Range?

[Sleekit Fkr]

Hi Folks, I wonder of the collective could help with a fuel range query. I pick up my first XT1200Z ('17 plate) on Sunday. I am an IBA member and hence like long "legs" on a bike. My previous bike, a '07 BMW R1200r, brimmed to the very top, gave me a motorway range of 200 miles at 75-80mph.

So what range can I realistically expect from the "brimmed" Super Tenere?

 

[Grumpy]

I once did 218 clock miles before fill up. That was a mix of motorway, country roads, town and roughly 50/50 solo and pillion. The last block started flashing at around 190, so I slowed down to between 50 and 60. As I was on the A3 (no traffic lights and free flowing dual carriageway) and nearing home it wasn't too much of a panick. The next day there was still enough sloshing around to get me to the local fill up, if memory serves, it took 20 litres.

 

[Sleekit Fkr]

I once did 218 clock miles before fill up. That was a mix of motorway, country roads and town and roughly 50/50 solo and pillion. The last block started flashing at around 190, so I slowed down to between 50 and 60. As I was on the A3, no traffic lights and free flowing and nearing home it wasn't too much of a panick. The next day there was still enough sloshing around to get me to the local fill up, if memory serves, it took 20 litres.

Thanks, 218 sounds useful, 230 would be nice but may make plans for 220 and see what happens!

 

[Sleekit Fkr]

I go until the gas odometer pops up. Then I get gas before it hits 50 miles. Every time there is between .5 and 1.25 gallons left, This has been a safe and flawless method for me. The Supper Tenerees range can vary greatly. Speed oxinated fuel, and ethanol, can have a 20 to 35% effect.

Thanks, sounds as if that works for you. I kinda need a certainty in order to plan, don't mind a safety margin but gotta push it much as it'll go before every fill-up. I may need to "suck and see" on a few practice runs with a 5ltr can strapped on in case I run out just to test things.

 

[dmulk]

Apparently you can also get an additional amount of fuel into the tenere by punching a hole in the filler neck to vent the airspace at the top of the tank. There are posts on here about how to do it.

The are only two rules to follow when doing this:

1) Be careful not to punch a hole through the filler neck and then through the tank itself (creating a leak)
2) If you decide to use that space by "topping it up", don't immediately park the bike hot (or on a hot day) as you'll find a puddle under your bike.

When I'm on an IBA ride, I usually fill my bike up to the top, while sitting on the bike (zip it! I know the risk!) and then immediately take off and continue to ride. If I'm stopping for an actual bio break, I'll either not fill to the top or take care of bio, fill and then immediately leave.

Hope that helps some.
Cheers!
<D>

 

[Sleekit Fkr]

I understand. Just remember your range is a moving target. The way I worked the problem was to continue to push it, fill the tank and calculate what was left when I filled up. 250 is a good number for range. But it moves.

250 would be great! Will see how it works out.

 

[Sleekit Fkr]

Apparently you can also get an additional amount of fuel into the tenere by punching a hole in the filler neck to vent the airspace at the top of the tank. There are posts on here about how to do it.

The are only two rules to follow when doing this:

1) Be careful not to punch a hole through the filler neck and then through the tank itself (creating a leak)
2) If you decide to use that space by "topping it up", don't immediately park the bike hot (or on a hot day) as you'll find a puddle under your bike.

When I'm on an IBA ride, I usually fill my bike up to the top, while sitting on the bike (zip it! I know the risk!) and then immediately take off and continue to ride. If I'm stopping for an actual bio break, I'll either not fill to the top or take care of bio, fill and then immediately leave.

Hope that helps some.
Cheers!
<D>

Thanks for this. Doubt I’ll punch holes in anything but do as you do with regard to brimming the tank. All sounds as if 230-250 may be a realistic planning range for stops though. Cheers.

 

[jjc1957]

This may or may not help
About one years of gas. I didn't get every tank in but enough for me

 

[Nikolajsen]

I go easily past 250 miles. But NO motorway
Therefore I have no idea how long I would go on motorway, at 80 mph.

 

[Ape]

Running in cruise control at 120km/h I get somewhere between 400-450 km to a tank. 350km is very easy to do around town riding.

