General topics » Miles after zero

What is the furthest anyone has ridden after fuel for zero miles has shown on the dash? After a year or 18months, my 2015 RS started taking less fuel to fill up when the counter said 5 - 10 miles to go, about 15.5 instead of 16.5 lt. So I tried going a bit further and now risk going 5 to 8 miles after zero and it fills with 17 and a bit Lt. My wife thinks I'm mad as she fills up on a quarter tank.

Got as low as 22 miles to go on the Dash, after a 220 mile cruise on mainly motorways heading south the other week and thought I was pushing my luck, although must admit did ride a bit slower when the low fuel warning came on.

Coming from an older 1200RT, I must admit the fuel tank could possibly do with another three or four litres capacity especially for touring, but that would make it a bit heavier, and apart from the slight inconvenience of a tank capacity, it’s a great bike and something I’ll have get used to and live with, in reality I usually stop every hundred miles or so.

As reported elsewhere on this site on my recent European trip on the way back carrying full luggage plus, plus I did the 230 or so miles from my Karlsruhe hotel to Jct 2 - Netettal - on the A61 near the German/Netherlands border arriving with the fuel gauge reporting 7 miles of fuel left. I was able to squeeze 17.15 litres into the tank indicating a fuel consumption of 13.411 miles per litre and that I would have had likely 4 miles of fuel left when and if the gauge had hit zero. I aimed at a cruising speed of a true 75 mph on that trip with occasional burst of 85 when cheesed off by the boredom and some forced reductions to 80kph and 100kph forced by speed limits. So on my bike at least I can safely ride to zero with 4 miles still to find a petrol station.

P.S. I was carrying a fuel reserve of 1.5 litres on the pillion seat and deliberately planned to stop where I did. No way was I risking running out and pushing such a heavily laden bike!

Chris

I got down to 4kms left last week on a trip around Spain , but still only put in 16.5 litres, which in theory left another 25-30km in the tank.

Does Cosmo Kramer ring a bell?

The furthest I gone after reaching zero miles to go is twenty-eight US miles. I thought that checking this out would be one of the first things one would do.
Get about five miles from zero the strap on a gallon of gas and go run it out.

Zitat von Mark im Beitrag #6

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The furthest I gone after reaching zero miles to go is twenty-eight US miles. I thought that checking this out would be one of the first things one would do.
Get about five miles from zero the strap on a gallon of gas and go run it out.

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Can’t believe all of our bikes fuel monitoring systems are calibrated exactly the same. I know if I am around town
at 20 miles left I am looking for fuel, if on a trip any town with 30 to go is fine. Like cars the fuel pumps don’t like to run near dry. Pushed my old RS1100 once for half a mile, not fun loaded.

Zitat von ChrisA im Beitrag #8

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...... Like cars the fuel pumps don’t like to run near dry. ......

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Zitat von Mark im Beitrag #6

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The furthest I gone after reaching zero miles to go is twenty-eight US miles. I thought that checking this out would be one of the first things one would do.
Get about five miles from zero the strap on a gallon of gas and go run it out.

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With my 1.5 litre reserve can onboard I started testing the accuracy of the fuel gauge on the trip out to my overnight stop at Karlsruhe only to find myself almost constantly in road works on the dual carriageway with no hard shoulder. Running out there and coasting to a halt would have been very dangerous so I crawled along at 50 mph for a good few miles to be on the safe side until confident I could make it without an emergency fuel stop. In fact the gauge said I had 22 miles of fuel left when I got there (and, refuelling, I got 16.02 litres in the tank which almost exactly fits with may later experience reported above).

Chris

now THIS is my thread. IM notorious for running vehicles empty. My 2012 Jetta the number is 12 miles. I found this out on the way to a soccer tournament. TOok a back way, didnt think of no stations on the way lol My son and I had to push it from the red light to the gas station on the corner. in cleats.

Iv'e yet to do it on the RS. Its the first bike ive had with a fuel gauge! 11 miles is the lowest IVe had it. THis thread is making me want to try.

I Actually think its important to know this number....just in case. And to aid in planning.



The 1150R had like .8 gallons after the light.

Yamaha vstar, almost none. Light comes on get gas NOW lol ran it out many times LOL

FZ-1 (non functioning fuel gauge) 20-25 from the light.

To the best of my knowledge the fuel pumps in fuel tanks use the gasoline also to cool and in some cases lubricate the pump. My assumption is this is true for BMW motorcycles as well. For this reason I would prefer not to run too low and prematurely wear out the pump or pick up crap at the bottom of tank. Just my opinion.

Chris,

I would agree your proposition in respect of older vehicles where there may already be a build up of crap and some wear to the impeller. Not so sure with a new bike. My logic is you prevent a build up of crud if you regularly almost empty the tank (Not in favour of running it dry which will likely damage the pump).

Interested in your proposition that petrol lubricates the pump. My imperfect knowledge is that diesel can lubricate but petrol does not. That knowledge was hard won when accidentally putting petrol in a diesel car and having to decide what to do!

Chris

It's always been my, often flawed, understanding that fuel is more of a cooling component for the pump. With the end of leaded gas, those properties were eliminated or reduced, at least when it comes to the valves and seats.