BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack .... Mine is very old school ... Semi-Wild- A**- Guess ....... Mike :thumbup:
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Full Tank of Fuel
- Thread starter bigbadbrucie
- Start date
:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack .... Mine is very old school ... Semi-Wild- A**- Guess ....... Mike :thumbup:
JayBros
Well-known member
IMO there are just so many factors and combinations thereof that TO ME it isn't worth worrying how much gas the tank actually holds. What is important is what I've been doing since I last filled the tank when the low fuel light comes on. If I've been blowing along an interstate at, say 65-75 then the trip meter may read 180-190 and I may be good for 25 or so miles before any pucker factor arises. OTOH, if I've been toodling around backroads at speed limits below 60 the trip meter is going to read 225 or so and I can easily go another 25-30 before becoming concerned. This weekend I turned 68K on the clock and the most I've ever put in the alleged 6.9 gal tank is 6.38 and I rode 215.4 miles on that tank with an average of 33.8 so I was obviously hauling along as my average mpg since day 1 is 36.7. What I find most annoying is that I find it very difficult to say I am filling the tank as close to full as possible on each tank because of the pump volume and nozzle flow and when I look in the tank at that point where I think it's as full as it needs to be because I have no reference point inside the tank. I've never filled it to the point where the fuel level is right at that baffle where the nozzle goes in. I always get to the point where I stop because I don't want fuel sloshing out and all over the Spyder.
Gwolf
Well-known member
If you are really concerned about running out because of long stretches between gas stations, carry extra fuel. My old Sportster had an over-size fuel tank on it, but still, only held 4.2 gallons and the .2 was not really usable. I could drain it almost dry with the reserve switch on. I was traveling through a lot of National Forests and parks where it was long stretches between gas stations. I carried 4 of the large MSR aluminum fuel bottles full of gas with me. Went some long stretches, but never ran completely out of gas the whole 20 years I rode it. If I was riding the Spyder up in the Adirondack Forest or out west, I would also carry the fuel bottles on it, even though it will go over 100 miles farther then the old Sporty with a full tank. How much fuel you carry does not depend on the tank size. It depends on how much trouble you want to go to in order to have extra fuel.
THAT is what will cause damage to the fuel/injector pump and likely also your injectors! :gaah: Even just running it lower than the last couple of quarts is not a good idea; but running it until it quits is DEFINITELY not the thing to do EVER, especially if you have a choice & it's avoidable! :lecturef_smilie:
Replacing a fuel pump because the tank was run dry just once too often (could be the fifth time; could be the first time, who knows?!) is bad enough; but have you ever thought about what happens to the rest of the engine when an 'improperly cooled & lubricated injector tip' blows off & drops into the cylinder while the engine is still running... even just for the next second or so before it all comes to a grinding halt... :shocked:
Just sayin' :thumbup:
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IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
My fuel records show back in Mar & Apr 2016 I put 6.92 & 6.93 gallons in with a tank mileage of 202 and 203. I don't remember running out and having to push my RT to the gas pump, but I must have been close! :yikes:
bikerbillone
Well-known member
I know what you mean, but I'm comfort able just watching my remaining mileage until it gets hairy, top off/fillup when the number reaches 50.
Fatcycledaddy
Active member
The 2020 rt limited does
JP58
New member
The most I put in was 6.1 gallons and 225 miles on my 2018 F3L. The fuel gauge bar turned red from orange then disappeared completely just before making it to a gas station. My owners manual says it has a 7.1 gallon tank. Some day when my tank is low and light is on. I may syphon the rest out to see what I get out. Measure it. Put it back in and go to gas station. I have one a block away from home. Then fill and see my total.
IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
I would think you could fill it closer to the stated capacity since the filler is on the top instead of off to the side like it is on the RT.
Fatcycledaddy
Active member
2020 rt limited.
After getting the miles to empty displayed on the screen, Friday I ran until it said 33 miles to empty and just one very then red line on the gauge. about 1 mile later the red line disappeared and the miles to empty went blank. about 3 miles later I filled up and put in 5.6 gallons. I am currently getting 33.5 MPG average, so with the 1.5 gallons left in the tank, I had about a 50 mile cushion, so a 20 mile cushion on the 30 miles till empty the gauges said.
I like it. Vey seldom do I run it that low, but when it happens, it is nice to know.
Actually, the gauge & 'miles until empty' was telling you that you MIGHT be lucky to have as much as 30 miles left until you start accumulating irreversible damage to the injector system/fuel pump! :yikes: nojoke
The damage that undoubtedly will occur might be microscopic if you run much further than that just the once.... but there again?!?.... :dontknow: How lucky do you feel?? :lecturef_smilie:
Fatcycledaddy
Active member
As stated "Very seldom do I run that low" but if I am out in the middle of no where with 50 miles worth of fuel left in the tank and 40 miles to get to a station, I am not shutting the bike off and walking to get fuel!
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
This thread is interesting.
A technical question about quantity, but I do not know of anyone that really wants to push those kind of limits.
Get to know your bike, what mileage you can expect (safely) before needing to re-fuel, and go from there.
With my disability condition, I cannot walk 50 ft. without a wheelchair assist. If I were to break down or get stuck in the middle of nowhere, I am in a heap of trouble. I am not going to be deprived of my riding, so I just make it a point to start looking for gas at the half tank point. I need to get off the bike and stretch anyway. :yes:
A technical question about quantity, but I do not know of anyone that really wants to push those kind of limits.
