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TrystaEC
07-27-2009, 01:05 PM
I was just wondering since the gz250 doesnt have something to show you how much gas you have if someone knows the range is when the motorcycle is almost empty

bonehead
07-27-2009, 02:17 PM
Most of us reset the trip meter eveytime we fill up. Do that and when you switch to reserve, you have your tank range. Most of the people on here are getting 60-70 mpg. I get around 55. Just depends on your location and riding habbits.

Easy Rider
07-27-2009, 02:18 PM
I was just wondering since the gz250 doesnt have something to show you how much gas you have if someone knows the range is when the motorcycle is almost empty

Not exactly sure I understand the "almost empty" part of the question but.......
I was able to go 150 miles without hitting reserve; since I never ran it completely empty, I don't know how much reserve is good for. My guess is 30 miles, minimum.

mrlmd1
07-27-2009, 07:00 PM
The gas tank holds 3.4 gal. total volume, reserve capacity is 0.8 gal. If you're getting 60 mpg, that translates to 45-50 miles 'till empty when it quits.
To be safe, you should refill it at 30-40 miles after switching on reserve, or, even better, at the next gas station. Then you're good for another 140-150 miles and then you have to do it again.

patrick_777
07-27-2009, 09:46 PM
Refill as soon as you hit reserve. I get usually 150 miles in the "on" position. Don't forget to put the valve back to the "on" position.

Easy Rider
07-27-2009, 11:53 PM
Refill as soon as you hit reserve. I get usually 150 miles in the "on" position. Don't forget to put the valve back to the "on" position.

Actually my advice is to do that once or twice and THEN watch the trip odometer and fill up just a bit BEFORE that mileage. That eliminates the second problem and gives you a little extra cushion should there be a problem finding a station. :tup:

Dana_GA
06-02-2010, 05:18 PM
I'm running mine dry on this tank of gas to see what my real MPG is. So far, I have 244 miles on my 2001 GZ250. I haven't had to switch over to reserve yet. I'm kinda nervous about it running out of gas and stalling on me, will it give me time to reach down and switch to Reserve?? or do I have to pull the clutch in and shift to Neutral to be able to use that arm?? LOL
http://s4.postimage.org/ReALr.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVReALr)

Love this forum, been reading it for a month. I bought my bike a month ago and it had 1,490 miles on it, I've put 500 miles on it riding back and forth to work everyday. I have to admit though that I'm seriously wanting to upgrade to a bigger engine, mine only gets up to 70 going downhill!! LOL

blaine
06-02-2010, 05:34 PM
Welcome,With a little practice you can reach and switch to reserve when you feel the bike stumble and keep on your way to the nearest service station.

Water Warrior 2
06-02-2010, 06:13 PM
Welcome,With a little practice you can reach and switch to reserve when you feel the bike stumble and keep on your way to the nearest service station.
Absolutely agree with the practice suggestion. Start with being able to find the petcock while you are stationary.Learn just where to reach without having to look down. Once you have that, then head out on the road and practice switching back and forth main to reserve and back again. No need to change gears or anything else.

mrlmd1
06-02-2010, 06:31 PM
I'm running mine dry on this tank of gas to see what my real MPG is. So far, I have 244 miles on my 2001 GZ250. I haven't had to switch over to reserve yet. I'm kinda nervous about it running out of gas and stalling on me, will it give me time to reach down and switch to Reserve?? or do I have to pull the clutch in and shift to Neutral to be able to use that arm?? LOL


I find it hard to believe that you have gone 244 miles and haven't hit reserve yet. Like I posted before up above on here, the total capacity of the tank is 3.4 gal, reserve is 0.8 gal, that means 2.6 gal used before you need the reserve. 244 miles on that 2.6 gal would be 93.8 mpg. Nobody gets that except coasting downhill in neutral.
Maybe you didn't reset your odometer correctly, you should be running on reserve at about 150-170 miles if you're getting 60-65mpg like the rest of us on here. If you are already on reserve and are getting 70 mpg you will be pushing the bike to a gas station pretty soon.

