Over 300 miles on Tank!!!

[Woodaddict]

This is a combo ride report and tank milestone. Didn't think that on my trip I would have a new tank milestone of 303.5 miles on the tank. Previous max miles on a tank was about 282. Let me report the numbers.......

303.5 miles on the tank,,,,, watch out you could be push'n
5.138 gal on the fill up,,,,,,,whoa that is close to 5.2 max!!!!
59.07 MPG on that tank
175 miles @ 1/2 tank
253 miles when needle is right on bottom E
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when I got home my 2013 miles are now 11,111..................now isn't that funny
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total NT miles for me is 44,365 in 11 days short of 18 months of ownership
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I filled up twice on the trip, other tank MPG was 60.05(another new mpg for me) but only 150.6 on that tank.
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Now for the ride report. Headed up to Sparta,NC to visit a friend first. After that visit, caught Blue Ridge Parkway @ NC 18, went to Blowing Rock then Boone,NC next. Got a bite to eat, gased up at a Marathon(87 octane, don't know if it was e10 or not). Went back towards Blowing Rock on the great curvey Hwy 321 into Blowing Rock town, south on another great curvey road Hwy 221 to Grandfather Mtn and back on BRP. Temps were about 15 -20 deg below where they should be, very limited cars and even motorcycles out. Great for making good time. Almost to Mt Mitchel my GPS goes out, thats ok, but why isn't my 12 v cord charging, investigate later. On top of the Mt (highest point east of Mississippi river @ 6,638) it was a blustery 47 and very windy as usual at 8 pm. Temps on parkway while sun was out was 58-65, nice for the sun to hit your hands felt good. A nice sunset at 6,638 ft, not down all the way, as I got back on parkway and traveled a little, peered off to east, a beautiful full moon was coming up. Past a few scenic overlooks, people had cameras on tripods set up to catch it. Traveled south of Asheville to Mt Pisgah (highest point on parkway @ about 5,700), must have been 7 tunnels to go thru! While in parking lot, thought now is the time to check my fuse for my GPS, (got my flashlight)sure enough it was blown. Now my GPS works, and I tell it "go home", so it takes me on a great narrow curvey Hwy 151, back to I-40, where I slab about 105 miles to where I get off in Statesville,NC, to finish up on the non-slab. So I'm looking at my odometer and saying, don't just go home, go for the record of more than 300 miles on a tank(my record). So coming closer to home, I know where gas stations are at and approx miles between them, so I go the round about way and fill up.
Speed on parkway was about 35- 60 mph, speed on the I-40 section was 70-72, which is very easy on the mpg #'s. From the fill up in Boone, to fill up in Salisbury,NC, I only stopped twice, once Mt Mitchel and Mt Pisgah. That helps in the MPG per tank, keep going and take it easy.
I did not carry any extra gasoline.
P.S. I took some pics on Mt Mitchel, I will see if they any good.

 

[skiper]

Maybe a tail wind and some good feng shui..

 

[John Browning]

Good information but, way too close for comfort. I don't want to push the NT. Will be in that area next Wednesday but will not be going for a mileage record. Great report, thanks.

 

[bicyclist]

I keep a spreadsheet to track expenses on my long rides. I had a look at some past trips yesterday and the fuel mileage has been pretty consistent at 48.5 to 50.5 mpg. A lot of that was run at 75 + mph. When I slow down, the fuel mileage improves to mid 50s. Riding in the West at higher elevation improves fuel mileage.

The BMW F800s are known for excellent fuel mileage, but like all motorcycles, they suffer at speed. In comparing spreadsheets on two trips to the Southwest, one on the BMW and one on the NT, fuel cost was within $5. The NT runs on regular and the BMW needs premium. So, although the BMW gets better fuel mileage, the overall cost is about the same.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Going downhill is also a great boost to fuel mileage!

 

[Woodaddict]

got 2 nice pics

sunset on top Mt Mitchel



horizon from Mt Mitchel on walkway

 

[banjoboy]

You might take a half pint of gas with you somehow.

Terry

 

[Marker]

On a related note, what do most of you folks do when filling up. Side stand or centre stand???

 

[Warren]

Side stand. More effort than its worth to put it on the center stand.

 

[Pick]

On a related note, what do most of you folks do when filling up. Side stand or centre stand???

