| Author | Message | ||
     Rootintootin |
I decided to run my 04 Lightning dry yesterday, got 38 miles out of the reserve before it conked out. 3.1 gals brought it up to the fill-up line in the tank opening. Where is the other .6 gal? As it normally hits reserve at 2.4 gal. I seem to be missing some capacity. The only time I tried to go all the way to the top of the tank, thinking maybe I wasn't filling it all the way up, it was overflowing out the tube before I got back from paying for the gas. Any ideas? Jim | ||
| 12r |
38 miles on reserve must be some kind of record  One time I did 23 miles - those last few miles were the slowest ever  | ||
| Paul_in_japan |
i ran out of gas just after i got the bike before i was familiar with its ability. Big difference between cruising on the bike (200km when hitting reserve) and hammering it (140km). I pushed it to the gas station and filled it up. It took 13 litres. I thought it had a 14 liter tank. Where is the other liter? | ||
| Rootintootin |
Yeah, your mileage sounds about like mine, never seen the 60+ as advertised. Low 50's per gal. is about my normal mileage, which would give somewhere around 38 miles for the claimed .7 gal reserve. My problem is that it always hits reserve from a fill up in about 125 miles or so and about 2.4 gals. to fill back up. I was thinking maybe there was a larger reserve. Looks like there is only a 3.1 gal. total capacity, not the claimed 3.7 gal. Maybe its like the 103 HP claim, somewhat optimistic. I'm not too concerned with the mileage because I have the XB9 primary gearing for slicing and dicing, but all things being equal, I would still like to know where the 3.7 comes from. Even filling it all the way to the lid is only about .2 gal. more than usual. Another Buell mystery. Jim | ||
| Teeps |
Ulysses is supposed to hold 4.4gal. Most I recall putting in 3.8 gal, after 180 miles. 103HP, true? The question: where is this number derived? rear wheel? crankshaft? wrist pin? B.M.E.P. calculation? Maybe you guys should replace the frame/tank with that of a "Long" or Ulysses... | ||
| Beachbuell |
Not enough is the answer. I start looking for fuel at 100 miles regardless if I need it or not. I've gone 32 miles on reserve. A very slow 32 miles. I've gotten 130 miles plus on a tank full, doing grandma speeds. But, thats no fun. The way I ride 110 miles is about the average on a tank. | ||
| 12r |
IIRC a stock XB12 puts out about 80 bhp on the dyno. I think that figure of 103 bhp was measured at the crank in a frictionless vacuum. | ||
| Frequency |
I get about 105 - 110 before the little light tells me i need gas. and then it takes about 2.5 gallons. There has been 1 exception to this. I rode the bike for 130 miles of expressway - no stopping, no changes in speed at a constant 80 - 85 - w/o the light coming on, the light came on around 145, so i was very pleased on that day | ||
| Permagrin |
I'm with beachbuell. 100 miles and I'm looking 110 and I'm paranoid. I've seen 16 miles on reserve and that still wasn't pleasant. It only took about 2 gallons to fill it back up. I'd guesstimate I'm getting about 60 mpg | ||
| Lazyj |
I just look at it as this way...........every time i wrap my wrist around that throttle it just cost me a nickel to a dime.......and hell i got jars full of nickels and dimes to burn up.....LOL ON another note, I too start seeking fuel at around the 100 mile mark just to be safe and my 07 12R is suppose to have a 3.8 gallon tank reserve included. Fuel Capacity 3.82 gal. Reserve Fuel Capacity 0.75 gal. | ||
| Grlryder |
I seek fuel about the 85 mark. Have only seen high 90's once or twice. One of these days I might go easy on the throttle just for test purposes...definately not for kicks. As for reserve...I went 8 miles and was petrified to test my luck further. lol | ||
| Jkhawaii |
well its 3.7 from full to totally dry I'm sure. not full to a level that the pump pick up can reach | ||
| Sicbird |
Pushed mine up an off ramp and over to the pumps once...not doing that again! Took 3.45 gal. Reserve light usually comes on about 2.75 | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Did you fill it with the bike on the sidestand or straight up and down? When I ran it dry, I filled it on the sidestand, then stood the bike up and topped it off coming to 3.75gal. One thing to keep in mind about the reserve light, its not float activated, its activated by a heated wire. When the level gets to a point where the heated wire isn't cooled enough, it triggers the light. If the ambiant air temp is high or low, it can affect the temp of the fuel in the tank. So one time on a really hot day, you might get 35 miles, on a really cold day, you might get 24. | ||
| Tpoppa |
