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Touring bike with best miles per tank?

My brother's '06 RT consistently gets 45-47 mpg at touring, ie, 85 mph speeds. My GS, I have to be looking for a gas station at that speed at around 150 miles. He fills up every other time that I do.
 
With your info., I checked the specs on the web.

I see the R1200GS ADV has a 8.72 gallon tank and gets 38.56 MPG average or 336.25 miles per tank.

The RT has a 7.13 Gallon tank, 39.0 average MPG, or 278 miles to a tank.

Thanks for the info.

-Don- SF, CA

I routinely see 50-52 mpg, thus the 300+ (RT) and 400 (GSADV) mile range noted. Altitude helps.
 
The GTL, according to the specs, has a half gallon larger tank than the GL. So 40 times 7=280 miles, seems like quite a reasonable range. But the more the better, but there are some other things to consider too.

That was the case when the bike was first announced but then they went with the same tank on both models. All K1600GTs have the same tank capacity now as the GTL.

To the folks that say that I haven't "learned to ride my bike right" because I'm getting poor gas mileage - I could say the same thing because you are. Neither would be correct though. I don't ride a motorcycle because it's an efficient way to get from one place to another. I ride because it's written in my DNA that I have to turn gasoline into fun and it's something I've been doing for nearly 4 decades. Fun to me means wearing the tires out on the edges first with tread left in the middle seeking out twisty roads and indulging in the intoxicating power of my K16 engine. Tires and gas are to be sacrificed and the greater the quantity the greater the fun.

I would never say though that you're not riding your bike property if you're not doing that as well. There's enough room on the road for commuter bikes and dinner runs with granny on the back. Nothing wrong with that and if high mileage numbers make you smile then pump up on those hard rubber tires and set it to rain mode and enjoy!
 
My brother's '06 RT consistently gets 45-47 mpg at touring, ie, 85 mph speeds. My GS, I have to be looking for a gas station at that speed at around 150 miles. He fills up every other time that I do.

The RT slips through the air a lot easier than the GS. When you add things like flat Zega panniers to the GS as I have done it makes it even worse.

That said, my gas mileage depends mostly on my right wrist. As I normally ride I get about 42-43 MPG. There have been times where I got 50 MPG... usually when following a friend who rides maybe 10 MPH slower than my typical pace. I've also got as low as 34 MPG fighting a head wind while running through the desert about 10 MPH higher than my usual pace.
 
My LT's get over 50mpg at speeds below 55mph & around 46mpg on the interstates. The tank holds about 6.2 gallons. In town I fill up at around 300 miles & on the highway at around 230 to 250 miles.
 
Fuel Capacity

They aren't stupid and these days this is usually accompanied by a more economical engine than the previous model.

I'll take both! more capacity and more economical engine

When I pull the plastic panels off or remove my bike's fuel tank, I know I could have designed another 0.5 to 1 gallon of fuel space.
 
GSA wins

because it never even enters my mind that I might not make it to a gas station. I'm not riding through Mongolia but I do ride in Oregon/Washington. If you want some data, I have never reset my fuel consumption computer since new and it shows I average 45 mpg with panniers and top box. That works out to about 392 miles per 8.7 gallon fill up. I do worry that my gasohol might go bad before I can burn the whole tank though. ;)
 
because it never even enters my mind that I might not make it to a gas station. I'm not riding through Mongolia but I do ride in Oregon/Washington. If you want some data, I have never reset my fuel consumption computer since new and it shows I average 45 mpg with panniers and top box. That works out to about 392 miles per 8.7 gallon fill up. I do worry that my gasohol might go bad before I can burn the whole tank though. ;)

Morris Kreumke never woried about running out on his custom Goldwing either. He once rode from the US border crossing at Laredo, Texas to the Canadian Customs station north of Minnesota without stopping or putting his feet down. He had 41 gallon capacity if I recall correctly. Some called it a stunt. He called it an adventure.

The reality also is that there are vast portions of the western plains that are very unlike Washington and Oregon. It is easy to go 100 miles without encountering a gas station if riding on two-lane roads. Sundays, or nights can multiply those distances.

Most places, you can live with the range of stock BMWs if you gas early and often. There are spots where it is likely that if you ride past an open station at 100 miles on the tank you might not make it to the next reliably open station. If you gas at Alpine, Texas and pass on Sanderson at 90 miles you will be at 215 when you hit Del Rio. That might be a problem.
 
The GTL, according to the specs, has a half gallon larger tank than the GL. .
By GL, did you mean GoldWing or K16GT? If the latter, while the specs say the GT tank is smaller, in reality all of the U.S.-delivered GT's have had the same tank as the GTL's, so no difference there.
 
