Printable View
I might be looking for a new touring bike.
Gas tank size, rather miles per tank has always been the very first thing I look at. Which decent BMW touring cycle gives the longest distance on it's STOCK gas tank?
I know the K1600GTL has a seven gallon tank and should go close to 300 miles on a tank. That's great, but can any other BMW stock touring bike do even better?
-Don- SF, CA
I can fetch over 300 miles/tank on the '07 RT, and the '07 GSADV is in the ballpark of 400 miles.
My RT gets somewhere around 240 miles to warning light, and I have never run it totally dry to see max range. Gas capacity is generally not the range limit. The bladder, on the other hand...
[QUOTE=sfarson;831875]I can fetch over 300 miles/tank on the '07 RT, and the '07 GSADV is in the ballpark of 400 miles.[/QUOTE]With your info., I checked the specs on the web.
I see the R1200GS ADV has a 8.72 gallon tank and gets 38.56 MPG average or 336.25 miles per tank.
The RT has a 7.13 Gallon tank, 39.0 average MPG, or 278 miles to a tank.
Thanks for the info.
-Don- SF, CA
[QUOTE=ka5ysy;831886]My RT gets somewhere around 240 miles to warning light, and I have never run it totally dry to see max range. Gas capacity is generally not the range limit. The bladder, on the other hand...[/QUOTE]Gas capacity is the only issue when there's a couple of hundred miles between gas stations, as I've seen in some parts of Texas.
BTW, what's the longest anybody here has gone between gas stations?
-Don- SF, CA
My 08 RT gets 50+ MPG, always..
If you're looking at LD riding, why not focus on the bike you really want and then add an aux tank or just carry some extra gas on the bike?
I don't think I can get 300 out of my K1600GT even running it dry. I'm avg less than 40 mpg and even on those long highway stretches, about 42 mpg. It goes up a bit if I keep the speed under Mach .14
[QUOTE=PittsDriver;831918]If you're looking at LD riding, why not focus on the bike you really want and then add an aux tank or just carry some extra gas on the bike?
I don't think I can get 300 out of my K1600GT even running it dry. I'm avg less than 40 mpg and even on those long highway stretches, about 42 mpg. It goes up a bit if I keep the speed under Mach .14[/QUOTE]I have a big hang-up about carrying gasoline in such ways, besides it takes up room for other stuff. Seems BMW has many bikes with large stock gas tanks that I like.
But I think my dream bike is still the K1600GTL, but for almost 30K, I will consider some other options, or at least know a bit about the others.
The GTL, according to the specs, has a half gallon larger tank than the GL. So 40 times 7=280 miles, seems like quite a reasonable range. But the more the better, but there are some other things to consider too.
I especially like the way the front brake controls the rear, which should be very helpful if stopped up hill on a San Francisco style street.
-Don- SF, CA
personally, i like the max range of 280 miles i can pull out of my F800GS... and then can only manage to put in [B]4[/B] gallons!! yeah, that's a max of 70 mpg! (actually, a recorded 71, but why quibble about one mpg?) As gas prices continue to rise, THAT is money in the bank, boys!
carry on.
[QUOTE=DonTom;831930]I have a big hang-up about carrying gasoline in such ways, besides it takes up room for other stuff. Seems BMW has many bikes with large stock gas tanks that I like.
But I think my dream bike is still the K1600GTL, but for almost 30K, I will consider some other options, or at least know a bit about the others.
The GTL, according to the specs, has a half gallon larger tank than the GL. So 40 times 7=280 miles, seems like quite a reasonable range. But the more the better, but there are some other things to consider too.
I especially like the way the front brake controls the rear, which should be very helpful if stopped up hill on a San Francisco style street.
-Don- SF, CA[/QUOTE]
The space argument has some merit. Everything is a tradeoff. From a safety standpoint a good installation poses no issues. My auxiliary tank is constructed of aluminum which is more than three times as thick as the BMW gas tank, and is enclosed in a top case that is itself thicker than the stock tank. Unlike the stock tank, the auxiliary tank is baffled to prevent slosh. There are no fragile plastic disconnects like supplied OEM when I bought the bike. The fill cap is firmly threaded in place, unlike the pot metal hinge and latch on the stock tank.
My auxiliary tank is far more secure than the OEM setup.
I can't believe that you could exceed the range of the R1200GSA. Especially the newer ones. From everything that i have heard from friends, the camhead ('11 and '12 i think) get routinely 50mpg or better. Of course, all that weight up high can be a real handful.
But i too am one of those who's stops are driven more by bladder than by a need for fuel.... :cry
[RIGHT][/RIGHT][QUOTE=sdpc2;832013]I can't believe that you could exceed the range of the R1200GSA. Especially the newer ones. From everything that i have heard from friends, the camhead ('11 and '12 i think) get routinely 50mpg or better. Of course, all that weight up high can be a real handful.
But i too am one of those who's stops are driven more by bladder than by a need for fuel.... :cry[/QUOTE]You cannot always find a gas station where you need one. But out in the boonies, when far from all services, the other problem usually isn't much of an issue
-Don- SSF, CA
Just did a trip on my RT. roughly Toronto international airport to Dulles International, near as dammit.
Started with full tank. Fueled in northern PA when light came on. Fueled near Dulles.
Same on return.
This through a variety of weather, roads, throughways, hills, etc. stopped more than that for rest and food.
Would not need a bigger tank for touring. Could use a younger/bigger/better bladder...and knees.
I haven't pushed it to the limit for fear of sucking dirt from the tank bottom, (and also from having owned a R1200C and CLC, which has the fuel pump inside the tank and it needs to have fuel around it to keep cool), but my 2011 RT always gets at least 51 MPG and I have gone 300 miles on a tankful.
My '09 GSA averages 42-45 MPG, 45 if all highway speed. With nearly 9 gallons of fuel, it will travel nearly 400 miles. I have ridden it twice to just over 350 miles between fill-ups. That being said, I do not recommend you travel that far without a break. Iwill normall stop every 100 - 150 miles for a drink and drain of the main vein. It also is a great excuse to visit with a local person or two. Which is part of the fun of traveling - meeting other people.