Fuel tank range?

[Tiercel]

From what Ive been able to find on t'internets, Yamaha suggests the FZS600 should only be capable of 130 miles to a full tank?  :eek  What on earth are they doing to get such poor mileage? Ive ranged between 150-220 miles to a full tank depending on how ballsy I was feeling between fillups and how far I could push my luck!


Whats the sort of average MPG and range you get out of the Fazer? Ive tried using fuelly but cant get it to work properly, plus I dont really bother keeping petrol reciepts and noting the mileage! Rough calculations using an MPG calculator puts my MPG anywhere between 45-55MPG which dont seem to bad, and thats with fairly conservative riding.


Also the fuel gauge seems to be totally useless, when filling up to the brim, it stays above the F marker for about 80-100 miles, then instantly drops down to about 2/3rds of a tank, and the remaining 2/3rds vanishes very quickly! I dont really want to run it til its totally dry and risk wrecking my carbs or dragging crap into the fuel system.


What can be done to improve MPG as well? I generally tend to run on "super" petrols, because it only costs about 30p more to fill the tank and maybe the placebo effect benefits are worth it so why not? :rollin Ive not really owned it long enough to make a judgement on it, but I do seem to get marginally better range on super unleadeds. Filters and plugs were all done about 2 months ago so they should all be good. Ive heard mutterings that changing your sprockets can give better economy too, any truth in this?

[Slaninar]

I just reset trip meter when filling the tank. I always fill a full tank.


The fuel gauge seems to have 3 positions: full, half and empty. However, once it reaches empty and the light comes on, you have about 40 miles of fuel left at least.


My Fazer is with a 20 litre tank (1988, and 1999 models have an 18 litre tank).


I fill it when I go around 300 kilometers. The (reseted on the last fill) odometer shows around 300 kilometers and the amount of fuel that fills it to the brim is between 16 and 18 litres.  So say: 16.5/300*100 = 5.5 litres per 100 km.

[Frosties]

Get an easy and consistent 50-55mpg and I don't hang about. As said, also an easy 40miles+ remaining when fuel light comes on . All in you should get 200+ miles out of your 20litre tank.


Oh and forget the fuel gauge - it's crap  :lol

[limax2]

This has been discussed at length in the past on here somewhere. A bit sad but I religiously keep a record and always fully fill the tank and zero the trip each time. I average about 60 m.p.g. But have been down to 55 with spirited riding and up to 65 on several occasions. I thing the average for most was about 55 so yours sounds about right. If I know where the next garage is I aim to fill up at 200 miles but if not sure,like remote parts of Scotland, it's 150 or less. Bike is a 2001 FZS600.

[Tiercel]

Im not sure whether mine is an 18 or 20L tank actually, bike is reg'd in 00 but think it mighe be a 99 model? Any easy way to tell? I think the most Ive ever wedged into a tank is 17L, but cant tell if its near empty or has a few more L sloshing around in the bottom!


Did a 200 mile trip yesterday, fuel light came on at 1/4 of a tank, and I chickened out and filled up at approx 170 miles because gauge was showing empty and I didnt fancy running out of petrol on the M3 at 2am! Wedged 16.7 litres in it then so still had at least 1 litre+ left

[Frosties]

If you have a clock and can change to trip/total miles then you have a 20 litre tank. A trip and total miles only is an 18 litre tank.

[Tiercel]

Yeah its got a digital odometer that you can change between odometer/total miles, trip 1, trip 2, clock.


So 20L tank you reckon? Might have to be brave and let it run a bit emptier next time, see how much I can really squeeze in there! 

[limax2]

With the bike level and stationary I measured it needed 1.5 litres before fuel flowed due to the stand pipe inside the tank. On mine it took another 2.3 litres before the fuel gauge registered anything. Those figures will be less when on the move and yours might be different anyway. I wonder why I bothered writing it? :\

[darrsi]

A "rough" guide is 10 miles per litre.
Obviously this is governed by motorways, traffic, riding like you stole it, etc.
I ride a lot of traffic so all quite pointless me even bothering to find out what I get out of a tankful.

