Newbie question: How to check / know fuel level on VTR250?

[MikeL]

faster speed = more consumption????????? Higher speed = more distance covered.

But faster speed = more wind resistance (doesn't it increase as the square of the speed??) so therefore more energy needed to overcome, therefore greater fuel consumption. Admittedly the degree of hard riding (= acceleration and braking) will have a big effect, but even at constant speed there will be a noticeable difference in fuel economy between say 120 and 160 km/h.

Or have I been labouring under a misapprehension all these years...?

[vifferman]

I need to hassle the dealer for my owners manual 1st.

You sure it's not under the seat (where it usually lives on Hondas?)
BTW - the 'Reserve' tap works like this: there are two plastic pipes going from the tap into the bottom of the tank - one long, one short. Both have fine holes in the sides of them, but the longer one has a section near the bottom with no holes. The tap has two inlet holes so when it is turned the holes either line up with the longer pipe, the shorter pipe, or block both off (when you switch to "OFF" position). When the fuel gets down to the solid part of the longer pipe in the "ON" position, fuel stops going down the pipe, and the bike coughs and splutters as a reminder to fill up. Make sure you choose the "RES" or "Reserve" position and not the "OFF" - it's not altogether clear sometimes.
Your bike may have an RLOD (Red Light Of Doom) in lieu of a fuel gauge - if so, it will have a little petrol pump graphic next to it. When this illuminates, time to fill up.

[vifferman]

But faster speed = more wind resistance (doesn't it increase as the square of the speed??) so therefore more energy needed to overcome, therefore greater fuel consumption. Admittedly the degree of hard riding (= acceleration and braking) will have a big effect, but even at constant speed there will be a noticeable difference in fuel economy between say 120 and 160 km/h.

Or have I been labouring under a misapprehension all these years...?

It's not necessarily related to speed. On the FahrtSturm, it's actually more economical being ridden at higher revs or on the highway (at the same revs as around town), as the HUGE carbs squirt lots of gas in when accelerating.

[mattt]

Hills change the consumption too. If you want to empty a tank over 140km, then do Napier - Taupo at warp speed 9.

Do any of you Physics Fullars know what altitude does to fuel consumption? I know performance sucks cos of lack of o2. ???

[Zapf]

Yep looked under the seat. Went to Cyclespot just now and all they have is the Jap version. they said they'll get me an english version when they have it.

[wkid_one]

It's not necessarily related to speed. On the FahrtSturm, it's actually more economical being ridden at higher revs or on the highway (at the same revs as around town), as the HUGE carbs squirt lots of gas in when accelerating.

PMPL - with the VTR, nothing is economical when it comes to gas!!! I remember many a time on my VTR wondering if I was EVER going to see the next petrol station. I took it to Puke and got 82km before the fuel light came on!!!!!! (not - not 82 laps of the circuit for those wondering)

[Hoon]

Switching to reserve while riding?? Try it on the ZXR400.... the tap is set into a ridiculously small inset that is almost impossible to get gloved fingers into enough to grip the tap....

Ohh tell me about it!!! Not only that but they are also so tight that it feels like its about to snap off! I just leave mine on reserve and fill up every 200K's. And if I'm ever unsure I'll lift the cap and have a quick look.

[ching_ching]

Take a small 1/2" wide stick that's about a foot long (like a piece of kindling).

Use it as a dipstick and see what mark the petrol level makes when you widthdraw it out of your fuel tank.

Cher bro.

ching_ching

[Marknz]

If you have a late model VTR250 it will have a trip meter on it. Reset it to zero's everytime you fill up and when you get to 200km's fill it up and reset it again. I used to get 250-260kms out of my '01.

[Zapf]

sweet thanks. Got it sussed

[pete376403]

PMPL - with the VTR, nothing is economical when it comes to gas!!! I remember many a time on my VTR wondering if I was EVER going to see the next petrol station. I took it to Puke and got 82km before the fuel light came on!!!!!! (not - not 82 laps of the circuit for those wondering)

Way back in 1972 or 3, an aquaintance bought a Mach IV Kawasaki (the first of them, the raw, uncivilised, completely un-housebroken version)
He claimed he emptied the tank from full between Lake Ferry and Featherston, flat out, two up. Given the way my IT400 chews gas (big old two strokes are internally petrol cooled) I believe him.

[Posh Tourer :P]

But faster speed = more wind resistance (doesn't it increase as the square of the speed??) so therefore more energy needed to overcome, therefore greater fuel consumption. Admittedly the degree of hard riding (= acceleration and braking) will have a big effect, but even at constant speed there will be a noticeable difference in fuel economy between say 120 and 160 km/h.

Or have I been labouring under a misapprehension all these years...?

I dont think that there would be that much of a difference, but I suppose it depends on the bike. The R100RS doesnt really work well in behind the fairing until about 130kmh, so at that point there would be less turbulence/slower increase in resistance.
There's supposed to be a 5% increase in fuel consumption in cars if you open all windows at 100kmh. Comparatively, I would guess that the increase in revs would account for much more of the difference than the wind resistance. Do you notice lower economy when riding into a southerly?? I really have no idea what difference wind makes, but I suspect it'd be fairly minor, especially on a muscle bike where it doesnt really have to work hard into the wind, unlike, say, the CB125T/MZ which really noticed when you were riding into a 40kmh southerly at 100.

[thehollowmen]

Ok a trick I've seen (but have still yet to do on my bike) is get one of those long thin temp guages for LPG bottles. You know, the liquid distributes the heat better and part shows a colour change?

Ya know.. same sorta stuff as those mood rings... but in a strip... *goes to google*

I remember seeing them all over the place in the 80's...

[MadDuck]

Im with MarkNZ

I had a VTR250 (lovely bike) and whenever I fuelled up I turned the trip meter back to zero. It depends how hard you ride as to how much you get out of a tank. Most I got was 200kms before refuelling and still didnt have to go to reserve. Only ever used dipstick to see how much water left in my water tank at home so I could have a shower in the morning.

You decide

Ohhh thats distance by the way - not speed :sly:

[Zapf]

MadDuck/MarkNZ,
How many liters did it take to fuel up the tank usually? It almost sounds like my Honda Jazz (cage) is better at the pump than the bike :P