading.

I would fix this if I could but as I said, I am not sure why that happened. I will continue to hunt for the cause of this issue and hopefully can come up with something solid to recommend doing or avoid doing. I often go below 20 miles of range remaining and the bike has never taken a full tank of fuel afterwards so that indicates to me that I did have significant range left, per the range remaining indicator.

Brian
:o

I'm sure Brian has a disclaimer in one or two of these pages.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: MajorTom on April 12, 2014, 06:51:50 PM

On another topic, I would like to do something about the lack of self- cancelling turn signals though. Same problem of price but not as bad of course. And it would fit a lot more bikes without a re- design for each one. But it would not be true self- cancelling turn signals for a number of reasons but a warning that the directionals had been on too long for the conditions rather than just time (like it would know you were sitting at a stop light, had not yet made a turn, etc.).

Brian

Way back when, in 1976, my first motorcycle a Yamaha XS360, a four stroke twin, had believe it or not, self cancelling signals that were not canceling only based on elapsed time. You had to do a combination of turning your steering and elapsed time. Believe it or not it worked fine but I never saw it on any motorcycle since regardless of price. I bought that bike brand new in 1976 for $1250.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Canuck on April 13, 2014, 10:29:58 AM
On page 44 in to 09 manual it explains how to overide the flashing lfw and return to original display. Its also in the '13 manual. Yes i own two, doesnt evryone?  However, u have to pull over ti do it. I have never tryed it though. I like brians plug better, its automatic and you dont have to stop rusking getting hit by a car.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Kwikasfuki on June 29, 2014, 03:52:52 AM

I was originally planning on using a separate, remote warning in the form of a simple red LED that affixed somewhere on the dash. That way the bike would ignore the warning but the discreet LED would light when the 'low fuel' level was reached. The two basic problems with that method were cost and the fact that the remote LED would need to be wired onto the bike and a lot of people either cannot or do not want to do any dissemble, wire routing, possible drilling of holes, etc. This is the truly 'plug 'n play' version that can be added to the bike easily.

Hi Brian,

Is it possible to tap into your device for a signal that could then be used to power a led from a separate source? I don't mind some drilling and running wires.

Thanks
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 29, 2014, 07:14:35 AM
Unfortunately, no. The circuit that triggers the warning is actually fairly complex and duplicating it more involved than just tapping a wire into something.

I did develop a circuit that will act as a remote warning but I believe it was far too expensive to sell.

Besides, even without the warning, there is still the mileage, the fuel consumption average and finally and best, the range remaining.

Brian

Hi Brian,

Is it possible to tap into your device for a signal that could then be used to power a led from a separate source? I don't mind some drilling and running wires.

Thanks
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Kwikasfuki on June 29, 2014, 08:15:52 AM
Ah, is that to do with the CANBUS?

I guess I don't need a light to tell me I'm running low ...
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 29, 2014, 09:20:09 AM
No, CANbus is not involved with the low fuel warning system. But the LFW is much more elaborate than something as simple as a switch or float or anything else. I do not know where in the bike the circuitry is buiried that handles the LFW but I would suspect either in the circuits potted in with the ECU or else in the LCD display. Either way, I have not found it 'cause I have not <yet> let the smoke out of it. I have let the smoke out of a bunch of fuel pumps though.  :'(

Nothing really wrong with the bike as it comes stock, I just found I did not care for the 'fuss' when the low fuel warning comes on, and I especially did not care for the loss of the range function. To be absolutely honest, I probably would not have bothered to tinker around with this thing at all if they had not given me any range indicator but the fact that they put it in the bike and disabled it at the very time when I want to see it annoyed me.

Brian

Ah, is that to do with the CANBUS?

I guess I don't need a light to tell me I'm running low ...
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Rhino on June 30, 2014, 07:15:41 AM
Aint that the truth!

No, CANbus is not involved with the low fuel warning system. But the LFW is much more elaborate than something as simple as a switch or float or anything else. I do not know where in the bike the circuitry is buiried that handles the LFW but I would suspect either in the circuits potted in with the ECU or else in the LCD display. Either way, I have not found it 'cause I have not <yet> let the smoke out of it. I have let the smoke out of a bunch of fuel pumps though.  :'(

Nothing really wrong with the bike as it comes stock, I just found I did not care for the 'fuss' when the low fuel warning comes on, and I especially did not care for the loss of the range function. To be absolutely honest, I probably would not have bothered to tinker around with this thing at all if they had not given me any range indicator but the fact that they put it in the bike and disabled it at the very time when I want to see it annoyed me.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: longrun on August 09, 2014, 08:32:45 AM
I do not know if it will work on a ZX or not. I would have to see a schematic and see a ZX 'in the flesh' so to speak before I could address the question. My gut instinct is that it will work but I am not willing to send one out for testing or use without knowing that it will work correctly.

Anybody got a ZX 14 around southern New England who wants the pain and the glory of being the first kid on his / her block to test- wear a Low fuel warning eliminator.... maybe? You will get the glory right here on the pages of this forum, and I will provide the pain. :-)

Funny thing is that I had a ZX here for a little work- I pulled those pesky 'flies out of the throttle bodies of the thing but of course did not bother looking into any of the bike's circuitry. Who knew this would be coming?

Brian

After nearly a year, is there any news on the ZX-14/14R front for this?  I'm sure they would love to have this as much as C14 owners.

BTW - I just ordered one for my C14 (finally).  :finger_fing11:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Jojje on August 14, 2014, 02:25:58 PM
Seems like an awesome product. But when will someone develop a button controlled mirror folding system? ;)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: AlbertaDoug on August 29, 2014, 04:40:19 AM
2014 Black.
Kawasaki has been paying attention to this thread, the range indicator functions with the LFW on my bike.  Had it down to 3kms on a recent trip, but only took 18l(4.75gal) to fill so I think they error on the side of caution.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on August 29, 2014, 06:36:22 AM
Yep, I've had that happen. But we have to wonder about it erring on the other side too and that would not be as good. I don't think I have heard of anyone getting down that low though (less that 2 miles).

Brian

2014 Black.
Kawasaki has been paying attention to this thread, the range indicator functions with the LFW on my bike.  Had it down to 3kms on a recent trip, but only took 18l(4.75gal) to fill so I think they error on the side of caution.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Rhino on August 29, 2014, 07:10:19 AM
2014 Black.
Kawasaki has been paying attention to this thread, the range indicator functions with the LFW on my bike.  Had it down to 3kms on a recent trip, but only took 18l(4.75gal) to fill so I think they error on the side of caution.

So it no longer takes over the entire screen and flashing?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: AlbertaDoug on August 29, 2014, 11:56:28 AM
I had 29kms  showing when we stopped for lunch, then when I restarted the bike it did take over the entire screen and was flashing. It did stay flashing with the 3kms showing even though I traveled 2km to the gas station.       
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on August 29, 2014, 12:04:40 PM
You have one of my L.F.W.E. on your bike and you got the low fuel warning? ?? I do not believe that is possible. ??

Brian

I had 29kms  showing when we stopped for lunch, then when I restarted the bike it did take over the entire screen and was flashing. It did stay flashing with the 3kms showing even though I traveled 2km to the gas station.     
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: AlbertaDoug on August 29, 2014, 03:20:03 PM
You have one of my L.F.W.E. on your bike and you got the low fuel warning? ?? I do not believe that is possible. ??

Brian
No I don't have your eliminator on my bike. It's a 2014 and they have adjust the LFW to include the milage still. Or do all of them still include the milage? Is it's the flashing that is causing the irritation. Mine wasn't flashing with 29km showing, not until I restarted the bike after I had lunch when it showed 3km did it start to flash.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on August 29, 2014, 04:02:36 PM
OK, I got it- there has been no change to the low fuel warning indicator, and when it goes off the bike has 1.1 gallons of fuel remaining in the tank. So yours went off exactly at the right time but it would seem that there is something wrong with your range indicator, assuming that is what you are talking about when you mention the 3kms reading.

Brian

First quote:
2014 Black.
Kawasaki has been paying attention to this thread, the range indicator functions with the LFW on my bike.  Had it down to 3kms on a recent trip, but only took 18l(4.75gal) to fill so I think they error on the side of caution.