ncff07
06-02-2010, 06:41 PM
I thought it was a 3.7 gallon tank with .7 as a reserve.

mrlmd1
06-02-2010, 07:48 PM
It's 3.4 gal total capacity for the GZ250, 3.2 gal for the TU250.
And 224m/3g (before you hit reserve) = 81 mpg, which is still way over what most people are reporting on a consistent basis. What is advertised and what is reality often do not match.

blaine
06-02-2010, 08:20 PM
It's 3.4 gal total capacity for the GZ250, 3.2 gal for the TU250.
And 224m/3g (before you hit reserve) = 81 mpg, which is still way over what most people are reporting on a consistent basis. What is advertised and what is reality often do not match.


Service manual says: 14L(3.7/3.1 US/Imp gal) Including reserve.
Reserve:2.9L(0.8/0.6 US/Imp gal)

Easy Rider
06-02-2010, 09:32 PM
244 miles on that 2.6 gal would be 93.8 mpg. Nobody gets that except coasting downhill in neutral.

Likely that he is already on reserve and doesn't realize it.

It has been a LONG time since we mentioned how the petcock lever is mis-leading.
I suspect that when he is out, there will be no recovery.

There is a tiny arrow on the lever that points to the active position; it is also the long part of the handle, which should "cover" the label for the position you are on.

[NOTE: the above has been corrected to avoid giving out bad information to future readers of this thread. That will make some of the following posts seem rather strange. Sorry for the confusion. ]

music man
06-02-2010, 11:23 PM
244 miles on that 2.6 gal would be 93.8 mpg. Nobody gets that except coasting downhill in neutral.

Likely that he is already on reserve and doesn't realize it.

It has been a LONG time since we mentioned how the petcock lever is mis-leading.
I suspect that when he is out, there will be no recovery.

There is a tiny arrow on the lever that points to the active position; it is NOT the long part of the lever itself; just the opposite.


He may not have it set on reserve ER, the other possibility is the tube fell of the petcock like it did on mine and was sucking straight from the bottom the whole time, (it sucks how you find that out too).

alantf
06-03-2010, 06:05 AM
There is a tiny arrow on the lever that points to the active position; it is NOT the long part of the lever itself; just the opposite.

WRONG!

The "tiny arrow" IS on the longest part of the lever, :roll:

ncff07
06-03-2010, 09:38 AM
WRONG!

The "tiny arrow" IS on the longest part of the lever, :roll:

Your right, the arrow is pointing toward the longest part I went and looked. Pic is kinda grainy(cell phone) but its there.

http://s1.postimage.org/HuCYA.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxHuCYA)

mrlmd1
06-03-2010, 10:17 AM
From the Suzuki site, (and I don't think the specs or size of the tank has changed), and this is what it said in my '99 owner's manual if I remember correctly--

Final Drive DID 520V, 110 links
Fuel Tank Capacity 13.0 L (3.4/2.9 US/Imp gal)
Ground Clearance 125 mm ( 4.9 in)

The number quoted here as 3.7 gal is in the service manual on this site and that manual is dated 1998. I don't know when or if anything has changed since then.

And let's not do this fuel petcock thing again forever - the LONG ARM points to where you want to go and it has the arrow on it. Look in the owners manual, page 7, and on multiple posts on here for diagrams and pictures. ER is wrong on this one (again).

blaine
06-03-2010, 10:40 AM
From the Suzuki site, (and I don't think the specs or size of the tank has changed), and this is what it said in my '99 owner's manual if I remember correctly--

Final Drive DID 520V, 110 links
Fuel Tank Capacity 13.0 L (3.4/2.9 US/Imp gal)
Ground Clearance 125 mm ( 4.9 in)

The number quoted here as 3.7 gal is in the service manual on this site and that manual is dated 1998. I don't know when or if anything has changed since then.

And let's not do this fuel petcock thing again forever - the LONG ARM points to where you want to go and it has the arrow on it. Look in the owners manual, page 7, and on multiple posts on here for diagrams and pictures. ER is wrong on this one (again).
You are right as the back side of the petcock cannot point to prime.I read specs on 2009 ad.It has 3.7 and3.4 on the same page.It also states the G.Z. as having 2 valves insted of 4 valves. W.T.f.

alantf
06-03-2010, 12:20 PM
It has 3.7 and3.4 on the same page.

