My bike consistently runs out of gas

[angellr]

I've had my bike less than a week (600 mile service tomorrow), and today I ran out of gas on the side of the highway (in a contruction zone with one-way traffic control ). I had 255 miles on the tank and the computer told me I had 39 miles remaining....more like zero.

Sorry, but the computer lied, plain and simple! Reset the TRIP 1 odometer every time you fill up and go approximately 180-200 miles between tanks. I NEVER, EVER, rely on the bikes 'puter to accurately calculate (or for that matter my cars) remaining fuel. I hope the next 600+ miles go a bit better!!

[Jedi5150]

I've had my bike less than a week (600 mile service tomorrow), and today I ran out of gas on the side of the highway (in a contruction zone with one-way traffic control ). I had 255 miles on the tank and the computer told me I had 39 miles remaining....more like zero.

Sorry, but the computer lied, plain and simple! Reset the TRIP 1 odometer every time you fill up and go approximately 180-200 miles between tanks. I NEVER, EVER, rely on the bikes 'puter to accurately calculate (or for that matter my cars) remaining fuel. I hope the next 600+ miles go a bit better!!

I travel from home (near Monterey, CA) to my brother's place near Salt Lake City (Tooele) on my motorcycles fairly often. Some of those gas stations on I-80 and I-50 through Nevada can be few and far between. I'm just happy to have gotten 255 miles to the tank. And that was filled on the side stand, not center. I figure that when I bump it up to 80 MPH average and add an 18" windshield I should still be getting over 200 miles to a tank with confidence. That's better than I've gotten before. My F800GS was closer to 160 a tank at fast highway speeds and even my 1200GS was scarcely over 180 before the fingernail biting began. I was obviously riding conservatively because of the break-in period, but I've never come close to 255 miles on a tank before. Aside from running out of gas, I was very impressed.

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

. . . Sorry, but the computer lied, plain and simple! . . .

I prefer to think of this as a 'garbage in / garbage out' thing. The computer if fine. It's the sensor strip that is the problem. IT would be nice if the factory could find a fix for this.

[dbrick]

You guys are looking for an absolute answer and it isn't available.

The rider gets to decide after each fill up when the bike should be filled up again. To do this, the rider can assess these four inputs:

a) The reading on the fuel gauge;

b) The miles-until-empty reading on the OBC;

c) The miles traveled on this fill up according to the trip odo; and

d) The rider's sense about how aggressive or fast that tank's been used weighed against gas usage during prior tankfulls.

That's a LOT of information. None is absolutely accurate, but my gosh - if you can't figure it out with these inputs, perhaps another hobby would be worth pursuing.

For myself: I reset the trip odo and average mileage on the OBC at each fillup. When I get past 180, I start thinking about gas. Oddly enough, that's when the fuel gauge tends to be down to a single bar, and the miles-to-empty reading dips below 40.

Truly, YMMV. But get a grip, it ain't rocket science.

[ContraMoto]

I was headed to San Francisco to see a Giants game last Thursday (it's a ~22mi trip). I was running late. OBC said 60 miles to go. Trip computer said I'd already ridden 220 miles. Whom to trust -- miles already ridden or the computer that doesn't really know how much fuel is already in my tank? I stopped and got a fill-up. Got 5 gallons in the tank, so there is NO WAY there was 60 miles left to travel.

The Giants won and I didn't run out of gas on the Bay Bridge. A good day, all told. :-)

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

I achieved a new data point today

Rode this morning the 120 miles to our monthly YB breakfast meeting. Arriving at 0800 with 200 and a few miles on the tank. So I was aware that I should fill up before getting back on the interstate on the way home. I even picked out the station I would use. Butt!

As sometimes happens, I decided to change the route home, and duly watched the gas situation. Right up until I dived onto the Mass Pike at Sturbridge. Once up to speed (in a driving rain no less), I remembered the gas. I really couldn't see the miles to empty thing, but did see that I was almost 250 miles on the tank. Quick calculation; I can't make my exit like this so I'll have to stop at Ludlow and pay the higher price. Should be good to go.

As I approached the service plaza I was over my previous max of 260 miles on a tank. That's when I started to feel the slight surge of the fuel pump getting bubbles! Ah! There's the sign: "2 miles to the Lutlow Plaza". WIll I make it? Well . . . no. At one mile to go, the engine stops and I pull over to the breakdown lane. It's still pouring, and we're on a very slight upgrade. No way am I gonna push, so I lean the bike as far as I can to the left without dropping it. Hopefully I'll get some gas to go from the right tank flap to the left where the pump suction is. Sure enough, now the bike starts. I'm off and up to 3rd gear. Make it to the station without further stalling.

So the total miles on the tank was 270. This was mixed driving. Some interstate, some 2 lane fun stuff. Put in 5.8 gallons to overflow the tank (that's 46+ mpg for you math challenged folks).

So here's the executive summary:
1 - Fill up to the max. Or, put another way, stuff the tank. Be sure to drive a few miles before setting the bike on the side stand.
2 - You should be safe for 220+ miles if you drive like a normal human.
3 - At 220 start looking for gas. When you fill up, stuff the tank!

