Mileage on a full tank

[spikebites]

Whats the most miles that can be driven on a full tank?  My gas gauge does something weird.  The most I can go is roughly 150 miles on a good week before the gas meter drops down to about 3 bars which is half.  But, after it reaches 3 bars, if I drive another 10 or so miles, it will drop down to 2 bars.  Then anytime I am at 2 bars, after I turn off the bike and turn it back on, the gas meter will start flashing 2 bars.

And sometimes if I drive with 2 bars flashing, it will go back up to 3 bars, but then drop back down to 2 and start flashing.  How many miles more can I go before its empty?  I usually never let it go down to empty since I am afraid to get stuck somewhere so I always fill up when I am at 3 bars which is roughly 150 miles since my last fill up.

Why does the gauge drop so quickly after it goes down to 3 bars?  Shouldn't I be getting least 200ish miles per tank?

[zombie]

That's hard to answer because mileage is relative.
The basics of the gauge are subjective. The gauge depends on a float, that has to be calibrated. Once in an often while the float will be wrong, and either you or your deal;er will have to adjust this to read correctly.

Kymco is NOT like GM/Ford where 100% accuracy is needed. Kymco falls in the 85-90% range.

That said... the gauge can be easily adjusted. Either figure where you need to bend the tang or visit your dealer. If it reads too low bend it down, or if it reads too high, bend it up.Easy peasy, gotta be Chineesie!

[BettinANDlosing]

Also the shape of the tank has some play in how the gauge reads. The People 250 (not "s") has an extra reservoir above the floorboard tank, the sending unit is in the floor tank so the needle stays at F for EVER then when it finally starts to move down it drops in less than 50 miles. The best thing to do is run your bike out of gas, do it with spare gas onboard or a station close. That way you'll know how low you can go, it's further than you think! Since Your bike is injected you should turn it off as soon as you feel it start to stumble.

[zombie]

Also the shape of the tank has some play in how the gauge reads. The People 250 (not "s") has an extra reservoir above the floorboard tank, the sending unit is in the floor tank so the needle stays at F for EVER then when it finally starts to move down it drops in less than 50 miles. The best thing to do is run your bike out of gas, do it with spare gas onboard or a station close. That way you'll know how low you can go, it's further than you think! Since Your bike is injected you should turn it off as soon as you feel it start to stumble.

LOL   drive in the station parking lot till it dies. Like I do.

(just cause I have nothing else to do)

People give me food, and things just cause they feel guilty.

[windwheeler]

The most I can go is roughly 150 miles on a good week before the gas meter drops down to about 3 bars which is half.  But, after it reaches 3 bars, if I drive another 10 or so miles, it will drop down to 2 bars.  Then anytime I am at 2 bars, after I turn off the bike and turn it back on, the gas meter will start flashing 2 bars.

I can not speak for the D/T but on a car I own it is about the same situation which is related to the "Fuel Level Sending Unit" that hangs and does not slide freely down when the fuel level in the tank gets lower.

If you still have warranty, then the dealer needs to take care of it and replace it.  If not, you should be able to remove the unit, clean and polish it, so it moves more freely and you get a more consistent indication.

This is my wild guess, but I am pretty sure that's where the culprit lays.
 

[spikebites]

LOL   drive in the station parking lot till it dies. Like I do.

(just cause I have nothing else to do)

People give me food, and things just cause they feel guilty.

This seems like a fun and interesting idea.  Maybe I will try that late at night one day.

And thanks everyone for the response.  Before I take the bike into the dealer to see whats wrong, I'm just curious what others are getting with a full tank of gas.  And is there a reserve tank?  And whats the general rule of thumb once the gas gauge starts flashing?  Does that mean I have 10 miles? 50 miles?  or is there any safety measures in place? 

Does the gas gauge go down from 3 bars, 2 bars, flashing, then does it go down to 1 or even 0 bars before it shuts off?

[zombie]

Can't help you there but someone will. 

[RubenC]

It depends on how you drive.  With a Kymco windshield, the 1st low fuel light will come on about 180 miles. The 2nd low fuel light will come on about 205 miles.   the 2nd light means get gas real soon (like in the next 5miles maybe.  I don't know because I have not run out of gas yet.)


