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Range on a tank of gas

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:43 pm
by JJ
As someone who likes to take a bit longer trips (over 4 days) I wanted a bike with a little more range. When I was seriously shopping for a new bike it was one of the questions I would ask. I found that not many bikes had what I thought was a good range (My bike gets about 225KM per tank which could be better)

The answer from sales people - "That's all consumers want" I find this hard to believe. I really want a cruising range of 350KM. That would equate to a 3 hour ride without stopping.

Well all you "consumers" what do you think? Considering the balance between fuel weight and tank size what is a reasonable range for you?

jj

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:58 pm
by Mag7C
Definitely want at LEAST 3 hours before a refill. I don't do long trips, but I do ride about 30-60 minutes, 5 days a week minimum. MPG is important to me.

I also find that statement hard to believe. Whenever someone asks what I drive, it's usually followed up by "Oh, don't those things get really good gas mileage?"

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:34 pm
by johns2004
I have a 2004 honda 919 and I get 180 before my fuel light comes on I dont like to push it

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:46 pm
by pyropig
my F-650 GS has a 210 mile range before the light comes on, 280 till it hits reserve, and about 310 before Im bone dry.

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:10 pm
by isnowbrd
I get about 240 miles (386km) per tank, on my ZZR600. Thats not bad, but I would still like better considering its a "touring" bike.

I hate going to gas stations.

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:36 pm
by Gadjet
I would kill for a range of 350 - 400km. I currently get ~250km to a tank of fuel, and it was even less than that with the stock tank.

I do go for long distance rides, so fuel range is very important to me, so much so that I'm trying to figure out how to mount an auxiliary fuel cell on my bike to push my total capacity to almost 30 litres - good for ~500km, or just over 4hrs of riding.

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:47 pm
by oldnslo
My old baby, with a 5.8 gallon tank, gets an average of 55 mpg, so she's good for 320 miles. It often gets upward of 60, too. I defy anybody to name a modern 900 or larger that can exceed the total mileage from one tank of fuel that the old Yamaha does. And that 55 mpg is achieved at speeds of 65-70mph with occasional bursts to 100 on long passes.
Clearly mileage became an obscure feature from the eighties through the present.

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:12 pm
by Toyuzu
Wow John! I'm jealous now. My little FJ 600 only gets 49 MPG. It doesn't seem to matter how I ride it, either. around town, twisties, highway - 49 MPG. It's got a 4.89 Gallon tank, so that puts the range at 239.61 miles to fumes. (Or about 385 KM) I haven't done any tuning yet though. I plan to synch the carbs, and may even go a few teeth smaller on the rear sprocket. Maybe I'll give you're 900 a run for it's money. I noticed it has quite a pessimistic fuel guage, too. The other day it was reading empty, but only took 3.5 gallons to fill.

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:43 pm
by High_Side
The achillies heel of my VTR is the fuel range. 200km if I baby it, and alot less if I don't. It's a great bike but that kind of range is really unacceptable. I would think a minimum of 250km is what anyone who does any kind of touring should look for. Far more if possible.....

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:20 pm
by Skier
High_Side wrote:The achillies heel of my VTR is the fuel range. 200km if I baby it, and alot less if I don't. It's a great bike but that kind of range is really unacceptable. I would think a minimum of 250km is what anyone who does any kind of touring should look for. Far more if possible.....
That's about 124 miles, which is probably the absolute maximum range of my Radian. 3.2 gallon tank, gets about 40 MPG if you baby it. Sucks to start having to look for gas stations around 90 miles from the last one.