Alright, let’s talk about something that’s been on my mind, and probably on yours if you’ve ever eyed up a Honda Fury or owned one: that fuel tank. You see this beautiful, stretched-out chopper, and it just screams cool. But then you start thinking about actually riding it, I mean, really putting some miles on it, and the practical questions pop up. For me, the big one was always, “How far can I really go on this thing before I’m pushing it?”
My First Dance with the Fuel Light
So, I got my Fury. Shiny, low-slung, everything I wanted. First proper ride out, I was just enjoying the rumble, the looks I was getting. Then, boom, that little orange fuel light flicks on. I swear, my heart skipped a beat. I looked at the trip meter – seemed way too soon! I wasn’t even that far from home. Panic mode started to set in. “Am I gonna make it to the next gas station?” That’s not a fun feeling, let me tell you.
I babied it to the next town, pulled in, and filled it up. And you know what? It didn’t even take that much fuel. That got me scratching my head. The manual says one thing, but my real-world experience was screaming something else. That little light seemed to be a bit of a drama queen.
Digging for the Truth
I’m the kind of guy who likes to know things for sure, especially when it comes to my bikes. So, I decided to do my own little investigation. This wasn’t some lab experiment, just old-fashioned trial and error, and a bit of careful observation.
I started paying super close attention to my mileage when the light came on. I’d fill it up right away and note exactly how much fuel it took. Then, on a few local rides where I knew gas stations were plentiful, I pushed it a bit. Not till it died, mind you – I’m not that crazy, and I didn’t want to be stranded or mess up the fuel pump. But I rode it a bit further past the light than I was initially comfortable with.
- Trip 1: Light on, rode another 15 miles. Filled up. Noted the amount.
- Trip 2: Light on, pushed it for nearly 25 miles. My nerves were jangling a bit by then! Filled up. Noted again.
- Trip 3: Ran it a bit more conservatively after the light, maybe 10 miles.
What I started to figure out was that the tank, while not massive, definitely had more in it when that light came on than I first feared. The official spec sheet says it’s a 3.4-gallon tank. Sounds okay on paper, right? But that little light, boy, it’s conservative. Super conservative.
What I Learned (The Hard-ish Way)
So, after all my fiddling and nervous rides past the fuel light, here’s what I concluded for my bike, and it seems to be a common theme with these Furys. That 3.4 gallons is the total, sure. But the fuel light seems to pop on when there’s still a good gallon, maybe even a tad more, sloshing around in there. That means you’re getting the warning with a decent reserve. Which is good, I guess, for preventing you from running completely dry.
But it also means if you’re strictly going by that light, you’re stopping for gas way more often than you might need to. You’re effectively riding with a smaller “usable before warning” capacity. For me, it felt like I was only truly using about * gallons before that light started nagging me. Once I knew I realistically had close to another 30-40 miles (your mileage may vary, of course!) after the light, I could plan a bit better. It stopped being a source of constant anxiety on slightly longer trips.
It changed how I rode, for sure. I didn’t suddenly think it was a long-haul tourer, because it’s not. That tank is still what it is. But knowing the actual playing field helped a lot. I could relax a bit more between towns. It’s still a bar-hopper or a medium-distance cruiser, not an iron butt machine, and that’s fine. But understanding its quirks, like the true range past that early warning, made owning it a lot more enjoyable.
So, if you’re looking at a Fury, or you’ve got one and that fuel light makes you jumpy, do your own checks. Get a feel for it. Don’t just trust the first blink of that orange light to mean you’re running on fumes. There’s usually a bit more grace in there than it lets on. Just don’t blame me if you push it too far!
