Yamaha has some serious explaining to do

[2and3cylinders]

Skip

My mileage sucked even before Dave flashed it...

[EJD87]

2 hours ago, TomTracer said:

At 120 miles my 2020 tracer fuel guage makes its first drop. It then drops and I know I will get 180+-. If you know that, Yamaha has nothing to explain. IMO.

Sure, but my issue isn’t one of MPG, it’s the actual capacity of the tank being different enough from what Yamaha advertises.

[PhotoAl]

With my 2020 Tracer 900 GT my gas mileage can vary substantially.  Have posted about this before but yes the gauge is wacky and once it get to 1/2 tank it seems to drop pretty quickly.  6 weeks ago but nearly 7,000 miles ago I adjusted my valves.  Since then it has been consistently getting in the high 40s to 50mpg locally.  That is interstate running at the Alabama enforced limit of 79mph and stop and go.  Things that affect mileage are speed, altitude and gas.  On my trip I noticed significant variations in mileage yet similar speed and altitude.  Best I can tell, alcohol content varies significantly.  Some gas seems to be have very little alcohol while other a lot maybe more than it should.  This is from stations like Chevron and Shell and others and always 91 or 93.  On the latest trip I did not one time fill with 87 as 91 or better was available.

How much does it hold?  No clue!  I always fill with the bike the side stand and get the gas level where it is halfway over the plate with the big and smaller holes in it - I think of this as the full point.  Fill to where the pump shuts off automatically then pull the nozzle out and carefully top it off.  A couple of times ran 2 or 3 miles into reserve and put in 4.1 or 4.2 gallons.  I thought the tank held 4.6 gallons but that seems about right if averaging 45 to 48 MPG that 25 miles would take 1/2 gallon.  My best mileage was in Yellowstone were the speed limit is 45mph and the altitude is higher than sea level.  Had 200 miles and still 2 bars - it was high 60s as I recall.  The bike seems to think it has used less gas than actually.  Usually filling up at 3.2 to 3.5 gallons used and put in .1 to .2 gallons more than the bike says it has used.

Locally don't pay so much attention to mileage but keep an eye on it.  Usually gt to 1/2 tank at 110 to 116 miles.  On long trips particularly as I get to more remote areas I keep a close eye on how much I've consumed, how far I've gone, how much is left and where is the next gas.  Many times I've filled up at a station where the next available gas was 70 or more miles away.

For me the size of the gas tank is very well coordinated with my body ability to sit on the seat while using up that much fuel.  When I'm down to 2 bars I'm ready for a stop.

[Ride365]

14 hours ago, skipperT said:

It’s the O2 controller that’s doing that you know…. If you disconnect it, have a stock ECM and reconnect the O2 sensor you’ll probably rise to 50+ mpg. 

Any of these “Kevs O2 controller” or Ivan’s, or whichever one you buy off eBay - do the same thing:  trick the ECM in staying in open-loop FI and ignore the O2 sensor. Basically running rich at idle and part throttle positions. 
 

…Which makes the bike much nicer to ride, but kills your fuel mileage. 
HTH,

-Skip

Have a booster plug on mine now, gas mileage has changed very little if any.

[peteinpa]

Got to do searches, bike is 7 yrs. old.  It's been covered.

Also pierce air holes in filler neck to let air out.  Good for .3-.5 gallon more in at fill up.

 

[EJD87]

28 minutes ago, peteinpa said:

Got to do searches, bike is 7 yrs. old.  It's been covered.

Also pierce air holes in filler neck to let air out.  Good for .3-.5 gallon more in at fill up.

 

Thanks man, this was helpful!

[skipperT]

1 hour ago, Ride365 said:

Have a booster plug on mine now, gas mileage has changed very little if any.

Oh, ok. Hey YMMV, right?

🤣

On a re-read, the tone of my post may have been off a bit - I was just trying to explain what these o2 controllers do and how they could affect mileage and run ability.