And the manual for mine (european) says 13.0 litres, 14.0 litres for Canada. Seems someone in Japan doesn't realise that a litre is the same all over the world. :oops:

Dana_GA
06-03-2010, 12:49 PM
Well, I finally ran out of gas last night at 274.9 (See picture) then switched to Reserve and only got about 1 mile before it started sputtering (Thank god, I was right at a gas station, so I whipped it in and filled it up with 3.7 gallons)

Soooo, if I reset the odometer correctly the last time I filled up, which I believe I did, then I got 275 miles out of that tank of gas... 275 divided by 3.7=74.32 MPG...woohoo!!! :2tup:

BTW, This is a 2001 GZ250 if that tank size is different from other years.

I'm going to try this again with the full tank of gas I have now, I DID RESET TO ZERO when I filled it up with 3.7 gallons of Chevron 87 with Techron ;)

BTW, I'm a WOMAN :neener: but I haven't been driving downhill in Neutral, but I haven't been Driving It Like I Stole It either, just normal city driving back and forth to work (30 miles each way)

alantf
06-03-2010, 02:05 PM
Switched to reserve, then only got 1 more mile out of it?

This seems to firmly point to the fact that the pipe has come off the petcock (in the tank)

What happens is that inside the tank, the petcock has a pipe (open at the top) When in "run" the bike uses fuel until it drops level with the top of the pipe, when no more fuel can go into the pipe. Switching to "reserve" opens an outlet level with the bottom of the tank, which means that the fuel sitting under the top of the pipe can now flow. So,you can see that it's more of a way to let you know that you're low on fuel. If the pipe come adrift, then you are using all the fuel in the tank before it cuts out. You were lucky to get that extra mile. It seems like it's a common fault with the GZ. It's not a difficult job to repair it. It just means removing the petcock, retrieving the pipe out of the tank, & refitting it. You might want to wait until the tank is nearly empty, then set the petcock to "prime" to empty the tank into a suitable receptacle.

BTW if you want to take the tank off to do the job, again, it's really simple. :2tup:

Dana_GA
06-03-2010, 02:17 PM
Wow thanks alantf. I was wondering why I only got 1 mile out of the reserve? I've removed the gastank twice already - once to replace the sparkplug, which I later learned I could have done with the gas tank on and the other time to get the carb off so it could be cleaned. Would that have caused the pipe to fall off?

Water Warrior 2
06-03-2010, 02:41 PM
It has 3.7 and3.4 on the same page.

And the manual for mine (european) says 13.0 litres, 14.0 litres for Canada. Seems someone in Japan doesn't realise that a litre is the same all over the world. :oops:





We have smaller liters so we can buy more of them at an inflated price. :lol:

alantf
06-03-2010, 03:20 PM
I've removed the gastank twice already - Would that have caused the pipe to fall off?

Quite possibly :)

mrlmd1
06-03-2010, 06:37 PM
Your mileage is really good, at the upper end of what everyone else is getting, probably because of your conservative riding habits. which is good. Just use up most of the gas, I would say 200-225 miles, then empty the tank and remove the petcock and fish out the tube that came off and refit it back on.
Search on here for this problem and you'll see what it looks like or use this diagram from the Ron Ayers parts fiche --
http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/Mod ... /FUEL_COCK (http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/Module/Main/TypeID/26/Type/Motorcycle/MakeID/2/Make/Suzuki/YearID/42/Year/2001/ModelID/6483/Model/GZ250/GroupID/271109/Group/FUEL_COCK)
If you don't fix that, one of these days you will run out of fuel and be stuck somewhere.
And use your odometer to refuel at every 150-200 miles or so to be safe, just make sure you reset it each time you fill up.