Side stand also. I don't think you would get too much more by putting it on the center stand.

 

[RED #1001]

Woodaddict, I didn't do the math, but did you compute mpg yourself or use the NT's computer?
As for gas ups, I stay mounted on the bike and hold it upright. Of course I make sure to put down the side stand just in case.

 

[Phil Tarman]

+ 3 on sidestand. I've put 5.08 gallons in on the sidestand and can't imagine that I could have gotten anymore in if I'd been on the centerstand.

Red, do you always stay on the bike while refilling? I usually need to get off and move just a little bit when I'm riding long distances.

 

[Woodaddict]

Woodaddict, I didn't do the math, but did you compute mpg yourself or use the NT's computer?
As for gas ups, I stay mounted on the bike and hold it upright. Of course I make sure to put down the side stand just in case.

The computer MPG is an estimate, not accurate, I don't even look at it or use it. I use real fuel pump data gallons and trip odometer. I'm an adjile person, so I get off and use center stand, best for level fuel ups.

banjoboy.....this was a test to get over 300 miles on tank,,,,would not carry extra fuel. I was on my way home from mountains and totally knew the area before trying this stunt. Would not try it if fuel up was not in a known area. To forum members.....** Danger**Yield to Temptation** Don't risk it** unless you are in a known area!

I know somebody on the forum took spare gas with them and ran out of fuel as a test to see how far they got, but many factors can play in the MPG.

 

[Woodaddict]

Just beat my own record. Never thought I could do better. What better place than the Colorado Rockies? Cruising around at a slower pace, mostly 20-60 mph, did briefly get up to 70 mph. So at fill up, 327.3 miles, 4.771 gallons, & a whopping 68.6 MPG. After fill up could have went slightly farther, but gas stations aren't so close.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Amazing! My best mileage ever was 68.57mpg, but I had only gone 209.9 miles. I think the most miles I ever did was 264.

 

[Macka]

Hi Woodaddict.
I think that I can JUST top you on the KM/MILES per tank. I have not run it dry on the road but I have covered 475km (trip meter reading) on 18.1 Litres which equates to 538km on a full tank. For you Metrically challenged guys that would be 334 miles on a full tank if I ran until it stopped.

Down here we can often go several hundred Km between petrol stations (gasolene stands) and in the "outback" they can be 600km/372 miles apart. It is very handy to know how far you can go as fuel supply can be unreliable. It is often necessary to carry fuel and water when travelling in the "Centre". It is advised to report your itinerary to Police so that they know where to find you if you do not turn up at the next stop on time.
Premium is often not available in smaller towns so it is a big advantage to run on 91 Regular octane. This is one reason that I stick with the NT.
I have tried Premium fuel (98 octane) a couple of times and it made no difference to consumption or performance.
We can get Ethanol free fuel in the Southern and Western states without problem but in the Northern states almost all 91 has Ethanol so it is necessary to use Premium. In the cities we have 91, 95 and 98 octane but in the North, as I said above, the 91 contains 10% Ethanol.

Macka

 

[seagrass]

Macka the NT700v sold in Australia is certified for use with up to 10% Ethanol.

I often use ethanol fuel and it does not appear to change how the NT runs.

Seagrass

 

[nyst100]

Back in the 70's I stopped to fuel up my 69 CL350 Honda and was straddling the bike while filling up. The old gent that ran the gas station politely pointed out the dangers of fueling up while straddling a hot engine and not being able to get away from it quickly if something bad did happen(fire). I've been getting off the bike to refuel ever since.
I usually put my NT on the center stand to fuel up as it seems to lean over farther than my C-10 Concourse. Just my two cents.
J

 

[charlie b]

And here in the US, 92 octane is premium 86 is regular

And out here I would never let my tank get below 1/4 unless I knew there was an OPEN gas station in range. Otherwise I'd carry extra fuel.

Running out of fuel in the summer in these parts can get you killed from heat stroke. If you guys did not do all that by mistake then please carry extra water and be sure you are in an area with cell service.

 

[JohnC]

And here in the US, 92 octane is premium 86 is regular

Two different ways of calculating octane. In Saudi Arabia, regular gas (91 octane) is about 60 cents/gallon - after the government raised prices several years ago.