check engine light, possible gas level sending unit?

[VisceralReaction]

OK first a bit of back story, I've been having the fuel gauge not acting right, jumping around, not showing full
after a fill up for a couple miles etc, no big deal really.

So I'm driving home and I had about a third of a tank showing. Suddenly the check engine light comes on AND
the "empty" light for fuel. the fuel gauge went from a third showing to blinking and empty.
So I get home and tip the tank up and look for kinked wires or fuel lines, poked and prodded and can't find
anything loose or kinked. I put the tank back down and turn the key on and the low fuel light goes out and the
gauge shows about a quarter tank, the check engine light goes out as well.

So what do you think the problem may be? The fuel level gauge? possibly a sending unit?
I don't know anything about whats in the tank really.

Another thing I was thinking of as another issue I am getting fuel out of the tank cap key hole.
I was thinking a kinked vent line but no go. Possibly a plugged charcoal canister?

[Howie]

And the bike in question is?

My guess is the fuel gauge and check engine light are more than coincidence and the problem may be in the dash itself.  Then again, based on the fact that all went back to normal when you put the tank down you might want to wiggle the wires to the sensor and see what happens. Is the fuel coming out of the key hole or the vent hole in the cap?  It is not unusual for some fuel to dribble out of the vent hole when the tank is near full and raised no considered a problem.   

[VisceralReaction]

Thanks Howie, could have sworn I put in the bike it's the 05 ST3.

I'll dig into the dash tonight and see what I see. You did mean the back side of the dash/instrument cluster?

The fuel is coming out of the keyhole and it does it when the tank is full or almost empty.