Firestorm and fuel?

[slofox]

Anyone got a reasonably recent Firestorm? Does it have a whirlpool in the gas tank? Or is the fuel consumption "acceptable" shall we say..?
Numbers would be good..oh and tank range too if I may.

T'anx.

[Cajun]

fuel light use to start flashing around 220km mark. with normal sorta road riding, (later model 19 l tank)

seen 160 or so but that was on track

[Devil]

Dont do it man. You own a better bike right now.

[slofox]

Dont do it man. You own a better bike right now.

Do tell..?

[mossy1200]

I had an SP1 vtr1000 and it managed 180k per tank.Even worse than the firestorm.

[NighthawkNZ]

Anyone got a reasonably recent Firestorm? Does it have a whirlpool in the gas tank? Or is the fuel consumption "acceptable" shall we say..?
Numbers would be good..oh and tank range too if I may.

T'anx.

The Firestorm never really had good fuel economy, it has the biggest carbs Honda made... 48mm and as soon as you twist the wrist it will suck it back pretty quick...

the later models 2002 + have the larger fuel tank 19lt and if you nurse and play by the rules you may get 250km... start playing in the twisties and it could be as low as 150km... The lowest I have heard is on a track day at full revs and throttle was 90km per tank... :eek5:

[98tls]

Think the first of em had a 17litre tank like the TL and people moaned a bit about range,not to sure what they increased it to,drop Nighthawk a pm hes done many many miles on a VTR,good solid all-rounder type bike.Edit.......Duh.he got there first.

[rideon]

Done 60+ K on an older model (98). lots of two touring up as well. Cruising at 120 ish easy 200Ks on a tank before light came on. Twist the wrist a bit & she was hungrier than my XR6. Not uncommon to only get 150 when pushing it a bit. Have an 03 model now with the bigger tank but have only had it a lil while so no figures on range at all. Go the VTR - I've found it to be a solid all rouder & love the v twin sound !! New bike has a springs kit in the front end which firms up the front end performance heaps - feels great so far. Bring on the Coro loop ...........

[vifferman]

Mine used to get less than 30mpg around town. :eek5:
Once, I ignored the OrangeyRed LED Of Doom and carried on riding. Unlike previous bikes that you could nurse along once they started to splutter, the FahrtSturm expired almost immediately after the first cough. It took 17.3 litres to fill the 17 litre tank. Yes, it had sucked every little bit of vapour from the carbs, lines, and the tank.

[Monstaman]

I had a 2001 and she loved the pub, funny that fuel economy went up when we did DJ kit, airbox and slipons, also clean out the junction pipe with the over cut stainless which helped.

[Mully]

Didn't Mandownunder get one of them when he left the Brotherhood of the RF (tm)?

As I recall, he was claiming better fuel economy than the RF, although I suspect the trade off is probably more nomming of tyres, chains and sprockets with the big V-Twin.

[Devil]

Do tell..?

The SV is more modern, better tech. The brakes are better, the engine is better, the suspension is better (although that's not saying much!).

If you have a hankering for a bigger twin, get the SV1000. While not perfect, it's still ahead of the VTR.
The 650 however, with the suspension done properly is great fun...

[Swoop]

Didn't Mandownunder get one of them when he left the Brotherhood of the RF (tm)?
VTR1000F3.


VTR. Nice.
Fueltank... not so nice on the earlier models.

[bungbung]

I've got a '97.

I think the tank is only 14l
Light-of-doom at 170km if I'm nice, 90km if I'm nasty (track).
Light-of-doom to bone dry = 1.5l or so.

[Marmoot]

SP1/2/3/4/5/6 engines are totally different despite sharing the VTR designation.

VTR1000F Firestorm has its tank design changed in 2001, from 16L to 19L.
The 16L tank variant owners told stories of nasty travelling fuel range averaging at around 120kms to 160kms. This can go up or down depending on how they ride. On track it's a different issue, but you'd be close to a fuel pump typically.

The 19L tank variant owners never really complained much about the range. I am guessing it is comparable to other V-Twin bikes.
My 848 gives about 160kms-180kms range of spirited riding, 100kms to 140kms of commuting in the city, and about 90kms to 110kms on the track.

