How far can you go on one tank of fuel?

[BMWDEAN]

A friend in the U.P. emailed me yesterday with the result of his attempt to ride as far as he could on his R1200RT:

"When I purchased the RT, my goal was to be able to get 300 miles out of a tank of gas. Today was the time to finish the test.

"On Sunday, I rode to Tomahawk, WI for the Harley ride in. It was 280 miles round trip. It was all on Wisconsin two lane roads so that meant 65 mph max. I used cruise control and 6th gear mostly. Today I strapped a gallon of gas on the bike and set out to ride until I ran out.

"The fuel light came on at 261 miles. The miles to empty hit 0 at 290. I finally ran out at an incredible 351.5 miles. I went 90 miles after the fuel light came on. I put 7.6 gallons in it. Not bad for an advertised 7.1 gallon tank. That was 46.1 mpg.

"Very satisfied."

[Artiee]

I've gone to 320 miles on mine. I didn't notice what the mileage was when the warning triangle illuminated. When I stopped to fill up, the last pixel at the bottom of the fuel gauge had winked out moments before.

When I filled up (always to the bottom of the fill neck) my tank took six gallons, leaving 1.1 gallons (or my entire reserve). If I ran it to empty that would put me around 370 miles. I try to not put myself in a situation to test it though.

I tend to average around 50-51mpg.

Good job to your friend. :thumb

[MechanicSavant]

I've run my R1200r 230-250mi. wo the low fuel light coming on !!! I will fill it half way up the red tube when I'm gonna be using it right away, as in now!! when I'm not touring I'll usually go to the bottom of the tube , also load & speed play crucial roles..this last trip w/ swmbo 2-up w/luggage @ 70-90 mph was gettin bout 42mpg!!! ...OOhhh that pesky throttle just seems to wanna pass "stuff":dance

[MPATROVSKY]

Cruising with side bags and one up at speeds below 75mph I get a solid 54 to 55 miles per gallon on Chevron Supreme. Drops to 49 with "other" brands. Last tank had 338 miles on the trip meter and took exactly six gallons. Still had fuel showing on the panel but barely one small piece of a bar. Light was blinking for a bit before I stopped to fill up.

[podsobinski]

Traded in my 06 RT and sold my 02 GS to get a new 08 GSA. Now I kinda miss the miles per gallon I got on the RT. Always seem to get over 50 with wife and full of stuff. Now, the new GSA get over 40 mpg so I have lost almost 10 mpg going with the "silver monster". But it does give my garage more room with on instead of two bikes.

[revkev]

2008GS...two weeks ago went for a 4,800 mile trip out west. Set the MPG digital and in the end for the entire trip I got 39.8MPG. I drove pretty hard and had a lot of weight and gear on, drove in a lot of wind and some steep roads. I am a wind catcher at 6-4, 235lbs. Parabellum windshield. Not sure of the accuracy of the digital.

I tested one tank manually a few months ago and got 47MPG on that one, without bags.

I am sure I could "nurse" about 50-55 but that wouldn't be any fun.

After two hours I am ready to get off to rest and stretch my body as well as get some fuel. I like to put in Shell V-power without corn additives.

My two cents...

[AntonLargiader]

I finally ran out at an incredible 351.5 miles. I went 90 miles after the fuel light came on.
Our demo bike went 90 miles after it hit zero on the display. Crazy. I wonder how many RT owners never run it to less than two gallons.

[TomfromMD]

Our demo bike went 90 miles after it hit zero on the display. Crazy. I wonder how many RT owners never run it to less than two gallons.
That's my situation - I usually put 4.5 to 5.5 gals. in for a fill-up. The reserve warning comes on with a bit more than 2 gals. remaining and I have no problem with treating it as a 5 gallon tank + a 2 gal. reserve. At 50 mpg avg., that's 250 miles per tank with no stress about finding gas when needed.
Tom

[JKERSH1]

2008GS...two weeks ago went for a 4,800 mile trip out west. Set the MPG digital and in the end for the entire trip I got 39.8MPG.

My wife and I just finished 5200 miles 'back east' on our 2002 LT. On a mix of two lane, four lane, and interstate we averaged 48 mpg. Best mileage was obtained cruising through SD at 56 mpg, and the lowest blasting back on I40 at only 41.

[aaaaaa]

340 miles
robert

[empeg9000]

I usually get about 290-300 miles and the light comes on at 260ish. I have no idea how you guys get 50 mpg or more. I can get 47 but thats it. Two up I get about 45. How slow are you guys accelerating?

