GS owner jumping ship...

phooey

New Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
12
Ridden GS's and RT's for 15 years and had enough. New bikes suffer so many quality issues and anything reasonably well built has celebrated its 10th birthday so having test ridden and liked the '19 Super Tenere I'm after a bit of information on Fuel Economy.
The BM's despite all their faults are really frugal on gas ( if ridden gently ). I can get over 320 miles to a tank on a GS1200 and over 500 miles on a 1200 adv. ( I don't always ride like that btw... ).

HOWEVER, mpg is a consideration, as is everything else - reliability, BHP, build quality, service and costs etc and I would appreciate some info on what can be achieved on a Super Tenere if you are giving a bit of thought into to squeezing every last mile out of a tank of gas.

Thanks in advance :).
 

Boris

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Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,051
Location
midlands. UK
I’ve had my Super Tenere 3 years now and added about 23k miles to it, including numerous 2.5k to 5k mile trips.

In MY experience, no matter how you ride it,the bike will always do at least 200 miles on a tank, likely going to 230 ish if you’re prepared to risk it. On a very recent run, taking it easy on a fairly steady throttle, 65-70mph, it was nearer to 260-270 for a tankful.

Riding gently I’m pretty confident that 300 miles from a tank is doable.

OEM panniers will affect mpg.
 

bimota

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Joined
Dec 10, 2017
Messages
6,524
Location
bridgend, Wales, UK
GOT RID OF MY 2010 GSA, five years ago now for my xt1200 world crosser done 26000 trouble free miles and get 200 to a tank regular.

cheap to service, bike still in great condition, had wheels rebuild with stainless spokes 3 yrs ago this xt1200 not going anywhere

rob
 

EricV

Riding, farkling, riding...
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Welcome to the forum. Please take a moment to fill out your profile with your location. Country, City if outside the US, City, State if inside the US. It adds context to your posts and both helps us answer your questions better and makes your perspective more easily understood when you answer questions for others. :)

Some depends on the wrist, some on the way we load the bikes, etc. I averaged 42 mpg fully loaded with panniers, aux lights and a taller screen on the 2012 Gen I. On the 2015 Gen II I average about 44 with the same riding and loads. One thing to understand about the Super Tenere is that the reserve light comes on when you have ~1.5 gallons of gas left. It then starts counting UP on the reserve odo that will default to when in reserve with the flashing last fuel bar displayed. So that's on average, another 60 miles of range, if necessary.

Riding briskly in Nevada on the test range, I have run the bike dry at 162 miles, literally coasting down the off ramp into a gas station. The comparison between the GS(A) and the Super Ten is that the GS gets a little better mpg at highway speeds and the Super Ten gets a little better at low speeds. My wife rides a '16 GSA water boxer and travels with me a lot, so we see our fill ups at the same time and it's easy to compare over time. (I run a 8.2 gal frankentank).
 

jrusell

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2017
Messages
460
Location
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Just got back from a trip with a buddy of mine. Just over 2000 km, fully loaded with hard bags and top case. Averaged right around 55 imperial mpg, so around 47usgpm.
Almost every tank It would start flashing reserve at 320-330 km (200 miles). Fill ups were between 16-18litres so another 6 litres or so remaining. Probably reach 420km (250miles) with no issue, but when it starts flashing I always get nervous and fill up as soon as possible.
Mine is a first generation and my friend on a 2nd gen was always getting better mileage. If it took 18 litres to fill mine his was only 16. Maybe my bike was loaded slightly more? My cases are more boxy and maybe they catch more wind, or maybe just the gear we like to ride in.
I had a 88 and a 91 R100gs and loved them. Simple, reliable, with a few quirks, but easy to fix. When they went fuel injection I gave up on the BMW's.
I do wish the Tenere had a bigger tank ard better range, but it is heavy enough.
 

steve68steve

Active Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
435
Location
Seacoast, NH
I average about 43 mpg, with LOTS of 75mph cruising. I've noticed when I'm riding country roads at slower speed, the instantaneous MPG calculator will spend a lot of time in the 60's. I think if I were riding sedately on slower roads my average MPG would be in at least the low 50's - hypermiling maybe low 60's.

