Miles per gallon

[tharp]

I don't have an owners manual for my gs500, can they be downloaded or ordered fairly cheap?

Anyway how many miles per gallon does the GS500 get?  Since I have no fuel gauge, I'm only guessing.

[Kerry]

Figure on about 45 or 50 mpg until you do a few fillups.  Then you can calculate what you're getting and take an average.  Using that info, decide on the number of miles at which you will usually start looking for a gas station.

If your bike is older than 2001, you should have a 4.5 gallon tank (4.0 gallons in California).  Don't plan on using the last gallon - that's what the REServe is for.

If you bike is 2001+, you have a larger tank - 5.5 gallons I think.

[Kerry]

Sorry, forgot about the owner's manual question.

If you REALLY want an owner's manual, you can get one fairly cheaply from a Suzuki dealer.  But I suggest that you skip the owner's manual and go for a maintenance/repair manual from Clymer's (available via a link on this site) or Haynes.

[glenn9171]

From another post of yours, you have a 2001 model, correct?  I have the same model.  I get above 50MPG every time I check it.  Putting around under the break-in revs I got 65MPG.  I now average about 52-55 with highway riding and "brisk"  :mrgreen: take-offs all the time.

By the way, the stock owner's manual is next to useless.  I have the Hayne's manual and I could not get along without it.

[john]

Yes as stated 50mpg is quite average for the GS500.  Also the Clymer for about $20 is a far better investment.

[Cal Price]

Mine's a 2003 bought in June, tank is rated at 19 or 20 litres depending if you believe the sales brochure or the manual. dealer said I should get 55mpg if I stuch to speed limit and 50 if I did not. During the period of keeping under 5k revs I got 66mpg and to my total surprise it has only dropped to around 55/60 which as I do loads of short hops is pretty good. I use the trip-meter and fill up at, or just before 200 miles, no problems yet and not had to switch to reserve.

Man there must be a fuel leak on my bike... my bike has just over 1000km on her now and last time I put fuel in I got 270km before I had to switch to RES.

Now I gotta say I ride it hard generally to 8K in all lower (1-4) gears etc, but still that kinda fuel use is high right?? Thats only like 33mpg??

hmmm, maybe I should take a bit more notice this time around and see if my figures are correct - Im doing a hostory major, not math!!

Stay Safe

[Cal Price]

For a fairly new bike, in "reasonable" use (whatever that means) about 50mpg is faily typical with the bikers & bike dealers in this part of the world using "ordinary" unleaded, even with plus or minus 20% for the type of rider and conditions 33 seems very low. When I made my choice of a new bike my choice was Honda CB500, Kawasaki ER5 & Suzi GS, all 500 twins and one of the major factors in the decision was the tank range, there is not a lot to choose between them otherwise.  It's 42 years since I left school and I cant even remember if math was invented but then I can't remember the rest of the sixties either.

[FD3S]

I just made a 180 mile loop up the skyway and back down Deal's Gap (I live about 10 miles from DG). Averaged 68 mpg on 93 octane fuel (2001 GS500).

I generally shift around 7k rpm in most gears, sometimes run it to 10k in 1st/2nd if I need to get up to speed quickly when pulling out into traffic.

Am I babying it too much? or should I look for a problem? Power seems to be good, but I haven't ridden any other GSs to compare it to.

[V8Pinto]

Wow this sucks.  I get MAYBE 50 mpg.  I recently fixed the air filter and the mileage went down to 40 something....  I ordered a K&N so we'll see if that helps.  I have really never tuned up the bike either so I can't really complain.  The mileage doesn't change no matter how I ride..

[aplitz]

Over the weekend on a road trip riding two up with my wife hangin' on for dear life, my '01 GS averaged 70 MPG through the Sierra Mountains.  That seemed really high to me, but it has been consistantly turning out numbers like that.