General topics » Running on Empty!

I took a ride out to Lake Vyrnwy this morning via Shrewsbury and Four Crosses, about 70 miles from home - and very nice it was to. As I ran along the A458 at Ford my fuel warning light came on indicating a range of 50 PLUS miles left. A doddle, I thought, fill up on the way back - no trouble.
I parked up at the Artisan Cafe near the dam (a nice Suzuki gs 550 parked up already) and had a quick coffee. Returning to the bike the range indicator showed 15 miles - where did that go I thought. A quick check on the Nav 5 found a petrol station at Dolanog some 5 miles away so off I go - should do nicely. Five miles of gravel strewn, single lane, overgrown farm tracks later I arrive at the site where Dolanog's only petrol station had once stood, apparently several decades ago! Oh s#!t only 9 miles left on the range indicator and my (trusty?) Nav 5 is indicating 10 miles to the next location - a Texaco site.
Highest possible gear,least possible throttle and avoid braking - that's a plan so off I go again watching the range indicator count down, 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 then I get '-- ' and 0.9 miles left - can I coast that far? - will I have to push it?
Thankfully I arrive at the Texaco in Llanfair Caereinion still under power and fill up with 22.5 litres of unleaded - huge sigh of relief.
I draw three conclusions from this little drama;
1.The range indicator is a bit on the pessimistic side but you really don't want to find out how much,
2. Garmin's data is not to be relied on - particularly in the wilds of Wales where service stations can be few and far between,
3. FILL THE TANK EARLIER NEXT TIME YOU PLONKER!

Oh well life should be a learning experience.

22,5 liters, you'r sure? The tank is supposed to hold only 18.

The most I ever refueled was 17 liters and all the bars in the fuel gage were gone then, and range indicator around 10 km I remember. Biggest case of range anxiety I ever want to have...

Hi Gaucho. I completely brimmed it and my recollection was 22.5 but having checked the vehicle spec it shows 18.1 ltrs with 4.1 reserve. Unfortunately I didn't take a receipt at the pump. I'll have to wait for the amount to show on my bank account.
Never again.

22.5 liters doesn't sound right to me. That would be 5.85 U.S. gallons. I have run my RS down to 15 miles, which took 4.4 U.S. gallons, or about 16.7 liters.

Just over a week ago, my Nav 5 had me running around this little town, in the rain, looking for a non-existent gas station. The indicated "station" was a field of weeds, and looked as though it had been that way for a long time. I was fortunate to still have enough fuel to make it to another station. The technology is great when it is right, but when it's not?

Frank

Zitat von Duckbubbles im Beitrag #5

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Just over a week ago, my Nav 5 had me running around this little town, in the rain, looking for a non-existent gas station. The indicated "station" was a field of weeds, and looked as though it had been that way for a long time. I was fortunate to still have enough fuel to make it to another station. The technology is great when it is right, but when it's not?

Frank

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I travelled 18 miles after the range indicator went to zero before I reached a petrol station and filled up - not something I'd deliberately try to repeat but useful to know - and that wasn't being ultra careful on consumption just kept it below 60mph - of course your mileage may vary, quite literally :-)

JasonQ

I've been 6 miles past zero on the indicator and only managed to squeeze 17.5l in.

"2. Garmin's data is not to be relied on..."

Not just in Wales, but anywhere. Updates are all well and good and may (or may not) remove things like petrol stations that closed long ago, but the algorithms it uses to get you from A to B can be anything from ridiculous, to downright dangerous. As you (and I) have found out, a single lane track tarmac road (with weeds down the middle) that turns into a gravel farm track between fields shouldn't even be a possibility, let alone selected as the best route.

Cheers

Paul B.

There's a petrol station less than a mile away from the Dam at Llanwddyn. It's next to the village shop.

Zitat von Adam im Beitrag #10

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There's a petrol station less than a mile away from the Dam at Llanwddyn. It's next to the village shop.

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<<less likely to make that mistake now that petrol is back up to £1.30 a litre - probably over £1.40 in remote villages in Wales>>

Yes Iwas a bit 'tongue in cheek' there. We seem to be back on the upward spiral. I put it down to Donald upsetting the Ayatollahs?

Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #14

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Zitat von Malcolm Jarvis im Beitrag #13

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<<less likely to make that mistake now that petrol is back up to £1.30 a litre - probably over £1.40 in remote villages in Wales>>

Yes Iwas a bit 'tongue in cheek' there. We seem to be back on the upward spiral. I put it down to Donald upsetting the Ayatollahs?

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I think it is more to do with the £ tanking against other currencies due to our own incompetent indecision makers. I was sat on a bench in Monmouth earlier, scoffing a steak bake and noticed a sign in a travel agent's window offering 1.10 euros for a pound. A decade ago it was 1.40 and has been over 1.70 around 2000.

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