Second quote:
No I don't have your eliminator on my bike. It's a 2014 and they have adjust the LFW to include the milage still. Or do all of them still include the milage? Is it's the flashing that is causing the irritation. Mine wasn't flashing with 29km showing, not until I restarted the bike after I had lunch when it showed 3km did it start to flash.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: martin_14 on December 14, 2014, 03:37:03 AM
Hi guys,
I sent Brian (B.D.F.) an e-mail 48 hours ago asking for the cable, and still no reply. So today I wanted to send him a PM (bellow) and when I hit send I get the message from the system:

User 'B.D.F.' has blocked your personal message.

Did I **** him off or is this normal?  :-[


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Brian,
sorry to bother you again only 1 day after my first message (e-mail, actually), but I have quite a few things going on and would like to tick them ;D
Are you still producing the cable for the low fuel warning? could I have one? a friend of mine is in Texas for a few weeks and he's willing to bring it across the pond for me.
Please let me know.
Cheers,
Martín
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: hlh1 on December 14, 2014, 05:12:52 AM
I got the same thing on his PM.  No biggie.  Go to his website and place an order.  I received this "fix" last week from Brian, along with the K-pass harness.  Fast service.  Works great. 
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maxtog on December 14, 2014, 06:52:37 AM
User 'B.D.F.' has blocked your personal message.

Did I **** him off or is this normal?  :-[

He explained in another thread that it is not personal, he just has PM turned off for everyone because he prefers to use Email instead.  It would be nice if the forum allowed a customized message to be returned rather than something that sounds so cold and spiteful or at least said something like "User BDF has all PM turned off". 

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=6976.msg227454#msg227454 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=6976.msg227454#msg227454)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on December 14, 2014, 07:46:25 AM
Hi Martin,

Nope, as Max said, it is not personal or anything at all to do with you but I shut off all PM's from the forums. My e-mail is there though and it is absolutely no problem to e-mail me at any time. My e-mail is shown as an icon just under my photo in the top / left corner of the screen. If someone wants it spelled out, it is bdfelice1 <at> gmail <dot> com  Of course replace the words <at> and <dot> with @ and .   .

I did receive your e-mail of 12 December about possibly shipping a cable to TX no later than 2 Jan. 2015. I responded that I would be happy to do so and that it would be no problem and I could easily have a harness to anywhere in the US in three days, long before the date, 2 Jan., that you mentioned.

I simply replied to the e-mail you sent me and had assumed that that was the correct e-mail address. ?? It appeared to be the same e-mail you asked me to respond to in your first query; is that not correct? Please do let me know how to contact you and I would be more than happy to accommodate your requirements to the best of my ability.

Brian

Hi guys,
I sent Brian (B.D.F.) an e-mail 48 hours ago asking for the cable, and still no reply. So today I wanted to send him a PM (bellow) and when I hit send I get the message from the system:

User 'B.D.F.' has blocked your personal message.

Did I **** him off or is this normal?  :-[


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Brian,
sorry to bother you again only 1 day after my first message (e-mail, actually), but I have quite a few things going on and would like to tick them ;D
Are you still producing the cable for the low fuel warning? could I have one? a friend of mine is in Texas for a few weeks and he's willing to bring it across the pond for me.
Please let me know.
Cheers,
Martín
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: martin_14 on December 15, 2014, 12:43:53 AM
hello Brian,

thanks for getting back to me. Yeap, found your e-mail in my spam folder. My hotmail account has been acting up lately, treating wanted e-mails as spam, even from friends with whom I write regularly  >:(

Anyway, I replied now to your e-mail.

Cheers,
Martín
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on December 15, 2014, 09:43:44 AM
Yep, got it and all should be fine pending the other party.

As far as putting my e-mails in the spam folder, not so sure that was a mistake..... maybe hotmail assigns users a 'garbage' rating and over time, Kirby has lowered mine to the point it thinks I am spam?    ;) :rotflmao:

Brian

hello Brian,

thanks for getting back to me. Yeap, found your e-mail in my spam folder. My hotmail account has been acting up lately, treating wanted e-mails as spam, even from friends with whom I write regularly  >:(

Anyway, I replied now to your e-mail.

Cheers,
Martín
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: elp_jc on December 19, 2014, 11:59:13 PM
Hey folks, so what's the deal with the LFW on newer bikes? Does it show range or not? How about 2013s? And do you really have to be stopped to  operate it, or is that just the safe thing to do? And finally, which 2 buttons do you have to press? Thx.

Brain, what is your 'KIPASS harness'? You have absolutely no explanation on your website. Inquiring minds want to know ;D.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: AlbertaDoug on December 20, 2014, 05:13:11 AM
Hey folks, so what's the deal with the LFW on newer bikes? Does it show range or not? How about 2013s? And do you really have to be stopped to  operate it, or is that just the safe thing to do? And finally, which 2 buttons do you have to press? Thx.

Brain, what is your 'KIPASS harness'? You have absolutely no explanation on your website. Inquiring minds want to know ;D.


My 2014 shows the warning as well as the range, right down to 3kms is what mine showed at fill.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maxtog on December 20, 2014, 05:49:42 AM

My 2014 shows the warning as well as the range, right down to 3kms is what mine showed at fill.

??  You are saying the 2014 is different from all the earlier years??  Normally once the low fuel warning is activated, the range is no longer indicated.   I have never seen anyone mention otherwise.

elp_jc:  Search is your friend...
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on December 20, 2014, 06:39:37 AM
The KiPass activation switch bypass is a circuit that will allow a rider to circumvent a stuck activation switch and start a C-14. Otherwise, the bikes have been known to strand people now and again when that switch sticks. There is a lot info. on this site if you do a search.

There is a button sequence that will clear any warning on the C-14 LCD but it will not restore the range function.

By the way, Kirby is taking a well deserved vacation and so will not be selling any products at all for the next several days. But we'll be back before too long....

Brian

Hey folks, so what's the deal with the LFW on newer bikes? Does it show range or not? How about 2013s? And do you really have to be stopped to  operate it, or is that just the safe thing to do? And finally, which 2 buttons do you have to press? Thx.

Brain, what is your 'KIPASS harness'? You have absolutely no explanation on your website. Inquiring minds want to know ;D.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on December 20, 2014, 06:40:57 AM
It is the re-filling sequence that resets the range function. To the best of my knowledge, all C-14's blank out the range function once 1.1 gallons of fuel is reached.

Brian


My 2014 shows the warning as well as the range, right down to 3kms is what mine showed at fill.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: AlbertaDoug on December 20, 2014, 05:27:43 PM
??  You are saying the 2014 is different from all the earlier years??  Normally once the low fuel warning is activated, the range is no longer indicated.   I have never seen anyone mention otherwise.

elp_jc:  Search is your friend...

Not sure what to tell you Max other than the range on fuel was still present right down to 3 kms at time of fill up.

Post 83 of this thread.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maxtog on December 20, 2014, 08:34:39 PM
Not sure what to tell you Max other than the range on fuel was still present right down to 3 kms at time of fill up.

Post 83 of this thread.

Wow- I somehow missed a HUGE chunk of this thread!  I must have had it up in a window at some point and dismissed it by accident.

I believe Brian seems to think your bike is acting like all the years, it was just showing an incorrect/inaccurate remaining range estimate and had not reached the 1.1 gal mark yet, thus had not started the blinking warning.... I tend to agree.  Once the flashing LOW FUEL message appears, you cannot access the remaining range indicator number.  It is unlikely they have reprogrammed or changed that with no other overt changes to the instrumentation. 

So I think your statement of "My 2014 shows the warning as well as the range, right down to 3kms" can't be generalized into an accurate conclusion.  Typically the range at the warning is around 45 miles based on 1.1 gal of fuel remaining (which is what triggers the warning) and when the warning starts, you can't access the remaining range anymore.

I would be interested to know if this has happened to you just once or more than that, and if you typically find your range estimate to be off.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: AlbertaDoug on December 21, 2014, 07:51:25 AM
As soon as I'm able I'll run the bike down on fuel again, I'll strap a gas can to the bike and give her a go.
This will have to wait until spring or if we're fortunate enough to get a Chinook that lasts long enough to get rid of the 2" of ice in the alley to my garage.  :-\
I'll do my best to follow the same actions as when this happened originally. Little curious to see if I get the same results now.  ???
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: just gone on December 21, 2014, 01:40:23 PM
It is the re-filling sequence that resets the range function. To the best of my knowledge, all C-14's blank out the range function once 1.1 gallons of fuel is reached.