I personally feel that mileage is very subjective due to operational and riding habits. I’ve noticed on my bike that when I’m riding hard, mileage goes down. “Riding hard” to me may be what someone else’s normal ride is, for example. And I’m prematurely just riding like an old guy. Which I can’t really say either because I’m gonna be 50 and I know some 60+ y.o. that ride it like they stole it every time they go out. 

twist and grin,

-Skip

[texscottyd]

On 9/22/2022 at 8:21 PM, EJD87 said:

my first bar would disappear after 45 or so miles and I would be on "reserve" between 110-115 miles.

Hi @EJD87 - That’s my clue that you’re not getting the bike full of fuel for whatever reason.  The gas gauge on the FJ is very odd, and non-linear…. It will show full for a long time (I often still have the first ‘full’ bar showing 100 miles into the tank), but then starts sinking quickly.   It’s caught a lot of people off-guard:  “How can it be full at 100 miles, and bone dry at 180?”  

Do you fill it on the center stand, and be persistent about continuing to top off after the pump’s automated shut-off activates?   You can get an extra half-gallon in there if you’re patient and persistent.  

According to the on-board computer, my FJ has averaged about 43 mpg over 23K+ miles.   I’ve never bothered to manually calculate to verify, but I’m guessing tanks range from the mid-30s to upper-40s, depending on how I’m riding on any given day.  

[1moreroad]

On 9/23/2022 at 6:24 PM, skipperT said:

Basically running rich at idle and part throttle positions. 

I thought it was just off idle not part throttle. That's why I figured it would not have much effect on fuel mileage at highway speeds. 

@2and3cylinders - I prefer the trip meter to the petcock. 😀 I have thrown a petcock while commuting on the 405 and the engine stumbles more than I'd like to admit trying to get one more ride in before filling the tank.

[micah2074]

According to a pump in Douglas AZ, I once put 4.72 gallons in my FJ. The last station we passed in Rodeo NM was closed and we had to ease our way into AZ for gas. That was a long 50 miles. 

[Clegg78]

Like others, I get between 44 -50mpg on my Tracer 900GT with luggage on it and my fat ass slung on the seat.   The fuel gauge is largely useless.  I have one of the data field setups showing Miles ridden (trip 1 for me), and average MPG, and Fuel Consumed and Average MPG.  I reset both at every fill up.   Last trip I forgot to fill up before I headed out and was doing the maths on the ride if I would hit the reserve level before I got to a gas station.  Turned out I was fine.    

I've found fuel consumed to be the best measure to watch... its never accurate exactly, and on hot days if you ride and park or the bike sits for a while, you'll lose a measurable amount of gas in evap.   I think if I rode and it said I used 3.8Gal, when I fill up I would expect it to be 4 Gal going in to the tank.   

I plan for 180miles as a worst case scenario on a tank when I plan a trip... and that leaves extremely little wiggle room if there is a very strong headwind or something.   I try to aim for 150mi fill-ups when I am in the middle of nowhere. 

With all that said, the OP's FJ isn't getting the right mileage or distance on a tank at all. 

[2and3cylinders]

On my 15, I programed Trip 1 & 2, 1 is my mileage on the tank and I have it on 2 screens.  I have average, trip time, current mpg, and ambient & engine temps.

My 15 does not have Fuel Consumed?

[piotrek]

3 hours ago, micah2074 said:

According to a pump in Douglas AZ, I once put 4.72 gallons on n my FJ. The last station we passed in Rodeo NM was closed and we had to ease our way into AZ for gas. That was a long 50 miles. 

Feels like winning a lottery when you finally see the pump.

[micah2074]

17 hours ago, piotrek said:

Feels like winning a lottery when you finally see the pump.

Gosp’l Truth 

[bwringer]

Dumb question, but my manual is not nearby: what's this "reserve" you're talking about?

I've been down to the very last bar on the gauge before, but does something else happen after that? Does it start blinking, is there a secret lever to flip, do beepers start beeping, or what?

2015 here. And according to the on-board stuff, I'm averaging around 43mpg for general vigorous plonking around. Less if ridden in full attack mode, of course. And yep, the first segment usually disappears right at 100 miles.

Edited September 27, 2022 by bwringer