Get to know your bike, what mileage you can expect (safely) before needing to re-fuel, and go from there.
With my disability condition, I cannot walk 50 ft. without a wheelchair assist. If I were to break down or get stuck in the middle of nowhere, I am in a heap of trouble. I am not going to be deprived of my riding, so I just make it a point to start looking for gas at the half tank point. I need to get off the bike and stretch anyway. :yes:
As is your choice, but if I were you, I'd be trying very hard NOT to get myself into that situation, even if it meant carrying a small container of 'just in case' fuel every now & then!
And I'm only saying this bit:
"... The damage that undoubtedly will occur might be microscopic if you run much further than that just the once.... but there again?!?.... :dontknow: How lucky do you feel?? :lecturef_smilie:"
because quite a few times now I've been called upon to help recover vehicles that DIDN'T make the 'only 40 miles' or whatever they had left to travel to the next gas stop; only they didn't quite make it due to terminal and expensive damage kicking in first! :gaah: For some, it was the first time they'd ever run out of gas; for others, they'd run out before, but every time they did, they got less distance between 'Empty' and 'Dead'!!! Now admittedly, it's been only one Spyder - so far... but that was the very first time the owner (from new) had ever run his RT below 1/4 tank on the gauge, and he felt sure he was going to be fine, cos he'd done his sums & he knew how much gas was left in the tank!! And he was pretty right too - he was only 1/2 litre out, over his calculated remaining amount - so very close to his 'calculated amount' left in the tank when we tried to start it, but that's when we found his 'failure to proceed' wasn't because he'd run out of gas, it was because the fuel pump had seized due to there being not enough lubricant/coolant left in the tank, despite there still being just over 4 litres still in there!! Once we recovered it & got it in for repair, the Tech discovered that not only the fuel pump but also all three injectors were toast!! Not a cheap repair, just cos he ran past that 'miles til empty' warning!! :cus:
So, like I said, how lucky do you feel?? :dontknow: It's seems to me that, just like all the other vehicles with similar injector/fuel pump systems, the higher tech our Spyders (& other vehicles) become, the less tolerant to these 'pushing the envelope' events they are!! :banghead:
And that last bit is why I said you really shouldn't even THINK that you've got that 50 miles worth of gas left in the tank, cos you really don't - altho you MIGHT be lucky to have as much as 30 miles left until you start accumulating irreversible damage to the injector system/fuel pump! :lecturef_smilie: If you work out your distance to refuel on THAT being the absolute worst case scenario and refuel BEFORE it gets to 30 miles left to empty, then not only shouldn't you ever end up walking, but you also won't end up suffering the gradual & irreversible loss of power & fuel economy that occurs and accumulates from the very first time you run your gas tank too low and subject your injector system/fuel pump to running with a lack of lubricant & coolant! Do it just once, and even if you're lucky enough to get away with it that time, it doesn't need to run low to get worse from there on it!! Once that microscopic damage is first done, it'll gradually and irreversibly start chewing and grinding away on those critical & fairly expensive components, and over time, your engine will lose power and fuel economy!! Sure, it might not be easily measurable or noticeable at first, it might even take a while to become noticeable, but once it's there it's gonna be gradually getting worse.... or maybe it'll get worse a whole lot quicker than you expect!! :shocked: Why risk it?!
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I guess I'm missing the point on why folks are pushing the limits on the remaining fuel in their tanks when the gage is telling them it is time to refuel. For obvious reasons and because of previously mentioned reasons, I fuel up before I come close to running out. There are also a lot of reasons out there that can suddenly influence fuel consumption and cause one to become stranded due to the lack of sufficient fuel. And, the situation could cause minor damage that would raise its ugly head later on. Does anyone have this fixation with the family car? I've never thought about running my car/truck out of gas just to see how much it would take to fill it. ??
I did not start the thread, but will be happy to tell you why I added a post. I am a member of a forum dedicated to older Suzukis. The age range of the bikes is from 35 to 45 years old. Many of those bikes have gas gauges of questionable accuracy, I have had a couple myself. It's not a matter of whether the gauge is inaccurate, it's more of a how inaccurate it is.
Yeah, you can reset the trip meter, but that only assumes that your rides are all identical in identical weather. I have seen the same bike (with the same rider) get MPG readings of 28 for a couple of tankfuls, then later in the trip get over 55 MPG with no adjustments to the bike. (The typical range for that bike has been in the low 40s.) The differences were strictly related to weather and road speed.
Our older Suzukis also have the benefit of a RESERVE function on the petcock to allow you to use the last gallon or so in the tank. That feature does not exist on our Spyders.
I would not call it a "fixation", but yes, I often wonder just how accurate the gauge is when it's pointing to that big E, which, curiously, does not stand for "Enough". I have never experienced a lack of fuel in my van, but I have pumped in a bit more than the advertised capacity.
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ButterSmooth
New member
Because of the Spyder's great range, I no longer obsess about how much fuel is left. On my Indian Scout there were always two Givi fuel containers in the left saddlebag, adding 1.3 gallons of fuel to the meager 3.3 gallons of the tank. There are stretches in Eastern Oregon where you pass a sign that says 125 miles to next fuel, after you are 40 miles past the last station. I couldn't make that ride without the extra fuel and there are other rides I like where a closed station can make the loop longer than the bikes range. And so I don't alarm Peter, I always added the fuel as soon as there was room in the tank. No worries now, with the Spyder's long legs. You do learn to buy fuel whenever it's available. Fuel availability and range are coupled, more in some parts of the country than others.
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