[slofox]

The SV is more modern, better tech. The brakes are better, the engine is better, the suspension is better (although that's not saying much!).

If you have a hankering for a bigger twin, get the SV1000. While not perfect, it's still ahead of the VTR.
The 650 however, with the suspension done properly is great fun...

I'd prolly stick with the 650 rather than swap to the SV thou...

I've done the front suspension on the 650 - emulator kit etc - but not the back - yet. If I hold onto it much longer that will be next. Two Bros can is nice as well - it does use a little more gas with this can on it but still very economical.

Have to say I love the SVS...compact, very flickable, nice weight and inherently stable (see my thread re diesel spill earlier this week...). Totally trouble free so far...touch wood. Be hard to match. But dreams are free, hey?

[Elysium]

If you're concerened about fuel economy then don't buy the VTR. It was never really designed with fuel efficiancy in mind. Though the VTR is still better then the SV1000, the SV is just horrible from the front plus side radiators just look mint on the VTR.

If you want to compare engines then you should compare the TL1000 to the VTR1000 as the SV1000 engine lost its appeal when Suzuki played around with it.

[Devil]

I'd prolly stick with the 650 rather than swap to the SV thou...

I've done the front suspension on the 650 - emulator kit etc - but not the back - yet. If I hold onto it much longer that will be next. Two Bros can is nice as well - it does use a little more gas with this can on it but still very economical.

Have to say I love the SVS...compact, very flickable, nice weight and inherently stable (see my thread re diesel spill earlier this week...). Totally trouble free so far...touch wood. Be hard to match. But dreams are free, hey?

Used to have an sv650 road/track bike with the emulators up front and ohlins rear and it was fantastic. Drop 1t on the front sprocket and get the fuelling sorted and they're great.
You should be able to get the fuel consumption fixed by whatever dealer has a yoshi box. TripleZ dyno fullas might be able to help you there.

[slofox]

Used to have an sv650 road/track bike with the emulators up front and ohlins rear and it was fantastic. Drop 1t on the front sprocket and get the fuelling sorted and they're great.
You should be able to get the fuel consumption fixed by whatever dealer has a yoshi box. TripleZ dyno fullas might be able to help you there.

Thanks Devil...

[Stormer]

The VTR ain`t perfect, but then what bike in that price range is????
I liked mine when I had it, and who gives a shit about fuel consumption...when the fuel light goes on, fill the thing back up.
You just have to be aware of the range (or lack of on mine,a 2000 model), and plan your ride around it.
There`s some good VTR sites around with lots of good pointers.

[R-Soul]

I dont care about consumption -its a BLAST!! Very rarely have I got off my bike withot a shit eating grin...
If you can get one with aftermarket pipes. Even the half fairing provides good weather protection, and its great for commuting- point and squirt...

[geoffc]

Had the pre 2001 model & have currently 2004 VTR1000F. Get better fuel economy from 2004 (they tuned them better after 2001) and have the bigger tank, 19 L as well. Recently did a fuel check on a trip & got 260kms averaging 110 k/hr with 1 1/2 L still in the tank. Got to be happy with that. Good machine & would recommend as a one-up tourer and fun bike. Cheers

[CookMySock]

I 'm baffled why there is such a massive difference between a 1000cc vtwin and a 650cc vtwin.

The thou is about the most UNeconomical bike there is, and the 650 is totally the opposite. My 79hp 650 does around 4.4 l/100k, 23k/l, or something around 60+mpg. How can there be such a huge difference?

Steve

[R-Soul]

I 'm baffled why there is such a massive difference between a 1000cc vtwin and a 650cc vtwin.

The thou is about the most UNeconomical bike there is, and the 650 is totally the opposite. My 79hp 650 does around 4.4 l/100k, 23k/l, or something around 60+mpg. How can there be such a huge difference?

Steve
I dont think its just the engine size thats the difference.

The VTR has the biggest (48mm) carbs Honda have ever put on a bike. 'Nuff said.
Actually the fact that they are carbs says enough.
Yours probably has fuel injection?
Remember this is pretty old technology and has not been updated much in 12 years...

My bike gets 7.5 to 8.5 litres per 100km. If I play nicely....
If I don't it can get uglier - but the play becomes HUGE fun.