Not sure what to tell you Max other than the range on fuel was still present right down to 3 kms at time of fill up.
Post 83 of this thread.


This is getting interesting. Could be a lot, or nothing here from what I'm reading. Must be someone with a 2014 C14 in warmer climate to look into this for us. Wouldn't it be interesting if they fixed this on the 2014 models but it only works that way if you set your readout to kilometers?  ;D

Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: AlbertaDoug on December 21, 2014, 04:15:12 PM

This is getting interesting. Could be a lot, or nothing here from what I'm reading. Must be someone with a 2014 C14 in warmer climate to look into this for us. Wouldn't it be interesting if they fixed this on the 2014 models but it only works that way if you set your readout to kilometers?  ;D



 ;).  ;D
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on April 12, 2015, 01:37:05 PM
Finally got some in stock- life got in the way of my farkle manufacturing unfortunately. They are available for purchase now if anyone is interested.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gPink on April 12, 2015, 02:05:40 PM
Thanks
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Cruise Missile on April 22, 2015, 06:05:06 PM
Mine arrived today. Installed in minutes, Great detailed instructions with pictures!!!!. Thanks Brian!!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: erokc on October 29, 2015, 11:19:51 PM
Brian, I stumbled across you device to turn off the LOW FUEL indicator.  I need one but first I must congratulate you for recognizing the need and doing something about it.

In 1991 I bought a 1985 K100RT that did not have a fuel gauge.  I could not believe BMW overlooked the need to know how much fuel was in the tank.

I thought about it a few days and decided if I could fit a computer in the place of the factory clock I would make a fuel computer.  It was called Fuel Plus.

I expanded it to fit other injected bikes. I built it until about 2008.  By that time it was a standard feature on the touring bikes and the recession finished killing the market.  I sold the Fuelplus.com domain name to a German fuel management software company and that was the end of it.

I am still riding the K100 but it's time to put the 30 year old bike to rest.  I'm buying a 2012 Concours.  I saw the RANGE feature in the manual and noticed it turns off at low fuel.  What the hell, that's when you need it the most.  As soon as I take delivery I'll be ordering your patch circuit.

Question, what's the need for the KIPASS bypass?
I know this forum is going to be extremely beneficial.
David
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on October 29, 2015, 11:42:36 PM
Thanks for the kind words.

Just as the moment, I am out of stock on all products. Had a little argument with my new firewood splitter and lost, or so it seems. Right hand (dominant) hand not quite up to fine motor skills needed to assemble these circuits yet- my wife tried to help out but just does not have enough hand strength (a BIG Easy Boys! on this one- it is my wife after all!) to fully crimp the terminals IMO, and I just will not risk putting anything less than the best possible product.

As to the KiPass bypass: I do not want to clog up this thread with info. about that but very quickly, Kawasaki made an [un- failsafe] design that can and will strand the occasional C-14 due to a sticky activation switch. The bypass provides a quick and easy work- around in the event that that should happen. More info. about that here: http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=6976.msg82841#msg82841 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=6976.msg82841#msg82841)

Brian

Brian, I stumbled across you device to turn off the LOW FUEL indicator.  I need one but first I must congratulate you for recognizing the need and doing something about it.

<snip>

I am still riding the K100 but it's time to put the 30 year old bike to rest.  I'm buying a 2012 Concours.  I saw the RANGE feature in the manual and noticed it turns off at low fuel.  What the hell, that's when you need it the most.  As soon as I take delivery I'll be ordering your patch circuit.

Question, what's the need for the KIPASS bypass?
I know this forum is going to be extremely beneficial.
David
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on October 30, 2015, 04:35:35 AM
Geez, Brian.  Be careful around machinery.  Hope you're healing quickly.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Rhino on October 30, 2015, 09:26:41 AM
Geez, Brian.  Be careful around machinery.  Hope you're healing quickly.

+1 argument, firewood splitter and right hand is never a good combination. Hope everything is going to be ok.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on October 30, 2015, 09:45:42 AM
Yeah, he's getting older.  He needs to be extra careful.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on October 30, 2015, 09:53:15 AM
Thanks guys- I think it will be OK. Might not get 100% feeling back in the index finger, and the middle finger is wearing a little 'sidecar' but nothing too bad. My only real concern is the nail bed coming back 100% on the index finger; it is alive (there was some doubt about that) and growing but may be deformed. And all 100% due to my own stupidity- I would blame the machine, an earthquake, a gamma- ray burst or whatever else but this one is entirely on me.

Oh well, how does it go- 'A scar, a tattoo, a divorce: it adds up to a life. I have gray hair and have not gotten the tattoo or divorce yet so I cannot really complain about the scar I guess.  ;D

Andrea did point out though (with her damn good fingers!) that as we are in the middle of a major house rebuild / renovation (second floor removed, second floor re-installed.... literally) it would have really altered things for the worse if I had lost a finger or two. So there is always a bright side and in this case, that is most definitely it. Also, no damage to my hand that will in any impede riding so that is a great thing also.

Brian

+1 argument, firewood splitter and right hand is never a good combination. Hope everything is going to be ok.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on November 11, 2015, 01:39:28 PM
10 Nov. 2015: I have some of these back in stock finally. I tried to contact all who had contacted me about purchasing one but if I missed anyone, I apologize and it was not on purpose.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: hlh1 on November 11, 2015, 01:50:39 PM
I love this mod!  My dash is always on RANGE. 
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on November 11, 2015, 02:48:16 PM
Thanks! I like happy customers.

Brian

I love this mod!  My dash is always on RANGE.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: accbiker on November 25, 2015, 09:35:14 PM
I love this mod!  My dash is always on RANGE.

I agree 100%.  I got one for Christmas last year.  Can't believe I rode for 4 years with that stupid warning/flashing dusplay.  One of the best modifications on the market in my opinion.

-David
Athens, GA
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: copdocpvd on February 01, 2016, 10:11:15 AM
are these available again?

Pete
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 01, 2016, 11:00:55 AM
Yep, I have some in stock and will ship out the day following the order. You can order directly from my web page if you are in the US: http://www.incontrolne.com/incontrol_007.htm (http://www.incontrolne.com/incontrol_007.htm)

Brian

are these available again?

Pete
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Eupher on February 01, 2016, 03:48:35 PM
I ordered one of these units from Brian and it works just as advertised.

I'm a relatively new Connie owner and I found that pesky warning just a little too annoying. Glad it's gone!

One minor point -- after the seat is removed, Brian's instructions tell you to locate one of two cables that are, well, in the area they're in. The one I needed was waaaaaaaaay down in the bottom of that space and I was rather flummoxed why the unit wouldn't fit until I broke out a flashlight and spotted the other cable (the one I really needed) lurking down below.

Brian's instructions are good -- the only thing I wanted to point out is that the target cable may be lurking down in the basement of that space and it isn't easily seen without some additional light.

Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 01, 2016, 03:58:47 PM
Thanks for the kind words.

Yep, I have no control over where those two cables end up beyond the fact that they always are in the well  behind the fuel tank. I suggest removing both cables in the instructions- it is better to have both and not need one than to have one and have it be the one you cannot use :-) . And the circuit will absolutely not fit in the wrong cable nor will it go in backwards or anything like that; if it fits and clicks into place (the plastic tabs locking the connectors together), it is the right cable and it is installed correctly.

As far as lighting goes, these new, cheap, light and extremely bright "headlights" that strap onto a person's head are worth their weight in gold IMO. They make working on anything mechanical easier, even when it looks like you do not even need it- I find good lighting to make mechanical tasks far more pleasant, go faster and just easier overall. They are available just about everywhere and inexpensive enough to have a couple hanging around IMO- under $10 and they take standard batteries (usually AAA s).

Brian

I ordered one of these units from Brian and it works just as advertised.

I'm a relatively new Connie owner and I found that pesky warning just a little too annoying. Glad it's gone!

One minor point -- after the seat is removed, Brian's instructions tell you to locate one of two cables that are, well, in the area they're in. The one I needed was waaaaaaaaay down in the bottom of that space and I was rather flummoxed why the unit wouldn't fit until I broke out a flashlight and spotted the other cable (the one I really needed) lurking down below.

