Intermittent fuel performance issues?

[bigchris]

Ok ok, i'll hold my hand up, and say that my 1200 is currently 1k miles over its due 24k service, and that I do continue to use it until its service next weekend.

However, I've noticed the last couple fill ups, the tank/mileage ratio is going mad.

I can average around 210 miles to a tank, but recently it has been as low as 120-140? Im not thrashing the cahoona's off it, just continuing my daily slog up and down the M1.

Its got plenty of oil, and sounds and runs fine..just smokes a little when cold.

Any ideas? I really noticed it yesterday since I used nearly half a tank to cover 30 miles. Surely unless the gauge is knackered, it would have been pissing it out somewhere, or have afterburners shooting out the exhaust - and I could spot neither.

Come to get on the bike this morning and its hit reserve - by standing still in my garage!

What gives? theres no deposits on the garage floor, no real discernible smell of petrol fumes...

ANY ideas? This has really got me confused!

 

[Pukmeister]

Open the tank and look for the fuel level. If its low, you have a leak. If not, you have a faulty fuel sensor or the computer is having a bad day.

You could always try disconnecting the battery for a while, then reconnecting and doing the TPS reset and seeing what occurs??

 

[terayon]

Mine varies between 150-210 miles to a tank depending if I take it above 5000rpm or not. If I keep below 5000 rpm then can easily get 210 miles but take it above 5000 and it starts to drink it

 

[bigchris]

hmm that probably would explain it. Friday night I had been bombing it at a 100+ on the motorway. That'd kick it over 5k rpm for over an hour.

surely fuelling wouldnt drop so dramatically though, coz if i cruise at 90 it'll go forever...

 

[GSmonkey]

Yes - I did a fast run through France with my mate on his ZX-10R and it'll drink a tank in 120miles easy. Go steady and you more than double that.

 

[Bert]

it's no wonder insurance premiums rocket

hmm that probably would explain it. Friday night I had been bombing it at a 100+ on the motorway.

surely fuelling wouldnt drop so dramatically though, coz if i cruise at 90 it'll go forever...

or until our boys in Blue take your licence away....

When I read posts such as these, I'm not surprised motorcyclists get a bad press and that we all suffer high insurance premiums....
Ever thought of respecting the speed limit?
The up side is your fuel tank will give you about 240 miles or so
My 2pence

PS GSMonkey
Had you been pulled, not only does your licence gets confiscated now in France but so does your GS....
food for thought....

 

[GSmonkey]

or until our boys in Blue take your licence away....PS GSMonkey
Had you been pulled, not only does your licence gets confiscated now in France but so does your GS....
food for thought....

The police are the least of my concerns when riding. More concerned about riding well, riding safely and enjoying my ride than the consequence of every action I take. If I did, I'd never ride in the first place.

 

[Bert]

The police are the least of my concerns when riding. More concerned about riding well, riding safely and enjoying my ride than the consequence of every action I take. If I did, I'd never ride in the first place.

well what ever floats your boat but I'd love to see you explain all the above to Mr Plod.... that would be worthy of a You Tube video especially the bit where you'd be seen leaving your GS in their hands ....

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Yes - I did a fast run through France with my mate on his ZX-10R and it'll drink a tank in 120miles easy. Go steady and you more than double that.

yes, I used to find that - but nowadays 'a fast run' may well cost you a lot of money in fines as well as using more petrol! (And if you mean a really fast run you may have the bike confiscated as well!)

 

[bigchris]

Appreciate the concerns over the speed vs safety debate, but rather than sound like a fuddy duddy, how about you keep the thread on track?

For instance, I might be IAM & bikesafe trained, several years experience on a multitude of bikes at a vast array of speeds, including +200mph, and the roads might have been empty, and safe

Just my two penneth worth

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Appreciate the concerns over the speed vs safety debate, but rather than sound like a fuddy duddy, how about you keep the thread on track?

For instance, I might be IAM & bikesafe trained, several years experience on a multitude of bikes at a vast array of speeds, including +200mph, and the roads might have been empty, and safe

Just my two penneth worth

Quite right - and I am sure you are very safe BUT it won't cost you ANY LESS AT ALL if the 'flics' catch you! And to return to the thread, if you have driven, or been driven, in a car with an instant computer read out of mpg it is amazing the variations that occur as the pedal goes down!

 

[quendi]

Poor MPG

Returning to the main thrust of the thread, I to am experiencing poor and reducing MPG.

My 2004 1200 GS would regularly see mid 50 MPG, however my 2006 GS started off at mid 40's mpg and now after nearly 6000 miles on the clock (service due shortly), on the last tank it returned 39 MPG. The dealer has agreed to check out the fuelling at the forthcoming service.

Jon
2006 Blue 1200 GS

 

[birdseye]

You give the impression that you are judging mpg using the fuel guage. On the GS (and most other vehicles I've come across) this is a waste of time. The only reliable way to do it is from tank fill to tank fill.

In practice, the fuel injection of your engine is way more reliable than the tank fuel guage so problems with the latter are more likely than with fuelling, paticularly since you report none of the symptoms of fuelling gone wrong, like smoke