The improbable never-empty gas tank

[birkdale10]

My 2016 FJR is well broken in with 8500 miles.

I was just riding and grooving and noticing that I was getting pretty good gas mileage, according to the instrument gauge's mileage readout. I did a quick compare to how much I had left, and how far it was to the nearest Buc-ee's.

(For those outside Texas, Buc-ee's is a string of gas stations with pretty good prices and about 80 (eighty) individual pumps per location.)

Only 50 miles to go and I just started blinking the last dot on the fuel gauge. I can make it!

I did! I learned that the 51 miles (based on my Garmin GPS) turned out to be 58 miles on the Yama-gauge. 58 miles between the first blinks on the last dot until fuel-up time.

I got 327.4 miles on the tankful. 58.1 miles on 'reserve' (according to gauge). Both new records. The gauge told me that my tankful got 53.1 mpg. Now, fill it up and see what I really got...

Well, I put 6.685 gallons in it. That would give me a 'real' 48.975 mpg. I am fairly sure I have a 6.6 gallon tank.

But I am now worried about my tank size and/or Buc-ee's gas pumps. Did I really put in that much more than should have fit? It's only 1.34 CUPS more... Only about 11 fluid ounces. And, I could still hear gas sloshing around before I filled it.

Is that within margin of error? Or do I have an extra big tank?

Oh,, and Price Per Gallon: $1.869. The Shell Station a quarter mile away was. $1.999.

 

[hppants]

I think you were on fumes.

On my Gen 1, I have run out of gas twice, and made it on fumes once - all 3 times, I put in 6.6xx gallons in with the bike on the side stand (fuel up to the neck).

So the Gen 1 will draw the stated capacity from the tank.

I have yet to get past 6.4 gallons out of the Gen III. That's close enough for me.

I use "60 miles" as my reserve guide. Even at "flogging" fuel mileage (40 mpg), I can go 60 miles on 1.5 gallons, and have 0.1 left over.

 

[Ignacio]

Is that within margin of error? Or do I have an extra big tank?

This subject has been covered many, Many, MANY times......but just not that recently nor with as much precision as you shared.

Regardless, the rating by Yamaha is 6.6 gallons, but they don't define specifically what it is. They don't claim it's with the filler neck space included, the +/- of the 6.6 rating, the temperature in which the fuel is delivered, or variety of other things that make relatively small differences. I'd say you have a normal tank and were probably on fumes.

 

[NTXFJR]

Dayum 327 miles? You did good.

In Colorado, we were headed for Lake City on one of the day trips we did, it's a one pump town without even a blinking light. My gauge started flashing at around 10 miles out, and it took 5.1 gallons to fill up, so I figured I had 50 to 60 miles left on that tank, assuming all of the 6.6 gallons are usable. Your fill up seems to say it is.

Coming back home with cruise locked in at 85 mph, I was looking for gas every 200 miles with right at 41 mpg avg, my calculated average mpg's dropped from 51 mpg to 41 mpg during that travel. I sure wouldn't have wanted to go more than 250 miles on those tanks while wondering where the next fuel stop was.

Ask Griff or Hud how low the mpg's can get on a fjr while going across Texas during a 50cc ride.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Is that within margin of error? Or do I have an extra big tank?

This subject has been covered many, Many, MANY times......but just not that recently nor with as much precision as you shared.

Regardless, the rating by Yamaha is 6.6 gallons, but they don't define specifically what it is. They don't claim it's with the filler neck space included, the +/- of the 6.6 rating, the temperature in which the fuel is delivered, or variety of other things that make relatively small differences. I'd say you have a normal tank and were probably on fumes.

Or...

He may own one for those rare hybrids that possessed 1/2" fuel lines with the special California evap canisters with the insanely rare condensing system that compresses fuel vapor in the atmosphere into liquid fuel again?

The half inch lines alone would add .08 ounces

 

[Pterodactyl]

"He may own one for those rare hybrids that possessed 1/2" fuel lines with the special California evap canisters with the insanely rare condensing system that compresses fuel vapor in the atmosphere into liquid fuel again?

The half inch lines alone would add .08 ounces."

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Bugnatr]

Buck eightysix a gallon? Just fill and go!!!!

 

[HotRodZilla]

Dayum...Farthest I have ever pushed a tank was 270 miles. Don't remember how much fuel I put in that time. On a trip to Tennessee, I stumbled into a station while getting 29MPG riding into the wind. That time I put almost 6.7 gallons in the tank.

 

[hppants]

I can remember going 285 but certainly not over 300. Our disparity in fuel mileage is a broad as our disparity in tire mileage.

Now there's a NEPRT for ya!!!

 

[jcyuhn]

I find that filling up at Buc-ee's (yes, that's the spelling) negatively impacts ones fuel range. If you have ever seen the quantity and variety of food items the sell, you would understand this statement.

 

[s.ga.rider]

Dayum. Ive never got over 48 mpg. Usual is 44.