General fuel level/range question

[maxwedge]

Here is what I was wondering: On my 2010GS, My total range was about 250 miles on a tank of gas, and the low fuel light would come on around 180-200 miles if I recall correctly. My 2023 R1250RS will go about 150 miles before the warning comes on, and the odometer starts a countdown to 0 miles left in the tank.

I end up putting about 3-4 gallons in when the warning comes on. But with a 4.9 gallon tank, I should be able to get close to 250 miles. So my question is, what happens when I reach 0 miles left in the tank? Will the display just stay at 0? Is the the point where the "reserve" starts? Is 0 the point where I have one gallon left? Is the low fuel warning actually telling me I have 50 miles before I hit reserve? I love the bike, but that doesn't mean I want to push it down a backroad for 10 miles.

 

[20774]

Hmmm...I would do some math. If at 150 miles (and the warning comes on) you put in 3-4 gallons (I'll call it 3.5), that's about 43 mpg. Multiply by 4.9 gallon tank, your range is more like 210 miles. If that's correct, when the warning comes on, you have about 60 miles left or a little less than 1.5 gallons. I can't speak to what the bike's computer is calculating or what it does when going to zero, but for me if the warning comes on, I'm looking for a gas station in the next 20-30 miles.

 

[The_Veg]

When you say 2010 GS, do mean a 1200? I have a 2012 1200GS (same engine as a 2010 1200) and while it has a 5.3 gallon tank, it's similar to what Kurt describes. I generally assume about 200 to a tank and that's worked out quite well. The only time I ever ran it out was due to my own stupidity.

 

[bkkjack]

I'm also curious about this. I just got my bike and for the near future it will get used mostly for my daily work commute, which is about 60 miles round trip. On my (now) other bike, a 2013 Triumph Street Triple R, I had to fill up every other day. I work in Washington, DC and use the express lanes to get to and from. I'm not about to go riding around the middle of DC to find a gas station, so I get gas by where I live. I'm hopeful I can get at least 3 days out of this bike.

The owner's manual confused me a bit. I wasn't sure if the 1.1g reserve was part of the 4.9g total, or in addition to it. I've filled it up twice. The first didn't count, because that was on top of however much it had in it coming off the dealership floor. The second was 120 miles on 2.97g = 40.4mpg. I guess I should be good for 3 days, but the first time I go for that 3rd day, it will be a bit of an anxious ride home.

 

[skibum69]

Keep riding and see what happens? My Honda Fit ran for another 10 km's or so with the machine saying 0 km's range. Boy was I happy to see that gas station!

 

[brownie0486]

My 2016 RS has a 4.7 tank, averages 42 and as much as 50 depending on how I ride it. 42x4.7=197 and I've seen the reserve light come on by 150 miles or so. Averaging 45mpg, shows 211 in range, and the light usually comes on around 160 miles down the road.

When the light comes on, it usually means I can run another 40 miles [ or a few miles more but I just call it 40 ] and I'm looking for gas. I use the trip meter religiously, and know I can get 40 minimum on a 4.7 tank. 188 total minimum meaning the light comes on around 145-150.

With that small a tank, the reserve light and count down is seen on most fills. On the other hand the 6.3 tank on the RT rarely sees the triangle telling me I'm hit reserve.

 

[cabnfvr]

..... Is 0 the point where I have one gallon left? Is the low fuel warning actually telling me I have 50 miles before I hit reserve?....[/url]

It all depends on where you are riding and how fast. As mentioned already, do the math and learn what the bike is telling you. Range will vary as your riding conditions vary, so a "range" of 40 with the Triangle on might be 40, might be 60. On every bike we've had the "range" would flat line with about 20 miles remaining, but DO NOT do that unless you have no choice. The fuel cools the fuel pump.

Flat line...


And some days you just get lucky. (5.2 gallon tank!)

 

[6322]

My grandfather told me that it’s just as easy to fill the top half of your tank as the bottom half. A hundred miles in the saddle is a good time for a break.

 

[pglaves]

Whenever I get a new-to-me bike I do some testing. I try to fill the tank as soon as the fuel light comes on. This gives a capacity to that point. Then I take my one-gallon gas can with gas and after the light comes on will ride to the first sputter. Then I will add my gallon and find the very nearest gas station. (Once I didn't need the gallon because I coasted in to the gas station.)

