So when do I run out of fuel on 2013?

[escapefjrtist]

Save the fuel pump!

I never run mine much lower than a 5 - 5.2 gallon fill up. That's an easy 220 miles with plenty left in reserve.

YMMV!

--G

 

[Graham Downunder]

I use the tripmeter and more importantly I plan my stops as In Australia it can be hard to find some places open with fuel on weekends, late at night etc, this is a good way of avoiding fatigue and worry. If riding with friends you are limited to the shortest range of their bikes I always carry a bit of clear hose and a bottle of water so I drink the water and suck a bit of fuel into the bottle to get the IDOT who got his range wrong or " forgot " to fill up when the rest of us did fill up . Running fuel injected bike or car out of fuel is not something that I would recommend ,the fuel pump is usually within the tank and stays cool by the fuel around it and it will suck up fine particles of rust etc that accumulate in a fuel tank over the years . Motorbikes generally have much smaller fuel fillters that bloke up pretty fast then the pump fails or you are left by the side of the road .

 

[900gc]

Ok, I have to ask...Does anyone know what the "F" stands for on the Gen II's?? I pushed mine once to about 45-50 in the "F" range and when I filled up I still had about 3/4 of a gallon left, so that mean approximately another 30 miles or so. Using that calculations I would have been able to get about 310-315 out of that tank of fuel.

Wild guess... Fuel? Or if you go too long... Fumes?

 

[BkerChuck]

One thing to keep in mind through this whole thread is also fuel itself. There are still a few gas stations around my area where I can buy gas without ethanol in it. I try to run this as often as I can because the bike seems to run a little better on it and I pick up close to 10 percent better mileage. I had an occasion a few years ago with my pickup truck pulling a trailer where I got some lower grade fuel at one stop and it triggered my low fuel light far sooner than I would have expected. Wife talked me into stopping sooner than I planned once she saw the light and I was damn glad I did. I pumped 24.7 gallons into a 25 gallon tank! Even I don't like cutting it that close. If you have to fill up I prefer using gas stations that see a lot of business. Fuel doesn't sit in their storage tanks as long and tends to be fresher which usually means better.

 

[pcarnut]

The reality is that the gauge float doesn't move much below where the blinking starts, there's little it can tell you in terms of fuel left. Hence the mileage indication, all that the bike can tell you.
I once did an experiment to see if I could improve on the gauge reading, in the end I decided it was not worth doing anything, written up here.

The fuel gauge is probably one of my biggest pet peeves with my bike. I have seriously thought about pulling the sender and playing with bending the float rod. My plan was to put in one gallon of fuel and adjust the rod until the F function/low fuel light just comes on. Mcatrophy, by any chance did you notice how far down the tank the float will drop?

 

[Clovis]

I started sport touring on a R1 back in the day. No fuel gauge just an ***** light.

It usually came on around 120 or 130 miles which meant getting gas around 150-160.

You come to know God real quick when your riding an R1 through the Navajo Nation (aka the middle of the New Mexican desert) and that fuel light came on 25 miles ago and civilization is still no where to be seen. Luckily there is a Chevron gas station in the middle of no where, seemingly installed just for us!

 

[mcatrophy]

The reality is that the gauge float doesn't move much below where the blinking starts, there's little it can tell you in terms of fuel left. Hence the mileage indication, all that the bike can tell you.

I once did an experiment to see if I could improve on the gauge reading, in the end I decided it was not worth doing anything, written up here.

The fuel gauge is probably one of my biggest pet peeves with my bike. I have seriously thought about pulling the sender and playing with bending the float rod. My plan was to put in one gallon of fuel and adjust the rod until the F function/low fuel light just comes on. Mcatrophy, by any chance did you notice how far down the tank the float will drop?

On my bike, somewhere between 4.6 and 4.9 litres. Blinking is below about 6.5 litres. I've not investigated bending the sender to see if it could show a lower level.

 

[SlowDave]

Or if you're a real dork, your mileage spreadsheet (updated at every fillup) also tracks the miles on the F-tripmeter. When you fill up, you can not only calculate the overall mpg, you can also calculate the miles before the F-turned on, and back out how many gallonws are left when the F comes on, if you assume the published capacity is accurate, which is a bit of a gamble. Usually the tank holds a bit more.

So, if you're a risk-taker like me, you push it farther and farther, especially when you're in a place where you could call for help or push to the station. For my '06 Gen II, I have determined that the main fuel capacity (before the F starts flashing) is 5.04 gal (std deviation of 0.08 gal) and I have gotten as much as 67 miles and 1.6 gal out of the bike after hitting the F, although on that tank, it died a few times and stumbled into the station! But several times greater than 1.3 gal calculated after hitting F flashing. (Note that 1.3 is the nominal "reserve capacity" as well.)

