TOPIC:

The mounting of the switch is the same than the petrol tap, just on the opposite side of the tank. Its a square hole for the switch to go through and two bolts front and back.
The problem is that it is on the bottom of the tank and the way the tank is shaped the float would need to raise up and than move across as it would hit the side wall of the tank otherwise.
The sensor on other models is towards the top of the tank and the float is moving down.

The Kawasaki one I have has quite a long Arm, with the float on it. Up from the bottom, then goes in so it sweeps in the front fatter part of the tank. On one side of course. But with the same mounting as the Petcock, well i can't think of a bolt in, which doesn't mean there isn't. Maybe someone has retrofitted one of these?
Otherwise a universal might be adapted, but it would mean modifying the current hole.

This is the mounting of the fuel switch in the tank



I have copied the aperture so I can try to make my own fuel level sensor replacement



I also have started to modify a fuel level sensor from a Suzuki.



I changed the float to a slimmer design, so that I can feed it through he rectangular hole. I had to take off a lot of the plastic housing and I had a new footplate machined, which will take the sensor when finished (or this was the plan).

One thing I have always worried about was that the contacts and wires and the row of resistors are all submerged and in contact with the fuel. Is this not a bit dangerous. If there is a short, than the part with the highest resistance will heat up most, which is the row of resistors on the sensor. But from what I can make out is that all others are design in the same way?

You mentioned a sensor mounted on the bottom of the tank on your bike. What bike is that, please? maybe this is an alternative for what I am trying to do.

My Bike is an 82 KZ1000 K2 LTD.
This is what mine looks like, its the same I think: cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-KZ1000P-KZ1...&hash=item27bd256232
There shouldn't be any resistors submerged on a sending unit. They have a wrap of wire across a flat surface, to get a varying Gap along the surface. Narrow at the Full, and wider at the Empty. Then the pivot has a wiper contact that goes over the wire "Grid". Or the later style has a more circuit board type, with still a wiper type of contact. The Wire Wrap style is pretty easy to recreate on a flat piece of insulated material. Of course that material would have to hold up to Gas, and Ethanol.
With the size of you opening, I'm wondering if anything will go up in there easily. The floats are usually larger than that hole you have there.
I wonder the dimensions on this R1 sender? cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001-R1-FUEL-LEV...&hash=item3cbb0d78d2
I'll look and see if I can find one I pulled out of a Jeep Cherokee. Just the Sensor part without the float. If I can find it I'll get the camera out and see if I can get a decent picture.
Any one you end up using, you can adjust with a resistor to get the scale right. Maybe use a Potentiometer/ variable resistor, to get the spec. then add the small resistor in the harness near the unit.

when I said row of resistors ion the sensor I meant the printed board type as I have used from the Suzuki. It is more or less the same with the wires you mentioned. The wiper moving across them will provide different resistance values. But in any case it looks like that current is flowing through the wire or printed circuit board which is submerged in fuel. This is not a problem? Your LTD sensor is I think fitted at the top of the tank with the float dropping down when fuel gets lower. I would not be able to get that through the rectangular opening. The R1 sensor is I think the switch, which I have. I think this just switches at a certain level and makes the warning light coming on.
I have tried to hook up a bulb to see if the switch works, but no luck so far. i wonder if the switch is not working.

