Fuel Gauge / Mileage on Reserve

[Tomato]

Not sure if my gauge reading properly, or if I am just paranoid about running out of gas. The last "tick" on the gauge started flashing, indicating reserve, after only about 150 miles. I detoured to fill up and it only took 4.7 gallons - filled her to the rim - suggesting I had almost 2-gallons left. The manual states that reserve is 1.45 gallons, but I know you can't get it all due to the gas sloshing around when you get too low.

What's a safe distance to go from the perspective of 1) not running out of gas 2) not harming the fuel pump, etc?

Thanks!

 

[wfooshee]

Strap a gas can to the pillion and find out. Let us know, OK?

Seriously, unless you've been riding really really hard, you know in your head what kind of mileage you should be getting, and you know the range. My gas gauge changes depending on whether I remember to sit the bike up before I tuen on the key, or whether I turn it on while leaned over on the sidestand. And the bottom quarter of the gauge is pretty much worthless, anyway.

Gas up at about 200 miles.

 

[ShawnKing]

Not sure if my gauge reading properly, or if I am just paranoid about running out of gas. The last "tick" on the gauge started flashing, indicating reserve, after only about 150 miles.

That doesn't sound right. I'll check next time I ride but I think I go at least 175 before it starts flashing at me...

What's a safe distance to go from the perspective of 1) not running out of gas

It depends on your mpg that tank but I bet you can get 200 miles easily before you even have to start looking for a gas station.

 

[mikeyb]

I just gassed up yesterday. I had 150 miles on the clock and took 3.8 gals. That works out to 39 mpg which was very close to what the digital readout said I was doing. At this point the gas gauge was reading 2 bars and not on reserve. It sounds like you are about 40 miles short so maybe you did not get a good fill on the last tank. I generally look to fill up at about the range that wvooshee is recommending and have my Garmin set to about 240 miles per tank.

BTW according to your numbers you are getting 32 mpg which seems a bit low for general purpose riding on this bike.

Is your right hand noticeably larger than the left, maybe this is the problem.

 

[ngarider]

I've been looking at my average MPG (reset at each gas up), then multiplying by 6. I try to get gas before I hit that number.

 

[Rondo777]

My bike in mixed riding always gets right around 40 mpg. HWY 51. As a rule, I dont let it go over 50 miles on reserve. Pushed it to 60 once and it still only took 5.8 gals so I still had over 1/2 gal left to play with.

 

[Foxhuntr]

I always fill up by 225 miles. By that time the bar has been flashing for 20 miles or so. It usually takes 5.2 gal to fill it up. If I'm out burning up the canyons, I ride 30 miles after the flashing starts.

 

[bandit]

I usually gas between 220 and 240. on the slab.

 

[Tomato]

Good info to have. My Ducati says it will go 20 miles once on reserve, and that is dead on. Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way. Good to have an idea of what this bike will get on a tank and then on reserve.

 

[Harald]

At about 38mpg average for me and my FJR, I went 50 miles on reserve once. I started getting a little sputtering just around the corner from the gas station, but it was hilly. I still had over 1/2 gallon left in the tank.

 

[W.M.-Millman]

I've only hit Reserve on mine (07 AE ) only once. Came on at 321 mi. so it sounds like something is wrong.

 

[jordylad]

My guage starts flashing at around 200 miles and I've gone over 60 before putting in 6.3 gallons.

That time, the trip was very close, saying I averaged 41.7.

That would also match what the book says the reserve will hold, 1.45 gallons.

If this is your first tank, give it a couple more tank fulls to settle down.

 

[HotRodZilla]

A little while back, I put 245 miles on a tank and only put 5.5 gallons in at fill up. I was on it pretty good that day but got great mileage. I donno how long you have had your bike, but for a good idea of how far your reserve will take you, goto your avg. mpg on your screen. If you are getting average, 40mpg, you better fill by 40 just to be safe. I also always fill up my bike with it on the center stand. It levels my bike, so I actually get a full tank of gas.

 

[johnny80s]

I right there with Foxhuntr and Bandit.

 

[Big-B]

Each bike is going to have a different amount of gas in reserve just due to setting floats and all in the tank to measure how much gas is left. I'm sure Yamaha tries to get it close, but there are other things more important.

Everybody's distance before the light comes on is going to be subjective to how they ride and where the float in the tank is set. Use your own experience as your guide. If you stop to fill up and it only takes 4.7 gallons then you have pretty near 2 more gallon to go.

I figured out the reserve on my '06 is more like 1.25 gallon. I was surprised at how bad I did on gas for a stretch across NM on I-40 and came up about 7 miles short of the next gas station in Texas. :blink: :blink:

If you reset your Avg MPG each time you fill up you can just multiply the avg by 6 gals to see how far you can go. On my other 2 FJR's I could easily go

I ride 80-90 miles each day and try to make it back closer to home where the gas is about 20 cents cheaper before I refill it. I put in over 6 gallons on most stops for gas.

Don't check the fuel gauge if it is on the side stand, its not even close.

Have fun! Sounds like you have figured out how to use the throttle.

Brian

 

[bikerkash]

My 08 does about the same thing when it starts flashing there is about 2 gals. left but it does tend to make you nervous when the bar is flashing. I guess it better to have a large reserve vs some bike with a half gallon. I run mostly county roads and avg between 45 & 47 MPG so 240 to 250 would be the most I would run before I got fuel provided I know the area and where the filling station are, if not I would be looking sooner.

 

[doctorJ]

My bike is pretty new so hit the last flashing part and the gauge started counting from zero upward. This was weird since I figured it would count down (ala ST1300). I checked the owner's manual which was worthless. It just said to gas up when starts flashing. Does anyone know what is up with the gauge and what the counting up is all about? Does the flashing just keep going and the number of miles driven just keep going up until you are out of fuel? It sure seems a dumb way to do it instead of counting down from a max amount of miles you can go.

doctorj

 

[SEA-FJR]

Does the flashing just keep going and the number of miles driven just keep going up until you are out of fuel? It sure seems a dumb way to do it instead of counting down from a max amount of miles you can go.
doctorj

Yes, it's a little strange and certainly different from what I'm used to with my cars (which are accurate down to the mile). The only explanation I can come up with is that on a bike there are so many factors (widely varying MPG as a result of riding style, changing gas distribution in tank due to lean, hills, acceleration/deceleration) that determining when exactly you'll actually stall is difficult. They probably just don't want to give the wrong sense of accuracy in the miles remaining figure. So they tell you how many miles you have ridden since it went to reserve. I think it does the trick, I gas up very quickly because it is disconcerting to have that gauge flashing at you, even though it is very, very conservative with roughly a quarter of your tank still remaining.

 

[ponyfool]

I've only hit Reserve on mine (07 AE ) only once. Came on at 321 mi. so it sounds like something is wrong.

There most certainly is. 321 to reserve would indicate you are getting 64 mpg. That's unrealistic.