Bandit Alley
MODEL SPECIFIC => SUZUKI BANDIT 600 thru 1200 - AIR/OIL COOLED TECHNICAL => Topic started by: zaphoid42 on July 23, 2006, 05:54:33 PM
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This is a 02 B6.
When I first got my bike, I ran back and forth to work and one day it died. I looked around and found nothing wrong, would crank, idle then die. Looked in the fuel tank and could see gas in there, could slosh the fuel around.
The gauge also showed two bars. No flickering pump things.
Switched to reserve for no real reason, bike ran like crap. But it ran, went to a station and filled it up. This was long ago (years) so I dont know how many gallons. Ran just fine after.
Now I ride untill I see the two bars. Then I fill up. The bike takes on 2.5 gallons. I get 48 mpg on average, so 120 miles.
So, before I hit reserve, I should be able to do 192 miles (4 gallons of fuel).
I can see a test in my future, to run it out of fuel again... sigh
I guess I want to know, is the gauge accurate on everone elses bike. For me its consistent, 2 bars means add 2.5 gallons. Then it shows full.
Should I run it untill out of fuel again, then see how many gallons it takes on? I bet it will be with two bars showing and needing 2.5 gallons. I bet it will.
Thats not right....
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Ok, I have the real question.
Do you guys regularly go untill you you need 3.5 to 4 gallons of fuel?
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I ride in rural areas on twisties. I NEVER let it go below two bars. I would rather just fill it and never run out.
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Ok, I have the real question.
Do you guys regularly go untill you you need 3.5 to 4 gallons of fuel?
When riding easy, I usually wait till I hit reserve before filling up, unless I'm way out in the desert or open country where there may be 50-100 miles between stations.
When riding hard in the local mountains, I run it down to reserve and below, then fill the tank only half-way...It handles MUCH better on tight curves (especially downhill) without the excess weight of a full tank.
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I ride an 02 Bandit 600s. I reset the trip meter on my bike with every fillup.
How far I get before filling up depends on how hard I have been riding. I try to fillup when the low fuel indicator starts flashing.
More often than not I go about 160 miles before filling the bike back up. I have hit 185 miles before the indicator flashes, but not often.
Usually that means about a 4 gallon purchase. I think reserve is 1 gallon.
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I generally ride until it hits reserve and start looking for gas. If I'm on a trip and I'm unsure of gas availabilty, I will fill up sooner.
On the 1200 & 600, you have a 5.0 US gallon tank (19L) on 1G's and a 5.3 (20L) on the 2G's. When they hit reserve varies some from bike to bike, but as a general rule, both Gens hit reserve after they've consumed ~4.0 US gallons.
If your bike runs like crap when it gets low on fuel, I'd suspect you have water in your gas and it gets picked up when it's sucking fuel from the lower pickup of the petcock when you switch to reserve. Water, being heavier than gas, will sink to the bottom, so when you run off the higher standoff when the petcock is in Normal, you're not picking up any water.
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I dont like the way the bike feels with a full tank, sloshing around at 5 gallons. I ride with half a tank or less, I am a short distance rider 55 miles or less. If you dont get what I mean take a 5 gallon gas can shake it back and forth and quickly set it down on a smooth floor. Im 6' 4" 225 so there is probably a higher center of gravity for me than with a shorter rider.
:boohoo:
PIN
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I can't feel too much of a difference when my tank is full. I am only 5' 10" and about 175, so I guess the extra 8 or so pounds a gallon doesn't bother me.
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The only time I notice a difference in handling between a full tank and a half full one is if I'm doing an on the lock turn in a parking lot at 3-5 mph. Out on the road, it doesnt matter. B12 handling is excellent all around. I probably use a touch more throttle in a turn to hold it up when the tank is topped off, but its hardly noticable.
Blue
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On a hot summer day, it feels so good to fill the tank and have that coolness radiate everywhere the tank touches...aah, cooling gas tank.
As to the question at hand, in commuting, I general fill up when the bars start flashing...when daytripping, I generally go about 150 and then fill, since I may not know where the next stop will be, and it gives reason to stop and stretch my legs and rehydrate.
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I have read that the 10% ethanol from the pump is like adding a can of dry gas. That should take care of water.
No one has written in and said they needed to adjust the gas gauge float level. This supprises me.
cb400bill has written that he does use the gauge and does take on near 4 gallons. Thanks.
I guess I will have to test one of my old habits. Keep on riding after hitting two bars. See how far I can go. Then see how much it takes to top off the tank. If I make it to 180 miles I will stop for fuel. No need to be overly stupid about the whole thing. :banghead:
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You need to clean your tank and the petcock , because you are picking up water or you have not used it enough and it is stopped up!!
I almost never get less than 4.5 Gal. of gas for my B12 and have ran it as low as .2 it took 4.8 Gals to fill it !
Most of the time I'll just ride to I feel a little miss and reach down and flip it to R. unless I'm on some thight twisties then I'll go ahead and switch it , don't want to run out of Gas at hard lean!!!
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I have an 02 B6s...I normally ride it down to one bar with the fuel warning flashing...and it usually takes about 4 gallons. And, even then, I can ride for a while (15 miles?) on 1 bar before switching to reserve.
