motorcycle fuel range

[spasm3]

I am thinking about buy a coworkers 600vlx. Its in good mechanical condition. The only thing that bothers me is the small fuel tank. It holds only 2.3 gallons. My gz holds 3.7 gallons. I can go about 210-230 miles before hitting reserve. With a vlx i would have to refuel every 90 miles. Is this typical? Do most bikes have tanks under 3 gallons?

 

[Chris142]

my klr holds 2.6 gallons and gets 40 mpg. more gas =more weight which is bad.

 

[Robenstein]

My Triumph Speedmaster has a 5 gallon tank. I go about 210 miles before I have the light go on. If I ran it dry on the highway I would run dry around 260 miles.

 

[xr650boy]

The old Honda 550 Nighthawk I rode in high school & college had a 3.4 gallon tank and struggled to get 40 mpg, mostly due to the big windscreen I ran. I also had an XR650L with just a 2.8 gal tank. Both bike usually hot reserve in the 85-105 mile range. One time I rode the Nighthawk on a 535 mile day; I stopped for gas 9 or 10 times due to inconveniently placed gas stations.

Since the XR, I've owned 4 bikes, and the smallest tank was just under five gallons. I can't go back to a small tanked bike, mostly because I like riding little traveled two lanes, the more desolate the better.

If you're just riding around town, a small tank is no big deal. If you actually want to go somewhere, or even cross the county lines, a small tank stinks.

 

[EdwardC]

2.3 gallon tank would be a deal breaker for me. My gs500 gets only 40mpg in stop and go traffic,but with a 5.3g tank, I can still do an easy 175mi between full ups. On the highway, I clocked almost 60 mpg.

 

[Silk]

My BMW has a 22 litre tank, I fill up with 19 litres at 385km every week, so it should do well over 400km to a tank. Onto reserve around 330 to 345km. Small tanks can be a problem on back roads, my DT230 had a 12 litre tank and went onto reserve at 160km, so carried spare fuel.

I haven't done gallons and miles since I was a young fella, but back then I used to ride a Rickman Metisse on the road, and it had a 1.5 gallon tank. I was always on back roads, but back then there were gas stations everywhere, now all those are shut and you need to fill up before heading off the beaten path. Those old British bikes were good on fuel, and i used to get 100mpg on a 650 Triumph.

 

[Jarlaxle]

My Burgy is good for ~220 miles...it has a 3.5 gallon tank & gets ~55MPG. 2.3 is pretty tiny...

 

[CentAmDL650]

My 12 model V-Strom 650 has a 5.3 gallon tank, gets 57 - 62 mpg, and I go anywhere from 210 - 275 miles between fillups. Best mileage on country highways at 45 - 60 mph, worst on interstates, over 65 mph.

On newer motorcycles with fuel injection, the motor of the in-tank fuel pump is submerged in gas, which cools it off. I've read several places it could hurt the long-term reliability of the pump while using up the last gallon+ of gas.

 

[beanoil]

I miss those days. My 12 Spyder holds about 6 gallons. It's sucking fumes around 130 miles. But I didn't get it for the MPG, I offset that carbon footprint with an Aprilia that gets about 80 MPG

 

[Hirev]

I'm afraid that 2.3 gal would be a deal breaker for me. My 600 hold 4.5 gallons and probably gets similar millage.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
I am thinking about buy a coworkers 600vlx. Its in good mechanical condition. The only thing that bothers me is the small fuel tank. It holds only 2.3 gallons.

What year is the bike? Most of them have a 2.9 gal tank, not 2.3. At an average mpg of about 50, that gives you a range of around 145 miles. Yes, that is kind of low. But a bigger deal breaker for me would be its 4-speed trans.

 

[spasm3]

88 VLX 600

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
88 VLX 600

Ah, ok. I think they only started fitting the larger tank in 1993.

I guess it really depends on what kind of riding you'll be doing. If it's going to be a commuter bike, then small tank is probably not that big of a deal, but somewhat of an inconvenience, for sure. For long distance riding in areas with sparse gas station locations, definitely not good.

 

[Rick_A]

Hmmm, that's too small for me. My ST1100 is 7.4 Gallons, the low fuel light comes on at about 300 miles with a 50-60 range still left. But if you're not doing long rides on it maybe it's not a big deal.

Rick

 

[Silverado12]

I managed with my first Sportster (2.25 gal), but ran it out of gas once. My new bike has a 4.7 gal tank, which is nice. Bike gets 40 mpg. I just use a 5 gal gas can to fill it up once I get home. Makes it a lot easier than having to stop at the gas station every day.

 

[BigCahuna]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I managed with my first Sportster (2.25 gal), but ran it out of gas once. My new bike has a 4.7 gal tank, which is nice. Bike gets 40 mpg. I just use a 5 gal gas can to fill it up once I get home. Makes it a lot easier than having to stop at the gas station every day.
But don't you have to go to the gas station to fill the 5 gallon can every day or so?.,,

 

[Silverado12]

No, I misspoke. I meant to say I filled the smaller Sportster tank every day w/the can so I wouldn't have to stop at the gas station. The new bike takes about a week the way I ride to drink 5 gallons. Still use the can, but don't have to fill every day because of the larger tank. I just fill the can when I'm getting gas for the car.

 

[bowlofturtle]

I just went 117 miles @ 3.2 gallons on my SV, thats about 36.5MPG


its been like all the time.

 

[LoneRanger]

That's slightly small on capacity. You could always strap on a Rotopax spare fuel container. They're specifically for ATV's and motorcycles, come in assorted capacities.

 

[Sonic]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
I am thinking about buy a coworkers 600vlx. Its in good mechanical condition. The only thing that bothers me is the small fuel tank. It holds only 2.3 gallons. My gz holds 3.7 gallons. I can go about 210-230 miles before hitting reserve. With a vlx i would have to refuel every 90 miles. Is this typical? Do most bikes have tanks under 3 gallons?


That does seem small. What would you use the bike for? If it's not for long travel, 90 miles between gas stops isn't that bad really.

My V Star 650 has a 4.2 gallon tank but I almost always fill up before 100 miles on the trip meter. I only average about 38 MPG, that's like 35-36 at highway speeds and maybe 42 if I cruise the backroads and in town. If I were to start taking long trips on the bike I would for sure just get a larger bike and with a larger fuel tank. But, for me right now it does exactly what I need it to do.