So, my typical mileage is about 43 mpg, so I figure I'm good for 56 miles no problem after the F starts flashing.

 

[mcatrophy]

Or if you're a real dork, your mileage spreadsheet (updated at every fillup) also tracks the miles on the F-tripmeter. When you fill up, you can not only calculate the overall mpg, you can also calculate the miles before the F-turned on, and back out how many gallonws are left when the F comes on, if you assume the published capacity is accurate, which is a bit of a gamble. Usually the tank holds a bit more....

Clicky. I've been called a lot worse than a dork.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Or if you're a real dork, your mileage spreadsheet (updated at every fillup) also tracks the miles on the F-tripmeter. When you fill up, you can not only calculate the overall mpg, you can also calculate the miles before the F-turned on, and back out how many gallonws are left when the F comes on, if you assume the published capacity is accurate, which is a bit of a gamble. Usually the tank holds a bit more....

Clicky. I've been called a lot worse than a dork.

 

[NickBrewer]

Or if you're a real dork, your mileage spreadsheet (updated at every fillup) also tracks the miles on the F-tripmeter. When you fill up, you can not only calculate the overall mpg, you can also calculate the miles before the F-turned on, and back out how many gallonws are left when the F comes on, if you assume the published capacity is accurate, which is a bit of a gamble. Usually the tank holds a bit more.
So, if you're a risk-taker like me, you push it farther and farther, especially when you're in a place where you could call for help or push to the station. For my '06 Gen II, I have determined that the main fuel capacity (before the F starts flashing) is 5.04 gal (std deviation of 0.08 gal) and I have gotten as much as 67 miles and 1.6 gal out of the bike after hitting the F, although on that tank, it died a few times and stumbled into the station! But several times greater than 1.3 gal calculated after hitting F flashing. (Note that 1.3 is the nominal "reserve capacity" as well.)

So, my typical mileage is about 43 mpg, so I figure I'm good for 56 miles no problem after the F starts flashing.

There's an app for that....

 

[BkerChuck]

I almost got to find out today just how far I could drive after that last indicator started blinking. I ran almost 72 miles with the low fuel blinker on and when I left work at the end of the day, bike wouldn't start on the sidestand! Stood her up and she fired right up. Rode straight to the nearest gas station and pumped in 6.23 gallons! I think I had some low quality fuel this time because that was only 236 miles since the last fill up.

 

[RPrice]

Save the fuel pump!
I never run mine much lower than a 5 - 5.2 gallon fill up. That's an easy 220 miles with plenty left in reserve.

YMMV!

--G

Yep, after reading all this, it's safest to do what --G says, 220 miles is good, then you've got some "wiggle room" to hurry up and find some fuel. There is no definitive answer to the question asked, but this is a generally safe protocol.

Good Luck!

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

Don't forget how much the wind determines your MPG.

 

[Clovis]

Man, I only get 36-39mph on my 06 FJR.

 

[Bluedog]

Fuel every 200-225 miles unless you are in an area where fuel is limited. I have my son on his R-6 always fuel up as we head out and never have a problem. I tend to run every new vehicle I own out of fuel or as low as possible so that I know their limits and ride/drive accordingly. I have owned close to 100 different vehicles with all kind of gauges and it is not that complicated!!!

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

Man, I only get 36-39mph on my 06 FJR.

Is it stock?

I average about 43MPG on my 2008 and that's with a combination of cruising steady and high speed runs, twisty riding.

 

[yamafitter]

How in the hell has this thread not made it to NEPRT yet? To answer the original question, "So when do I run out of fuel?", the definitive answer is when the motor suddenly goes very quiet and you roll to a stop.

Your welcome.

 

[LAF]

You run out of gas when there is no more in the tank.

Up to you to figure out when there is no more there.

Not to be harsh but it should be the first thing you do is figure MPG by doing the math each tank. Then pick a conservative number and go with it. All the other variables mean very little compared to math and a good MPG number to count on.

I am gonna just get a new battery and fill the blinker fluid......................

 

[stevec677]

Thanks to Yamafitter, I now know to look out for "when the motor suddenly goes very quiet and you roll to a stop".

Seriously, my question started as to how accurate the "Range" function was. I have never had this function on a car, truck or motorcycle. From what everyone is saying, Don't believe it and stay with the method we have all used since our first bike with odometer: reset the trip meter at every fill up.

Now that the weather is finally getting good here in the northeast: less posting, more riding.