If it were me, I'd ride it until you have to switch to reserve, just to see...I think you may have HAD a clogged petcock intake...I'd bet it's gone. And, I'd say it will go past the 2 bars stage. :wink:
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I've got an '02B12, on long trips at highway speeds I can get around 300km before hitting reserve. Round town that comes down to 200km, and when I'm 'playing' I can get 250km.
On trips with the club I fill up when the other do, whether I need to or not. When I'm by myself or with 1 or 2 others then I fill up as soon as I can when 1 bar is left.
Round town I wait until I hit reserve.
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I get to about 165 miles before reserve, still showing two bars. When I filled, at 177 miles, it took 3.8 gallons. ('05 1200S) After testing it multiple times, I switched the tank to the reserve position, full time, and fill when I get to 1 or 2 bars, or sooner if I know I won't be going near my normal station later. Routinely fill at about 180 miles (reset each fill), and pull roughly 43 MPG.
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I almost never get less than 4.5 Gal. of gas for my B12 and have ran it as low as .2 it took 4.8 Gals to fill it !
Most of the time I'll just ride to I feel a little miss and reach down and flip it to R. unless I'm on some thight twisties then I'll go ahead and switch it , don't want to run out of Gas at hard lean!!!
Thats what I do. I run it until it needs gas. I have frequently run on reserve with no problems.
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I almost never get less than 4.5 Gal. of gas for my B12 and have ran it as low as .2 it took 4.8 Gals to fill it !
Most of the time I'll just ride to I feel a little miss and reach down and flip it to R. unless I'm on some thight twisties then I'll go ahead and switch it , don't want to run out of Gas at hard lean!!!
Thats what I do. I run it until it needs gas. I have frequently run on reserve with no problems.
Running on reserve is fine providing you're not far from a town that has a service station that's open. Yes, that can be a problem here in the Land of Oz, hence why I never let it get that low on a trip.
The only other problem with running on reserve is forgetting to take it of reserve after filling up. Been there, done that. I don't think there is a feeling quite like it, the bike starting to miss, so you reach down to switch to reserve and very quickly realise that it's already on reserve :duh: :duh: :duh: . Fortunatley I was in town and only had a small walk to a service station.
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Well, hey what do you know.
I ran around today untill I ran out of gas and needed the reserve.
Starting from a full tank (on the side stand). I ran for 120 miles at that time there were two bars showing on the gauge. This is where I would always fill up in the past.
I kept going untill 160 miles and I get one bar on the gauge and a flashing fuel pump thing.
At 165 miles it dies and I needed to switch to reserve. Drove around for another five miles to find a station.
Took on 3.7 gallons of gas (on the side stand).
So, the gauge does work and work right sort of. Its a five miles until the engine dies and I need the reserve gauge.
I cant really account for the first time I ran out of gas and it showed two bars. I dont care that was a long time ago. :beers:
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Having read this thread I thought I would test my 06/1200s last weekend.
Filled to the top then did a run with the club ranging from 35kph twisties to 180kph cruising. Had the last segment and fuel pump symbol flashing at me for 15k's and the bike took 16litres to bring back to full total distance traveled was 322klm.
:banana:
Surprised me but the gauge is actualy accurate! :shock:
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I run my bikes on reserve on a regular basis, sometimes even when the tank is full. Reasons for that are several:
- By running on reserve I keep the bottom of my tank clean, so there are no unpleasant surprises when I need those extra few liters. There's nothing worse than having the fuel you cannot use because your jets are clogged.
- Reserve will last about 30-50km on my 1200, so there's plenty of time to find a pump.
- I practice switching to reserve and remembering to switch back after fill up.
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Living in Arizona means long trips between fuel stops if you leave town. I try and plan my fuel stops around the use of reserve which can place you in a dangerous situation if your not prepared to suddenly have a plant shutdown while passing or in a twisty. The down side is this can also allow water to accumulate in the bottom of the tank and why it is important to use a fuel cleaner every other tank full which besides fighting deposit buildup also fights water build up through emulsification. You just have to use it in proportion about 1 fluid ounce per gallon. You should run your fuel down as far as possible past reserve if you can, remove the tank, drain and rise with a little more gas (1 cup) and pour out again through the filler, preferably in the back yard away from ignition sources like water heaters. replace the tank add 5 ounces of carburetor cleaner and refill with gas. Also avoid spraying the gas tank with a water house pressure sprayer around the fill cap which might have a leak.
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Wow, I just read this thread and found out something very interinsing? Is the 12 the only one with a gas guage indicator? I got a 2001 B6 and deffinatly no indicator...haha, because I have had to switch to Res many times, lol. I only wish I had a indicator that would give me a little heads up on my low fule. If anyone reads this could you let me know if its just the B12 or if newer models of both bikes came with the indicator. thanks
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The 1200 had a gas gauge from the beginning. The 600 got one in '02 or '03, but the early 2G B6's, like yours, don't have one.
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my '02 600 has the same fuel gauge as the 2G 1200. Works good. I don't know what I'd do without it.
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When my gauge goes to one bar and the tank symbol flashes, if I go right to the gas station and fill up I'll take on almost four gallons. Sometimes a little less than four but usually about four. Whatever that is 3.86-whatever gallons. I've syphoned as much gas out of the tank as possible and turned it on to see what the gauge looks like, I don't think the one bar ever disappears does it? When the gas gauge starts blinking I don't even bother to put it to reserve, only once that I can remember has the bike sputtered in the 'on' position where I had to switch to reserve and hit up a gas station. I think then it took about 4.25 gallons.