How do you know how much gas you have left???

[Roadstergal]

Fuel Tank Capacity: 20.0 liter (5.3 gal.) 19.0 liter (5.0 gal.) CA. Model

That 0.3 is a killer...

[RVertigo]

:dunno:  Hey...  At least I was right.  

[Jazzzzz]

I hit reserve the other day at about 125 miles, didn't run on reserve for long enough to see where it ran out.  Mostly highway riding at around 70mph.  My bike is rejetted, but I was not expecting fuel economy that poor.  It's not running rich, either, as best as I can tell.  Even still, when I went to go fill it back up I only got 2.5 gallons in that puppy.  Weird  :dunno:

[Blazinjr]

The couple different times that I checked my mpg it was 57, 61, and a 68.  I thought those were good numbers

[scratch]

Those are good numbers. On my '94 CA model (yes, it definitley does have a smaller tank) I get about 135 miles til I hit reserve, averaging anywhere from 50 (city) to 65 (highway) mpg, and I've run the bike out of gas a few times to get a total of 173 (city) miles out of a tank.

[natedawg120]

I have an 05f and I get right at 200 miles when I have to hit reserve and it takes 3.5 to 3.7 to fill her back up.  All I can say every time is "damn I am never driving the jeep again"  and then do my ghey dance around my bike, hop on and ride off into the sunset :lol:

[RedShift]

Everybody's mileage varies, but you should get over 40 MPG on a stock GS500 -- my '01 gets about 52 in the city and over 60 on trips.

I'm a big proponent of learning what "hitting reserve" feels like.  City riding will give you the worst fuel mileage.  Fill up, reset the trip counter, make sure you're set to ON, and ride it 'til you get the engine to surge and sputter.  Should happen between 140-190 miles.  Reach down (or pull off if you're not sure where it is) and turn the selector 180 degrees to RES, then go find a gas station.

That's your City range.  Other riding patterns get you longer distance for the same fuel.

[RVertigo]

Oh that note...  You should practice finding the petcock reserve setting while NOT looking for it.

Sit on the GS like you're riding it, find the knob, and turn it to Reserve.  Rinse and repeat.

[70 Cam Guy]

People need to remember that the tank in 2001 grew a fair amount and that is why some get 135ish and some get 180-200 miles before reserve

[calamari]

Oh that note...  You should practice finding the petcock reserve setting while NOT looking for it.

Sit on the GS like you're riding it, find the knob, and turn it to Reserve.  Rinse and repeat.

the day I ran out of gas, I remembered to do this (since I had practiced before). sadly, the bike was already off when I turned the knob to reserve  

[pandy]

For the very first time a couple of weeks ago, I reached down at full speed on the freeway and turned my petcock from On to PRIme....my bike was starting to get the "fuel starvation" coughing/choking/gasping, and I was in the fast lane on 101S. It was stop on the left of the diamond lane while everyone was going 80MPH, or become a WOman, reach down, and--ahem--adjust myself....er....my bike....

Weeeeeeeeee!! I did it!!! My GS and I *strutted* home after that! I felt like much less of a newbie.

pandy  :mrgreen:

Oh that note...  You should practice finding the petcock reserve setting while NOT looking for it.

Sit on the GS like you're riding it, find the knob, and turn it to Reserve.  Rinse and repeat.

[RVertigo]

It's not bad if you know where it is and which way to turn it...  I borrowed my sister's S40 and hit reserve...  I didn't even LOOK for it when I got on the bike...  I found it and turned it the right way before it died.  

[pandy]

Well....you did better than I.... One afternoon I was on my way home from work, and my bike did the fuel starvation thang several times... I had to pull over several times.... And I couldn't for the LIFE of me remember which way was which on the petcock...I almost had to call my bf and ask him to look in the manual... After *that* day, I memorized the petcock settings (they're too faint to see anymore).

pandy  

It's not bad if you know where it is and which way to turn it...  I borrowed my sister's S40 and hit reserve...  I didn't even LOOK for it when I got on the bike...  I found it and turned it the right way before it died.  

[RVertigo]

Lucky for me the '04 S40 is the same as the '01 GS.  Down is ON, up it RES.

[doshii]

I've been doing tests on my motorcycle (1994 GS500E "Yukari"). For 3.1 gallons, nearly all at 65-75 mph, I get about 45 mpg. I dunno if it's a California model (not sure how to find that out). I've been using the trip odo to get these readings. So I'm confused. I've never put more than four gallons in that tank (seems about a one-gallon reserve). Does that GS really have only a four-gallon tank? Or could there be something wrong with the bike in general? (Replace air filter?)

Thanks guys. You all rock.

[milo]

Ya, pre-'01 models have ~4 gallon tanks; '01-'05 models have ~5 gallon tanks. Just one more reason I love my ('01) bike. I've done a couple 500-mile days, and that extra gallon can be pretty useful.

[mjm]

I hit reserve the other day at about 125 miles, didn't run on reserve for long enough to see where it ran out.  Mostly highway riding at around 70mph.  My bike is rejetted, but I was not expecting fuel economy that poor.  It's not running rich, either, as best as I can tell.  Even still, when I went to go fill it back up I only got 2.5 gallons in that puppy.  Weird  :dunno:

That is 50 mpg - and I bet that you fill your tank on the sidestand - making any fine comparison imposswible since the amount of gas you get in will vary dramatically with the slope next to the pump.  Fill the tank with the bike held upright - bet you get another gallon (or 2 if your bike is a 2001 or later) in the tank.

[RedShift]

A piece of advice -- if you've never had a need to go to REServe from ON, maybe squirt the petcock with some WD-40 and work it in a bit.  Needing to turn a valve that's stiff from lack of use is not fun when you're in traffic.  (It's a good skill to have to do this, but why make it hard on yourself).  :dunno:

[dablinkboston]

Can't wait to go on those long rides and see how many miles I'll get out of my tank till I hit reserve.  Glad to have the 02 model(yay 5.3 gallon tank!!  )

[rclz]

sometimes when I'm stopped at a light I'll shut it off take the key out and check how much gas I have in my tank.