I'm 285 with gear on, and my head and shoulders are way up above the windscreen.

You won't be unhappy with reliability. Many think the CCT is a weakness, but there've been few who've actually suffered catastrophic damage because of them. Besides that, you'll be changing fluids, brake pads, and a seal every few years. The valve check/ adjust is frustrating due to the geometry of the frame and how the engine is mounted, but it's only scheduled every 26k miles, and many don't even bother after the first check.

Having said all that, my next bike will be a GSA just because. I'm fully prepared to be frustrated with the ownership experience, sell it and come back to an S10. I've never owned a BMW and always wanted one, so YOLO...
 

RCinNC

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Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
I've been riding my 2014 S10 for just over 59,000 miles, and for me, MPG can vary between 43-45. I usually start looking for gas at the 200 mile mark, and I've gone as far as 220 miles on a tank. A good portion of my riding is loaded, with a passenger.
 

Longdog Cymru

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Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
1,665
Location
Swansea, Wales, UK
I get a regular 53.6 miles to a U.K. gallon from my SuperTen pretty easily. My friend, who is one of the meanest people on the planet, gets 55mpg from his R1200GS and he really squeezes the pips so to get 320 out of a R1200GS you would need to achieve 72.7mpg and that’s running it dry as the tank only holds 4.4 Imperial gallons, 5.3 US gallons or 33 litres so I reckon you’ve had the bike on a trailer ;)
 

Cycledude

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Joined
Jan 29, 2016
Messages
3,998
Location
Rib lake wi
Ridden GS's and RT's for 15 years and had enough. New bikes suffer so many quality issues and anything reasonably well built has celebrated its 10th birthday so having test ridden and liked the '19 Super Tenere I'm after a bit of information on Fuel Economy.
The BM's despite all their faults are really frugal on gas ( if ridden gently ). I can get over 320 miles to a tank on a GS1200 and over 500 miles on a 1200 adv. ( I don't always ride like that btw... ).

HOWEVER, mpg is a consideration, as is everything else - reliability, BHP, build quality, service and costs etc and I would appreciate some info on what can be achieved on a Super Tenere if you are giving a bit of thought into to squeezing every last mile out of a tank of gas.

Thanks in advance :).
So how much gas does your GS hold ? What is your actual MPG ?
The Tenere holds 6.1 gallons, my new 2018 seems to get considerably better mpg than my previous 2013 did but different driving conditions could be the reason. I recently did a 4,500 mile Colorado trip and averaged 51 mpg.
I have never owned a BMW mostly because there are no BMW dealers around here.
 

Sierra1

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Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,819
Location
Joshua TX
Welcome. Just like everybody else, 40-45mpg allday/everyday. I've never been worried about mileage; didn't buy her for economy. And, since I do NOT have an iron butt, I will never spend enough time in the saddle to drain a tank. But, like Mr. Fennelg, I've found that my best mileage has been in the twisties; 50-55mpg while having a blast. I'm assuming that with the grunt that she has, eliminating the need to keep the rpms up, she's not working at all to haul my 300lb ass around fast enough to keep up with an R6.
 

WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
4,516
Location
Ventura, CA
Welcome aboard! Just turned 60,000 miles on my ‘15 ES. Other than a warped front disk (replaced under warranty), the bike has been trouble free. Regarding fuel mileage I usually get 45-47 MPG, (per the onboard calculator) with the blinking fuel reserve starting around 230 - 235 miles. I’ve pushed that an additional 50 miles a couple times but the bike must have been on fumes at that point. This is with the tall OEM shield and OEM cases fitted. A mix of town and highway riding including some slower lane splitting most of the time

