captainscarlet Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I'm not asking for shaft drive or off-road capability. Yamaha could have given this bike a 20-22 liter tank without really changing its character. Hell, the frickin Moto Guzzi V7 carries 22L and it weighs somewhere around 400lbs dripping wet.Yeah but surely you knew the size of the tank and potential range before buying the bike?! CS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted June 11, 2016 Author Premium Member Share Posted June 11, 2016 Yeah but surely you knew the size of the tank and potential range before buying the bike?! CS Not only that, but I bought it in spite of the dreadful stock windshield, too. To be fair, I clearly stated in the thread title that this would be a rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsimple Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 every bike has something to piss and moan about. keithu has found his personal demon and it will haunt him till the end of his days. /sarcasm 2015 Red FJ 09 2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold 2012 DL650 V Strom - sold 2007 FZ6 - sold 1986 FJ600 - sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 In my opinion, a proper sport touring bike should have a fuel range of at least 250 miles at normal speeds, which translates to 150-200 miles at basin-and-range speeds. Also, a knock sensor would be nice so I don't have to worry about low octane fuel. I've been on very few bikes that can do more than 250 miles on a tank without modification. Furthermore, I've typically had plenty more fuel left when most of my sports touring buddies need fuel. At those ranges, you're starting to get into excessive weights when the tank is full. I can get around 200 miles when I'm touring though. Around town, I get admittedly poor range. Keep in mind too, that once the low fuel indicator comes on, you probably still have around 40 or 50 miles in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsrrider Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I live and ride in the area of the OP's ride and gas stations can be an issue for sure. Having just sold a KTM 1290 SA (with an 8 gallon tank) I can tell you it's really liberating having that kind of range flexibility. Unfortunately, that (and the motor) were about the only things that endeared me to the KTM. The OP is right about riders that say "I need to get off the bike every hour or so anyway" IMO they are just rationalizing their lack of range. Needing gas every 130 miles (like my sport-bike riding buddies) just sucks. That said, the FJ appears to capable of better than that and I suggest that if you are riding in the areas that I do that you carry a tiny bottle of octane booster and a fuel siphon hose. I also carry an MSR 1 QT bottle of fuel. Obviously 1 QT won't get you far but it may get you to a better spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member fanowater Posted June 12, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted June 12, 2016 I agree with Keithu, the bike should have come with a larger gas tank. If you ride in States like Utah, Nevada, etc., it can be a long way between stations. I once had to ride at 60 mph for 31 miles on I-70 in Utah (80 mph max speed allowed) because the low fuel light was flashing. Getting passed by semi's and cars towing tent trailers was funny and humiliating at the same time. When I finally reached a town big enough to have gas, the tank only took 3.97 gallons. So I should rant about the inaccuracy of the gas gage too! Cheers 2015 FJ-09 2006 Triumph Daytona 675 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duhs10 Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 ... When I finally reached a town big enough to have gas, the tank only took 3.97 gallons. So I should rant about the inaccuracy of the gas gage too! This is why you should keep up with the mileage yourself. I agree with your gripe about the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge (or atleast it's design). But I think the size of the tank is sufficient. I can easilY get 180 to 200 miles out of a tank. The FJ is not a true sport touring bike, it's a sport bike that leans towards touring. I think people forget that its not a FJR. '15 FJ-09 w/ lots of extras... Fayetteville, GA, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member fanowater Posted June 12, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted June 12, 2016 ... When I finally reached a town big enough to have gas, the tank only took 3.97 gallons. So I should rant about the inaccuracy of the gas gage too!This is why you should keep up with the mileage yourself. I agree with your gripe about the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge (or atleast it's design). But I think the size of the tank is sufficient. I can easilY get 180 to 200 miles out of a tank. The FJ is not a true sport touring bike, it's a sport bike that leans towards touring. I think people forget that its not a FJR. I agree with you about keeping up with the mileage. I use the 1st trip meter to know exactly how far I have rolled since the last stop. The manual says the fuel warning comes on when gas drops to 0.6 gallons, and since I top off the tank every time when touring, the thing should not have even come on. I went 208 miles on 3.97 gallons that instance. The FJ is a comfy sport bike and that is exactly why I bought it. However, it could have come with a slightly bigger tank. Cheers 2015 FJ-09 2006 Triumph Daytona 675 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mukiwa Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I think the low fuel range is a secret ploy by Yamaha to get the market to accept their yet-to-be produced electric bikes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted June 13, 2016 Author Premium Member Share Posted June 13, 2016 I agree with Keithu, the bike should have come with a larger gas tank. If you ride in States like Utah, Nevada, etc., And these are the kinds of places where the roads just beg you to open up the throttle. There are roads in Nevada and eastern Oregon where 80mph is rather sedate. Fuel economy on the FJ drops off sharply after 80 mph, meaning I have to limit not only where I ride but how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted June 13, 2016 Author Premium Member Share Posted June 13, 2016 I think the low fuel range is a secret ploy by Yamaha to get the market to accept their yet-to-be produced electric bikes? It's all about that "wet weight" number. Everybody looks at that when comparing bikes. But nobody (except me and a few other screwballs) looks at fuel capacity. It's not as sexy as light weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsimple Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 but seriously, I just did a 300 mile trip. I made sure to fill up every time as I get about 150-180 per tank because I like a mode in 3rd gear. Carry spare gas. I rode a WR250R with a 1.75 gallon tank. Now that was interesting 2015 Red FJ 09 2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold 2012 DL650 V Strom - sold 2007 FZ6 - sold 1986 FJ600 - sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suncoaster Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 I get about 150-180 per tank because I like a mode in 3rd gear. With TCS off ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsimple Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 I get about 150-180 per tank because I like a mode in 3rd gear. With TCS off ? Is there another way? God I wish I could program it (ecu) myself for less than 4 bills!!!! 2015 Red FJ 09 2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold 2012 DL650 V Strom - sold 2007 FZ6 - sold 1986 FJ600 - sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainscarlet Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 On the stretch from Prineville to Burns I rode 250 miles and passed just one gas station, and it only offered 87 octane regular or diesel. Obviously I bought the regular because I had no choice. On the next stretch, Burns to Winnemucca, likewise the only fuel available for 220 miles was 87 octane. It seems that in the last 10 years or so many rural stations have dropped premium fuel.Let me know if I've got the logic wrong here, but as I understand it the only two fuel stations within approximately 500 miles of riding provided only 87 octane. It seems to me that it wouldn't matter what you were riding you still wouldn't have the range to get the fuel you prefer. In my opinion, a proper sport touring bike should have a fuel range of at least 250 miles at normal speeds, which translates to 150-200 miles at basin-and-range speeds. Also, a knock sensor would be nice so I don't have to worry about low octane fuel.The thing is the sports touring category doesn't fit that bill. Not very scientific or providing coverage of every bike in the category, this is MCN's list of tested sports tourers: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/type-sports-tourer/ Of the 58 bikes they've tested only 9 had a published range of 200+ miles. A grand total of none had a published range of 250 miles. If you then look at their list of touring bikes, on which you'd expect large tanks and good range, only 4 of 30 had a range of more than 250 miles. So if you want 250 plus miles get one of the following: Honda F6B Triumph Trophy Honda Pan European BMW R1150RT Not sure any of the above are quite as versatile or as much fun day-to-day as the Tracer. CS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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