Fuel range on a R1200GS?

I'm in the market to upgrade my BMW, and I'm looking at the pros and cons of a wethead (2016) GS vs. a GSA where fuel range is concerned. I know the GS has a 5.2 gallon tank, and the gas mileage is a bit better than my current 04 R1150RS. Can any of you "standard" GS owners tell me what your fuel range is before you get a low fuel light indication? How far can I go on the bike before I start hunting a gas station? Although the GSA has a phenomenal fuel range, it's the cost factor between the two that has me scratching my head.

GSA Mileage

I know this is not what you're looking for, but the farthest I have ridden my GSA on one tank is 350 miles. I've done 300 a few times, but only made it 350 miles without stopping once. Each of these times it was my bladder, not the tank that made me stop. And since I stopped at gas stations, I filled back up.

The main reason I bought the GSA is for the larger tank. And it comes in handy when you're traveling up in the Yukon or Alaska, or even just across the US.

beemermyke said:

I'm in the market to upgrade my BMW, and I'm looking at the pros and cons of a wethead (2016) GS vs. a GSA where fuel range is concerned. I know the GS has a 5.2 gallon tank, and the gas mileage is a bit better than my current 04 R1150RS. Can any of you "standard" GS owners tell me what your fuel range is before you get a low fuel light indication? How far can I go on the bike before I start hunting a gas station? Although the GSA has a phenomenal fuel range, it's the cost factor between the two that has me scratching my head.

Click to expand...

I average 45mpg have achieved 60 on highway cruises I have GSA and the fuel range is fantastic, the only annoyance is stopping for my mates to fill up with regular tanks!

45 mpg, 200 mile comfortable range

9500 total miles on my 2015 GS. Mostly commuting to work, 70% highway.
45.6 mpg is my overall average and the speed is usually 70+.
53 mpg is my best. 200 miles per tank is comfortable. 230 miles should be okay but not worth it for me on a daily commute.
Hope that helps you with the evaluation on GS vs GSA.

Thanks for all the replies! (And, whoever fixed my "fuel" typo...).

I have a 2014 GSA and as with all my previous bikes track a lot of items including fuel mileage. It is a little less than my 2007 GSA but close. I am attaching part of the spread sheet I keep on fuel cost/range/mpg. PM me if you want more info and a comparison to my 2007 GSA

8/26/2015 Queen Creek Az 35882 93.2 2.3 40.5 6.95 Start of Trip
8/30/2015 Gallup NM 36149 276.6 6.7 41.3 20.5
8/31/2015 Santa Rosa NM 36430 280.5 6.9 40.7 20.36
8/31/2015 Amarillo Tx 36641 170.7 4.4 38.8 12.24 Quartering wind from the south
9/1/2015 Yukon Ok 36834 232.8 6.7 34.7 17.24
9/1/2015 Ozark Ar 37058 224.7 6.8 33.0 17.11
9/2/2015 Marion Ar 37308 249.2 6.9 36.1 18.11
9/2/2001 Grand Rvers Ky 37533 225.5 6.0 37.6 17.35
9/2/2015 Monteagle Tn 37767 233.9 6.1 38.3 16.27
9/3/2015 Kodak Tn 38033 265.4 6.1 43.5 14.92
9/4/2015 Greenville Tn 38271 238.7 6.0 39.8 14.41
9/5/2015 Crossville Tn 38487 215.6 5.5 39.2 14.18
9/5/2015 Lawrenceburg Tn 38678 190.8 5.0 38.2 13.17
9/5/2015 Knoxvile Tn 38933 255.3 6.8 37.5 17.37
9/6/2015 Arden NC 39108 174.3 5.1 34.2 15.32
9/6/2015 Harleyville SC 39337 229.5 6.2 37.0 16.06
9/6/2015 Whiteville NC 39522 184.5 4.9 37.7 14.26
9/7/2015 Reidsville NC 39726 204.5 6.1 33.5 17.09
9/7/2015 Newport News Va 39999 253.0 6.4 39.5 16.16
9/9/2010 GambrllS Md 40246 267.0 6.2 43.1 16.72
9/9/2015 Millersville Md 40515 268.6 6.1 44.0 18.06
9/10/2015 Mountaintop Pa 40790 275.8 6.7 41.2 21.17
9/11/2015 Hyde Park NY 41032 241.7 5.7 42.4 18.86
9/11/2015 Portsmouth NH 41296 264.8 6.5 40.7 18.84
9/12/2015 Ellsworth Me 41547 250.2 6.5 38.5 18.60
9/12/2015 Rochester NH 41768 221.4 6.0 36.9 17.67
9/13/2015 Patterson NY 41999 231.1 5.4 42.8 16.54
9/13/2015 Leroy NY 42202 202.2 5.9 34.3 18.02 Strong headwinds up to 30 mph
9/14/2015 Madison Oh 42439 237.2 6.2 38.3 17.60
9/14/2015 Ashland Ioh 32665 216.3 5.6 38.6 15.37
9/15/2015 Cincinnati Oh 42824 168.7 4.7 35.9 14.03
9/15/2015 Lawrenceville Il 43090 266.2 6.8 39.1 18.61
9/15/2015 St.Louis Mo 43217 156.7 3.8 41.2 9.33
9/16/2015 Independence Mo 43473 225.8 6.3 35.8 15.75
9/16/2015 Utica Ne 43730 257.5 5.9 43.6 15.39
9/16/2015 Ogallala Ne 43970 239.5 6.2 38.6 18.73
9/17/2015 Cheyenne Wy 44137 167.5 4.8 34.9 13.71
9/20/2015 Craig Co 44344 206.7 4.9 42.2 17.04
9/20/2015 Grand Jubction Co 44489 145.9 3.2 45.6 10.08
9/20/2015 Blanding Ut 44675 185.3 4.3 43.1 12.57
9/20/2015 Flagstaff Az 44906 231.0 5.2 44.4 13.75
10/9/2015 Queen Creek Az 45096 190.0 4.3 44.2 10.92 End of trip
10/18/2015 Queen Creek Az 45281 185.0 4.7 39.4 11.96