Water Warrior 2
06-03-2010, 06:52 PM
Your mileage is really good, at the upper end of what everyone else is getting, probably because of your conservative riding habits. which is good. Just use up most of the gas, I would say 200-225 miles, then empty the tank and remove the petcock and fish out the tube that came off and refit it back on.
Search on here for this problem and you'll see what it looks like or use this diagram from the Ron Ayers parts fiche --
http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/Mod ... /FUEL_COCK (http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/Module/Main/TypeID/26/Type/Motorcycle/MakeID/2/Make/Suzuki/YearID/42/Year/2001/ModelID/6483/Model/GZ250/GroupID/271109/Group/FUEL_COCK)
If you don't fix that, one of these days you will run out of fuel and be stuck somewhere.
And use your odometer to refuel at every 150-200 miles or so to be safe, just make sure you reset it each time you fill up.
Wish I'd said that.

JWR
06-03-2010, 07:29 PM
The worst thing is...no filter.

Fix it now to avoid trash problems.

BTDT

ncff07
06-03-2010, 08:10 PM
The worst thing is...no filter.

Fix it now to avoid trash problems.

BTDT

thought about not having a filter earlier. crossed my mind to put a small in line filter on there.

Easy Rider
06-03-2010, 08:20 PM
ER is wrong on this one (again).

Admitted that my memory failed me on this one......but the point was made anyway.
I am sorry that I am not perfect; never claimed that I was.

AND you and I have been pretty cool lately; the (again) was totally unnecessary and served no useful purpose except to inflame the discussion.

Since I saw no smiley, I then must assume that you are just being a PRICK again. Do you REALLY want to do this again ?????? :skull:

I sure don't. :cry:

Easy Rider
06-03-2010, 08:30 PM
then switched to Reserve and only got about 1 mile before it started sputtering

Others have commented on the proper position of the "switch" (some not so nicely) but you have not. I assume that means that you WERE doing it right ????

We've had several folks come here who were not. :)

alantf
06-04-2010, 06:17 AM
Wish I'd said that.

"You will, my dear Oscar, you will!" Attributed to a friend of Oscar Wilde :roll:

Dana_GA
06-04-2010, 09:28 AM
[quote="Dana_GA":2nh7f9ri] then switched to Reserve and only got about 1 mile before it started sputtering

Others have commented on the proper position of the "switch" (some not so nicely) but you have not. I assume that means that you WERE doing it right ????

We've had several folks come here who were not. :)[/quote:2nh7f9ri]

I'm assuming that if I DIDN'T have it in the proper direction, that I wouldn't have got 275 out of the Reserve (opposite direction) :tongue:

mrlmd1
06-04-2010, 10:16 AM
ER is wrong on this one (again).

Admitted that my memory failed me on this one......but the point was made anyway.
I am sorry that I am not perfect; never claimed that I was.

AND you and I have been pretty cool lately; the (again) was totally unnecessary and served no useful purpose except to inflame the discussion.

Since I saw no smiley, I then must assume that you are just being a PRICK again. Do you REALLY want to do this again ?????? :skull:

I sure don't. :cry:

Slow down - relax a little.
There gets to be something lost in the written word compared to voice communication. And I left out the friggin smiley - whooo - That makes me a PRICK? WTF is wrong with you? There was no intent to "inflame" any discussion, what I meant (and what I said) was that you were wrong about this for the second time - we had this discussion once before on here about a year or so ago, you got it backwards then as you did now. That's AGAIN. OK? Nothing wrong with what I said, something wrong with your perception of reading it. Sorry you misinterpreted my intent and you chose to react this way. Peace to you anyway - go out for a ride. :) :) :roll: :cool: :cool: :) :) :) :) :) :) Enough?

Easy Rider
06-04-2010, 10:37 AM
I'm assuming that if I DIDN'T have it in the proper direction, that I wouldn't have got 275 out of the Reserve (opposite direction) :tongue:

No, wrong assumption.

The main and reserve are NOT two different tanks or different sections of the tank. The ON position draws fuel through a pipe that sticks up from the bottom an inch or two.......so that when the fuel draws down to the top of that pipe, and starts sputtering, there is still some fuel left in the bottom of the tank. Switching to REServe bypassed that extra pipe and draws gas directly from the bottom of the tank and uses the remaining couple of inches.

