Fuel range rant

[rickrides]

I rode up to Big Bear Lake, CA on Highway 38 Sunday. The bike said I was averaging about 41 MPG and I was not being light on the throttle. My wife was at work. I then rode over to Running Springs on Highway 18 and down Highway 330 to the freeway and to Riverside. Averaged 49 MPG per the bike for that trip.
 
According to the bike, which is close as I check when I fill up, I am averaging high 40s to low 50s so far.
 
I have a smooth throttle hand on the freeway and keep the speed at between 75-80 when I can to keep moving just a bit faster than traffic. I like the acceleration the FJ offers but don't often redline the bike--no need.
 
 

[keithu]

Hi Captainscarlet. Sorry I wasn't clear, what I meant was that there were good gas stations at the beginning and end of the 250 mile stretch, just not in the middle. Since the FJ can't go 250 miles on one tank - especially at higher speeds - I had to gas up at the station with substandard fuel.
 
You're definitely right that most sport tourers don't offer 250 mile range. But I can dream, right?
 
If all I cared about was range I'd get an FJR1300. It has a huge tank and 87 PON is in spec. But it's no FJ.

[gwader]

Oh, and finally...... Why the heck are we concerned about mileage? Don't we ride for the FUN of it, not to save gas? 

-S
 
 
 
 
LOL. Amen to that!
 
Greg

 

[1moreroad]

... 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.
 
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.

Didn't you have a fuel cell on your TT600?  You're probably not the average rider.  The range on this bike is slightly longer than my old Ninja 600 (like 20 miles more), so I'm just back to touring like I've always known it.  Maybe adjust your route slightly to pop up to larger towns or close to interstates occasionally?  Around here we have plenty of mom and pop service stations, but premium is only available in towns with at least 2000 people.  That or start running around with MSR bottles as was the standard advice 10 years ago. 

Oh, and finally...... Why the heck are we concerned about mileage? Don't we ride for the FUN of it, not to save gas?

 
Look at the OP.  He's riding for the FUN of it on routes with 200+ miles between gas stations.
 

[1moreroad]

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

Did something similar on my Iron Butt.  We were making good time (going a little fast), and I failed to account for that in fuel mileage to the first gas stop.  I ended up in a full race tuck for 20 miles at 50-55 mph on a highway to make the first gas stop.  The time lost ended up not mattering because we lost a lot more.  A bolt on the BMW with the fantastic tank range backed out so that rider lost his clutch.  We had to wait until the local Home Depot opened up so we could replace the bolt.  Still finished the Iron Butt in 22 hours. 

[captainscarlet]

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.

You're right of course. What were Yamaha thinking not designing the bike around the requirements of the residents of Utah and Nevada.  Especially as these two states account for the vast majority of FJ/MT 09 worldwide sales.  Oh wait hang on..... 
CS

[1moreroad]

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.

You're right of course. What were Yamaha thinking not designing the bike around the requirements of the residents of Utah and Nevada.  Especially as these two states account for the vast majority of FJ/MT 09 worldwide sales.  Oh wait hang on..... 
CS

Fanowater describes a good chunk of the American West where a large % of motorcycles are sold (EDIT: this is a guess and refers to "real" motorcycles.  It's difficult to judge international sales of "real" motorcycles since, in the world, scooters < 200 cc make up the majority of motorcycles).  There are 2 million motorcycles registered from the Rockies west.  Go ride it - it really is fantastic.  Some of the best street riding in the world.  Just plan your fuel stops.  Australian riders are probably also affected by this need. 
I'd also think that, as you get close the Arctic Circle in countries like Sweden or Norway, that you have long distances between fuel stations.  Not personal knowledge, but a guess judging by geography and expected population density.
 
This link: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1699957 has some interesting photos of distances between stops.  250 mile tank range could make it on the first 3 roads.
 

[captainscarlet]

Fanowater describes a good chunk of the American West where a large % of motorcycles are sold (EDIT: this is a guess and refers to "real" motorcycles.  It's difficult to judge international sales of "real" motorcycles since, in the world, scooters < 200 cc make up the majority of motorcycles).  There are 2 million motorcycles registered from the Rockies west.  

That's a very big guess.  Whilst I agree that small bikes are a big part of Yamaha's worldwide business, the fact is that North America (that's the entire US and Canada) only accounted for just over 6% of Yamaha's total motorcycle sales last year. Asia had the biggest chunk of the pie at just over 60% and we can probably assume that most of that was smaller bikes.  Europe had more than double the sales of North America and it's probably fair to say that most of that was larger bikes. More info here: 
http://global.yamaha-motor.com/ir/data/mc/
 
The point is Yamaha is building the Tracer for a worldwide market, the vast majority of which is not in the US west of the Rockies.  If people need to do big distances between fuel stops then there are only a handful of full-on tourers that can do that.  Alternatively we're into the realms of rally raiders with monstrous fuel tanks.
 