That was the case when the bike was first announced but then they went with the same tank on both models. All K1600GTs have the same tank capacity now as the GTL.
Did both go with the 6.5 or 7.0 gallons and which year did they become the same size?

-Don- Reno, NV
 
Did both go with the 6.5 or 7.0 gallons and which year did they become the same size?

-Don- Reno, NV
They are both 26.5 L (~7.1 gallons). Been that way from day 1 in the US. There are only 2012 and 2013 models in the U.S. -- the bikes first released here in Spring 2011 were "2012" models.
 
They are both 26.5 L (~7.1 gallons). Been that way from day 1 in the US. There are only 2012 and 2013 models in the U.S. -- the bikes first released here in Spring 2011 were "2012" models.
Is the entire 7.1 gallons useable, or does it run out of gas before then, as some bikes do?

BTW, if it's really exactly 26.5 liters, that comes out to . . .

7.000559387490933 US gallons

-Don- Reno, NV
 
I've gotten 51mpg riding the back roads from Jacksonville, FL to Savannah, GA on my 2006 HD Softtail. The best my CLC did riding the same route was 44mpg. I weigh 265lbs and do not expect to get the same mileage as much lighter riders. Comparing mpg among riders is like comparing apples and oranges. Ride Safe
 
Is the entire 7.1 gallons useable, or does it run out of gas before then, as some bikes do?

BTW, if it's really exactly 26.5 liters, that comes out to . . .

7.000559387490933 US gallons

-Don- Reno, NV

I've heard that last 0.000000000000003 gallon is just extra weight as it tends to cling to the fuel pickup tube.
:stick
 
I've gotten 51mpg riding the back roads from Jacksonville, FL to Savannah, GA on my 2006 HD Softtail. The best my CLC did riding the same route was 44mpg. I weigh 265lbs and do not expect to get the same mileage as much lighter riders. Comparing mpg among riders is like comparing apples and oranges. Ride Safe

nah, it's like comparing big apples to little apples; same basic thing, except for a variation in sizing. so of course you can compare mpgs across different rider weights, just factor down a percentage for the increased weight.
the old adage was "10 lbs = 1 hp". (not sure how that compares as a %age of mpg, and its too early in the morning for my brain to want to do math- but its not like comparing suspension settings and handling characterstics across disparately sized riders.
 
That was the case when the bike was first announced but then they went with the same tank on both models. All K1600GTs have the same tank capacity now as the GTL.

To the folks that say that I haven't "learned to ride my bike right" because I'm getting poor gas mileage - I could say the same thing because you are. Neither would be correct though. I don't ride a motorcycle because it's an efficient way to get from one place to another. I ride because it's written in my DNA that I have to turn gasoline into fun and it's something I've been doing for nearly 4 decades. Fun to me means wearing the tires out on the edges first with tread left in the middle seeking out twisty roads and indulging in the intoxicating power of my K16 engine. Tires and gas are to be sacrificed and the greater the quantity the greater the fun.

I would never say though that you're not riding your bike property if you're not doing that as well. There's enough room on the road for commuter bikes and dinner runs with granny on the back. Nothing wrong with that and if high mileage numbers make you smile then pump up on those hard rubber tires and set it to rain mode and enjoy!

Nicely said.

And I get over 300 miles on my RT routinely. The light comes on and I go further. Once I was so near empty, or so I thought, I did 50 miles at 50 mph praying I would make the next gas station. And I did make it and there was still gas to spare.
 
Ran her dry!

My '07GSA1200 has a 10 gallon tank from factory, so the 8.something book data is wrong. My bike has had a fuel strip reader issue a few times, but once failed on me and I was not paying attention, ran her dry:(. I preceeded to put 10 gallons in the tank, an even 10g.... I had gone over 400 miles, but not recommended if you like riding, not walking. I too have heard the newer GSAs get better mpg's, NOT confirmed. MY best has been mid 40s range(riding very conservatively), worst, mid 30s for mpg's, running hard in Texas at 80+ mph all day. I have griped constantly about poor gas mileage(GSAs), so maybe BMW is listening. My only fear is having to buy another 22000$+ motorcycle to get it:(. I have promised myself the answer is NO in that regard, so replacing my GSA1200 with another is out. Smaller bike? Maybe! Randy PS; EVEN my OLD R100/7 gets the low 40s for mpg's and NOT my new fangled, everything latest BMW/GSA. Backwards technolgy in a way? Even the latest BMWs still surge ahead with MORE HP and I continue asking WHY! I like performance, but put some conservative gas usage in there somewhere on the "bigger 1200cc and up bikes" too. Just maybe someday, before I quit riding. I already know the RTs and KLTs do it right, with all that faired surface. GSAs, no smoothness about them, BUT? I hear talk about the new ones and gas! Maybe just talk or???? Randy, getting carried away:drink
 
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