2012 RTS SM5 - what's the gas tank capacity and what MPG should I expect?

[joeRsmith]

I recently purchased a 2012 RTS SM5 that was a real find. It was bought for a wife who rode it a couple of times the first season and then it sat in the garage for 10 years. 438 miles on it when the dealer got it! They went over it an sorted it out and I picked it up 12 days ago.

Yesterday took it on a 800 mile ride to Chicago yesterday. The manual says it has a 6.6 gallon tank and I figured that even at 30 MPG I could go 160 miles between fills. After one fill I ran out of gas after 113 miles!

The tank does not seem to hold more than slightly over 4 Gallons!

Any ideas? What MPG should the 998cc be getting?

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

25 - 30 MPG depending on your throttle style. And on the interstate, there is A LOT of drag. But, filling the tank, and getting the entire capacity is an art form. Bring the nozzle almost to the top and fill the last gallon as slow as you can. Not all nozzles will give you a slow rate without a lot of splashing. It just takes practice. However, with the 998, you want to be looking for a gas station buy 120 miles. We all use and reset the trip odometer at each gas stop.

Number 1 Truth of life when riding the 998 - If in Doubt, stop for gas.

 

[joeRsmith]

25 - 30 MPG depending on your throttle style. And on the interstate, there is A LOT of drag. But, filling the tank, and getting the entire capacity is an art form. Bring the nozzle almost to the top and fill the last gallon as slow as you can. Not all nozzles will give you a slow rate without a lot of splashing. It just takes practice. However, with the 998, you want to be looking for a gas station buy 120 miles. We all use and reset the trip odometer at each gas stop.

Number 1 Truth of life when riding the 998 - If in Doubt, stop for gas.

Thanks Doug! I guess having the cruise set to 80 I should’ve expected closer to the 25

I am trying to use the trip counter but the display is a little hard to see in bright light. Seems to wash out in the sunshine like an iPhone. Wish there was a brightness/contrast adjustment…,

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Thanks Doug! I guess having the cruise set to 80 I should’ve expected closer to the 25

I am trying to use the trip counter but the display is a little hard to see in bright light. Seems to wash out in the sunshine like an iPhone. Wish there was a brightness/contrast adjustment…,

Yes, there's a brightness adjustment. Just go into the settings screen, where you set the clock and all, and scroll up or down. You'll find it. But like a lot of LCD displays, if you wear polarized sunglasses, they can affect your vision of the screen. The digital fuel gauge on those things is fairly accurate. The one in the center screen with the little bars. And when the fuel light comes on, you should be able to put about 4.5 gallons in. If you have a liner in the front trunk - aka frunk - unzip it and see if there's still an operator's manual in there. Otherwise, you can download one here:

https://www.operatorsguides.brp.com/index.php?productId=5

 

[safecracker]

I have gotten 160 miles on mine and I still did not run out of gas. At that time it took 5.7 gallons of gas. Traveling at 80 mph, mine averages about 24 -26 mpg. I have yet to use more than 5.7 gallons of gas. I would like to see how far I could go but i always forget to bring along a couple of extra gallons.

 

[joeRsmith]

Yes, there's a brightness adjustment. Just go into the settings screen, where you set the clock and all, and scroll up or down. You'll find it. But like a lot of LCD displays, if you wear polarized sunglasses, they can affect your vision of the screen. The digital fuel gauge on those things is fairly accurate. The one in the center screen with the little bars. And when the fuel light comes on, you should be able to put about 4.5 gallons in. If you have a liner in the front trunk - aka frunk - unzip it and see if there's still an operator's manual in there. Otherwise, you can download one here:

https://www.operatorsguides.brp.com/index.php?productId=5

Thanks again! This is a pretty awesome forum. In only two weeks I have received so much helpful advice. Really gals I found it and joined!