SO......if you leave it in REServe, that's exactly what will happen: you will use up ALL the gas in the tank and when you then run out, you are completely OUT.

Getting that much mileage without moving the switch means either that the "ON" tube is loose OR that you had it on REServe all the time.

MANY riders mis-interpret what the correct position IS......and some don't remember it after they know (me) !! The tiny arrow points to the active position.

Easy Rider
06-04-2010, 10:41 AM
....you were wrong about this for the second time - we had this discussion once before on here about a year or so ago, you got it backwards then as you did now.

Well, I certainly don't remember THAT. Reference ??

Sorry if I over-reacted. It is somewhat of a conditioned response.

Easy Rider
06-04-2010, 03:21 PM
what I meant (and what I said) was that you were wrong about this for the second time - we had this discussion once before on here about a year or so ago, you got it backwards then as you did now.

Help me out here.

I went back and looked; searched for "petcock" and "Easy Rider" (yes, you can do that with ONE search by filling in both boxes) and did not see any posts where I got it wrong before.

Am I overlooking something ??

Dana_GA
06-08-2010, 11:24 AM
244 miles on that 2.6 gal would be 93.8 mpg. Nobody gets that except coasting downhill in neutral.

Likely that he is already on reserve and doesn't realize it.

It has been a LONG time since we mentioned how the petcock lever is mis-leading.
I suspect that when he is out, there will be no recovery.

There is a tiny arrow on the lever that points to the active position; it is NOT the long part of the lever itself; just the opposite.

I finally remembered to look at my petcock (I don't know why I laugh everytime I type or say that word) and I WAS riding with it in the RESERVE position. Soooo, I switched it to the proper position, my question now is...I've got 180 miles on this tank of gas, I want to run it dry again to see if I get 75 MPG like the last tank...sooo, does the reserve fill back up when I switched to RUN? or is my Reserve tank now empty?? Hope that made sense?? I just don't want to get stranded on empty.

bonehead
06-08-2010, 11:50 AM
No separate tank. Run lets you use the 2.6 gals to start, once you turn it to res. you are running on the remaining .8 gals of gas that is in your tank. If you run out on res you are OUT of gas. Riding on run,then runing out of gas and then switching to res lets you know you need gas real soon.

blaine
06-08-2010, 11:54 AM
Reserve is just the bottom of the tank,not a separate tank.At 180 miles you should soon run out and need to switch to Res.Res will give you plenty to get to gas station

Easy Rider
06-08-2010, 12:02 PM
I just don't want to get stranded on empty.

Since there is still a possibility of some confusion here........
I suggest that you fill the tank and start over with your test.

As others have said, there is only one tank and "reserve" is just the last .8 gal (or whatever) in the bottom of the tank.

P.S. I am now going to go back and correct my incorrect post about the lever position; the one in this thread anyway. I can't find any others.

5th_bike
06-08-2010, 09:51 PM
I WAS riding with it in the RESERVE position.
That's weird, because in the picture with your first post in this thread, your petcock's handle points forward, which is the "run" (normal) position, not "reserve".

And by now you probably realize that in the "run" position, the petcock drains fuel from the tank through a tube that sticks an inch or two up in the tank so it cannot drain from the bottom, and in the "reserve" position it DOES drain from the bottom of the tank via a shorter tube.

PS: From the manual:
Tank contents: 3.7 gallons (includes reserve) (California models: 3.4 gallons)
Reserve: 0.8 gallons.