[Expatriated]

08 RT, on the highway, I routinely get in the mid 50's mpg. I'll stop at 330 miles or so and have a gallon left.

One day, I'm going to try for 400. If I keep the speed at around 60-65, I can get close to 60 mpg.

[jgarrard3ATL]

I haven't nailed it exactly, but somewhere north of 300 miles for der Panzer.

On the Kawi, I've never checked. Too busy trying to make sure I can get back home! :-)

[Bullfrog]

On our trip to Maine from Texas, the best tank I got on the 07 GSA was 427 miles.

Around town, I get the light on at 320miles or there-abouts. I've gotten from 38.6 to 50.4 mpg. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied.
Dave

[47512]

I have a 08 R1200R, the fuel light came on at 245 miles, the computer said I had 33 miles til empty. I put in 5.1 galons, it must have been close.

Ken G.

[BMWRich58]

'07 GS Adv....400 miles always....:whistle

...my butt reminds me around 300 miles... time to stop an rest.....:banghead

[BobMielke]

My 2005 R1200RT can get 365 miles from 7.1 gallons of gas. Thta's an average speed under 60 with few needs to stop or shift.

[35634]

I used to get 51mpg at 75 on my K75S. Now I mostly use it for commuting and
errands, the odometer has read 171667 for the last 3 years, and I siphon out a
couple gallons for the lawn mower occasionally. It seems to be getting worse
mileage, but I got no way to tell :scratch

[Ctrod]

I've only ran my 06 R1200RT empty one, after it was worked on and they didn't recalibrate the fuel gauge, but I was only able to get 6.9 gallons in it, to the bottom of the fill tube. I've learned sense then that you can get quite a bit more fuel in it.
Is the fuel pump in the gas tank? I know its not good for the fuel pump to run the tank too empty if it is. The gas helps keep the pump cool.
Rod

[Rob Nye]

I carry an IBA certified 11.43 gallons.

I have gone 470 miles on one load and have run out of gas at 275 miles on the Trans Canada near Edmonton.

The RTP is a little thirstier than the stock RT and like my old S the consumption curve is very dramatic at elevated velocity.

[SheRidesABeemer]

Reminds me of when I was at a party with other riders, who primarily rode American made bikes. I'm trying to make small talk with this lady, I asked her what kind of range she got on her bike? "Range?" she looked puzzled. Um yeah, "how far can you go on a tank"? "Why would I want to know that? " she snapped. Uh yeah...
I figured she could probably get a month or so out of a tank. :doh

[GrafikFeat]

I figured she could probably get a month or so out of a tank. :doh

...or 75 trips to the corner tavern... :drink

[Rebgen]

Reminds me of when I was at a party with other riders, who primarily rode American made bikes. I'm trying to make small talk with this lady, I asked her what kind of range she got on her bike? "Range?" she looked puzzled. Um yeah, "how far can you go on a tank"? "Why would I want to know that? " she snapped. Uh yeah...
I figured she could probably get a month or so out of a tank. :doh

Wow...good thing you didn't add to her state of confusion by asking about how many PSI she ran in her front and rear tires....LOL.;)

[Rob Nye]

Wow...good thing you didn't add to her state of confusion by asking about how many PSI she ran in her front and rear tires....LOL.;)

There was a GS owner at the Color in the Catskills who didn't know his TP's.

Said his dealer sets it. :doh

:whistle

[FredRydr]

I carry an IBA certified 11.43 gallons.
I was certified once, too.

I can go 300 indicated miles on my R1200R, stock, though it is a bit risky.

Fred

[WillieB]

I guess after reading these posts I am figuring out that the "reserve" is in addition to the stated tank capacity - the last couple times I have filled up my r1200r I have put in more than the rated amount, and the trip computer was still showing 50 to 80 miles to go. I guess I don't have to get nervous around 200 miles anymore:doh

[GrafikFeat]

I guess I don't have to get nervous around 200 miles anymore:doh

Unless you wanna be know as "'WillieB Late' because he ran out of gas..." :whistle

Mileage for the cruiser is all over the map... Dependant on speed you can push out 60+ mpg and as low as 35+... I average 45 but have had it up as high as 66 when i didn't go over 50 mph back road cruising. My best tank was 175 and it holds 4.5 including reserve. Generally I'm looking for fuel at 165+. Any long rides out into the "wilds" I pack two MSR camp fuel bottles for an extra half gallon...