I live in northern Sweden and have yet to find the fuel range of the Tracer to be a problem.
 
By the way I'd be delighted to ride west of the Rockies some time, if you provide an FJ-09 with the range to do it 
 
CS
 
 
 

[CDog]

As a long time resident of Utah I can tell you that I have no problem with the fuel range on my FJ, My previous FJR or my previous Triumph Trophy. I am not light on the throttle..
 
I bought this bike march 2015 and have 16500 miles on the bike in 15 months. I ride it all over the place. 800 mile two day weekends are normal. 
 
Utah has some of the Finest roads around for a bike like this. I have NEVER seen a stretch of road that I have to worry about finding gas on, this includes Montana, Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming. I stop and gas up at 100-150 miles just like I don't run on the bottom 1/4 tank of gas in my car.
 
What I do not understand, is how the bike range matters that much. I can go 200 miles but you will never catch me attempting to tour (blow twisties up) at the bikes max range. I do let it get low in the city when there is a gas station at every corner during the week commuting. 
 
As far as mileage goes, I don't care. I do not expect to save money by taking my bike over my car. By the time I ad in chain lube, oil changes, Plexis windscreen cleaner for my helmet and most of all,  tires and one more insurance payment assuming the bike is paid off. So the Bike is a toy and costs money, even if I get 100 MPG (and I dont) its still more expensive to run than my VW GLI
 
My 2cents
 
 
 

[DavidS]

Anyone with google maps can just type in "Gas Stations" instead of a location and google will show the available stations on a map. (note: if you scroll in to show a higher level of detail, you will see many more stations)
 
This doesn't excuse you from planning ahead and making sure you know where you will be re-fueling in remote areas, but I have personally never had a route where I didn't have multiple options for getting gas long before my FJ-09's limit. On the other hand, if you just want to ride, and feel personally slighted when a gas station isn't located at the place you find yourself when you start running low, go back to the city and ride there.

[root]

Anyone with google maps can just type in "Gas Stations" instead of a location and google will show the available stations on a map. (note: if you scroll in to show a higher level of detail, you will see many more stations) 
This doesn't excuse you from planning ahead and making sure you know where you will be re-fueling in remote areas, but I have personally never had a route where I didn't have multiple options for getting gas long before my FJ-09's limit. On the other hand, if you just want to ride, and feel personally slighted when a gas station isn't located at the place you find yourself when you start running low, go back to the city and ride there.

Although I agree with the thought that the FJ has enough range, it's best to get a dedicated GPS or at least a GPS app with POI's and maps stored locally on the device instead of relying on having an Internet connection to google. If gas stations are few and far between in an area, cell towers are likely to be sparse as well.

[1moreroad]

By the way I'd be delighted to ride west of the Rockies some time, if you provide an FJ-09 with the range to do it 
 

 

[CDog]

You can now download sections of Google maps so an internet connection is not required, I have my local Area Downloaded.. When I went to Fort Collins CO I downloaded that area as I knew I would be out of cell coverage for part of my ride.. 
 
Hope that helps... It also DL gas stations and other POI as well

[britelitebob]

Well I hope I don't upset anyone, but I've also had a bit of trouble adjusting to the fj's limited range.
 
I'm very bad at keeping an eye on my fuel gauge and I usually run my tanks down pretty low before refueling.
 
 
Up until I bought the fj most of my previous street bikes had 250+- mile range with a decent reserve so I guess I was a bit spoiled as well.
 
 
Lucky for me most of my riding buddies have had bikes with smaller fuel tanks and they would be looking for fuel long before I needed it so I just concentrated on the important things like finding twisty roads and where the best barbecue joint for lunch was located.
 
 
I'm now starting to get used to the fj's range, but for the first 2,000 miles or so, between the smaller tank and the funky fuel gauge, I came real close to having to go on a fuel hike more than once.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[DavidS]

I was watching the Motorcycle Magazines online review of the BMW S1000XR and the Ducati Multistrada 1200S, and I found myself comparing their mpg and range to my FJ-09. The data for the BMW and Multistrada are from the article, the FJ-09 data is from my personal experience.
 
Doesn't appear that the range of the FJ-09 is out of line with what other bikes get
 
Fuel Capacity
BMW - 5.3 gal
Multi - 5.3 gal
FJ09 - 4.8 gal
 
Fuel Mileage (Avg)
BMW - 39 mpg
Multi - 40 mpg
FJ09 - 45 mpg
 
Range (including reserve)
BMW - 207 miles
Multi - 212 miles
FJ09 - 216 miles