[PeteJ]

OK, Ladies. My '06 VTR's fuel warning light comes on closely +/- 200km on the street. When I fill it from there, it takes 14l (19l tank). Doesn't seem to matter a lot what speed I'm averaging, though it does use a bit more around town.

At trackdays/instructing (2 of of us instructors at AMCC ART days use VTRs for that), the fuel consumption is easily twice as much.

As a comparison, I have a Varadero (same motor, injected, in a much bulkier bike). Fuel consumption is somewhat better than the VTR's, and with its 25l tank I usually hit 350km+ before the fuel light comes on.

On the topic of SV650s - my son had one for quite a while. A beautiful bike, and I understand that as a model it doesn't have anything like the warranty claims record of the SV1000s.

[Hiflyer]

On the topic of SV650s - my son had one for quite a while. A beautiful bike, and I understand that as a model it doesn't have anything like the warranty claims record of the SV1000s.

What do you mean? the SV650 has more or less warranty claims?

BTW, still keeping it on topic, (Kinda) how does the VTR thou's economy compare to an inline 4's economy? say any given thou from the big Jappa manufacturers?

[MaxB]

I dont think its just the engine size thats the difference.

The VTR has the biggest (48mm) carbs Honda have ever put on a bike. 'Nuff said.
Actually the fact that they are carbs says enough.
Yours probably has fuel injection?
Remember this is pretty old technology and has not been updated much in 12 years...

My bike gets 7.5 to 8.5 litres per 100km. If I play nicely....
If I don't it can get uglier - but the play becomes HUGE fun.

The really wierd thing is that there are models that are more economical with carbies the their injected cousins. I'm thinking of R1s and Firebleades for example. Used to ride with a ZX14 and it was always using more fuel than mine even when we swapped rides.

[banditrider]

What do you mean? the SV650 has more or less warranty claims?

BTW, still keeping it on topic, (Kinda) how does the VTR thou's economy compare to an inline 4's economy? say any given thou from the big Jappa manufacturers?

I can't really compare the VTR to a hot sports 1,000cc 4 but remember they're putting out at least 50hp more than a VTR - horsepower is never free.

Comparing the VTR to my 1352cc inline 4 - the Kwaka is far more economical. It's pulling 2,900rpm at 100k's whereas the VTR is about 3,500. The VTR's economy is usually in the 6-7L per 100km whereas the Connie sits at about 5.7L per 100km. As another poster says the Honda is a far more dated design - big carbs vs injection and V-tec. I love both of them - the Honda is a blast to thrash about on!

[BuzzardNZ]

The SV is more modern, better tech. The brakes are better, the engine is better, the suspension is better (although that's not saying much!).

If you have a hankering for a bigger twin, get the SV1000. While not perfect, it's still ahead of the VTR.
The 650 however, with the suspension done properly is great fun...

I agree, when I was looking for a 1000 V twin, I took both the SV and the Firestorm out. While the Honda felt and looked a bit dated, the SV felt more nimble. Both have horrible fuel economy. The SV is fuel injected, while the VTR has carbs. I have modded the hell out of my bike, and even in a stock state was faster than the honda.

[CookMySock]

Yours probably has fuel injection?
Remember this is pretty old technology and has not been updated much in 12 years...No mate, mines carbed, and if I mistreat it, it doesn't get much worse.

I refilled (completely) and rode to taupo (1 hr 45min, 153 km) and did 4 (or was it 5) sessions caning the ring off of it, and the tacho touched 280km. Fuel fill after that was 16.5L

It makes no sense. Even my mrs 650 vtwin is jetted so if you squirt the throttle it'll blow a big cloud of black soot, and it STILL doesn't use much more fuel than mine. Weird.

Steve

[vifferman]

BTW, still keeping it on topic, (Kinda) how does the VTR thou's economy compare to an inline 4's economy? say any given thou from the big Jappa manufacturers? Here's a comparison of sorts.
I used to have a VTR1000 (97); they're apparently around 105hp. I used to get as little as 28mpg riding around town, and typically averaged the low 30s. I now have a VFR800, which although it's only 781cc, is also around 105 hp, albeit with less torques. It's got EFI, and even with running a not at all economical fuel map on the Power Commander, even if I give it a bit of a flogging, it tends to get around 45mpg.

