New K1100LT Owner here! What's the fuel range?

[gsmetal]

Just put some money down on a 93 K1100LT with 46,000 miles on it.

Great looking bike...can't wait to pick it up. :bliss

Any other K1100LT owners out there - can you tell me what fuel range you are getting on a full tank?

[bmwmick]

Congrats GS,
At anything under 80MPH I can get 200 miles out of every tank.
'93 K11LT 129K miles

Mick

[Colt03]

Reserve light will come on between 160 and 180. You have about 25 miles after that. I have gone as far as 220 without running out.

Enjoy your new bike !

[lenmattsen]

I have a "95 K-75. My fuel light comes on at 150 miles and I have ridden 218 miles on a full tank. When I did, I heard a whining noise coming from the tank.
Apparently the fuel is used to cool the electric fuel pump because it died shortly thereafter.

Now I top off when reaching 150 miles every time!

"Tribulation (failure) teaches experience,
experience teaches patience,
patience teaches hope."

:p

[theLuz]

Originally posted by gsmetal


Any other K1100LT owners out there - can you tell me what fuel range you are getting on a full tank?

Best thing to do is install one of these:
http://www.fuelplus.com/
This replaces the clock and tells you "exactly" how much range you have left and lots of other very valuable information as you will use this baby a LOT after you pick it up. Just got back from a 3,354 mile trip through Colorodo, Yellowstone, off to Spokane and back through the North Rim for a couple of days. The range of the tank can vary from 130 miles to well over 220, depending on speed and traffic. You need to know your range.

Oh, and welcome. You need this site, as well:
http://www.k11og.org/

[DonHamblin]

Should be money well spent!

Like Craig Cleasby said (above) I've usually seen the low fuel light around the 160 - 180 range. Then you have another 30 miles or so. That's about the time that my body is ready for a stop anyway! Gas and a cold drink and I'm back on the road.

My experience has been that it's been more ready for the long hauls than I have been :)

Don Hamblin
'93 K1100LT

[deilenberger]

Originally posted by the Luz
Best thing to do is install one of these:
http://www.fuelplus.com/
This replaces the clock and tells you "exactly" how much range you have left and lots of other very valuable information as you will use this baby a LOT after you pick it up. Just got back from a 3,354 mile trip through Colorodo, Yellowstone, off to Spokane and back through the North Rim for a couple of days. The range of the tank can vary from 130 miles to well over 220, depending on speed and traffic. You need to know your range.

Oh, and welcome. You need this site, as well:
http://www.k11og.org/

Unfortunately.. there currently is no Fuel+ available. The new one is in the design/production stages, and the original one for the earlier K bikes has been taken out of production so the new one can be worked on.

They are a GREAT thing when available, and Dave has always been most helpful. I'm on my 4th one (between 2 bikes, one was a model 1, then a model 2, latest bike had the last model, but I wanted one change to it - which Dave did for me, so I ended up installing yet another one).

I've never seen one for sale used - which tells you something about them. I do rely on it much more than my fuel lights or fuel gauge.

Best,

[deilenberger]

Originally posted by lenmattsen
I have a "95 K-75. My fuel light comes on at 150 miles and I have ridden 218 miles on a full tank. When I did, I heard a whining noise coming from the tank.
Apparently the fuel is used to cool the electric fuel pump because it died shortly thereafter.

Now I top off when reaching 150 miles every time!

"Tribulation (failure) teaches experience,
experience teaches patience,
patience teaches hope."

:p

While it's not a good thing to do - running the tank low once won't normally destroy a K bike fuel pump. Doing it repeatedly (as an Iron-Butt friend proved about 2 weeks ago) - will. And as long as fuel is being delivered by the pump - the fuel is flowing through it and cooling it. They get destroyed when you run it dry and then attempt to limp someplace for fuel.

My average range is about 150-230 miles, which is when the light is on and my fuel gauge is reading in the red. My Fuel+ at about this point is indicating a need for fuel. The range is very dependent on how/where I'm riding the bike. Highway at about 80MPH indicated (74MPH actual) seems to be where I get my best mileage. When the light comes on, I can typically take 3.4 gallons, which means I should have more than 1 gallon left (more than enough to cool the fuel pump).

My average mileage per gallon can range from 30 to about 55 MPG on an '87 K75S - again depending entirely on how and where I'm riding it.

Best,

[KMalo]

Sorry I'm so late replying to this thread, but I haven't been able to read the forum for a bit.

Anyway, all the counsel from the other respondents has been right on the money.

There is one other factor, though, and that is temperature.

Cool temps will just kill the mileage on these bikes. I can see an impact at anything below about 60F or so.

While I can usually count on a highway range of 200 miles in warmer weather, I've seen the range drop to less than 150 in the cool/cold air.

Chuck

[theLuz]

Originally posted by K Malo
Cool temps will just kill the mileage on these bikes. I can see an impact at anything below about 60F or so.


Chuck

wow. 60 degrees. I remember 60 degrees. come on winter!

[bmwmick]

Originally posted by the Luz
wow. 60 degrees. I remember 60 degrees. come on winter!

Keep the faith Luz, it was 65 here in Tucson the other morning. :clap

Mick

[KMalo]

If you want cool, you Arizona guys need to spend a little time in the upper Midwest.

We're having a hard time getting daytime HIGHS out of the 60s this summer! 2004 has been one of the coolest summers on record in Chicago. I just hope it's not an indicator of the winter to come.

Chuck

[TourDawg]

et al,

I agree with all those who don't/ won't run the fuel down too low and overheat the fuel pump. The last 10,000 miles I have averaged 52 mpg and generally fuel up with 3.7 or so gallons upon fill up. I don't plan on checking how far one can go especially on a fuel injected engine (jewel). It doesn't matter if a fuel pump is open framed or encased it still could be an ignition source for disaster (empty tank and 92 octane fumes....... oh my!)

Switching gears: Chuck, it indeed has been cool here. The antidote is just plug in and turn up the heat. These great Beemers (alternators) will handle anything Jun or Jan!



Carl ;)

K1200LT
K1100LT

[FRubio]

How is you guys get 150 plus regularly on your tank mileage? Max I've ever gotten is 155 miles, and she was pretty dry at that.
Thanks
Fernando

[bmwmick]

Fernando,
I don't know why your's would be lower, you live in pretty flat country compared to me. Just yesterday I had my warning lamp come on at 190 miles. I have almost exactly 25 miles left when that happens.
I calibrated my float arm to light the lamp just as the gauge reaches the first white line on the dial.

Mick

[fltemple]

Plan on 180 at normal highway speed - start looking after that but can go to ~200 miles.