PS2: I switched to reserve yesterday at 196 miles, after the engine stalled at a traffic light, with the road sloping down slightly. I rode about 20 miles and then filled up with almost 3.1 gallons. 70.5 mpg for this fillup.

alantf
06-09-2010, 05:58 AM
PS: From the manual:
Tank contents: 3.7 gallons (includes reserve) (California models: 3.4 gallons)


This is weird. I assume that they don't put a different tank on Californian models. Like my handbook says 13.0 litres, 14.0 litres for Canada (when litres are the same all over the world) I wonder if they mean 3.7 imperial gallons, 3.4 American gallons? Velly stlange! :)

Dana_GA
06-09-2010, 10:29 AM
[quote="Dana_GA":3gmihdx7] I WAS riding with it in the RESERVE position.
That's weird, because in the picture with your first post in this thread, your petcock's handle points forward, which is the "run" (normal) position, not "reserve".
[/quote:3gmihdx7]

That wasn't my picture of the petcock hehe handle, someone else posted that. I didn't read these replies yesterday and was going to the country last night and didn't want to get stranded, so I refilled my tank at 200 miles and will restart my 'mpg test'

Easy Rider
06-09-2010, 11:05 AM
This is weird. I assume that they don't put a different tank on Californian models.

And I think that assumption is incorrect.
The California model has an extra "gizmo" up under the tank, charcoal canister for gas vapors, I think, that requires a "dent" in the tank to go around it.

alantf
06-09-2010, 11:14 AM
Not sure, but didn't someone say (a long time ago) that the cannister was UNDER the bike. Can't remember rightly, but I think it was Alan McC. :)

Easy Rider
06-09-2010, 11:16 AM
Not sure, but didn't someone say (a long time ago) that the cannister was UNDER the bike. Can't remember rightly, but I think it was Alan McC. :)

OK, well maybe it's the plumbing that goes along with it........I said "I think".
Anyhow, the tank IS DIFFERENT.

Sarris
06-09-2010, 11:19 AM
My GZ averages 45 to 55mpg with my fat ass aboard.

:lol:

alantf
06-09-2010, 11:27 AM
OK, well maybe it's the plumbing that goes along with it........I said "I think".
Anyhow, the tank IS DIFFERENT.

That's something to think about if anyone on here is looking to buy a new (to them) tank. :)

Water Warrior 2
06-09-2010, 01:36 PM
That would only be a problem if you live in California and buy an out of state tank. We would not consider an out of state tank and removing the cannister and associated plumbing.

New GZ250
06-09-2010, 02:58 PM
California-3.2 Gallon Tank. Usually tank up at 180 miles on trip odometer, most I have pushed it is 199 miles and did not have to hit reserve.
Put over 9,000 miles on the bike, get on average 75+ miles a gallon easy! Vapor recovery tank is under tank.

alantf
06-09-2010, 03:37 PM
Vapor recovery tank is under tank.

Is there a big difference in the tank, to account for it holding less fuel? I've only seen the "normal" tank. :??:

New GZ250
06-09-2010, 04:01 PM
Vapor recovery tank is under tank.

Is there a big difference in the tank, to account for it holding less fuel? I've only seen the "normal" tank. :??:

I have not seen an out of state bike to compare, but a .2 difference would be hard to see. We are talking about a bit over 6 ounces. I wish I had those extra ounces though! The larger the tank, the better i say!

Water Warrior 2
06-10-2010, 12:41 AM
The larger the tank, the better i say![/quote]
Good idea until you have to pick up a fallen bike with a 22 liter tank and it is full. Don't ask me how I know. :cry:

cayuse
06-24-2010, 03:37 PM
Had a satisfying experience yesterday, fuel-wise.
I was riding home from work and noticed my odo was edging towards 300km. Based on experience this is just about when my main pickup runs dry. As luck would have it, I found myself in a long stop-and-go lineup for a 4-way stop, creeping uphill(!).
Dreading the thought of a stall in this situation I reached down and switched to reserve and eventually got through the intersection without incident. A minute later on the open road I switched back to main just to see how far I would get and it started coughing almost immediately! Got a good grin out of that!

ArizonaKev
06-26-2010, 03:00 AM
Talk about irony... I had just read alantf's following post today :

Switched to reserve, then only got 1 more mile out of it?