Interesting observation; after fitting a set of Anakee Adventures my onboard mileage computer jumped to 50+ MPG. I hadn’t seen numbers like that since running the original Bridgestone Battlewings. I have just come off of a set of Shinko 705s. Decent tires but evidently having more rolling resistance than the Michelins.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

phooey

New Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
12
Welcome to the forum. Please take a moment to fill out your profile with your location. Country, City if outside the US, City, State if inside the US. It adds context to your posts and both helps us answer your questions better and makes your perspective more easily understood when you answer questions for others. :)

Some depends on the wrist, some on the way we load the bikes, etc. I averaged 42 mpg fully loaded with panniers, aux lights and a taller screen on the 2012 Gen I. On the 2015 Gen II I average about 44 with the same riding and loads. One thing to understand about the Super Tenere is that the reserve light comes on when you have ~1.5 gallons of gas left. It then starts counting UP on the reserve odo that will default to when in reserve with the flashing last fuel bar displayed. So that's on average, another 60 miles of range, if necessary.

Riding briskly in Nevada on the test range, I have run the bike dry at 162 miles, literally coasting down the off ramp into a gas station. The comparison between the GS(A) and the Super Ten is that the GS gets a little better mpg at highway speeds and the Super Ten gets a little better at low speeds. My wife rides a '16 GSA water boxer and travels with me a lot, so we see our fill ups at the same time and it's easy to compare over time. (I run a 8.2 gal frankentank).
I'm a Brit and yes I'll fill in my profile. Sorry :)
I think the Tenere's characteristics will suit me just fine then as I rarely cruise much above 60. That's another plus in my book ;).

Thank you for the comparison and my regards to Mrs EricV...
 

phooey

New Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
12
That's very helpful info thank you, and things in terms of my decision to jump are looking rather positive. Happy Days.
 

phooey

New Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
12
I average about 43 mpg, with LOTS of 75mph cruising. I've noticed when I'm riding country roads at slower speed, the instantaneous MPG calculator will spend a lot of time in the 60's. I think if I were riding sedately on slower roads my average MPG would be in at least the low 50's - hypermiling maybe low 60's.

I'm 285 with gear on, and my head and shoulders are way up above the windscreen.

You won't be unhappy with reliability. Many think the CCT is a weakness, but there've been few who've actually suffered catastrophic damage because of them. Besides that, you'll be changing fluids, brake pads, and a seal every few years. The valve check/ adjust is frustrating due to the geometry of the frame and how the engine is mounted, but it's only scheduled every 26k miles, and many don't even bother after the first check.

Having said all that, my next bike will be a GSA just because. I'm fully prepared to be frustrated with the ownership experience, sell it and come back to an S10. I've never owned a BMW and always wanted one, so YOLO...
What is YOLO ?

I hope your GS experience mirrors mine...very happy for ten years. Ride superbly well for what they are, good if not great camaraderie with kindred souls. They do make a lot of sense and big respect to the engineers of the Boxer engine and GS concept.
 

phooey

New Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
12
I get a regular 53.6 miles to a U.K. gallon from my SuperTen pretty easily. My friend, who is one of the meanest people on the planet, gets 55mpg from his R1200GS and he really squeezes the pips so to get 320 out of a R1200GS you would need to achieve 72.7mpg and that’s running it dry as the tank only holds 4.4 Imperial gallons, 5.3 US gallons or 33 litres so I reckon you’ve had the bike on a trailer ;)
I absolutely brim fill and am really averse to wide openings of the throttle. Your comment about trailers is a wonderful compliment and much appreciated :)
 

phooey

New Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
12
I have ridden with guys who have the RT and G.S. What I have notice is the Supper Tenere will get better gas milage in the twisties, doing 15 to 60 mph . The bmws do better than the Super Tenere on the high way. 60 and above with mpg. Long story short. Exercise will power and keep it below 60 you will get better gas mileage than the bmw s. I do not have the will power. :)
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. :) I will succeed where you have abysmally but understandably failed ;)
 
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