Actual fuel capacity

[jojosz]

I noted that fueling the FJ on the center stand get you at least an extra .3 gallon/.5 liters. The most fuel I got into the tank was 5.1 gallon/19.3 liters - never ran it dry 🙂

The little extra fuel has been very useful on my long-distance travels. The largest  distance on one tank was 260 miles (on a sunny day heading East through Kansas into Wichita).

[Willie17FJ-09]

that's good to know. I just bought my 2017 and it has about 300 miles on it now. I am still trying to figure out this gas gauge. Probably better off going by mileage. 

[jojosz]

4 minutes ago, Willie17FJ-09 said:

that's good to know. I just bought my 2017 and it has about 300 miles on it now. I am still trying to figure out this gas gauge. Probably better off going by mileage. 

Rode the FJ for 110k miles (traded for BMW GS last August) and thought that was useful info.

When the reserve light comes on, I got at least 30 miles @ 60mph steady. Most I rode on reserve was 35 miles.

 

[2and3cylinders]

On 1/16/2020 at 4:47 PM, jojosz said:

I noted that fueling the FJ on the center stand get you at least an extra .3 gallon/.5 liters. The most fuel I got into the tank was 5.1 gallon/19.3 liters - never ran it dry 🙂

The little extra fuel has been very useful on my long-distance travels. The largest  distance on one tank was 260 miles (on a sunny day heading East through Kansas into Wichita).

How in the heck could you squeeze in 5.1 gallons into a sub 4.8 gallon tank, let alone get 260 miles on it?!  I start sweating at 175 miles, and squirming at 185 miles... 

[betoney]

20 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

How in the heck could you squeeze in 5.1 gallons into a sub 4.8 gallon tank, let alone get 260 miles on it?!  I start sweating at 175 miles, and squirming at 185 miles... 

+1     175-185 is my normal, I have hit 200 or above only 3 times.

[jojosz]

8 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

How in the heck could you squeeze in 5.1 gallons into a sub 4.8 gallon tank, let alone get 260 miles on it?!  I start sweating at 175 miles, and squirming at 185 miles... 

I was also surprised by the tank capacity - found it out by accident (closed fuel station). The trick to get the extra .3 seems to be filling the tank with the FJ on the center stand.

260 miles on one tank is surely an outlier - on a flat straight backroad at steady 60-65mph, and probably with a slight tail wind.  My regular range (outside the city) until fueling was 200-210 miles at around 45mpg. Maybe I had a very frugal FJ or I am just a geezer 😉

 

[2and3cylinders]

95% of time I fill up on the centerstand.  Now I've got to believe the stated capacity but have never had it bone dry and filled up.  I always try to get the gas to just pop up through the holes at the bottom of the filler neck but not overflow.  Why be wasteful and risk overflowing with premium?  I did once have it overflow when the darn pump filler gun stuck open, and gas ran up and over everything.  I was so pissed I ran into the station and grabbed 2 gallon bottles of drinking water without paying, and ran back out and rinsed off the bike. I then went back in and yelled at and warned the attendant about the defective pump! Consequently, I fumed the whole way home, which was not far enough to need to fill up again, and dont recall subsequent total mileage.  The next day I stripped off all the bodywork, washed the bike and plastic, and protective spray treated everything before reassembly.  The gas station owner said they checked the pump and found nothing wrong.  BS!

On tour I carry a couple of 1.3L camping fuel bottles.

Being somewhat elderly, I cant remember for sure the farthest I've gone on a full tank but I know it was under 200 and that was taking it VERY  easy (for me anyway) just to see how far it'd go.  If I recall I maybe had 2/10ths of a gallon left out of the 4.78 gallon capacity.  It's not supposed to be a true 4.8...

[DavidS]

I've hit 200 miles a few times, but get too nervous to go further than that. I know the bike has more range, because when I fill up after running 200 miles, I don't even come close hitting the fuel capacity of the tank (as stated by Yamaha).

I bought an extra fuel container, when I first got my FJ 09, but stopped carrying it about a year after I got the bike. I know I can go 200+ miles, and when I get to 150 miles, I start looking for gas. I haven't had a situation where I couldn't find gas with 50 miles left in the tank. I also have an AMA membership which will get me a fuel delivery if I do ever run out.

My 2 cents....

[fddriver2]

Like others posting I've hit 200+ miles a couple times. However being old and lame, somewhere around around 150-ish miles I'm looking to get some water or other beverage and take a look around. 

I've been all over the US using the interstates. I used to pick up antiques for a private collector. I travel the smaller back roads these days, especially on the bike.

The best claimed mileage I've ever gotten on the FJ.

 

 

[mainjet]

On 1/18/2020 at 5:37 AM, jojosz said:

I was also surprised by the tank capacity - found it out by accident (closed fuel station). The trick to get the extra .3 seems to be filling the tank with the FJ on the center stand.

260 miles on one tank is surely an outlier - on a flat straight backroad at steady 60-65mph, and probably with a slight tail wind.  My regular range (outside the city) until fueling was 200-210 miles at around 45mpg. Maybe I had a very frugal FJ or I am just a geezer 😉

 

I put 4.6 gallons in on a refill once.  Figured that was as close to being empty as I ever want to get again.

Mainjet

[KANNON]

It might be possible to add some capacity by peening holes in filler neck.I know the people over at the s10 forum do this mod including myself and on that tank adds .3 to .4 tenths of a gallon.That air space is there for a reason and if you fill all the way up you need to ride it now.

[jojosz]

19 hours ago, KANNON said:

It might be possible to add some capacity by peening holes in filler neck.I know the people over at the s10 forum do this mod including myself and on that tank adds .3 to .4 tenths of a gallon.That air space is there for a reason and if you fill all the way up you need to ride it now.

No mods required or useful for the FJ. It’s possible to fill the tank to the rim without any mods, but this is not advisable as the fuel will spill if you put the bike on the side stand. My initial post was not advocating for overfilling the tank, just noting that the Yamaha spec of 4.8 gallon is really conservative + that filling on the center stand makes a difference.

Edited January 22, 2020 by jojosz

[coachluciano]

1 hour ago, jojosz said:

No mods requires or useful for the FJ. It’s possible to fill the tank to the rim without any mods, but this is not advisable as the fuel will spill if you put the bike on the side stand. My initial post was not advocating for overfilling the tank, just noting that the Yamaha spec of 4.8 gallon is really conservative + that filling on the center stand makes a difference.

Don't fill up your tank beyond the bottom plate in the fill hole - there is a breather hose in there and if you plug it with gas, bike no start

[maximo]

When I use my '15 for just commuting, I do so on B Mode, set the cruise at 65, do 50 miles of uninterrupted freeway, and I always gas up 200+ miles. Usually it takes 4.3 gallons, so I know that under those conditions I still have another 25 miles in fuel. 

Regular riding (A Mode, active R wrist, lots of speed changes) I gas up when I hit 140. I've come pretty close to running out even below 140. 

[micah2074]

I regularly get 200ish miles per tank. Usually fill up when the gauge starts blinking. Longest I’ve gone was 236 miles on a tank going across Oregon. Filled up with 4.5 gallons after that. 

Edit:

Thats in the summer. My mileage goes down in the colder weather.