jarax
Guest
in mongolia i used 76 - 80 octane gas for my BMW F800gs. Worked without problems, done 12500 km so far, 3000 km in mongolia in bad fuel conditions.
► Fuel efficiency, range and octane questions
- Thread starter GSmonkey
- Start date
Coming home from Harwich on Monday the low petrol light was on.... 22 miles to do on the on board computer when the engine cut suddenly 
"Can't be, I can do 22 miles" I thought. Checked the tank, not even a whiff of petrol, ne're mind being able to hear it slosh around
Turning the engine over it had that 'sound' where you just know there's no petrol going in
Checked the GPS Esso 1/2 mile straight ahead
Level road... easy push... how lucky
How big is the tank? Well it took 17.2 litres
279 miles from tank full to push
Mixed riding, razzing, playing, motorway'n bimbling
"Can't be, I can do 22 miles" I thought. Checked the tank, not even a whiff of petrol, ne're mind being able to hear it slosh around
Turning the engine over it had that 'sound' where you just know there's no petrol going in
Checked the GPS Esso 1/2 mile straight ahead
Level road... easy push... how lucky
How big is the tank? Well it took 17.2 litres
279 miles from tank full to push
Mixed riding, razzing, playing, motorway'n bimbling
sijohnston
Registered user
shoot, how does one make such a simple exercise sound so technical? i'd love to hear you give sex education classes
everywherevirtually
Registered user
yeah I had splashback on the first few attempts 
but now I've changed the angle of the dangle and how far I insert it and all is well with the world
Damn, that actually sounds like sex education
but now I've changed the angle of the dangle and how far I insert it and all is well with the world Damn, that actually sounds like sex education
snowlife_9999
Registered user
pump error
Ok, once got to know a person at worked at the head office of a petrol company. She stated that petrol stations deliberatly tune their pumps to over state (deliver 16lt but say 17lt) with in the laws tolerence. I currently have a 12lt tank and can put in 12.7ish, but never run dry.
The job of the head office girl was to enter in litres sold data, and then contrast that with pump error/ evaporation/ tank leak.
Fifth gear did an article on this about season 7. They stated it was best to fill your tank at night (coldest), IF YOU ARE A COMPLETE TIGHT WAD.
Coming home from Harwich on Monday the low petrol light was on.... 22 miles to do on the on board computer when the engine cut suddenly
"Can't be, I can do 22 miles" I thought. Checked the tank, not even a whiff of petrol, ne're mind being able to hear it slosh around
Checked the GPS Esso 1/2 mile straight ahead
How big is the tank? Well it took 17.2 litres
Mixed riding, razzing, playing, motorway'n bimbling
Ok, once got to know a person at worked at the head office of a petrol company. She stated that petrol stations deliberatly tune their pumps to over state (deliver 16lt but say 17lt) with in the laws tolerence. I currently have a 12lt tank and can put in 12.7ish, but never run dry.
The job of the head office girl was to enter in litres sold data, and then contrast that with pump error/ evaporation/ tank leak.
Fifth gear did an article on this about season 7. They stated it was best to fill your tank at night (coldest), IF YOU ARE A COMPLETE TIGHT WAD.
F650Dakar_Norway
Registered user
yeah I had splashback on the first few attempts
Damn, that actually sounds like sex education
Jepp. The angle of the dangle is critical in the noble art of refuelling this bike.
everywherevirtually
Registered user
Bloody faulty fuel guage
I was on my lunch break and about to head off to the petrol station before going back to work. The guage said I had 22 miles left... and the damn thing woudn't start. I had started to push the bike back to work which is 3 miles away and covered about a quarter mile when a very nice Scottish lady pulled up and offered me a lift to the petrol station as she needed fuel too
. Turns out her hubby is a biker and has something to do with the airing of Moto GP on the telly.
What could have easily been an hour of faffing around was 10 minutes of nice conversation and a freshly filled tank. I have no faith in the F800GS fuel guage. I know there is always a margin of error but 22 miles is a big bloody margin in my book.
I was on my lunch break and about to head off to the petrol station before going back to work. The guage said I had 22 miles left... and the damn thing woudn't start. I had started to push the bike back to work which is 3 miles away and covered about a quarter mile when a very nice Scottish lady pulled up and offered me a lift to the petrol station as she needed fuel too
. Turns out her hubby is a biker and has something to do with the airing of Moto GP on the telly.What could have easily been an hour of faffing around was 10 minutes of nice conversation and a freshly filled tank. I have no faith in the F800GS fuel guage. I know there is always a margin of error but 22 miles is a big bloody margin in my book.
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Could be because you had parked the bike on the side stand?