bob

Not to be an "A" hole, but the OP is asking specifically about the GS and not the GSA. They are similar bikes, but not the same. (Taller, heavier, and obviously large fuel tanks.)

I have a 2016 standard GSW (low suspension). It has about 3500 miles so far. Freeway riding between 70-80 MPH I get between 38-42 MPG. The low fuel light seems to come on very early with 3 bars showing on the gauge. This occurs around 150-170 mile mark, again depending on variables.

FWIW, my previous bike was a camhead RT and it got substantially better gas mileage.

My 2015 R1200GS has a running average of 47+ mpg. I haven't really checked the range. I sometimes use the onboard computer to display range to empty. I'm not an Iron Butt rider, and I need to get off the bike at regular intervals so the bike's range is not critical to me. I had no problems with range on my trip to Billings last July.

Harry

After a couple of months owning this bike, it indicates about "370 miles till empty" when I fill the bike. Not too shabby!

... not on a GSW. Mine (2015 GSw) will read 181 to 186 miles remaining immediately after fill, and you can ride 40 +/- miles before the true countdown generally begins.

sleeper said:

9500 total miles on my 2015 GS. Mostly commuting to work, 70% highway.
45.6 mpg is my overall average and the speed is usually 70+.
53 mpg is my best. 200 miles per tank is comfortable. 230 miles should be okay but not worth it for me on a daily commute.
Hope that helps you with the evaluation on GS vs GSA.

Click to expand...

Of all the responses, this matches mine most closely. I have a 2013 R1200GS. If you drive on the interstates, you will get 200 miles on a tank on a GS. I have seriously considered buying the GSA next time for this reason.

beemermyke said:

After a couple of months owning this bike, it indicates about "370 miles till empty" when I fill the bike. Not too shabby!

Click to expand...

That would be 71.2 MPG

I track my fuel consumption in an app called fuelly. Over 1500 miles on my new 2014 1200GS and I average 39.2. Which is mostly all highway riding. Best is 46.

You can see what others have posted for fuel consumption at the fuelly.com site here: http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/bmw/r1200gs

Mark

Since aerodynamic drag increases with the square of speed, your average fuel consumption depends a lot on your average speed.

I'd think a GSA a little more "draggy" than a standard GS as well. It's of course heavier, too.

So, when everybody reports their results, some of if depends on the size and weight of the rider ... and of course accessories and cargo ... and how fast they normally ride.

Lee said:

That would be 71.2 MPG

Click to expand...

"Usable" fuel volume per BMW
GSA 8.7 gallons
GS 5.3 gallons

Beemermyke's previous posts indicate he has the GSA.

lkraus said:

"Usable" fuel volume per BMW
GSA 8.7 gallons
GS 5.3 gallons

Beemermyke's previous posts indicate he has the GSA.

Click to expand...

I was going by his signature which shows he has a GS.

2016 GSw. Pretty solid at 50-54 mpg. Speed cuts into it. ~5K miles.
I ride at altitude, above 5K' is pretty much a given, which seems to help mileage, but robs some performance.

lkraus said:

"Usable" fuel volume per BMW
GSA 8.7 gallons
GS 5.3 gallons

Beemermyke's previous posts indicate he has the GSA.

Click to expand...

The OP said he's considering upgrading to a wethead GS, or GSA. The 8.7 gallons you show for the GSA is for the previous version of the GSA (your link goes to the 2013 GSA, which is the older version, not the liquid-cooled bike). The capacity of the new LC GSA is 7.9 gallons (30 litres).

marcopolo said:

The OP said he's considering upgrading to a wethead GS, or GSA. The 8.7 gallons you show for the GSA is for the previous version of the GSA (your link goes to the 2013 GSA, which is the older version, not the liquid-cooled bike). The capacity of the new LC GSA is 7.9 gallons (30 litres).

Click to expand...

Ummm, yeah, that's right. I think I forgot that the LC GSA came out after the 2013 LC GS. It doesn't help that the BMW Motorrad site maintains similar data pages for different model years without explicitly stating which years are covered, so results differ depending on the search method. But I should have realized that the picture was not right, so no excuse.

I just wanted to point out that beemermyke's remarkable range of 370 miles was probably for a GSA rather than the GS.

Gota Pee

At around 200 miles I have to pee. That's about when it's time for gas stop.