As an aside, my computer was saying aroung 20 miles to empty when this happened. As far as I can tell, it's pretty consistent on this point. Donworryaboudit

[Patch]

I've had my bike less than a week (600 mile service tomorrow), and today I ran out of gas on the side of the highway (in a contruction zone with one-way traffic control ). I had 255 miles on the tank and the computer told me I had 39 miles remaining....more like zero.

We're pretty evenly spaced for mileage... my 600 service is scheduled for Saturday - and i've yet to run it dry. Kudos to you Jedi I am a chicken - i'll admit it. The old-fashioned reserve i'm used to was easy to rely on and given the differences in mileage that folks post i'm not really sure when i'll have the nerve or be close enough to home to run 'er dry 180 was my max distance and both times i only managed to get 3 - 3.2 gallons in.

[famousperson]

My gas guage is my trip odometer. On the highway I get a consistent 50 mpg, and I fill up between 200-225 miles. In town, short trips, I get, at most, 35 mpg, so I start looking for a station at 150. Occaisonally the low fuel light comes on (in town--I'm too paranoid to let it happen on the highway), and when that happens I'm stopped at the next gas station. I've never put less than 5 gallons in the tank in that case. I think the light is pretty reliable, at least it's worked for me. It would be interesting to know where it gets its information from and how much it thinks is left when it lights up. Is it hooked up to the "miles to empty" algorithm?


Peter Simon

[Anyname]

Not to be too much of a wise guy, but I think that the consistency with which your bike runs out of gas while showing 20 miles left is actually pretty good. I could remember that 20 left equals empty.

Running the tank down to the last 20 miles sounds like the kind of thing my wife does. I never have the nerve to get that close.

[redwing]

Not to be too much of a wise guy, but I think that the consistency with which your bike runs out of gas while showing 20 miles left is actually pretty good. I could remember that 20 left equals empty.

Running the tank down to the last 20 miles sounds like the kind of thing my wife does. I never have the nerve to get that close.

Anyname ....your wife...ouch...I bet she's a smart woman and makes good decisions, usually.. ... you could be in trouble..... I'll be using the trip odometer as suggested by all the previous posts...good advice.

Robert

[towerworker]

I am amazed at all of these stories of running out of gas and sitting on the side of the highway. I'm 56 (officially an old fart) been riding since I was 16. As a young fella I made some errors in judgement and had my share of running out of gas. As an old fart I like to think I've gained a tad bit of wisdom. One bit I learned was to not put all my trust in one small bit of technology, but rather back it up with something known. I reset my trip at each fill and I stay mindful of where I am, miles to go, miles on tank and so on. I haven't run out of gas since I was a teen. And I would hope I could get on my bike tomorrow and go ride and run out of gas! It's been a year since I last rode (due to illness) so to now have to hoof it with my R would be a joy.

Wayne

[2wheelfish]

I am amazed at all of these stories of running out of gas and sitting on the side of the highway. I'm 56 (officially an old fart) been riding since I was 16. As a young fella I made some errors in judgement and had my share of running out of gas. As an old fart I like to think I've gained a tad bit of wisdom. One bit I learned was to not put all my trust in one small bit of technology, but rather back it up with something known. I reset my trip at each fill and I stay mindful of where I am, miles to go, miles on tank and so on. I haven't run out of gas since I was a teen. And I would hope I could get on my bike tomorrow and go ride and run out of gas! It's been a year since I last rode (due to illness) so to now have to hoof it with my R would be a joy.

Wayne

Like a few here, I just ran out of gas, see the "Fuel Strip Victim" thread, and you are right. From now on I'm going to mix some old school in with the new, I trusted the new technology too much. I rode bikes for years with no fuel guage at all, how quickly we forget.

You have also given me a perspective that even while I am out standing on the side of the road pissed, at least I am out on a ride. I really hope for you to get well soon and go for a ride. Take care.

[xprof]

Exactly! I have run out of gas once when my "R" was new. I figured my tank was good for 250 miles because I had one time gotten 250 out of a tank and I entered a stretch of highway with 40 miles of no gas stations at just over 200 miles on the odo. Trouble is, I kept up a steady 80mph, rather than dropping back to 65 or even 55mph. I ran out one mile short of the station. That was my bad, and doesn't reflect at all on the bike. Won't happen again. Last week I found myself in the same situation out in Death Valley (I had thought I could buy gas at Scotty's Castle, but no such luck), so I dropped back to 55mph and drove the bike like I drive my Prius. Made it to Stovepipe Wells at 250 on the odo with no problem and enough gas left in the tank to have gotten me back to Furnace Creek if needed. Don't over-rely on technology, watch the odometer, use your brain, modify your behavior, and you will be fine. If not, don't blame the bike!