[Polarbear]

POOR aerodynamics at best on a GSA and it shows in mpg's, compared to RT's,etc. My KLT did much better overall in this department, hitting 50+mpg's(6.3 tank) on occasions. My latest GSA gets mid 30's to a high of 45 mpg, "maybe once", falling from a cliff. My biggest issue with the new GSA is this gas mileage thing. I wish it did better, but love the bikes ability, over all other BMW's, as I ride off roads frequently. Headwinds recently coming to CA from Tucson for 500 miles of headwinds, the mileage went to 30 mpg(about 275 on this tank), but extreme winds ALL day:(. 8.5 gallons goes into my tank on a few occasions and the mileage has been over 400 a few times and as low as 275 miles with over 8 gallons going into the 8.8 + or -gallon tank. Boy, the miles are all over the place, depending on riding conditions mentioned. Usually OFFroading the big GSA will hurt the mpg's. Would not seem so, but its usually always true, the slower offroad riding takes its toll on mpg, I've found. My best mpg/miles came from riding mid range power, 65-75 mph(highways) the entire tank and it hit 400+ miles in the mid 40's for mpg. A good day for a GSA, with aerodynamics of a TANK:). Randy,Happy Trails:D

[wanderer]

274 miles. It was still running, but it had sputtered and I had sloshed the tank pretty hard.

Sorry, I didn't realize I was on Hexheads, but I'll let the post stand.

[JanMiller]

A friend in the U.P. emailed me yesterday with the result of his attempt to ride as far as he could on his R1200RT:

"When I purchased the RT, my goal was to be able to get 300 miles out of a tank of gas. Today was the time to finish the test.

"On Sunday, I rode to Tomahawk, WI for the Harley ride in. It was 280 miles round trip. It was all on Wisconsin two lane roads so that meant 65 mph max. I used cruise control and 6th gear mostly. Today I strapped a gallon of gas on the bike and set out to ride until I ran out.

"The fuel light came on at 261 miles. The miles to empty hit 0 at 290. I finally ran out at an incredible 351.5 miles. I went 90 miles after the fuel light came on. I put 7.6 gallons in it. Not bad for an advertised 7.1 gallon tank. That was 46.1 mpg.

"Very satisfied."

Never have run to true empty, routinely go 285-290 with my '04 RT. Avg mileage is 48.

[BillZeller]

My 06 RT routinely gets 55+ MPG and it is quite interesting that it gets even better at higher elevations. We are in AZ this year and doing a lot of driving in the 5,000' to 7,500' elevations. Having put on 324 miles I stopped in Flagstaff today to fill up and couldn't believe that it only took 4.4 gal. That would be 75mpg and not possible?

This is riding 2 up also but seldom over 65 mph. I will see what it does for the next fill up in case there was a big air bubble somewhere in the tank. The computer for the day gave an average of 60.3 mpg after the fill up over the next 135 miles.

Bill from NH

[peterb]

Well, last Fri I wasn't able to go far enough on the RT - ran out on the I-5 on top of the Grapevine and it took 3:45 to get back on the road. I had also forgotten my cell phone so was at the mercy of 5000+ vehicles that passed on by and no LEOs! I was finally able to flag another motorcyclist down. Do you all know what the helmet on the ground behind and to the side of the rear wheel means?**

That was at about 335 miles. I have gotten 360 miles because I was in the desert and knew early on that I was in trouble so I had slowed to 60mph in 6th and hunkered down behind the shield.

I have reversed the filler cap mechanism and drilled holes in the top of the filler tube - I can fill up in very short order; and I regularly put in 7.5 gal. Tops was 7.62 one time. And, on this 900 mile trip my OBC ticked up to 45.2mpg! I don't normally reset the computer's data of OA MPG, so that was a milestone as it reflected several 1,000s of miles and finally moved up to 45+pg.

**means the rider needs help - stop and see what s/he needs, please. At least 25 other motorcyclists did NOT stop on Friday. This is a brotherhood?:blush

[Rob Nye]

Too bad you ran out of gas.

The helmet on the ground thing only works with folks that have been riding for a long time.

[mrich12000]

Too bad you ran out of gas.

The helmet on the ground thing only works with folks that have been riding for a long time.

Like that RPT you have Rob.

By the way Rob, how was your sailing this past summer?

Michael..:lurk :german

[GrafikFeat]

Too bad you ran out of gas.