[R-Soul]

I believe that the fault could be inherent in the design. Sometimes the "squish" technology for a particular engine is just not very efficient. The squish area on a piston is where the shape of the top of the piston is moulded to cause eddies (or small whirlpools) in the airflow as it compresses the air fuel mixture. As I understand it, typically you want to create as many eddies as possible, as the burning misture will then be caused to burn more evenly and cleanly throughout the cylinder, with less detonation (inefficient) and more ignition. This is why BMW and Porsche get such great economy with good power- their squish tech is good. "Your squish is strong, Luke"

Clearly whoever did that part of the VTR design for Honda was having an off day.
It would be interesting to see what running the bike lean/rich/changing the squish formations would do to performance (since it does have 4 valves per cylinder and can get decent airflow through) .

And bike tinkerers /dyno people out there willing to try?

[Hiflyer]

Here's a comparison of sorts.
I used to have a VTR1000 (97); they're apparently around 105hp. I used to get as little as 28mpg riding around town, and typically averaged the low 30s. I now have a VFR800, which although it's only 781cc, is also around 105 hp, albeit with less torques. It's got EFI, and even with running a not at all economical fuel map on the Power Commander, even if I give it a bit of a flogging, it tends to get around 45mpg.

So it's safe to say don't get a VTR thou if you want to save money on fuel? Get a prius?

[PeteJ]

What do you mean? the SV650 has more or less warranty claims?

No - the SV1000, according to my contacts in the trade, has had a lot more warranty claims than the VTR1000 (or, yes, the SV650). That's why, despite the less power aspect, I bought my VTR and not an SV1000.

BTW, still keeping it on topic, (Kinda) how does the VTR thou's economy compare to an inline 4's economy? say any given thou from the big Jappa manufacturers?

Basically, any I4 should be more economical on fuel. Probably not on tyres (my OE Bridgestones went 12,000km plus, front and rear, use including sealed and unsealed road, and also instructing at ART Days).

[vifferman]

And bike tinkerers /dyno people out there willing to try?
I was on a couple of VTR forums for a while, and there's a couple of things I learned about the VTR:
Even with spending HEAPS of money on the engine, there's not a lot of extra power to be had (and I mean, different cams, pistons, flow bench work on the valves, more expensive carbs, etc etc.
The second thing is even f you do wring some better performance out of the engine, the standard crankcases can't cope with more than about 125 horsies before they crap out.
In some ways, you're better off detuning the engine for economy and torque. But then there's no point in riding it, coz it'd be no fun anymore.

[R-Soul]

I was on a couple of VTR forums for a while, and there's a couple of things I learned about the VTR:
Even with spending HEAPS of money on the engine, there's not a lot of extra power to be had (and I mean, different cams, pistons, flow bench work on the valves, more expensive carbs, etc etc.
The second thing is even f you do wring some better performance out of the engine, the standard crankcases can't cope with more than about 125 horsies before they crap out.
In some ways, you're better off detuning the engine for economy and torque. But then there's no point in riding it, coz it'd be no fun anymore.


I guess you're right- just enjoy it for what it is - a fun twisties tool (and make the 'zorsts louder).

[e-boy]

yeh mate my mine is a 05. i can get between 220-240 before the reserve guage starts flashing. when i fill up the tank takes only about 14ltrs (19ltr tank) so must have pretty big reserve

Anyone got a reasonably recent Firestorm? Does it have a whirlpool in the gas tank? Or is the fuel consumption "acceptable" shall we say..?
Numbers would be good..oh and tank range too if I may.

T'anx.

[Webbfast]

Yep my VTR1000 02 with 19L tank got 54Mpg/257 km on a tank cruising at freeway speeds red LED reserve had not started flashing, on same trip did some more spirited riding & got 43Mpg/204 on tank over a couple of tanks, no red Led yet. My black VTR has highrise staintunes, love the sound, love the peformance , so much more soul than than my previous bike (VFR800 vtec) which was just too refined.
So my results agree with geoffc, if this sort of economy is not good enough for anyone from a 1000cc sports motorcycle, they should probably get a push bike.