[Tiercel]

With the bike level and stationary I measured it needed 1.5 litres before fuel flowed due to the stand pipe inside the tank. On mine it took another 2.3 litres before the fuel gauge registered anything. Those figures will be less when on the move and yours might be different anyway. I wonder why I bothered writing it? :\

Didnt think of the fuel already in the pipes, thats an interesting extra variable. Also noticed than when moving theres a huge difference in fuel reading, I seem to "gain" 1/4 of a tank when moving So in theory as long as I never stop moving Ill never run out of fuel... right? It totally works like that doesnt it?  :rollin

[Fazerider]

Journalist reviews rarely have any grip on reality when it comes to fuel consumption. They either print what the manufacturer tells them or, if they do bother to measure what they've actually used, will have spent the whole time pulling wheelies and revving the tits off the bike... then act surprised when they only get 35 mpg.


I used to average 54 mpg. Thanks to my regular commute being on the M3, which now has a 50 mph limit for the majority of the part I use, I'm getting around 63 mpg. That, and a 20 litre tank (actually an 18 litre one with the filler neck tube drilled), means I can rely on a 250 mile tank range.


Aside from the inconvenience there isn't much risk to the bike should you run dry. Low fuel doesn't mean you're suddenly going to be sucking crap from the bottom, the fuel outlet has been down there the whole time.

[Gnasher]

(1988, and 1999 models have an 18 litre tank).

The fuel tanks are the same until 02 it's just the filler neck is longer.


Easy mod just enlarge the vent hole in the neck to 8mm and fill to you reach it you'll get 20lts in. 

[mr self destruct]

No matter how I ride I always seem to get roughly 200 miles to a tank (20l), which is about 45mpg.


Most folk seem to get about 10mpg more so I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong!

[Gnasher]

230 was the most I used to get from daily commute into London 50mile round trip mixture of fast dual carriage way, N Cir and traffic. 


Anything over 240 it ran dry!  Used to carry one of the brilliant 2.5Lt fuel cans Hein Gericke did in my tail pack.   

[Val]

No matter how I ride I always seem to get roughly 200 miles to a tank (20l), which is about 45mpg 55 mpg.


Most folk seem to get about 10mpg more so I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong!

FTFY when you do 200 miles per 17L (because you never spend all 20L) is exactly 55 mpg.

You are fine 

[limax2]

Also noticed than when moving theres a huge difference in fuel reading, I seem to "gain" 1/4 of a tank when moving So in theory as long as I never stop moving Ill never run out of fuel... right? It totally works like that doesnt it?  :rollin

Yes, but you have only discovered part of the magic of these bikes. Going up hill you gain about 1/4 tank of fuel, so it would have to be a very long hill to run out going up. Of course going down you loose 1/4 tank, but that doesn't matter because you can just freewheel to the bottom with enough speed to reach the next up-hill bit and you're off again. 

[Bretty]

One thing I do notice. With 20l of fuel, that's an extra 20kilos!
My bike goes like a rocket when the tank is empty and lifts the front wheel in second! Sometimes that catches me out. :-D

[mr self destruct]

[quote author=mr self destruct link=topic=18962.msg219539#msg219539 date=1450709360]
No matter how I ride I always seem to get roughly 200 miles to a tank (20l), which is about 45mpg 55 mpg.


Most folk seem to get about 10mpg more so I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong!

FTFY when you do 200 miles per 17L (because you never spend all 20L) is exactly 55 mpg.

You are fine 
[/quote]
Oh that's good news then, so what I was doing wrong was the maths, not my riding.

[crickleymal]

I usually get about 60mpg but that does involve quite a bit of motorway riding which, because I do the same route at the same time every day, I tend to keep roughly to the speed limit or at least not outstandingly faster  . I've noticed that it's dropped a bit recently but then I think the valve clearances are due a check and the carbs need balancing.
Because I've run out of fuel on the motorway before and in a very dangerous place too, I tend to fill up at 150 miles and it takes between 11.5 and 12.5 litres.

[fazersharp]

One thing I do notice. With 20l of fuel, that's an extra 20kilos!
My bike goes like a rocket when the tank is empty and lifts the front wheel in second! Sometimes that catches me out. :-D

Im lucky in that I don't need the bike for anything other than fun and mostly come home on low fuel and only being 10 stone myself a full tank is a big proportion of my weight and so usually only put in enough for my ride out and I have noticed I get about 10p per smile mile