But this tells me the actual usable capacity of the tank and the amount left when the light comes on.

 

[maxwedge]

I'm also curious about this. I just got my bike and for the near future it will get used mostly for my daily work commute, which is about 60 miles round trip. On my (now) other bike, a 2013 Triumph Street Triple R, I had to fill up every other day. I work in Washington, DC and use the express lanes to get to and from. I'm not about to go riding around the middle of DC to find a gas station, so I get gas by where I live. I'm hopeful I can get at least 3 days out of this bike.

The owner's manual confused me a bit. I wasn't sure if the 1.1g reserve was part of the 4.9g total, or in addition to it. I've filled it up twice. The first didn't count, because that was on top of however much it had in it coming off the dealership floor. The second was 120 miles on 2.97g = 40.4mpg. I guess I should be good for 3 days, but the first time I go for that 3rd day, it will be a bit of an anxious ride home.

That is my question in a nutshell. I have ridden the countdown odometer to 20 miles, (it came on at 150) and I put in about 4 gallons. So that would mean I have .9 gallons left? I don't push it, because I don't want to push it, literally.

*and yes, my GS was a 1200, from 2010.

 

[brownie0486]

Whenever I get a new-to-me bike I do some testing. I try to fill the tank as soon as the fuel light comes on. This gives a capacity to that point. Then I take my one-gallon gas can with gas and after the light comes on will ride to the first sputter. Then I will add my gallon and find the very nearest gas station. (Once I didn't need the gallon because I coasted in to the gas station.)

But this tells me the actual usable capacity of the tank and the amount left when the light comes on.

Do the same when taking a new to me out within the first two tanks. Light comes on, get gas. 4.7 gallon tank, takes 3.5 gallons, I have roughly 1 gallon left. From then on, when the light comes on, I check mpg on that tank, and can determine how far that gallon will likely go. Sometimes that 48 more miles and sometimes that's 40 miles.

When I had the 07GT running 90mph coming back to Az. from the police motor course in Hawthorne, Ca. the light cam on and suggested I had low 30s miles left. Oh oh, next exit with gas is 45 miles. I slowed to 60 figuring I'd run out before I got to gas. Triangle came on after the count down, still another 12-14 miles to gas. Crap, I'm going to be on the side of the road here shortly.

Made it to gas, the tank being 6.3 gallons, I topped it off and it only took 5.3. I had a gallon left but the count down to 0 had run for another near 15 miles, and I had a gallon left, not even close to running out. Running 90 the computer determined I was getting 28mpg and figured I'd keep using that much fuel to out. By slowing to 60 on cruise, I had plenty left.

 

[guenner]

Whenever I fill up my F700GS I always reset my Trip A Odometer and my mpg. While riding I calculate my "used gasoline" by "Trip A" divided by mpg on the computer.

I also checked the reachable tank capacity using the same procedure mentioned in previous replies. It came out a bit over 4.2 gallons as mentioned in my owners manual (OM). The OM also explains that the reserve light comes on if there is roughly 0.9 gallons left in the tank. So the reserve is included in the total tank capacity.

Occasionally after having filled up the tank I calculate the actual mpg by "Trip A" divided by gallons shown at the pump. On my bike the calculated value comes out as +/- 2mpg compared to the mpg displayed by the computer.

While riding I calculate with 4 gallons in my tank (minus a safety 0.2 gallons) which makes calculating my remaining miles-to-empty easier: 4 gallons / current mpg - "Trip A" miles.

Looking at the "Miles to Destination (to next place with a gas station)" on my GPS then tells me whether I should find a closer gas station. I redo the calculation if the mpg by the computer has changed.

In over 70k miles I never ran out of fuel - be it through big cities or the South West.

You ask what else I do when not doing all the calculations ... counting cows flying by.

 

[marcopolo]

Yes, the reserve is included in the bike's total fuel capacity.

 

[pglaves]

Yes, the reserve is included in the bike's total fuel capacity.

I presume that is why they call it the "total". Often it actually overstates the "usable" fuel amount because a fuel pump and filter and associated appurtenances may take up to a half gallon's amount of space.