Learn More About Your Motorcycle to Help You Drive Green

Driving a motorcycle is one of the most eco-friendly gas-powered vehicles around. They are smaller and more fuel efficient than most small cars. But figuring out what all those lights and gauges mean can be a bit tricky if you’re used to driving something larger. While many riders would think that the two most vital gauges are the speedometer and the gas gauge, each cycle is equipped with other gauges and lights that give you useful information regarding the condition of the bike while it’s on the road. 

Most motorcycles have an oil pressure gauge, water temp gauge, tachometer, fuel gauge, and speedometer. These might come all together in a gauge kit. Here’s a quick look at a few things you might need to know about gauges and how they can affect how you drive. 

Be More Eco-Friendly When You Learn About the Gas Gauge

The fuel gauge lets the rider know just how much fuel there is in the gas tank. Without this fuel, the engine won’t be able to produce enough power to make the bike go. The gauge is typically a factory feature that’s connected to a part in the tank. That component is then attached to a rail or arm that’s referred to as the float, which literally floats on top of the fuel in the tank. Most of the time, a fuel gauge won’t tell you the exact amount of fuel left but will let you know using a digital bar or a stick to let you know the amount. Using good driving habits can help your fuel last longer, reducing your carbon footprint when you want to go green. 

Too Much Speed Leads to Fuel Inefficiency

The speedometer indicates the speed the bike is currently traveling at. A speedometer can sometimes be digital – sort of like a digital clock, or mechanical – using a needle to indicate how fast the bike is going. They reflect the speed of a bike from something called a transmission output shaft speed sensor. It’s then converted by the computer in the bike through an algorithm so that it displays the right speed. In the olden days, there was a cable used as opposed to a sensor. No matter what your speedometer looks like, it’s best to drive at moderate speeds so you get the best gas mileage for your bike. 

Watch the Tachometer

The job of the tachometer is to show you how fast the revolutions of the engine are going each minute – or RPMs. Due to transmissions having more than a single gear, the speed of the bike won’t necessarily match the speed of the engine. The gears of the transmission have been designed to convert engine speed into performance and acceleration. Tachometers can be useful while you’re going up and down those steep grades. They’re also helpful in letting you know when to shift, and using them effectively can help you use less fuel. 

Pay Attention to the Oil Pressure

You may think that this gauge monitors the level of oil that’s in the engine, but you’d be wrong. It actually measures the pressure of the oil that’s being moved through the engine. This is similar to how doctors measure our blood pressure. The gauge does this measurement through the use of a sensor. The normal oil pressure will be higher when the bike is moving and significantly lower when it isn’t. It should be noted that your oil pressure can vary depending on the RPMs of the engine. If you notice that the oil gauge suddenly drops or reads no pressure at all, turn off the bike immediately.

Gauges are important whether we realize it or not and they can be used to help us reduce our carbon footprint. They convey information that you need to know about your engine. It’s always a clever idea to know what each of your gauges does and what the readings mean. The life of your engine can and does depend on it. You don’t want to be stranded somewhere simply because you didn’t know how to read your gauges and fix whatever issue they might be showing.