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Miles per tank? 82 GS850GL

  • Thread starter Thread starter Smellii
  • Start date Start date
S

Smellii

Guest
How many miles should I expect to get out of an all stock 1982 GS850GL tank (not including reserve)?

Valves adjusted
Good compression
Carbs cleaned
Airbox sealed
Exhaust sealed

Thanks!
 
Dependent on the twist of your wrist, of course, riding conservatively, about 120 (before using res), according to Steve. If you twist your wrist like I do, expect less than that.:D You have a 4.5 gal tank I think.
 
Thanks, DanTheMan. I found this link that says I have a 5.8 gallon tank (22 liters). You mentioned 4.5 gallons. So the difference should be the reserve amount? 4.5 gallons 120 miles. 26-27 miles per gallon??? Seems low. Surely I'm doing the math wrong.

That reminds me. I'm running 4k rpm at 55 mph which seems a little high but don't know what it should be. Any ideas on this?
 
DanTheMan said:
Dependent on the twist of your wrist, of course, riding conservatively, about 120 (before using res), according to Steve. If you twist your wrist like I do, expect less than that.:D You have a 4.5 gal tank I think.
Click to expand...
Would that be this Steve?? :-k

My wife's bike usually goes about 140 miles before hitting REServe.


Smellii said:
Thanks, DanTheMan. I found this link that says I have a 5.8 gallon tank (22 liters). You mentioned 4.5 gallons. So the difference should be the reserve amount? 4.5 gallons 120 miles. 26-27 miles per gallon??? Seems low. Surely I'm doing the math wrong.
Click to expand...
Right math, wrong facts.

Smellii said:
That reminds me. I'm running 4k rpm at 55 mph which seems a little high but don't know what it should be. Any ideas on this?
Click to expand...
Speed is right on, there. Your speed shown will be dependent on your speedo accuracy, but I have noted engine speeds of about 1000 RPM per 14 mph, according to my GPS, so 4,000 RPM should be 56 mph and 5,000 RPM would be 70 mph.


Smellii said:
Nevermind. Answered my own question. Just read the article below the specs and it mentions the 4.6 gallon tank with .6 reserve.

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/suzu/suzuki_gs850gl 81.htm
Click to expand...
Not sure where that magazine got their 'facts', but most sources say it's a 4.5 gallon tank, and I have personally observed about 1.1 gallons of REServe.

So, the facts you should be using for your math are:
3.4 gallons in 140 miles is about 41 mpg. After flipping the petcock lever, you then have about 40 miles before you start pushing.

Note that mileage figures really DO depend on wrist-twisting. They also depend on outright speed. Not necessarily actual speed, but relative speed. Example: at 65 mph she usually gets about 45 mpg. We were on a ride and had to keep up with a bunch of Wings that were in a hurry, so we were running about 75. Not that bad, you think, but we were going into about a 15 mph wind, so the bike thought we were doing about 90. Had to hit REServe at 90 miles. Mileage for that tank was only about 28.5 mpg. I actually got better than that (about 29) with my Wing, pulling a trailer. Later that same trip, with no adjustments to her bike, we got over 55 mpg on three out of five tanks, while riding at 55-60 mph in the mountains.

.
 
Thanks bunches, Steve. Gosh it seems to rev so high! Going to have to get used to it though. I see now why Honda came out with the low/high gear design (10 speed). To this point I've been afraid to take it past 4500 rpm; if I were to open it up to find any flat spots what would be the highest rpm the engine could safely sustain? Haven't taken it on the freeway for this reason because they run 80mph many days here....plus I'm still scared to death of this thing.
 
Smellii said:
Thanks bunches, Steve. Gosh it seems to rev so high! Going to have to get used to it though. I see now why Honda came out with the low/high gear design (10 speed). To this point I've been afraid to take it past 4500 rpm; if I were to open it up to find any flat spots what would be the highest rpm the engine could safely sustain? Haven't taken it on the freeway for this reason because they run 80mph many days here....plus I'm still scared to death of this thing.
Click to expand...
Do you not have a tachometer on it? :confused:

If it's the proper tach, you should see a zone that is highlighted in RED that starts about 9000 RPM. Stay out of there.

Now, since you have never had it over 4500, be prepared when you take it higher.
Yep, most of us that ride 850s will agree that when you cross about 6000 RPM, you had better be hanging on.
No, the bike is not going to wheelie out from under you, but you will swear that somebody fired up another cylinder. :D

We have done all-day trips at 70+ mph, which means that it is running over 5000 RPM. The bike will have NO problem handling. that.

.
 
I regularly get 200 miles to a tank (17 liters) before reserve which equates to about 60-62 mpg. I work mine out in imperial gallons though, not U.S. gallons. Maybe it's the CV carbs on a smaller motor (650) that gives such good mileage. When I first worked out the mileage I thought I must have done my maths wrong, so I checked it out again on the next trip and it was about the same. Not that mileage is of great concern to me as I don't do the kind of mileage that Steve would do, I just fill it up when it needs it.
 
Steve said:
Do you not have a tachometer on it? :confused:

If it's the proper tach, you should see a zone that is highlighted in RED that starts about 9000 RPM. Stay out of there.

Now, since you have never had it over 4500, be prepared when you take it higher.
Yep, most of us that ride 850s will agree that when you cross about 6000 RPM, you had better be hanging on.
No, the bike is not going to wheelie out from under you, but you will swear that somebody fired up another cylinder. :D

We have done all-day trips at 70+ mph, which means that it is running over 5000 RPM. The bike will have NO problem handling. that.

.
Click to expand...


Yep!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:clap:
 
Ok. Thanks, Steve. I know they seem like silly questions but I have absolutely no idea what to expect (until now) when I open it up. Now I have a baseline. :)
 
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