Brian's instructions are good -- the only thing I wanted to point out is that the target cable may be lurking down in the basement of that space and it isn't easily seen without some additional light.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Steve in Sunny Fla on February 01, 2016, 07:28:58 PM
Hey Brian, i have one of your low fuel warning cutouts, and it works great, and is well made. Nice work, and thanks! I also wanted to thank you for all the prodding you gave me to build the flash, it's really turning out to be a very well received addition for many c-14 owners  :thumbs: :thumbs: Steve
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Eupher on February 02, 2016, 10:43:21 AM
Hey Brian, i have one of your low fuel warning cutouts, and it works great, and is well made. Nice work, and thanks! I also wanted to thank you for all the prodding you gave me to build the flash, it's really turning out to be a very well received addition for many c-14 owners  :thumbs: :thumbs: Steve

Small hijack - I'll be sending you my ECU when the weather truly turns crappy. So far, here in MS, I've been able to ride most of the time. And if the weather doesn't turn crappy, I'll pull the ECU and send it in anyway.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 02, 2016, 01:17:11 PM
Thanks for the kind words but I do not remember selling you any of my products nor can I find any sales in my records. You must have obtained it through a third party.

As far as the prodding, I frankly do not remember doing any prodding with anyone regarding any ECU re-flash. ?? Perhaps you are confusing me with someone else, maybe Fred Harmon? The only person I remember having lengthy discussions about C-14 induction systems was Cory (Rembrant) as he was doing some very interesting data logging with a different system (not a re- flash but an add-on piece of hardware). And that reminds me that I should give him a holler as he seems to be MIA now for quite a while.

Brian

Hey Brian, i have one of your low fuel warning cutouts, and it works great, and is well made. Nice work, and thanks! I also wanted to thank you for all the prodding you gave me to build the flash, it's really turning out to be a very well received addition for many c-14 owners  :thumbs: :thumbs: Steve
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Steve in Sunny Fla on February 02, 2016, 03:02:32 PM
Thanks for the kind words but I do not remember selling you any of my products nor can I find any sales in my records. You must have obtained it through a third party.

As far as the prodding, I frankly do not remember doing any prodding with anyone regarding any ECU re-flash. ?? Perhaps you are confusing me with someone else, maybe Fred Harmon? The only person I remember having lengthy discussions about C-14 induction systems was Cory (Rembrant) as he was doing some very interesting data logging with a different system (not a re- flash but an add-on piece of hardware). And that reminds me that I should give him a holler as he seems to be MIA now for quite a while.

Brian


  On of my friends owned me a bit so we traded and I had him order it. The prodding on the ECU flashing came during those various thread discussions you and I had, wherein you felt removing the flies was the only path the power, and I maintained that the flies could be made to work for us. It's not like me to make statements without backing them up, so I did... thanks for the lively discussion, it really made me get off my butt and get it done. BTW, my stock bike gained 14 HP at peak... and the flies are most certainly in. Steve
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 02, 2016, 03:57:05 PM
Curious about the ordering method but again, whatever works for you is fine with me. Shipping anywhere in the US is the identical cost and effort on my part so going through and intermediary makes no difference unless the final recipient is outside the US, which happens a surprising amount of the time. My [outside the US] shipping costs are frankly phenomenal for such an inexpensive product.

Ah, there is the difference- I was not 'prodding', merely discussing.

As to my opinion, it is not and never was that more power could be gained with the flies in place but the opening curve changed, it is that more power can be gained by leaving the flies in the bike compared with removing them, and this is still my opinion. But no matter as we are very far off- topic in this thread, I am content with my conclusions in this matter and no interest in going over that 'well plowed' ground again.

Brian



  On of my friends owned me a bit so we traded and I had him order it. The prodding on the ECU flashing came during those various thread discussions you and I had, wherein you felt removing the flies was the only path the power, and I maintained that the flies could be made to work for us. It's not like me to make statements without backing them up, so I did... thanks for the lively discussion, it really made me get off my butt and get it done. BTW, my stock bike gained 14 HP at peak... and the flies are most certainly in. Steve
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: just gone on February 03, 2016, 08:37:34 AM

Ah, there is the difference- I was not 'prodding', merely discussing.

As to my opinion, it is not and never was that more power could [not]be gained with the flies in place but the opening curve changed, it is that more power can [not]be gained by leaving the flies in the bike compared with removing them, and this is still my opinion. But no matter as we are very far off- topic in this thread, I am content with my conclusions in this matter and no interest in going over that 'well plowed' ground again.
I could be wrong, but I think I missed your point, as in I don't think that was what you were saying way back then when that discussion took place. Do my inserts fix it Brian???

So...although the rest of us could read you two going at it in civil forum text discussion until your keyboards wear out, perhaps it would be more productive if we glean what we can from you two by merging your points.
The ultimate C14 would have dual exhaust (Muzzy's or ZX14?) and  ZX14 throttle bodies AND Steve's flash (this would be me prodding Steve to develop one for someone {perhaps he shouldn't wait but just do it himself to his bike} that has such a set up just for the challenge of it, since there isn't {yet} enough market  for it be profitable) so that it has the "drivability", smoothness, and low rpm torque (we can combine those 3 into the Shoodaben factor)of a bike with smaller throttle bodies and a more restrictive exhaust AND the top end horsepower of a bike with less restrictive intake and exhaust. Of course (this is where I stay on topic..sort of) to be "ultimate" the ultimate C14 would need the (Incontrol Factor) Low Fuel Warning Eliminator, KIPASS bypass, and the yet to be developed (this would be me prodding Brian to get it to market) "Exciting New Farkle" which I think I know what it is but I'll let Brian announce it (someday) (Brian, please add a flashing LED as some of us are wearing ear plugs).

In case anyone missed them earlier, here (listed alphabetically) are the websites:

incontrol (http://www.incontrolne.com)

 Shoodaben Engineering (http://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/home)

I just know that somewhere in this messy post is an unmatched paren, bracket, or brace ..but I can't find it.  :-\
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Eupher on February 03, 2016, 09:38:03 AM


<snipped because I got dizzy>

I just know that somewhere in this messy post is an unmatched paren, bracket, or brace ..but I can't find it.  :-\

 :rotflmao:

I couldn't find it either, but by that time I had a headache.  :chugbeer:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 03, 2016, 11:16:50 AM
Well, again far OFFTOPIC for this thread but.....

I never said that more power could not be gotten from a stock C-14, with the 'flies in, by changing the opening curve of the 'flies (as well as the mixture and spark timing). What I did say, and maintain, is that more power is available if the 'flies are simply removed. I do not agree that more power can be generated with the 'flies in the bike and ANY curve applied than can be generated with the 'flies removed. But once re-flashing was available for the C-14, "marketing" decided to tell people that leaving the 'flies in the bike would actually produce more power than if they were removed.... sort of like 'salesman horsepower' I guess, which are like real horsepower only larger.

But hey, we have a long, long like of successful marketing.....

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f82/BDF08012008/cigarettes%20are%20good%20for%20you.jpg) (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/BDF08012008/media/cigarettes%20are%20good%20for%20you.jpg.html)

And my favorite: Arthur Godfrey back when he had two lungs. Seems they had to lop one of them out because..... well, I guess he did not smoke enough to maintain that lung's health....

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f82/BDF08012008/cigarettes%20are%20good%20for%20you%202.jpg) (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/BDF08012008/media/cigarettes%20are%20good%20for%20you%202.jpg.html)

Gee, now I am starting to think that a C-14 would make even MORE POWER if there were two sets of 'flies in it! Which leads of course to three sets of 'flies. Hey, maybe it is the 'flies that are actually making all of the power and the engine is just a distraction? Hmmmmmmmm. After all, it worked for Gillette; what are they up to, six blades in a razor.... on BOTH sides of the razor? Good stuff.

Brian

I could be wrong, but I think I missed your point, as in I don't think that was what you were saying way back then when that discussion took place. Do my inserts fix it Brian???

So...although the rest of us could read you two going at it in civil forum text discussion until your keyboards wear out, perhaps it would be more productive if we glean what we can from you two by merging your points.
The ultimate C14 would have dual exhaust (Muzzy's or ZX14?) and  ZX14 throttle bodies AND Steve's flash (this would be me prodding Steve to develop one for someone {perhaps he shouldn't wait but just do it himself to his bike} that has such a set up just for the challenge of it, since there isn't {yet} enough market  for it be profitable) so that it has the "drivability", smoothness, and low rpm torque (we can combine those 3 into the Shoodaben factor)of a bike with smaller throttle bodies and a more restrictive exhaust AND the top end horsepower of a bike with less restrictive intake and exhaust. Of course (this is where I stay on topic..sort of) to be "ultimate" the ultimate C14 would need the (Incontrol Factor) Low Fuel Warning Eliminator, KIPASS bypass, and the yet to be developed (this would be me prodding Brian to get it to market) "Exciting New Farkle" which I think I know what it is but I'll let Brian announce it (someday) (Brian, please add a flashing LED as some of us are wearing ear plugs).