 

[Sleekit Fkr]

With the chart from jjc1957 and recent comments it would seem a safe assumption that 230 miles @ 75ish mph is not an unrealistic expectation. Happy man

 

[Curt]

I go until the gas odometer pops up. Then I get gas before it hits 50 miles. Every time there is between .5 and 1.25 gallons left

Once I ran out of gas at 40 miles past blinking E. This is probably because I had continued to do 80 mph on the freeway. It was 1:30 am, and as luck would have it, I coasted 1/2 mile, off an exit ramp, into a gas station, and stopped exactly at the pump.

 

[Sierra1]

Is an auxiliary fuel tank an option? They've had some slick designs on the forum; clean & safe.

 

[old1959]

This is a loaded question. First, it depends if the gas pump handle trigger spring has a lot of tension. At some pumps I can fill the tank to the brim. Others, the trigger is so hard to pull that it causes gas to splash while filling the last bit that I stop short of the brim. Also, type of riding has a big impact. Ride in west Texas with a head wind and 80 mph speed limits and my bike will drop into the low 40's mpg range. However, ride in the New England area with low speed limits and my bike will deliver almost 60 mpg. For my bike, and the way the fuel indicator is set, the low fuel light comes on (last bar starts flashing) with at least a gallon of fuel remaining so I usually ride until the light comes on know I can easily go another 20 miles or so. Of course, if riding in eastern Oregon or other hard to find fuel places I get gas sooner. Hope this helps.

 

[Sleekit Fkr]

Is an auxiliary fuel tank an option? They've had some slick designs on the forum; clean & safe.

Not reached that level of commitment yet!

 

[RogerRZ]

On a SS1000 last Summer, I ran it bone dry (it stalled at the fuel tank !) at 329km (odometer), so 205 miles.This was at a steady 127km/h (GPS), on fairly flat terrain, on a dry, 25 degree Celsius morning. I had a 1 Gallon fuel jug strapped to the rack, so I wasn't too concerned with running it close.

When planning fuel stops, keep in mind that the odometer lies, my trip total on the odometer was 1109 miles, but the GPS (and Google maps) said 1070 miles.

With that, great choice on a bike! I've had mine for a season now, and it does all that I ask for it. Thousand miles one day, nasty single track the next. My departed C10 Concours was a handful on a smooth graded road...

 

[jjc1957]

I like your chart. Most of us loose our nerve and get gas before 250.

Sometimes when I am on the road with other bikes that have smaller gas tanks I will fuel with them when they stop for gas. Not sure if I could fuel every other stop but it looks like I could.

 

[Sasquatchluvin]

ive gotten anywhere from 160 miles on the interstate in high winds loaded up with gear to 225 mixed riding. I'm 330lbs to start with so thats a big suck

 

[EricV]

Nearly all Super Tenere bikes still have approx 1.5 gallons still in the tank when the reserve light comes on. US gallons, btw. I ran the IBR on my '12 Super Ten in 2013 and chose to use a 4.8 Gal fuel cell on the back, flatbed design. If you search, you'll find my posts from back then and pictures of the fuel cell. Another thing I did was when I had my fuel pump out to drill the tank during the fuel cell install, I bent the float arm a bit, putting my reserve close to the 1 gallon point. No point it the light flashing so early, IMHO. I did the same on my FJR rally bike before that and my 2015 Super Ten. I'm currently running an expanded 8.2 gal tank with a 300 mile range and some reserve under my 'normal' conditions.

The Super Tenere tends to suck noticeably more fuel at speeds over 75 mph, (120 kph). If you can keep your speed down a touch, 250 miles is not a problem. I've seen as low as 14 mpg on the bike with head winds and extreme speeds on a closed course. Running hard, speeds over 80 mph, I've run the tank dry at 162 miles as well. Coasted down the off ramp into a gas station! Sometimes it's good to be lucky.

For a cert ride, give yourself some margin. Your gas, your riding style and your riding area will dictate what's a good range for you. In the US I never plan gas stops on cert rides, just get it when I need it and double check my receipt for the required info. Back up receipts are usually possible here with ATMs or inside the gas station as many are 24 hour here. If I know I'm going to be out in less reliable areas, I'll call and check before the ride to see what the station's hours are and try to verify receipt info. You never really know until you get there.

 

[VRODE]

I'm pretty confident I can do 220ish at 70-75 mph (with no substantial headwind). But I don't tend to push it. I'm usually looking for gas when I hit 200.