On my '03 XB9s the fuel light comes on consistently between 135-140. I have gone over 30 miles on reserve a few times. 3.3 gallons is the most it has ever needed. | ||
| Terribletim |
Do you guys ever actually crunch the numbers? Take the total gallons put in the tank and divide it out by the number of miles ridden. That would be the correct way to calculate the mileage. I seem to get around 35-40 mpg, due mostly by my HEAVY throttle hand. I have this medical condition where my wrist bends really fast when a light turns green. As for capacity, I can usually put 3 gallons in it and I never push the reserve more than 10 miles before filling it. Keep this in mind, your bike has an electronic fuel pump, those things do not like to be run low. They will pick up all the crap that settled in the bottom of your tank and then they plug the filter, or worse yet overheat and burn up from not pumping anything when you run out. Do your self a favor, top it off when you hit reserve or before, not 25-30 miles later. | ||
| Spike |
The farthest I've gone on the light with my '04 XB12 is 28.5 miles. I didn't run out, but I was afraid to push much further since I knew I was near the limit. Total mileage for that tank was just shy of 175 miles and it took ~3.2gal to fill. I routinely go ~20 miles on the light and it takes 3.0-3.1 to fill the tank usually. Coincidentally, my bike is sitting outside my office right now with 16.8 showing on the fuel trip and 147 miles for the tank. | ||
| Scottsts |
I'm hitting reserve at 102-105 miles and took it to 112 miles before filling up. '05 City, btw. | ||
| Damnut |
I have run out a couple of times on my 04XB12R and it has taken 3.3-3.4 gallons everytime. 3.7 gallons my ass. | ||
| Ridrx |
'06 12R usually get around 130-140 before the light(I'm old and ride slow). Farthest I've gone on reserve is 21...I have GOT to get a GPS! | ||
| Fdl3 |
Do your self a favor, top it off when you hit reserve or before, not 25-30 miles later. YMMV 2003 XB9R (stock) 140-150 miles before reserve light 170-190 miles before I am pushing the bike 3.0-3.2 gallons to fill back up Every 2.5 work days | ||
| Urbansurfking |
2006 XB9SX 148 - 162 until reserve 3.0 - 3.2 to fill up Spec Ops, Race ECM and K&N Most of the roads I travel are back roads at speeds from 55 to 70. If I throw interstate runs into this then I tend to average 138 - 142 to reserve. I saw my biggest mileage improvement after 6000 miles on the odometer. | ||
| Unibear12r |
My 04 12R throws on the reserve light very consistent at 115 miles. I had to chase Ferris 35 miles on reserve thru the middle of nowhere once, didn't run out, and don't want to do it again. I think that 3.7 gallon figure must include the volume taken up by the fuel pump also. | ||
| Hardcorps |
I get 50 mpg on a regular basis, but if I am having fun I get around 45mpg. I have never gotten less than 45 mpg. I usually get fuel around 125 miles if the light comes on or not. | ||
| Tdiddy |
I'm willing to bet that the volume the frames/ tank are rated to hold is with out the fuel pump and filter assembly. I think your right Unibear12. | ||
| Cycleaddict |
they leave some "air-space" in the tank also . (the air-space allows room for expansion---cool fuel/hot gas tank) maybe thats where our 3.7 gals is ! | ||
| Fullpower |
My experience with the XB12S indicates a USABLE fuel capacity of approximately 3.4 gallons. | ||
| Mesafirebolt |
I usually get around 55-60 on my 05 12R, mainly hiway at 80mph. Reserve light comes on around 110-120 miles and have been over 150 before without running out and about 35 miles on the reserve. Fill up is usually 3 gallons or less. | ||
| Snakedriver |
Fullpower hit it...Its usable fuel(just as any pilot) the tank may be 3.7 gals. but hidden in all the corners, welds, and what ever else is in there could be your .3 Gal. So just turn your bike upside down and see if the .3 comes out! Leo | ||
| Snowhownd |
Yeah, if anything you should thankful that you don't use EVERY drop of fuel in your tank - that extra .3 probably sits below the feeder hose for a reason - so all the particles that accumulate in your tank don't get into your engine. | ||
| 07xb12scg |
I never fill my 12 up to the bottom rim of the tank and I still always get over 100 miles per tank. | ||
| Rootintootin |