In case anyone missed them earlier, here (listed alphabetically) are the websites:

incontrol (http://www.incontrolne.com)

 Shoodaben Engineering (http://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/home)

I just know that somewhere in this messy post is an unmatched paren, bracket, or brace ..but I can't find it.  :-\
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Steve in Sunny Fla on February 03, 2016, 01:22:08 PM
Yes, in respect to Brian's excellent fuel warning bypass product, this is nOT the proper venue for a conversation about flashing ECU's tuning, whatever. I'm sure we could have the conversations elsewhere, but this thread is not the place for that. I only mentioned it for Brian, not to start a thread hijack.

Party on Brian.

 steve
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on February 03, 2016, 03:16:14 PM
Thank you, Steve.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Throttle 8 on February 11, 2016, 11:57:20 AM
Any chance you are going to be in Helen, Georgia this June Brian. I like your low fuel eliminator, but living in Canada and having just gone thru a Customs nightmare recently; I would like to make my life easier, and just buy it and install it while I am stateside.

Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 11, 2016, 12:37:39 PM
Not likely that I will be there Dave. But if you are traveling by vehicle to that area from eastern Canada you can certainly stop by my house and buy one- 'in person' purchase gets you a free installation by the way :-) Also, I could send it to your destination in Georgia if you have a postal address there that you can use (personal friend, work address, even hotel).

I sell quite a few of these to Canadians and have not heard of any duty or customs problems. Of course that does not mean there have not been any, just that I have not heard about any incidents from Canadian customers.

Please do feel free to contact me and we may be able to work something out that will work for you.

Brian

Any chance you are going to be in Helen, Georgia this June Brian. I like your low fuel eliminator, but living in Canada and having just gone thru a Customs nightmare recently; I would like to make my life easier, and just buy it and install it while I am stateside.

Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Throttle 8 on February 11, 2016, 03:48:37 PM
Thanks Brian. Sounds good. I will leaving on June 16th to make the ralley on the 20th. It is 1850km, which should be only 2 days ride; but I plan on doing some good roads on the way there (Blue Ridge Parkway being one). I will send you a pm before I go and see if you will be home on my way down or back.

Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 11, 2016, 04:25:37 PM
I am sure we can make that work.

I did not realize you were going to the rally- I am sure I can send in advance to quite a few people who will hand-deliver it to you at the rally, or directly to you care / of the hotel. Whatever works best for you. But of course if you do stop by I an introduce you to both Mr. Elkhoof as well as Kirby and those are not treats to be missed IMO. :-)

Brian

Thanks Brian. Sounds good. I will leaving on June 16th to make the ralley on the 20th. It is 1850km, which should be only 2 days ride; but I plan on doing some good roads on the way there (Blue Ridge Parkway being one). I will send you a pm before I go and see if you will be home on my way down or back.

Dave
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Throttle 8 on February 11, 2016, 06:57:27 PM
I am sure we can make that work.

I did not realize you were going to the rally- I am sure I can send in advance to quite a few people who will hand-deliver it to you at the rally, or directly to you care / of the hotel. Whatever works best for you. But of course if you do stop by I an introduce you to both Mr. Elkhoof as well as Kirby and those are not treats to be missed IMO. :-)

Brian

LOL! Looking forward to it! :chugbeer:
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: R1Brian on June 30, 2016, 12:06:41 AM
Hey Brian.. wow, I am Brian too  8)    I just ordered one off the website.   Excited to give it a try


Thanks,
Brian W
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: spinned on September 04, 2016, 02:33:59 PM
I really like the product... But I ran out of gas with 25 miles still showing.   That doesn't change the fact that I still really like the product.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on September 04, 2016, 03:13:53 PM
I've never ran out of gas with it....
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Rhino on September 06, 2016, 01:26:46 PM
I ran out with 8 miles showing in range. But I discussed this with Brian and we think the problem was that I shut the bike off with less gas than could be registered on the sensor. Then when I start it up again, now it really doesn't have a clue how much gas is left. Therefor the theory is that if you ride it continuously down as it approaches zero it will be more accurate than riding it until very low and shut off. I don't know if Brian was ever able to verify that.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on September 09, 2016, 05:49:42 PM
Just saw this thread and certainly want to comment, perhaps clarify some things. Sorry to anyone who has been bitten by the range remaining estimator although anything less than 10 miles, or even 15 miles, as per the instructions, is very risky anyway. That said, the range remaining indicator (estimator, not an exact measurement) is far more accurate than running out of fuel while showing 25 miles remaining.... unless the bike is being or very recently been used in stop- and- go traffic (full stops with a lot of accelerating and shifting).

The range function works best when an entire tank of fuel is used at steady speeds and loads, and especially highway speeds; this is exactly why I conjured it up in the first place- riding long distances on the highway and wondering if I had 15 or 45 miles of fuel left- that makes a BIG difference in Wyomigtannadaho at 2:00 AM as there are a  LOT of miles between fuel stations.

The range indicator basically takes what it has calculated is left in the tank for fuel and uses the instantaneous fuel consumption (the fuel economy reading in Miles Per Gallon or metric equivalent) to calculate the range left. That works well on the highway at steady speeds but not so well in stop- and- go riding. For example: let's say there is 1/2 gallon of fuel left in the tank. From a stop, you accelerate in first gear: the range calculator sees that you are currently getting 10 miles per gallon (remember, in first gear and accelerating: the mileage would be awful) and shows a range remaining of 5 miles. Then you close the throttle and pull in the clutch to shift to second and at that exact moment, the fuel consumption estimator would hit the upper 'hard limit' of 70 MPH (hey, closed throttle and doing, say, 15 MPH so the fuel economy would be phenomenal) and the range indicator would show 35 miles remaining (1/2 gallon at 70 miles to the gallon). Which reading should you believe..... neither one, they are both wrong and by a pretty large amount. The way to use the range remaining indicator under these circumstances is to do two things: 1) bring the bike up to a steady speed in the gear you would use at that speed and let the bike stabilize, neither accelerating or decelerating (and not going uphill (more load) or downhill (less load). Then the range remaining reading should stay pretty stable but always glance down at least three times to make sure it IS stable and not bouncing around. Once you have done that 2) do not trust the range remaining indicator below about 10 or better yet, 15 miles given the stop- and- go nature of the riding.

I am not aware of the circumstances that caused the bike to run out of fuel with 25 miles remaining but I would think it could be attributed to a few things: the first is glancing at an unstable set of readings (stop- and- go riding) at a particularly high (and very wrong) estimation, or radically changing the way the bike was ridden, especially toward the end of the tank of fuel; for example, riding for 250 miles on the highway and then a lot of stop- and- go riding to bias the calculation of the range remaining.

Kawasaki choose an extremely conservative way to give the rider tools for managing mileage: at approx. 50 miles remaining, they flash a pretty impressive warning, withhold the range remaining indicator (and instead threaten the rider with a dire warning) and basically leave the rider on his / her own. By overriding that warning and restoring the range remaining reading (remember, and estimate always), the low fuel warning eliminator gives the rider of a C-14 much better information and control, at least IMO, but at the same times, transfers some responsibility onto the rider to manage his / her own fuel.

And just to state some facts, my hardware takes no part in the computation or display of range remaining; that is all up to Kawasaki's ECU. My device merely interrupts the warning itself; it is beyond my humble abilities to tinker with the inner workins' of the ECU and certainly not with a plug 'n play piece of hardware; to tinker with the actual calculations, I would have to alter the code in the dash display computer which, of course, I do not have access to when I sell a Low fuel warning eliminator.

As always, I would be happy to discuss this further with anyone (or everyone), either publicly on this forum or privately via e-mail, whichever way a customer or potential customer chooses (gee, I guess that would be the whole world, right?......  ;D )

Brian

I really like the product... But I ran out of gas with 25 miles still showing.   That doesn't change the fact that I still really like the product.

