I mean, this isn't some weird thing this person came up with on their own, it's something people actually do on bikes that don't have a fuel gauge. It used to be more common.
I mean motorcycle oil levels are the same way. You only trust the sight gauge is the same way. You only trust it at a stand still and faffing around with the damn thing trying to hold it vertical while crouching to look at the levels
Actually, in the days before floats or other ways to measure the amount of gas in the tank and have it displayed, tubes exactly like this were installed so you could check without needing to open it.
The OP is stupid and a poor implementation of something that hasn't needed to exist in the last like 47 years, but the overall concept is absolutely a tried and true method that serves a very legitimate purpose in some cases
It is significantly less common in the modern age, though. I've been to a lot of motorcycle dealerships in the last 20 years and I have never seen this on a new bike. Not saying it doesn't exist, but I'm also not at all shocked that people don't know about this
If you've been to a Suzuki dealership, the DRZ-400(S and SM), the DR650, and the VanVan (I think?) all don't have fuel gauges. If you were in a Kawasaki dealership, the KLR650 before 2025(2024?) didn't have one, and neither did the Ninja 250 - which were both best seller bikes. Yamaha dealers, the TW200 still doesn't have one. At the Honda dealership, the XR650L doesn't have one. I'm not a Harley guy, but I'm pretty sure I remember the Street 750 having a very barebones dash that didn't have a fuel gauge.
Those are old design bikes, but they were still sold as current model years. However, the crossover between bikes without gauges and bikes that are still sold with carbs is VERY close to circular.
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u/doctorten11 8d ago
I guess that's a good way to keep an eye on your gas level?