When 17 miles is not 17 miles

[Rocky Mountaineer]

My GS may have all the bells and whistles, and space-age sensors and instrumentation...but when it says 17 miles left in the tank, it means you're going to have to push that 200kg of german crap the next TWO MILES to a petrol station (mostly uphill).

GS colleague stopped past (Nakambale) to offer assistance, but I thought it maybe wasn't really too far to the petrol station (note to self, book into Specsavers). And a work colleague stopped in her car to help and cheer me on, and she bought petrol / can.

If it says anything less than 20mi on a GS dashboard, you need to make sure you're already on a petrol station forecourt!

 

[SpyInTheCamp]

If it says anything less than 20mi on a GS dashboard, you need to make sure you're already on a petrol station forecourt!

Sorry to say it, but I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of 1200GS owners already know that!

I still like the 'old skool' practice of resetting the trip every time I fill up (from the days of reserve tanks and before any form of petrol gauge) so I don't have to rely on the electronic whims of the system.

That said, I'm sure I've managed to limp into a garage with single figures on the countdown!

Kai

 

[deaninkl]

They are all a little different and you need to get use to yours....mine has gone down as low as 3km left on reserve and still onlt taken 20 liters, so for me I definately still have fuel left at zero.

I always reset my odometer after refueling, but I also pretty much truct the computer after 46,000 km together.

When its new, its always worth to run out once (with a can on the back) just to see what the instruments are telling you.

 

[Bones]

I have ridden for several miles when the dash is telling me I have no miles left. Another regular irritation is the warning triangle and miles to go will kick in, 'miles to go' will count down fron 49 to around 36 then the computer will decide that I am not low on fuel at all and the warning triangle an 'mile to go' disappear . I am now used to this disinformation and do what I have always done i.e. zero the trip when I fill up. Fortunately the trip meter works fine.

 

[Shep]

What did the guage read just before you ran out? If it said 1 or 0 then it was working fine.

It's only a DTE guage, it makes its calculations based on remaining fuel AND riding style, obviously it can't predict the future, so once it stated you had 17 miles to empty, you only need a few hills or a little spirited riding to reduce that figure dramatically, especially if you've been riding carefully up to that point.

Shep

 

[Kahuna]

Problem with resetting the trip is knowing when you're riding a bit harder than normal.

Last week got down to 125 miles on my tank and the light came on - just general riding and then 22 motorway miles. Yesterday got 165 before the light came on. I'm so p*ssed off with this tank range I've decided to just fill up as soon as the opportunity presents itself after 100 miles - that's probably the most stress reducing thing to do!

 

[nedflanders]

I've also ridden down to '0' miles on the dash, as has been said there all different and although I haven't ridden to the point of running out getting to 0 will do me, plus I know I can get 200miles out of a tank so I always reset the trip and look to fill up around the 180miles mark. To refill at the 100mile mark is probably overkill, even 150miles your probably looking at being fine no matter how 'hard' you ride her

 

[Demongroover]

GS 1200 2004 - I routinely get 200 miles from a tank and have ran it past 0 several times and (touch wood) never ran out completely. I do however reset the odo to zero on fill up, old habits die hard.

 

[tommygun]

You want to get one of those GSAs you do . 300miles before the light comes on. Been down to 2 miles to go before stumbling onto two petrol stations on either side of the road in rural Germany. Never been so happy to see a Total sign.

 

[luckylucian]

GS 1200 2004 - I routinely get 200 miles from a tank and have ran it past 0 several times and (touch wood) never ran out completely. I do however reset the odo to zero on fill up, old habits die hard.

Same here 9 miles range on readout when filled up, 205 miles covered and 20.5 litres to fill. Only 45mpg due to 90mph motorway blast. Usually 49.5 average

 

[GSmonkey]

It's not difficult is it really? The fuel light comes on, you look at your trip (that you reset at last fill), you consider the riding you've been doing and are going to do, you consider how well you know the locality of the petrol stations, you then decide all on your own when to fill up.

If you're going to rely on instrumentation to tell you your oil level, tyre pressures and miles to go, it's going to end in tears!!

 

[gwigglesworth]

Surely RTFM....

The miles to go is an estimate based on current consumption rates.. so if you ride differently it will change...

Who drives there car miles predictor down to below 30? And if you do like most of my cars when I have experimented... at about 30 ish it goes to NIL and refuel... or something...

Maybe BMW have been too nice and when it gets to below 30 they should just display fill up to avoid the issue

 

[Engineer]

My old 05 1200GS used to do typically 180-185miles before the low fuel light came on and the 50 mile countdown started.

My new 2010 typically does 150-155miles before the fuel light comes on and the 40 mile count down starts; however the sums say that the miles/gallon is almost identical between the two bikes.

So the total range, whatever it is, is about the same for both bikes at roughly 11 miles per litre giving a total range to empty of approx 220 miles. The 2005 bikes fuel light was obviously a bit optimistic and the new one a bit pessimistic.

I just fill up around 160 miles and all is well

 

[Shep]

Remember the 1200 riders need their hands holding and bums wiping before and after each trip

Blimey i'm starting to sound like Timolgra

 

[GSmonkey]

Put it another way - how would you design an instrument to accurately measure 1ltr of fuel sloshing around in a moving tank of a strange shape? Then you multiply that signal by the fuel usage entirely dependant upon how the rider chooses to ride at any given time.

Consider this next time the guage is reading sub-twenty!!

 

[Ash]

youngsters
oh!! perhaps we should go back to the ole days,when you took out your fuel tap and extended the reserve with a length pipe

A question to the clever folk-
i took of my fuel tank 05 1200 and noticed fuel is sitting to one side.
question-
on an 1150 when you run out of fuel [stupid i know] but !!
I lent the bike over and managed to restart and get to fuel station.
would the same happen with a 1200 or is the pump / pipe at the lowest point in the tank ?

 

[Big Nick]

I use the tripmeter as well as a fail safe as on one occaision my GSA was at 2 fuel bars when I stopped for a tea break and 4 bars when I set off again

I always fill up before I reach 280 miles (it normally takes around 28 litres at this point) and make sure I fill to the brim on each refuel.

I haven't tested it but I estimate around 315 miles on average to a GSA tankful as an absolute maximum based on how I ride my bike.

 

[tommygun]

Lets not forget rider size and weight.

 

[Hexme]

As said previously, you're trip is your best mate

 

[Dogknob1]

04 Gs1200
If left on the side stand it says "dont worry got loads of fuel" a few enthusiastic corners later and it's "ops sorry I ment bugger all fuel left"

So I'm another old school trip meter man.


once managed a brimmed to empty in 73 miles on my old Fireblade

Cheers Duncan