I ran out with 8 miles showing in range. But I discussed this with Brian and we think the problem was that I shut the bike off with less gas than could be registered on the sensor. Then when I start it up again, now it really doesn't have a clue how much gas is left. Therefor the theory is that if you ride it continuously down as it approaches zero it will be more accurate than riding it until very low and shut off. I don't know if Brian was ever able to verify that.

Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: gPink on September 09, 2016, 06:13:13 PM
Brian, how much will a piggy back fuel controller screw with the mileage calcs?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on September 10, 2016, 06:06:19 AM
I do not know Gary but it is a good point- something like a Power Commander makes all its changes after the ECU so the ECU would not 'know' the actual the amount of fuel being used was changed.

I think the initial thought would be that it would use more fuel and that would always cause the range display to read 'long' or to show more range than actual but my own PC III map is all over the place and actually has negative numbers in a lot of cells, meaning the actual fuel delivery is less than the ECU calculated.

Overall, the range indicator has been pretty accurate on my own bike, which is wearing a PC III and has had the 'flies' removed. But that is just one bike and an anecdotal story at best; I have no idea how it will work out on average.

Brian

Brian, how much will a piggy back fuel controller screw with the mileage calcs?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: J.R. on September 18, 2016, 01:35:00 PM
Brian, are these still available?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on September 23, 2016, 11:01:49 AM
Just saw this- sorry, I do not get to the forum as much as I did before.

Yes, they are available and I have some in stock. Available (in the US) through my website, Incontrolne.com. Available most anywhere by contacting me.

Thanks for the interest.

Brian

Brian, are these still available?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: J.R. on September 27, 2016, 01:06:09 AM
Just saw this- sorry, I do not get to the forum as much as I did before.

Yes, they are available and I have some in stock. Available (in the US) through my website, Incontrolne.com. Available most anywhere by contacting me.

Thanks for the interest.

Brian

Cool, I'll order one from the website. Thanks!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: robval1987 on October 04, 2016, 03:25:09 PM
Hey Brian, I ordered one of your low fuel delete warning and was wondering if you received my order? I have sent 2 additional emails to your website and have not got a reply, should I reorder it here on this forum? I look forward to installing it and getting rid of that annoying low fuel warning and fuel pump icon. Let me know, Thanks Robert
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: robval1987 on October 05, 2016, 06:08:44 AM
This tracking number 9400109699939296272983 has the item going to Merigold Mississippi and sent to a P.O box and it arrived on 1 Oct 2016, I live in Lawton Oklahoma I ordered my low fuel device on 3 October 2016 and used my PayPal account which has already showed a credit toward your Company. I appreciate any help from you in getting this resolved. Thanks again Robert Green (aka robval1987@yahoo.com) or (robval1987 on kawasaki Concours forum).
I tried to PM you but I got blocked from sending you a message.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on October 05, 2016, 08:41:38 AM
Yes, got all your messages and have now replied to all of them. Your order was placed yesterday and while I normally ship the next day (which would be this morning), your product is going to ship one day later than that due to other distractions on my end. You will get a tracking number and e-mail message tonight and will receive your product w/in 2-3 days via USPS.

Next Monday morning a crew is coming to cut the second story (entirely: roof, walls) off of my house. This week the final sub- floor is going in and before that could happen ALL the electrical, plumbing, heating (hydronic piping), thermostat lines, cable, Ethernet and 100 amps of power for the entire second floor had to be routed and installed; after the sub- floor went in there is no longer access from the second floor to anything below. This was the source of my distraction..... it is sort of like a disaster but not nearly as organized. :-)  I will continue to ship product all through this project but these current house events have caused me, and you, one day's delay. I apologize for this but waiting for a human to fall through the floor (maybe just dangling, running legs like when it happens on cartoons) or worse yet, the knuckle of a crane to drop through has diverted my attention. There is an old saying, attributed as being a 'Chinese curse', that says: "May you live in interesting times." Well, the times they be intrestin' 'round these here parts lately. :-)

Brian

Hey Brian, I ordered one of your low fuel delete warning and was wondering if you received my order? I have sent 2 additional emails to your website and have not got a reply, should I reorder it here on this forum? I look forward to installing it and getting rid of that annoying low fuel warning and fuel pump icon. Let me know, Thanks Robert

This tracking number 9400109699939296272983 has the item going to Merigold Mississippi and sent to a P.O box and it arrived on 1 Oct 2016, I live in Lawton Oklahoma I ordered my low fuel device on 3 October 2016 and used my PayPal account which has already showed a credit toward your Company. I appreciate any help from you in getting this resolved. Thanks again Robert Green (aka robval1987@yahoo.com) or (robval1987 on kawasaki Concours forum).
I tried to PM you but I got blocked from sending you a message.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: robval1987 on October 09, 2016, 10:48:56 AM
I received the fuel sensor delete, all I got t o say is outstanding product. Just for **** and giggles I decided to see how low I could go on the range. At 0 miles left I still went 7 mile per odometer before she began to sputter, so I hit the next off ramp and there just happened to be a gas station (still before I left on this test I fill a 2 gallon fuel can just in case), but none the less I loved being able to track my fuel range to the end. I did put $15.00 in fuel about 5.931 gallons of gas in a 6 gallon system. Thanks again Brian for a great little affordable effective device.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on October 14, 2016, 10:09:58 AM
Thanks for the kind words and glad to hear you like the product.

And now we all know that the range indicator will not read in the negative range. :-)

Brian

I received the fuel sensor delete, all I got t o say is outstanding product. Just for **** and giggles I decided to see how low I could go on the range. At 0 miles left I still went 7 mile per odometer before she began to sputter, so I hit the next off ramp and there just happened to be a gas station (still before I left on this test I fill a 2 gallon fuel can just in case), but none the less I loved being able to track my fuel range to the end. I did put $15.00 in fuel about 5.931 gallons of gas in a 6 gallon system. Thanks again Brian for a great little affordable effective device.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: R1Brian on October 17, 2016, 10:55:40 PM
Brian has a top notch product, and even better customer service. I havent been below 12 miles left on mine, but as mentioned, I just like not having it flash at me, and read to a lower level.  I will eventually get the Kipass device at some point as well.

Thanks again B !
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: mikeyw64 on February 09, 2017, 02:29:23 PM


I was originally planning on using a separate, remote warning in the form of a simple red LED that affixed somewhere on the dash. That way the bike would ignore the warning but the discreet LED would light when the 'low fuel' level was reached. The two basic problems with that method were cost and the fact that the remote LED would need to be wired onto the bike and a lot of people either cannot or do not want to do any dissemble, wire routing, possible drilling of holes, etc. This is the truly 'plug 'n play' version that can be added to the bike easily.



Rather than fitting a new LED did you consider utilising an existing one?

I'm thinking the red light that come on when you use the OEM override function on low fuel or low battery.

E.g. Use the pulse you are currently suppressing to fire (possibly fire a latchingrelay) a signal to that warning lamp in parallel to suppressing the main warning display.

Just a thought as not familiar with the bikes wiring or how easy it would be to tap that warning light
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maxtog on February 11, 2017, 10:04:13 AM
Just a thought as not familiar with the bikes wiring or how easy it would be to tap that warning light

Probably not very easy.  At a minimum, it would require removing the dash/instrument cluster, opening up that unit, then soldering a lead to the lamp.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 11, 2017, 12:55:59 PM
That would be even more difficult and cost more to produce. It is not that it cannot be done but it cannot be done at a level that would be reasonable considering cost and installation issues.

One of the really important parts of my products is that they are very easy to install and require absolutely no modification of the bike whatsoever. Certainly it is easy enough to cut into a harness (loom) and add or alter wires to an existing circuit..... for someone skilled in doing this. For the vast majority of motorcycle riders, this is either not desirable, not applicable (beyond their comfort or tool range) or both.

I believe I was the first one to adapt a Rostra cruise onto a C-14 back in '08 and wrote up a fairly detailed guide on how to do this. Still, installing one of those requires modifying both electrical circuits (again, simple cutting, splicing and tapping) and some relatively simple fabrication. When I put up the tutorial, I believed that virtually 100% of the problems would be on the mechanical side with the electrical side being simple enough to be w/in most everyones' reach. It turned out to be exactly the opposite: it seems people rip right through the fabrication part, and many have actually improved the installation considerably from my original but many people get stopped cold by the wiring, including quite a few things that were really surprising to me such as 'There is no orange wire on my Rostra' (yep, there is) and 'I tied all the "left over" wires to ground 'cause I knew they could not just dangle'. [Sorry if I am mentioning anyone specific- not my intent to point to anyone specifically or poke fun at anyone at all, just showing examples that come to mind]  So, while your thoughts and ideas may work in some cases, they are not practical to provide to the general public. In fact, there are areas where I will not even provide the method of doing some things because I believe it might be dangerous for some folks to tinker in areas that involve and ECU or ABS brakes or similar.

