Just got back from a week in France and as in previous years, my 1200 Multistrada had the poorest range. No complaints but needing a ‘safety’ splash and dash on top of a full tank and a refill for 250 miles get’s me a fair bit of abuse from the BMW RT riders who only fill up every other day Not seriously considering changing my bike but I’ll certainly hit 60,000 miles next year so I might be tempted Andy
I have done two trips to Spain on the Multi V4s. On average I get about 46 mpg, with a range of about 220 miles, But looking to fill up around 180. Its got a reputation of being thirsty , and at home on roads I know with a bit of a push on , it can drop down to 36mpg. But in Europe , its more leisurely. Even at home it averages 42mpg. My mate on his 1250GSA in Spain with me was getting 55mpg
I would agree. On another forum a guy in the iS tracked it in detail over 20,000 miles and got the following tank range..Range to empty = lowest 157, average 187, highest 232
180 if cruising. 140 when you get there and running around (ie not 90mph on mways) is my experience on a 1200 both regular and dvt. Did see 200 once and was running on fumes
And you wouldn't gladly lose those 10 miles, because of the behavior of the Ducati combined with the BMW?? Surely your companions would envy you a lot every time they saw you showing them your ass in the mountain passes hahahahaha
Never understood this obsession with who’s got the biggest tank and best range, I’m ready for a coffee and a pee after 180-200 miles. The only time I’d really appreciate more is when you’ve got to the fuel light on red and the dash flashing zero range (but when you fill up you can still only get 18.5 lts on!)
Using the revs in higher gears on fast roads with sweeping corners and little traffic I have had a 220m range (to my surprise!). On slower roads with tight corners and traffic it gets down to 170. In the lower gears it uses a lot of fuel, in higher gears it is better. However at both 220 and 170 you really do need to find fuel and soon!
You would if you have 50 miles between fuel places in a rout that’s planned, which one is regular in Europe especially weekends And you have a bike with small tank and heavy throttle means it’s gone in 100. Fill up the wrong time and you’re hoping for a passing motorist to sort you out
My GSA was often 350 mile tank range, the V4S 180, sometimes. It can be tricky to find fuel at weekends so I find myself filling up at every time someone else does. I will probably change to the Rally next time just for the range.
Where in Europe would you have 50 miles between two gas stations? And where aren’t they automated for 24/7 service ? Even in the most remote Alpine valleys, you find gas available 24/7. Well, that’s unless the fuel truck drivers or refinery unions are on strike, which is always a considerable risk in France, of course… All my bikes have 16 liters tanks and I have made a standard operating procedure of looking for a refill as soon as I hit 200… km. Doing so, I rarely put more than 12 liters. Never been a problem and certainly never made me consider a BMW (or a Multi… ) I think this is part of what makes road trips on a bike a very distinct experience from traveling by car. Fuel management is a bit more challenging and I love that. That and getting rained on (which I hate).
I had a KR1S many years ago. If you were riding hard you needed to fill up after 80 miles. It was so uncomfortable that you were grateful for an excuse to stop. Amazing bike though.
The UK! Automated fuel stations are far from the norm here. I have no idea why as it stops fuel theft.
Some extra information on my post above on the 220mile range, this was in Scotland and I had reset the trip before the days ride and brimmed the tank. On the way back the low fuel light came on as usual at about 150/160m, it then started the mileage countdown, as you may know fuel in the northern part of Scotland fuel is well spaced out! We knew where the petrol station was about 60 miles away, the countdown got to 12 and stayed there for several miles then got down to 4 miles and again stayed at 4m for quite some more miles. At the fuel stop it still read 4 miles to go and took 19.6 litres to brim the tank! It seems to hide about 1.4 litres somewhere, has anyone actually put more than 19.6 litres in the tank and if so what was the fuel range saying?
There's a 150+ mile stretch of the Route des Grand Alps that we always needed to schedule a a diversion for fuel for my 996 riding mate. We also made that a lunch stop though as there are a couple of OK restaurants off the route there too. Just thinking about the fabulous two days of riding doing the Rte d. G Alps makes me want to get out there again...
Plenty of places and times. If you’re French and come to uk it’s likely, because you want nice rural roads, you could be seeking fuel having not seen many for miles. And ime French (and Germans) often shut Sundays and have been caught out (or people I’m with) plenty of times.
True about the RGA, but then again, the itinerary selects the highest and most remote passes. You will always have a gas station less than 30 miles always at crow’s flight. You’ll just have to leave the RGA itinerary to get there. Weren’t we talking about Europe, here?