[angellr]

Exactly! I have run out of gas once when my "R" was new. I figured my tank was good for 250 miles because I had one time gotten 250 out of a tank and I entered a stretch of highway with 40 miles of no gas stations at just over 200 miles on the odo. Trouble is, I kept up a steady 80mph, rather than dropping back to 65 or even 55mph. I ran out one mile short of the station. That was my bad, and doesn't reflect at all on the bike. Won't happen again. Last week I found myself in the same situation out in Death Valley (I had thought I could buy gas at Scotty's Castle, but no such luck), so I dropped back to 55mph and drove the bike like I drive my Prius. Made it to Stovepipe Wells at 250 on the odo with no problem and enough gas left in the tank to have gotten me back to Furnace Creek if needed. Don't over-rely on technology, watch the odometer, use your brain, modify your behavior, and you will be fine. If not, don't blame the bike!

I have also been looking at traveling with the rotopax http://www.rotopax.com/1-gallon-gasolin ... acket.html gas containers for such an event when traveling off the beaten path. Also, as stated earlier, I just use the odometer to meter my fuel usage.

[famousperson]

I miss the good old reserve lever. The low fuel light, even if accurate, isn't the same thing. Sput...sput...oops, out of gas! Reach beneath the seat and you're good to go. Low tech wins again.

[Jed]

Not to be too much of a wise guy, but I think that the consistency with which your bike runs out of gas while showing 20 miles left is actually pretty good. I could remember that 20 left equals empty.

Running the tank down to the last 20 miles sounds like the kind of thing my wife does. I never have the nerve to get that close.

Anyname ....your wife...ouch...I bet she's a smart woman and makes good decisions, usually.. ... you could be in trouble..... I'll be using the trip odometer as suggested by all the previous posts...good advice.

I regularly run my vehicles very close to empty, . . . I guess I always have. It's always been important to me to know how predictable my fuel gauges are. So I run both my Outback (240K) and the R12R (14K) down well into "fuel light on" territory. I've got enough extra weight on my person, no need to carry extra fuel that I don't need as well. Gauges don't need to be accurate as much as they need to be predictable and produce similar results time after time. My fuel gauge shows empty when I've got from -2 to 10 miles left. So in my case 2-3 miles is my "zero point".

I agree with the other posters that talked about "back-off" the throttle as well. It's easy enough to "hyper-mile" these bikes just by keeping to the speed limit and keeping the rev's down towards 3K. The longer I own this R12R the more I grow to believe that it's the perfect bike for me right now. That being said, I'm still looking for something lighter, smaller, more "low-side slide" friendly and cheaper - That I can use as a gymkhana training bike.

[mogu83]

I only trust a motorcycle fuel gage as far as I can throw the bike. That's why most bikes have trip odometers and if they don't a $24 bicycle speedometer (with trip odometer) does the job nicely. To me the fuel gage is just and interesting toy, much like the gear indicator (we do have a stock tachometer) and ambient temperature indicator.

[08_r1200r]

Ran out of gas a couple of times.

Last time bike claimed I had 48 miles until I was empty. I have a 22 mile commute so I assumed I could make it 1/2 way to Costco to fill up before I ran out of gas...about 1/2 mile from Costco bike claimed I had 36 miles until empty and I ran out of gas and pushed to gas station.

I told the dealership this, http://www.bmw-ducati.com/default.asp, when I took my bike in for it's 18k maintenance (holy cow that's an expensive one) and service manager told me what I had already read over and over again that the fuel strip is not exact and I should us my odometer to gauge when I need to fill up. Seemed fair enough based on what I'd read.

Filled the tank up when I got the bike back and drove 126 miles when low gas light came on and the display claimed I had 220 miles until empty....that seeming a bit odd/extreme I called the dealership back to share this with them.

I just got off the phone with the dealership and they replaced the fuel strip claiming that 2/4 pins on the fuel strip were "way out of spec" and replaced it.

We'll see how well it works now.

[ContraMoto]

Was out for a short ride this weekend. Computer said I had 155 miles till empty. I rode about 10 miles (riding fast/hard in the hills) and it then said I had 170 miles till empty.

Moral of the story: Use the trip odometer!

[Jed]

I posted this in the wrong thread earlier:

A couple of data points from my 2010 R12R with 15K miles. 65% of my riding is commuting (50% slab @ 80 mph / 50% back roads @ 50 mph) and the other 35% is spirited back road riding (wow, we're up to 200% already !!). I've kept mileage and fueling records since the bike was new since much of my riding is charged as business travel.

On my last tank, the starting fuel volume was about 5.3 gals (my normal "high fill" / US gallons) which yielded 261 miles with 0 miles to empty showing on the OBC - so approx 49.25 mpg for that tank. On my normal "high fill" the fuel is about 1/2" above the bottom of the filler neck. I figure my normal "high fill" is as much as an additional .5 gallons over the rated capacity of the tank. I just refueled this morning - 4.8 gal to the bottom of the filler neck (so a normal "low fill") - I'm guessing the tank was very close to dry this morning.

** fuel light came at @ 215 miles on the trip odometer with the OBC showing 41 Miles To Empty **

Over 15,040 miles since new, I've used 318.6 gal of fuel for a lifetime (thus far) average since new of 47.2 mpg.
Not bad for a bike with this kind of performance not to mention that I'm not a particularly "gentle" rider.