Tim
Tim
You need to reset your average mpg readout on the OBC on a regular basis. I'd never bothered in the 10,000 plus miles covered. The miles left to do read out is based on your overall mpg... not the speed you're averaging on that particular journey
The longer you leave between re zeroing the mpg then the wider the disrcrepancy becomes
The longer you leave between re zeroing the mpg then the wider the disrcrepancy becomes
everywherevirtually
Registered user
It was on it's side stand and the camber was steeper than normal. With that in mind I shook the bike around a bit, bounced up and down and even blew into the petrol filler 
.
I think there is a lesson here and that is once the gauge reads one bar.... go get fuel immediately.
and even blew into the petrol filler .I think there is a lesson here and that is once the gauge reads one bar.... go get fuel immediately.
everywherevirtually
Registered user
You need to reset your average mpg readout on the OBC on a regular basis. I'd never bothered in the 10,000 plus miles covered. The miles left to do read out is based on your overall mpg... not the speed you're averaging on that particular journey
The longer you leave between re zeroing the mpg then the wider the disrcrepancy becomes
ahhh
.... no wonder. I'm up to 6500 miles now...maybe I shouldn't go to BMW with my Uzi just yet then
ahhh
maybe I shouldn't go to BMW with my Uzi just yet then
I found out the hard way too
Early on, not long after I got the F800GS, I was down to '10 miles to do' on the OBC before I refuelled, so with 22 miles to do I thought I was safe
Oh no! Reset the averages fairly regularly
everywherevirtually
Registered user
That happened to me too. I was on the way back from Europe and was coming up to Oxford services on the M40. It said I had 4 miles to go. I pulled into the petrol station and this woman was on her phone after she had returned to her car and was taking an age to put her belt on and just basically get the F**k off the forecourt. I went to rev the engine to make her aware of my presence and it just died on me. I was out of fuel 1 metre from the pump. Like you I figured 4 miles to go was my benchmark. So today it confused the hell out of me when it said 22 miles remaining when it died. From reading the forum I had a feeling all was not what it appeared to be.
1 metre from the pump. Like you I figured 4 miles to go was my benchmark. So today it confused the hell out of me when it said 22 miles remaining when it died. From reading the forum I had a feeling all was not what it appeared to be. ZZ10
Registered user
learning the hard way I now always use the trip on OBC
artig
Registered user
The Rider's Manual states that the figure is calculated from the level of fuel in the tank and a postulated average consumption, stored in memory, that is not always the same as the average that can be viewed on the display. And that it is only an approximate reading and you should not try to use the full range before refuelling.
My experience has been that it uses an average over a much shorter interval than the one displayed. Riding at a fixed speed along a level road for several kms and the value will count down. Slow down to decrease consumption and after an interval the remaining distance will actually increase. If it used the average since the last reset then the distance remaining should only increase if for some reason it measured an increase in fuel level, not if you only ride more economically.
BM_donator
Registered user
Keep the tank half full
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I ran out Thursday night on the M25 with 16 miles range left. A recovery vehicle arrived after 90 mins and took the bike and me to the nearest petrol station. The guy said it was the second F650GS twin he's picked up this week, the other had 15 miles range left.
Prior to running out I had been at a fairly constant 65-70 mph speed for the last hour or so and there's no reason I can think of why the range should have been so far out. I should have had more than a litre left in the tank.
Coming back from Scotland on Saturday I stopped to fill up with the OBC computer saying I had 19 miles range. I had really been gunning it, riding very fast and according to the OBC averaging only 47 mpg. So there should have been 1.8 litres (4.5 /47*19) left, yet I managed to put 16.8 litres in the tank.
So something is evidently wrong.
Tim
Prior to running out I had been at a fairly constant 65-70 mph speed for the last hour or so and there's no reason I can think of why the range should have been so far out. I should have had more than a litre left in the tank.
Coming back from Scotland on Saturday I stopped to fill up with the OBC computer saying I had 19 miles range. I had really been gunning it, riding very fast and according to the OBC averaging only 47 mpg. So there should have been 1.8 litres (4.5 /47*19) left, yet I managed to put 16.8 litres in the tank.
So something is evidently wrong.
Tim
everywherevirtually
Registered user
we'll have to start having a league table. I'm setting the record at 22 miles left on the OBC when the damn thing ran out.
David Mercer
Guest
I have used both 87 and 91 in my BMW 650GS twin with no appreciable loss of power. So far 2500km
samuelsnow
Registered user
I have started using the virtual fuel gauge on the Zumo 550. Set it to around 200 and it gives you a warning when your low and routes you to the nearest garage...
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