The helmet on the ground thing only works with folks that have been riding for a long time.
Ditto on the out of gas... Ugh.
I still pack two MSR bottles in my bags for that extra half gallon. Ya never know.
=Now=
I've been riding over 35 years and have never seen a helmet on the ground in that fashion nor have I placed one there.
I see a lotta newbies still astride pull their helmet off and then look around thinking now what, leaning over and placing it on the ground.
The bottom of my SHOEI has rubber on it. That is so I can place it on my tank before getting off. If I have a tank bag, I get off and place it on the saddle or over the backrest. I've never placed a helmet on the ground.
I've never passed a rider who is flagging me down either. If I can't help... I can get help.
Besides, what if it's raining? You place your helmet on the wet ground?
Thinking about it now... I'd tie a white rag to to the outbound mirror. I'd leave the hidden meaning things to hobos.

[randall12]

My best was 338 mi or 540.8 Km on a single tank avg. speed was 130Km.

[sundaeman]

Ran it dry (on purpose) at about 350mi, back in March. Lots of stop 'n go.

[1analguy]

402. Unintentionally. In the warmer weather this summer I managed an entire tank (7.5 gallons...no rubber sleeve) of commuting to work and back, where I normally get low-to-mid 50s for mileage. I forgot to keep an eye on "trip 1", which I reset every fill up...instead just trusting the bar graph. Last year, after a dealer re-calibration, I had 0.7 gallons left when the last little pixel down in the bottom corner would wink out. Well, something changed during an empty-tank winter storage because now when that last pixel goes out, there's less than 0.1 gallon left!:dunno

[egraham]

Something is wrong if you can only manage 47 on a reg basis.

I usually get about 290-300 miles and the light comes on at 260ish. I have no idea how you guys get 50 mpg or more. I can get 47 but thats it. Two up I get about 45. How slow are you guys accelerating?

[egraham]

Something is wrong if you can only manage 47 on a reg basis. 52 is normal, 61 at high altitude and 44-48 (depending on head winds) at + 80. You can ride 80 in parts of TX.

I usually get about 290-300 miles and the light comes on at 260ish. I have no idea how you guys get 50 mpg or more. I can get 47 but thats it. Two up I get about 45. How slow are you guys accelerating?

[Rob Nye]

Ran it dry (on purpose) at about 350mi, back in March. Lots of stop 'n go.


Is that on a RT or RTP? It looks like an RTP in the avatar.

[Jeffhorn]

Hokey Smokes! I get just 40-42 mpg on my 02 RT. I fill at 200 miles. I guess I'm a bit chicken. Buck, buck, buuuck!

[wackettrw]

A friend in the U.P. emailed me yesterday with the result of his attempt to ride as far as he could on his R1200RT:

"When I purchased the RT, my goal was to be able to get 300 miles out of a tank of gas. Today was the time to finish the test.

"On Sunday, I rode to Tomahawk, WI for the Harley ride in. It was 280 miles round trip. It was all on Wisconsin two lane roads so that meant 65 mph max. I used cruise control and 6th gear mostly. Today I strapped a gallon of gas on the bike and set out to ride until I ran out.

"The fuel light came on at 261 miles. The miles to empty hit 0 at 290. I finally ran out at an incredible 351.5 miles. I went 90 miles after the fuel light came on. I put 7.6 gallons in it. Not bad for an advertised 7.1 gallon tank. That was 46.1 mpg.

"Very satisfied."

I have gotten 350 miles out of tank of gasoline once on my 1999 R1100RT and once on my 2004 R1150RT. I was on fumes taking 6.4+ gallons each time out of a maximum tank of 6.6 gallons per BMW specifications.

I do not normally average 55 MPG, per the above statistics. This past summer riding the Southwestern USA, I surprisingly averaged 49 MPG using premium gasoline over 14,500 miles.

I found that I get better gasoline mileage with premium over mid-grade or regular; normally 40 MPG on Regular (85/87 octane), 42 MPG on mid-Grade (89 octane) & 45 MPG on Premium (91-93 octane). I get better mileage at high altitude (e.g. Colorado, Utah, northern Arizona, northern New Mexico). And, I get less gas mileage on gasoline with 10% ethanol. In the SW USA there is no ethanol in the gasoline; while in New York one cannot get gasoline without 10% ethanol in it. I got substantially better gasolne mileage in the southwest USA.

I find that I save money using Premium gasoline, if Premium costs less than 42 cents per gallon over Regular or 26 cents per gallon over mid-Grade gasoline.
Rich