The float/ sender on my LTD does mount in the bottom. But it is much larger than the opening you have.
So you are testing your switch, and it won't work?
The small amount of current on those senders is/ has been OK for all systems. it is just a variable ground. Some use the tank body for the ground, and some go back into the main ground circuit, or frame. This is the way with Plastic tanks, which Dominate the Car industry anymore.
If the Suzuki one you have is the plastic, and printed circuit type, that is what I pulled out of the Jeep. So i won't bother with that picture.
I can't be sure, but I think the R1 part is for the gauge. It looks to have a float, and groove up the side. A switch would only have to be very short, so it gets exposed at low fuel levels.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationWhen you say your sensor fits on the bottom of the tank I assume you mean from underneath? but I think it stills sits in the upper part of the tank, but I am not sure.
I think the part which looks likes float is fixed to the stem in a position so that it is switching, but there is still fuel left as a reserve. I think there are no moving parts on the R1 although it is a bit strange as the year would suggest that they all had gauges rather than just simple switches. Do you know if the R1 has a gauge or just a warning light?
Yes, I tried to wire everything up correctly as the previous owner has messed with the cables. I hooked up a light bulb but I can not get it to come on. This is why I would like to understand what the self checker unit does and how it works. Here is what it looks like.




The diagrams for the Kawasaki's with gauges don't show the self checker so I assume they don't need one. So if I can find a way with a sensor and using the temperature gauge in my clocks to show the fuel level I would rather go this way than with a warning light only.

I just dug out a spar fuel tank I have an took a picture of the bottom.



On the top side is the position for the petrol tap, the bottom is the switch hole. Just to the left of it is a recess with a large round flat towards the top of the tank. This is I think where the LTD (mine is the CSR) has the sensor mounted.

I Don't know for sure, but the R1 would most likely have both a fuel gauge and a low level warning light. Or it could be that it just has different light colors on the bottom of its scale. No needles there I believe just a row of LEDs. It would just use the resistance to switch on the appropriate lights on the scale.
Mine bolts up to the bottom of the tank as does your switch. Of course the mount is larger, and has a flange for it to screw to. The float arm would pivot up and down on the right hand side of the tank. This is where your switch also sits, right side.
What about a used tank, with sender for gauge from an LTD? I think the tank is the same but has the sending unit instead of the switch. The ones from the Shaft drive 82 A@, which I just sold, has the same sender but the tank is longer. they hold 5 gallons instead of the 4.

I think maybe this is the easiest option, to go for a different tank. However this would be the third tank for my bike and the last one I had shipped from the States as it is cheaper than in the UK.

The annoying part is that I can not even get the light to work.

In the UK is it? Well there are Tanks on FeeBay for sure. Try asking KZ10006 with a PM, I just bought centerstand from him. He is in new York, and has parts from a CSR. He may have a tank, with the sender instead of switch. According to Kawasaki there are 3 tanks for the 82 M2 CSR. Two Ebony and one Blue. While I can't find out which, they show both the switch and a sending unit available for the Bike. Look:

So there is both.
the three tanks are 51001-1081-8G TANK-FUEL,EBONY: 51001-1081-8K TANK-FUEL,S.BLUE: and 51001-5096-8G TANK-FUEL,EBONY
I looked and there are different #'s for the K2 which is the LTD. The seats are the same # but the Frame is a different one. But I think the Tank would fit, the LTD doesn't have the same paint scheme.
Ask KZ10006, Brian, as he may have a good tank with the sending unit instead of switch.
Also posting a Wanted To Buy here on KZR might get you one.

I just read that the switch works with a thermistor. So in the little cylindrical housing at the end o f the switch in the tank is a thermistor, which changes resistance when no longer submerged in fuel. This trigger the fuel warning light to come on. This gave me an idea. If I make a long thin tube which I can bend along the shape of the petrol tank from the bottom all the way up to the top, i could fit thermistors in series and say if the length is about 300mm I could maybe fit 10 to 15 thermistors with the total resistance value of 120 Ohm (manual says when empty the sensor shows 102-118 Ohm) taking the differences in fuel volume per cross section in to account. This way I get a variable resistance reading same as the float sensor in a thin space to get it through the fuel switch hole and not to worry about any moving parts. as long as the thermistors are fuel resistant I think it could work. I might have a trip down the local electrical store tomorrow.

that sounds like an interesting project. Can you post up the info once you obtain it, for the parts required? What does the switch components look like? A thermistor should change resistance when temps change, hence the Therm in its name.