I ran mine dry on purpose just to see what the actual capacity is. I was thinking since reserve came on so early, that reserve must be bigger than advertised. I wasn't deathly afraid of pushing the bike, after 30 miles I stuck to a route where I knew I would be no more than a short push to a pump, just to be on the safe side. As it was, when it died I was pulling up to stop at a traffic light, so I just cut the ignition and coasted across a median and 3 oncoming lanes of traffic and stopped at an empty pump. Must be all those years of clean living. The reserve appears to be accurate at 7/10ths of a gallon. I filled it today at the pump all the way to the bottom of the insert just to verify that it was only 2/10ths of a gallon more than I normally put in, which still leaves 4/10s of a gallon unaccounted for. I don't know about the new models with the ¿larger? capacity. I don't have any problems with my light coming on at reserve and I always use my first trip meter as a fuel mileage watch, something I've done with every bike I ever had. If I have to take the fuel pump out to get 3.7 gallons in the frame, that's silly. Why not call it 3.4 gallons or 3.1 gallons or whatever it actually is. I find it hard to believe there are such large manufacturing tolerances in this high speed, low drag frame as that. I'm looking at the pictures in the service manual, never took the pump out of the frame. The pick-up looks like it is about as low as it can go. 4/10ths of a gallon is a lot of grit to lower the fuel capacity that much. There is also an in line filter, not your old fashioned screen like on a gravity fed, carb system. By the way, there wasn't much warning when it quit. It skipped a beat and died completely about 2 seconds later. None of the old missing, running, missing, running as it gets a little more fuel. OK, I'm done. Jim | ||
| Unibear12r |
Just a fyi for California bike owners, no concern for 49r's or export. Or Cali's that's had the carbon cannister exorcism. A bit off subject but related. For those who don't know it, never fill past the bottom of the neck. On a really hot day when you are not going to ride away directly from the pump don't even fill to the bottom of the neck. Fuel expansion will flow into the vapor cannister and then be sucked up by the engine about a half block from the gas stop. Bike will feel like it was taken over by a cough and sputter demon and will usually throw a trouble code and might even die. If it doesn't die just ride it through, it'll be fine in a minute or so. If it does die give it a minute or two, turn key off then on, fire up and go. But the next time the tech puts your bike on the computer he might laugh and ask you about overfilling the tank! | ||
| Tintin74 |
Well, I've got another theory: A couple of weeks after getting mine, I was used to see the reserve light after a sharp 118mi of commuting. After checking tire pressures and adding some engine oil though, it took around 124 to do the same thing. Before I realized that, I thought the light had gone dead (it really should be lightened at startup time). So I did some research on the fuel pump and low fuel sensor (sensor is attached to the pump if memory serves well). First thing I learned from the service manual is that if the sensor fries, you're in for a lot of work since the swing arm has to be removed in order to access the pump and sensor. Now that we talk about why all the gas can't get sucked by the pump, let me just say that the pump is located on the left side of the bike so most probably some fuel is left (no pun intended) on the right side. Note that my previous carbureted UJM bikes had the same issue because the underneath of the tank usually has a U section so that the tank seats on the main frame beam. (Message edited by Tintin74 on June 08, 2007) | ||
| Cycleaddict |
sounds like a nice "stoppie" will be needed to get the fuel to slosh over ! | ||
| Disturbed |
My last fill on my CityX I went 168 miles, 34 on the "reserve". It took 3.4 Gallons to fill. I'm cool with that. After 150 miles I'm ready to get off the bike for a few minutes. I always fill the bike with me on it, upright. (Message edited by Disturbed on June 09, 2007) | ||
| Mikemax |
Bought the Ss to get 200+ mile range (4 + gallons X 50 + MPG). The reality is just a bit lower but not too bad, I'm over 200 lbs. I seem to get 43 MPG almost no matter how I ride or how traffic is although I have gotten a couple of 50 MPG tanks. I always fill just to the filler rim on the side stand for consistency. The low fuel odometer (a great idea)seems to come on early at around 3.2 gallons to fill back up. That happens generally between 145 to 160 miles. I've never ridden dry but at 180 miles and 20 on the reserve odometer it filled at 3.8 gallons. | ||
| Xbswede |
XB12Ss with a a 240 lb rider = 52 MPG when taking it easy steady cruising (65mph-70mph). Having Fun = 41 MPG. I have never had to put in more then 3.7 gal with a furthest distance of 189 miles (20 of which were on reserve) | ||
| Motomania425 |
I just filled up my 06 Uly for the second time since purchase and went 180 miles for 3.9 gal. Low fuel light came on at 160. That's 46 mpg. I'm pleased. I did not baby her either. Hardly ever made it out of 4th. Seems to be a runner at 3600 to 4100 rpm. Holds to corners like she's on rails. Awesome bike. |
