How far can you go on one tank of fuel?

[jeffdean]

A friend in the U.P. emailed me yesterday with the result of his attempt to ride as far as he could on his R1200RT:

"When I purchased the RT, my goal was to be able to get 300 miles out of a tank of gas. Today was the time to finish the test.

"On Sunday, I rode to Tomahawk, WI for the Harley ride in. It was 280 miles round trip. It was all on Wisconsin two lane roads so that meant 65 mph max. I used cruise control and 6th gear mostly. Today I strapped a gallon of gas on the bike and set out to ride until I ran out.

"The fuel light came on at 261 miles. The miles to empty hit 0 at 290. I finally ran out at an incredible 351.5 miles. I went 90 miles after the fuel light came on. I put 7.6 gallons in it. Not bad for an advertised 7.1 gallon tank. That was 46.1 mpg.

"Very satisfied."

[MValspeed]

Great information...I haven't had the 'nads for trying to go beyond, way beyond the fuel light. I normally get around 245mi per tank with stop 'n go traffic and highway combined, and the computer is pretty good. Normally around 45mpg. I've found that I can squeeze out another 2 -3 miles per gallon by increasing my shift points by 500rpm, and running the engine 3500 - 4000rpm. The engine runs more easily (breathing), and gives me the increase in mpg. I do believe, because the engine seems to be smoothing out, and pulling better as it hit 8000mi.

Thanks for sharing the info.

Safe riding!

[Semper_Fi]

Great information...I haven't had the 'nads for trying to go beyond, way beyond the fuel light. I normally get around 245mi per tank with stop 'n go traffic and highway combined, and the computer is pretty good. Normally around 45mpg. I've found that I can squeeze out another 2 -3 miles per gallon by increasing my shift points by 500rpm, and running the engine 3500 - 4000rpm. The engine runs more easily (breathing), and gives me the increase in mpg. I do believe, because the engine seems to be smoothing out, and pulling better as it hit 8000mi.

Thanks for sharing the info.

Safe riding!

+1 on the nads comment - seems every time the light comes on I have a compulsion to pull over and fill up asap - I have gone to about 5 miles left to "empty" and only put in about 6 gallons so I had at least 65 to 75 miles left.

Interesting the OP got an extra half gallon over max capacity into the tank :yeah:

[cfell]

It is a "good" thing to run your bike to "empty".. and fully "out"... then, refill to know exactly what YOUR tank holds.

"flashback" (if you don't know what that means, it's okay).... being on the outskirts of Steamboat Springs, CO (circa 1989).... and having a grand view of it down in the valley.... when my '86 FXR ran out of pusholene.

Glad I was riding with "bagger" guys that day for sure. Apparently my "reserve" was miscalculated.... or, those hills ate up more fuel than I planned for.... almost making it to the runway is called "accident scene"....

So, take your bike, ride till almost empty then have a friend follow with a gallon of fuel that can be safely poured into your tank... then ride in a "safe area" (NEAR a gas station if possible)... where you can pull over when you run out of fuel. When bike starts to run strange, stop safely... you are out of fuel. If you can make it to the station, just go there and refuel... now you know what YOUR bike takes and how far it MIGHT go.

[BMWphreak]

The most I have gone on a single tank with my R1200RT is 305 miles (NE CT), but it still had at least 1 gallon left in the tank... I just got too worried!

The most on my R1150RT was 290 miles (NE NM) and it still had about 3/4 gallon left.

I too, am satisfied... in fact, this is the best bike I have ever owned.

[PlaneGeek]

Commuting to work and back - 75 miles round trip, C/C on 65 - I can get about 300+ on a tank. On good weeks I can average up to 57 mpg.

[GVPurvis]

I usually can get about 325 miles before I start looking for a fill up.The low fuel light has not started blinking,this is just my reminder to look for a gas station.Don't want to get on the interstate or a long straight a way where there might not be a close fueling place.

Vic
Maylene,Al
07RT and loving it :dance:

[bobmin]

I frequently ride 100 miles after the fuel light comes on which is usually between 200 and 220 miles. As long as the computer says I'm getting 45mpg or better, 300 miles is a given.

[Toms1100RT]

The light's on and I'm refueling at 265 on average, mostly hiway riding. Sweeet!

[peterb]

At IB rallying speeds, 325mi per tank is pretty standard. At more conservative touring and sightseeing speeds, I have gotten 360mpt. That's on the 07 R1200 RT that has 27K on the odo.

When I refuel I frequently load 7.4 - 7.6gal. I have only run out one time, with one more down hill into Reno on I-80, butt it wasn't in the cards. I missed a lot of bonus points by not getting there by 16:00 to have some eats w/ Reno John during the SPANK '08 rally.

I have reversed the gas filler assembly and drilled holes in the neck to aid in speedier fills and fuller fills. YMMV :bmw:

[johnnyray]

brand new r12rt, only open ride miles (3k) - averaging a steady 47 mpg (ave. speed displayed as 57 mph) -- some fully loaded, some not. I find the warning light comes on at 5 gallons used. I can run to "empty" and fill the tank, to the brim, at 6 gallons. Then the reserve kicks in. I once ran it 22 miles past "empty" on the computer display, then filled 6.47 gallons, which made sense with a 7 gallon tank. Must say, however, that the lat 40 miles or so were a little tense. Last trip (1800 miles in 2 full and 2 half days) I just pulled over when I saw a good fuel price. Much easier on the psyche than pushing it.

[AliMar]

It appears that perhaps, meaning its a theory of mine yet unproven, when traveling minimal highway speeds (60-65mph) in 6th gear MPG suffers. My thought is to keep up the speed the throttle needs to be open more to keep enough power to the rear wheel to overcome drag. Downshifting into 5th the motor is in a better torque range, works less and it much happier. :bike:

[motoguy128]

It appears that perhaps, meaning its a theory of mine yet unproven, when traveling minimal highway speeds (60-65mph) in 6th gear MPG suffers. My thought is to keep up the speed the throttle needs to be open more to keep enough power to the rear wheel to overcome drag. Downshifting into 5th the motor is in a better torque range, works less and it much happier. :bike:

I think it's a matter of the engine being more effecient at part throttle (Cruising) when at or above 3500RPM. So 5th gear gets better mileage under 70mph than 6th, unless you have a tailwind or are going downhill, then 6th might be slightly better.

While riding solo thsi weekend, I made an effort ot use a lower gear most of hte time and I think it helped. I recorded a personal best 50mph on the first leg, and 49mpg overall. The mileage dropepd mainly from riding 70-75mph on part of the return leg.

I think the bike would benefit from a shorter final drive most of the time. The gearing off the R or even the GS might be better. I find 2nd gear annoyingly tall at times. I'm not always thrilled about downshifting to 1st gear for some tighter corners around town.

[skyking96w]

My low fuel warning light comes on with approximately two gallons remaining. When the display says I have zero miles to empty there is actually a gallon or more remaining. I have occasionally gotten 280+ out of a tank and added 6+ gallons when I topped up.

I will NEVER run the tank dry to check out my absolute maximum range--except perhaps in an emergency--because the fuel pump is in the tank and is cooled by the fuel and running it completely or even nearly empty on a regular basis virtually guarantees premature pump failure.

[BCVBeck]

Rode 343 miles since last fill-up. Put 7.2 Gallons in the tank to fill up. I love my RT!