With a Givi windshield (taller and wider windshield), the 1st low fuel light comes on about 165 miles and the 2nd low fuel lights comes  about 190 miles.

Also check the fuelly website www.fuelly.com for Downtowners who post their mileage information on the website

[CROSSBOLT]

Did a check on my DT300i last year after the mileage stabilized. Strapped on the one-gallon gas can and rode it until the first "bingo" light started which was the fuel gauge and symbol were flashing which was between 180 and 190 miles. Kept going until the last bar on the gauge disappeared and then the yellow-orange "bingo" light lit on the panel at 210 miles. Kept going until the gas station which ended at about 230 miles and it was still running! As I recall, the tank filled with 3.3 gallons. That's on a tank with 3.4 US gallon capacity. This was on summer gas but it should make just a small mileage reduction on winter gas, all non-ethanol. Beyond the foregoing, I can't help ya.

Karl

[nushipwright]

Just my 2cents:
I mostly ride two up and in the city. The most I dared getting out of one tank was somewhere over 190miles. So If you fly mainly solo 200 miles is a safe margin I would say. 

[de dee]

on a full tank at 140 km.   the first lite blinks,  up to 160 km.   then the next 3 bars at 50 km. per.   the last bar starts about 20 km.s and blinks up to  340 km.s   up to 369 km. my longest km.s  on a tank of gas,. had to push scoot 200 feet,.  to gas pump

[nushipwright]

on a full tank at 140 km.   the first lite blinks,  up to 160 km.   then the next 3 bars at 50 km. per.   the last bar starts about 20 km.s and blinks up to  340 km.s   up to 369 km. my longest km.s  on a tank of gas,. had to push scoot 200 feet,.  to gas pump

That is incredible good mileage de dee! What is your secret?

[de dee]

That is incredible good mileage de dee! What is your secret?

  i THINK IT IS THE WAY I BROKE IT IN ,   via     moto USA   I have a long hill at 10 %   that I rode up and down,  wide open throttle  up the hill and 60 mph down the hill closed throttle,.  and changed the oil at 26 miles  then variable  speed from there on,I am about 60,000 km. now,  and it runs very well,.seems to run better every year,.  I picked the hill to break it in because of the transmission,  down hill gives more back preasure,  to set the rings,. 

[windwheeler]

I THINK IT IS THE WAY I BROKE IT IN , via  moto USA   I have a long hill at 10 %   that I rode up and down,  wide open throttle  up the hill and 60 mph down the hill closed throttle,.  and changed the oil at 26 miles  then variable  speed from there on,I am about 60,000 km. now,  and it runs very well,seems to run better every year,.  I picked the hill to break it in because of the transmission,  down hill gives more back pressure,  to set the rings,.

Many, many factors on brake-in, and fuel economy.  I could write a thesis.   

1.) break in: If you want the most powerful engine, "break it in fast"...  Only for about 50 miles be gentle, then floor and rev it, just VARY a lot.  Based on dyno tests and comparisons, THAT is the best method.  De Dee did basically the above.

2.) De Dee posted KM/Tank, and that is very realistic.  It of course depends how steady or wide open throttle you ride, what speed, elevation or sea level, temperature, humidity, purity of gas, tire pressure, and on, and on, and on; MANY factors!  Same bike, different rider, different fuel efficiencies.

3.) The fuel injection has a margin of setting (TPS) and being still in factory specs, but varying fuel consumption up to 10%. US people/mechanics tend to set the bikes on the "richer side", while Europeans set them "on the leaner side".  Leaner reflects also in better fuel efficiency, but bears a higher risk of detonation, and with that also possible engine and head gasket damage.

As a tip, and you can see instant results:  Run a tank where you consciously try to avoid over 5500 acceleration rpm and ease to the desired speed, even though your end speed may be over 5500 rpm (the lower you keep the rpm consistently, the better the fuel efficiency).  Then run a tank where you just open up the throttle and blast up to the desired speed.  I bet you will see a very significant difference.

FYI: (US gallons) I varied with the D/T from worst 50 mpg, to "typical average"60-65mpg, to best 70-72 mpg.  Just depended on the above.

[kneeslider]

Just completed a run using a full tank of RON95 filled to the brim.  I got 350kms from a DT200, 80% of those kilometers at almost full speed on the highway.