Back to the LED: the low fuel warning circuit on a C-14 is not a switch but a more complex circuit, so there is no 'current when the switch is on' to route anywhere. The only way to adapt the existing circuit to act as a trigger for an electrical / electronic device is with a third, active circuit (i.e., a programmable controller) and again, that would be cost prohibitive to market and far too expensive for me to produce and give away. :-)  The underlying problem is that any such item would only work on a C-14 so there is no sizeable market to develop more complex products.

Brian

Rather than fitting a new LED did you consider utilising an existing one?

I'm thinking the red light that come on when you use the OEM override function on low fuel or low battery.

E.g. Use the pulse you are currently suppressing to fire (possibly fire a latchingrelay) a signal to that warning lamp in parallel to suppressing the main warning display.

Just a thought as not familiar with the bikes wiring or how easy it would be to tap that warning light
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: badf85 on April 28, 2017, 09:47:54 PM
Tried to order the low fuel setup and it says out of stock. Wanting to get one asap. Thanks let me know when it is back in stock.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on April 29, 2017, 06:13:33 AM
Working on it- should have some by the end of the weekend or first of this week.

Brian

Tried to order the low fuel setup and it says out of stock. Wanting to get one asap. Thanks let me know when it is back in stock.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: badf85 on April 29, 2017, 08:57:57 PM
Let me know when you do. Want one on the way ASAP. Thanks
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 26, 2017, 02:52:56 PM
26 May UPDATE: Now have some back in stock! They can be ordered via my website (www.Incontrolne.com (http://www.Incontrolne.com)) if shipping inside the US, or contact me directly via my e-mail (at the top / left hand corner of this page) and I will send you an invoice if shipping outside the US.

Thanks for your patience- it has been an uphill struggle getting to these things.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 29, 2017, 06:17:01 AM
To my non- US customers and potential customers: shipping prices have recently dropped dramatically. I have no idea why this is but what was a common price to ship to many parts of the world overseas was in the $20 to $30 (US) range, which was frankly ridiculous. These were the prices actually charged me to ship my products; I do not tack on any extra for shipping. And of course, a shipping charge of $30 was quite substantial on a $50 retail cost product.

I just got a price to ship to Australia and it was $8 (US) which includes both actual shipping charges as well as exchange rate surcharges. Shipping to Canada has been $5 (US) recently.

I just wanted to let the folks outside the US know that my products are now a lot more reasonable to purchase due to a dramatic decrease in shipping costs.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Mark B on June 10, 2019, 03:36:18 PM
Thanks for the kind words and glad to hear you like the product.

And now we all know that the range indicator will not read in the negative range. :-)

Brian
Hello Brian
I was wondering if the Kipass bypass is still available?
 Mine just crapped out.
Thanks
mARK
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 10, 2019, 03:54:18 PM
Yes but I am out of stock and nursing a shoulder injury- I cannot assembly any at the moment. Check back in a few (4 to 6) weeks and I <should> have some.

Also working on the website to fix various broken links and provide some more info. about the products.

Brian

Hello Brian
I was wondering if the Kipass bypass is still available?
 Mine just crapped out.
Thanks
mARK
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Mark B on June 11, 2019, 07:09:51 PM
Thanks Brian.
I hope you get well soon.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: blue72beetle on June 11, 2019, 07:48:44 PM
Do you have the low fuel eliminators available?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 12, 2019, 03:45:02 PM
Thanks. The should is much better and continues to improve but it has been such a long road that for a while I was convinced it was not and never would heal. But slowly (over six months now) the discomfort has lessened and the range of motion has improved.

Then again, I have found what is apparently a very good physical therapy routine- lots of shooting followed by lots of reloading. Hey, not my fault the most effective P.T. is a prime pastime of mine, right?

 ;D :thumbs:

Brian

Thanks Brian.
I hope you get well soon.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 12, 2019, 03:46:51 PM
Yes. The web link is down though so I have been selling them directly through PayPal. Shoot me an email (top left of this page I believe) and I will respond.

Brian

Do you have the low fuel eliminators available?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: olie on June 18, 2019, 07:18:01 PM
...any bypass for the TPMS "Low Battery" flashing ???
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on June 19, 2019, 06:37:56 AM
That one is quite a bit more difficult to interrupt / alter. It could be done but it would be prohibitively expensive.

You can turn it off manually though using this sequence:
Press and hold the top button on the dash
Press and release the bottom button
Release the top button.

This will clear the warning and turn on the red LED on the left hand side of the dash (the general 'warning' light). And you have to do it for every error (twice if both tire pressure sensors are showing low battery, for example) and every time the ignition is turned on. Not slick but at least you can get rid of that flashing LCD screen.

Brian

...any bypass for the TPMS "Low Battery" flashing ???
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Facewest on September 11, 2020, 10:02:03 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxEws2x2KCU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxEws2x2KCU)

I made a youtube video to illustrate installation. Even running a Canon Camcorder it took about 35 minutes. Quality of the harness is a 10.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maxtog on September 11, 2020, 10:13:53 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxEws2x2KCU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxEws2x2KCU)

I made a youtube video to illustrate installation. Even running a Canon Camcorder it took about 35 minutes. Quality of the harness is a 10.

The video has unspoken qualities.  It left me speechless.  There are no words that describe it.  Recommending it to help with installation would be the voice of reason.  What else can I say?

 :)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Facewest on September 12, 2020, 06:59:54 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyzunUWz5E&t=69s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyzunUWz5E&t=69s) 

Here is an updated video shot September 11 2020
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maverick9611 on January 13, 2021, 05:57:15 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyzunUWz5E&t=69s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyzunUWz5E&t=69s) 

Here is an updated video shot September 11 2020
good job
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: maverick9611 on January 13, 2021, 05:58:18 AM
The video has unspoken qualities.  It left me speechless.  There are no words that describe it.  Recommending it to help with installation would be the voice of reason.  What else can I say?

 :)
this vid is now unavailable/error
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Boomer on January 13, 2021, 08:32:18 AM
this vid is now unavailable/error
Works for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyzunUWz5E&t=69s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyzunUWz5E&t=69s)
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on January 13, 2021, 12:15:24 PM
Thanks, Boomer.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Danger4u2 on February 23, 2022, 04:44:55 PM
Are you making the low fuel bypass wiring kits again?  I would like to buy one.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: zrx mitch on February 23, 2022, 05:15:53 PM
I need one also.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on February 24, 2022, 04:51:07 AM
Give it a few days and see if he responds.  If not you should be able to contact him via PM or the email link on his profile.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on February 24, 2022, 11:46:45 AM
It has been a while since we have made a batch of these, and it seemed interest was dying down. W/in the last few days I received a query if it would work on a Kawasaki Vaquero, and it looks like they will work on that bike too. So we are going to put a batch together shortly, probably this weekend.

I also have to update the web page as there is really no information there; the page was only put up as an easy way to take orders and keep track of stock. But now people are finding the page on thier own with no previous knowledge of the products, so an update and expansion should be done.

I have noticed that some folks are saying the display eliminator can be installed in a half- hour. Not sure how this happened but quite a few customers have actually unfastened the fuel tank and raised the back of it to install this device. That is absolutely, 100% unnecessary- there is more than enough room behind the tank to catch and pull the wiring up behind the tank and install the device. At most, two of the rubber hoses <may> have to be pulled off to produce sufficient room to install the device. There is a clip on the rear of the fuel tank that the wire harnesses run through so the wires are always visible and provide an easy way to lift them up above the tank. This is how Kawasaki intended the fuel tank be disconnected and left plenty of wire to accomplish this- the same procedure works to install the device without moving the fuel tank at all.

So apologies for not having any product, and we appreciate the patience in waiting for new ones. Again, I hope to have some by Monday and will make them available even if the web page is not updated by that time.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on March 01, 2022, 04:51:29 PM
Finally have a few of these in-hand but they are all going to people who asked for them a while back. Making more tomorrow so there should be plenty of product then.