This seems to firmly point to the fact that the pipe has come off the petcock (in the tank)


....and I am riding home from work, looking at my trip odometer and thinking I am getting some FANTASTIC gas mileage, and wondering if I should stop at the next gas station - knew I was getting a little low. But I wasn't worried, figured I would just switch to reserve after it ran it. Well, it started sputtering, I switched to reserve - and it kept sputtering - and died. And stayed dead. Even after several attempts at starting.
At this point, I am thinking back to having read that very post just today, and thinking "don't tell me - the pipe has come off the petcock in my bike, causing there to be no real 'reserve' just like alan described. Fortunately, I stopped right next to a shop, where a fellow rider happened to be working. He came out and saw if I could use a hand, and I described this posting I had read. So he takes the gas cap off, leans the bike a little bit, and says "Yep - there it is, check it out." And sure as sh!t, there is that pipe, laying flat in the tank! I could hardly believe the irony...7
So, he lent me a gas can, I walked to the gas station about 1/4 mile away, got a couple of gallons, put it in, and the bike started right up. Thank God for small favors!

I had to post this in place of another post I had put up saying to simply 'slosh the tank around,' because obviously, that didn't work real well for me! So listen to what they say about checking the mileage and not counting on reserve... Better safe than sorry!

AZKev

emory70
08-03-2010, 07:26 PM
bought my 06 last week. i drive 100 miles a day to work and back. first tank, 78 mpg; second tank, 58 mpg; today, 82 mpg. where did the 58 come from? going from a 50 mph cruise to 60 on the way to work, and on the way home i had a brutal headwind.

my dad has been riding since 1962. his advice? fill up whenever it's convenient.

cayuse
08-03-2010, 07:41 PM
Emory, if you were commuting in a car before this, you are gonna see a BIG difference in your fuel bill! I get a pretty steady 72mpg (US).

Easy Rider
08-03-2010, 09:10 PM
where did the 58 come from?

Also a slight flinch in the fill level can make a signigicant difference in the calculation......since you're only working with about 2 gallons. Single tank figures can vary by a few mpg just because of that. The big difference is likely due to the factors that you observed.

I never got above 65; to much "wrist", I think. :roll:

emory70
08-07-2010, 10:15 PM
yeah, i have noticed that also about fill level. i'm gonna work on consistency in that. everything is exaggerated when working with such a small amount of fuel

Zeke
09-18-2017, 05:46 AM
Ok, so there's PRI (mary) RES (reserve) and ON. What position should I be riding on for normal use? What's the drawback to keeping it on reserve at all times? Doesn't that just draw gas from the bottom of the tank? :ride:

What is the difference between on and primary then?
Please advise. Thanks!

blaine
09-18-2017, 09:22 AM
Ok, so there's PRI (mary) RES (reserve) and ON. What position should I be riding on for normal use? What's the drawback to keeping it on reserve at all times? Doesn't that just draw gas from the bottom of the tank? :ride:

What is the difference between on and primary then?
Please advise. Thanks!
If you ride on RES than you have nothing to fall back on if you run out of fuel.....When you use ON & run low you just turn to RES & head for nearest station.

alantf
09-18-2017, 11:07 AM
What is the difference between on and primary then?


It's not primary, it's prime. In run the petcock is closed until vacuum from the engine (during and after starting) opens the petcock and lets fuel into the carb. When you switch off, the valve shuts and cuts off the fuel. Prime allows fuel to flow all the time, and is used (for example) when the bike's been stood for a long time, and the carb bowl is empty. Then, you'd start in prime and switch to run when the engine's running. If you leave it in prime, fuel will keep flowing while the bike is stood, and fuel could leak into the engine, and possibly contaminate the oil.

Another thing... Why would you possibly want to ride in reserve all the time? Just doesn't seem to make sense.

09GZ250
07-19-2018, 11:32 PM
I always filled mine up at 100mi just to be safe. I could just imagine hitting the reserve and forgetting to switch it back off reserve.

Vegas Street Rider
07-20-2018, 01:53 AM
I usually top mine off at about 150 miles as it minimizes the amount of condensation issues in the fuel tank. About every six months, I run it until I need to switch to reserve and run it near empty. Then I fill it and add a small amount of Seafoam to keep the fuel system clean. I haven't had any problems with it since I got and have put 19,000 +or- miles on it.