Gas Gauge

[SpyderAnn01]

Bob,

I actually got 27 MPG on the first tank and that seems to be typical of my mileage on either bike. I get better mileage when the wife is on the bike... I can't figure out how having more weight on the bike gives it better mileage but it does.

John

It isn't her weight that gives you better mileage it is her punching you in the back telling you to slow down that gives you better mileage!

 

[MouthPiece]

2010 RT-S (Manual) (24,000 miles riding) 29-31 mpg
2013 RT-S (Semi Auto) ( 3,500 miles riding) 24-27 mpg

Chris

 

[Bob Denman]

Better mileage with the Better Half doing the navigating?:shocked:
Easy! Living proof that she's still, "As light as a feather"! :thumbup:

 

[scooterexpress]

Do not but the nozzle all the way in. I only but it in about 2 inch. And pump on slow. I get about 150 miles to a tank and put in 5.8 gal.

i'm right at the same level you are i get 150 at 5.8 that comes to about 26mpg the best my bike ever got was 31 and that was last year going to spyderfest now i have over 12k mi and the best i can get is 26-27 doesn't matter if i'm 2up or not,easy on the throttle or not it dont seem to make much difference and i always run 92octane.ev1 keeps sayin how there getting 30+ i'd sure like to know what it is there doing that i'm not doing.

 

[NancysToy]

TO ME: And we ran out of gas..pps:.about 20 miles from when the gas light came on. :banghead: First he ran out (on my bike) and I stayed with it along the freeway while he took his bike and went about a mile to the nearest town where he promptly ran out. A nice man went home and got his 2 gal gas can and brought it full back to husband. He then went to fill his bike and bring me 2 gal so I could get to the station. Eating crow has no calories...not that he cares about calories. But, I got a good laugh anyway. Now we know...about 20 miles after the light comes on...we run out. Need to fill sooner. We did get 31 miles per gal though. And, it only took about 20 minutes and nice man helping to get fixed up. (It was rather lonely along the freeway by myself, so I read the manual and set my gauges). Was a good ride nevertheless!:doorag:

You should have about 1.5 gallons left when the light comes on. That should be good for more than 20 miles. You may want to see a dealer about your gauge/sending unit.

 

[jthornton]

I also get better mileage with the wife on the back. If I go too fast I get hit on the head :lecturef_smilie:, kind of like a governor.

That's funny, I have the exact same governor... on the Goldwing I get two more inputs from the governor, left shoulder tap = your too close to the center line, right shoulder tap = your too close to the edge of the road. Heck she even grabbed my shoulders once to try and steer the bike while I was pulling up to a gas pump as the governor thought I was too close to the pump.

John

 

[jthornton]

The tank is 6.6 gallons, but only holds 6.0 gallons of fuel. The rest is necessary head space for venting and expansion. The low fuel light comes on with about 1.5 gallons left in the tank. The best way to fill is to insert the nozzle just past the baffle ring, and fill slowly. Stop when gas begins to spurt out the vent slots. Do not repeatedly top it off. If you do top it off, do so slowly, and only once. If you overfill, you will fill the emissions canister and ruin it. You will also waste the gas and get worse mileage than ever. Mileage averages vary widely, but 25-35 is typical. I have averaged 28 mpg over 23,000 miles...at least half with towing a trailer. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info on the tank, one normally assumes that the listed tank size is how much fuel it actually holds. I would have made a wrong assumption based on the listed tank size.

Thanks
John

 

[Jeriatric]

I stopped by my dealer last week and they put in the new gauge and updated the software

I had the 'bouncing' gas gauge problem and it would show empty and the light would come on, I'd go to a gas station to fill up and it would only take 4.5 gallons of gas

hoping the new gauge works better or I will unplug it and use the digital one....:banghead:

Think you will find the new gage and update is spot on. Did mine probably 30 tanks of fuel ago and it works so well I've forgotten it used to bounce. :thumbup:

 

[ARtraveler]

I'll add a little more now that there has been some more input. I had two gas gauges put on my 2010 and the second also started wandering all over the place. Had a similar problem when I bought the 2011--but did not replace the gauge.

I have disconnected the analog gauges on both Spyders and am perfectly happy with the digital gauges that appear on the dashboard. The fix is easy. Just remove the four screws on the panel, lift and unplug both the gas and temperature guages. As mentioned above, the digital gauges magically appear. Note: others have said to unplug both gauges--but not sure the technical reason for it.

I find the digital gauges to be more accurate. For me, the fuel light now comes on at about 150 miles and most times we top off with about 5 or slightly more gallons. I still zero a tripmeter at fill ups. The digital gauges do not wander around--but you will find they are somewhat like a car gauge. The take forever to get past the first hash mark, but as the tank goes down, the miles are fewer each hash mark.

My longest tank--184 miles and 5.8 gallons. approx 32 mpg.

RE: mileage. On four different spyders (2 RS and 2 RT) I seem to get an overall average of 30 mpg. I run my engine in the happy spot (4500-5500), and do not exceed the posted speed limits by more the 5 mph (most of the time). I use cruise on the highway.

 

[jthornton]

I put some miles on the Spyder today and fueled up twice. Once with 93 octane 100% gasoline and got 30.7 MPG on that tank. The first tank gave me 27.3MPG with 93 octane 90/10 mix. And the weird thing is the analog gauge seemed to be normal for the miles I put on it. I'll have them change it in any case. I may take the analog gauges out and put a photo of my grandchildren in the bezel...

John