Thanks for your patience.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on March 02, 2022, 06:01:12 AM
Thanks, Brian.  Good to see you post.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on March 02, 2022, 11:01:33 AM
I stop by pretty often but do not have anything to add so.... I do not post :-) Otherwise it seems the usual suspects are here and apparently doing well, so that is a fine thing.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on March 13, 2022, 04:32:44 PM
OK, it took a while but I finally have some of these on hand, ready to ship. The people on the 'want list' have gotten one if they still wanted it and there are some up for grabs.

For the moment the easiest way if for anyone who wants one of these to e-mail me at the e-mail address in the footer of this post. The usual way to purchase is through PayPal but other arrangements can be made if that does not work for someone. They ship out the next business day.

Next I am going to work on my website, both to fix the broken link to PayPal but especially to expand it including a thorough description and some photos.

Again, sorry for the delay.

Brian
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: zrx mitch on April 01, 2022, 03:27:34 PM
BDF, are these available? How do we contact you?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on April 01, 2022, 04:08:51 PM
Yes, just give me a shout via e-mail. It should be in the header of all my posts in the form of an envelope icon. I have them in stock.

Thanks for the interest.

BDF, are these available? How do we contact you?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Big Red on April 01, 2022, 06:33:49 PM
B.D.F., I think my reserve fuel switch failed. Will that cause the range remaining to work, but the fuel level bars flash up and down?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: zrx mitch on April 02, 2022, 04:06:29 PM
Yes, just give me a shout via e-mail. It should be in the header of all my posts in the form of an envelope icon. I have them in stock.

Thanks for the interest.

Email sent, if not received please send an email with PP address to my zrxmitch at aol.com
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on April 02, 2022, 07:45:40 PM
I am not sure of the various failure modes but it is easy enough to test: remove my circuit and see how the bike acts without it. If it acts normally, send me the circuit for repair or replacement and I will get one back to you in a few days.

I am not aware of any having failed in the field and cannot really imagine unless physically twisted or bent during installation, or not being fully plugged in. Otherwise, if it is defective, I would really like to have it in my possession for evaulation and to find the exact problem.

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any questions, thoughts or anything else. E-mail works best initially and after that perhaps a phone call.

B.D.F., I think my reserve fuel switch failed. Will that cause the range remaining to work, but the fuel level bars flash up and down?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on April 02, 2022, 07:46:49 PM
Got both e-mails and have responded via e-mail.

Email sent, if not received please send an email with PP address to my zrxmitch at aol.com
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 01, 2022, 12:41:30 PM
Have you gotten anywhere with your flashing fuel bars. As  I have not heard anything I thought perhaps you had found the problem?

B.D.F., I think my reserve fuel switch failed. Will that cause the range remaining to work, but the fuel level bars flash up and down?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Big Red on May 01, 2022, 02:01:27 PM
I don’t have your gizmo installed for that. Just your kipass bypass. And it’s been doing that.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Big Red on May 02, 2022, 12:03:47 PM
BDF, do you happen to know what a good resistance value for the reserve fuel circuit is, when there's plenty of fuel in it?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: lather on May 02, 2022, 06:49:19 PM
I will mention my fuel gauge issue as it is different. My gauge is erratic. Often I will fill up to the very brim but the gauge will not display the top bar when I crank up. Then 10 or 20 miles down the road the top bar will appear. Later in the tank range the gauge will show empty although I know I have half a tank left. I do have Brian's low fuel eliminator.
Modify message
 
The above was copied and pasted from my post in the TPS alternative thread.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 02, 2022, 08:49:10 PM
Not offhand. The circuit uses a pulsed current method which is really quite clever. Also why I fried several low fuel warning developing a safe and gentle- on- the- bike method to shut it down. I hate to even say this but I believe my low fuel range eliminator will cure the problem with your bike. I do not like to hawk my products or foist them on anyone but I think it will work for you. Of course I am not sure what is wrong with your bike in the first place and am putting my best guess on the fuel pump ass'y but it could also be elsewhere in the bike, including inside the gauge block itself and my device will not cure that of course. Anyway, if you want to try one it is returnable as long as in original condition (not packaging of course) and I will refund the full amount of the sale, with both of us being out a one- way shiping cost which quite reasonable if you use USPS.

BDF, do you happen to know what a good resistance value for the reserve fuel circuit is, when there's plenty of fuel in it?
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 02, 2022, 08:56:04 PM
Your problem is caused by a faulty float position or faulty float position reading. Nothing to do with the fuel pump ass'y itself. It very well may be that the tank level sender is dirty or worn, this is a extremely common failure mode on resistance wiper sensors. Also you could have a float with some fuel that leaked into it but I doubt that is actually your problem because you mention that it eventually changes the reading getting close or all the way to correct. This leads me to believe that you float arm may be bent and dragging on the tank also.

The sensors are available as used parts but be careful as there is barely enough room to get the sensor into and out of the tank and if the scrap yard was rough they may have bent the mechanism. Other than taking the tank off the bike, it is not a tough job but it is like a Rubik's cube doing the actual R&R on the sensor. I believe the manual resistance is full as well as empty so a pocket Volt Ohm meter makes it pretty easy to test the sensor in the tank, on he bike although you will need some fairly fine wire with a bend in the end to snag and move the float arm.

I will mention my fuel gauge issue as it is different. My gauge is erratic. Often I will fill up to the very brim but the gauge will not display the top bar when I crank up. Then 10 or 20 miles down the road the top bar will appear. Later in the tank range the gauge will show empty although I know I have half a tank left. I do have Brian's low fuel eliminator.
Modify message
 
The above was copied and pasted from my post in the TPS alternative thread.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: lather on May 03, 2022, 05:33:46 AM
Thanks for the info Brian!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Big Red on May 03, 2022, 09:45:01 AM
Not offhand. The circuit uses a pulsed current method which is really quite clever. Also why I fried several low fuel warning developing a safe and gentle- on- the- bike method to shut it down. I hate to even say this but I believe my low fuel range eliminator will cure the problem with your bike. I do not like to hawk my products or foist them on anyone but I think it will work for you. Of course I am not sure what is wrong with your bike in the first place and am putting my best guess on the fuel pump ass'y but it could also be elsewhere in the bike, including inside the gauge block itself and my device will not cure that of course. Anyway, if you want to try one it is returnable as long as in original condition (not packaging of course) and I will refund the full amount of the sale, with both of us being out a one- way shiping cost which quite reasonable if you use USPS.

Payment sent, sir.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 03, 2022, 03:31:21 PM
Ah, you snuck up on me there as I was unaware of any transaction but after looking at PayPal, I did see the payment. Not sure how that happened but all is well.

Unfortunately I am out of state at the moment and will not be back until the end of the week.... with a little luck, otherwise it may be next week. So I can ship it out when I return. We are in the process of buying property and moving so everything is sort of, what is that word, 'a mess'.  :o ;D Of course I will happily refund your payment because of the delay, and do another transaction after I am home. Your choice and please feel free to do whatever makes you most comfortable.

Anyway, I hope it works out and takes care of that dash flashing, which would be annoying as hell to me, but again if it does not, just send it back for a refund.



Payment sent, sir.
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: Big Red on May 15, 2022, 04:01:09 PM
So if you have flashing fuel bars, like the guy in this video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1hXQDHVXohQ , I can verify that B.D.F.'s fuel warning bypass WORKS.

I've had flashing fuel bars for some time due to a fried low fuel level switch. I did not have to replace the switch or mess with the whole fuel pump module. Simply plugging the dodad in place made it stop.

THANK YOU, B.D.F.!!!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: B.D.F. on May 16, 2022, 11:14:37 AM
Great, glad to hear it worked out for you, and thanks for the kind words.

So if you have flashing fuel bars, like the guy in this video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1hXQDHVXohQ , I can verify that B.D.F.'s fuel warning bypass WORKS.

I've had flashing fuel bars for some time due to a fried low fuel level switch. I did not have to replace the switch or mess with the whole fuel pump module. Simply plugging the dodad in place made it stop.

THANK YOU, B.D.F.!!!
Title: Re: That pesky low fuel warning and the disappearance of the range function.
Post by: VirginiaJim on October 13, 2023, 09:14:32 AM
Unfortunately this harness is no longer available..   Locking the thread.