F800GS computed range on full tank wrong?

[Pete O Static]

Originally Posted by IQm3

A full tank in the F800GS should give you 320km (200mi) range.

The actual reading on the fuel autonomy should be: > 200

This means that you have more than 200km of fuel autonomy.

That is why the fuel gauge is all the way up.

Depending on your driving style you should exepect that the reading give you a fairly accurate estimate of how much fuel is left in the tank.

If you're not at all satisfied with this reading, you can always reset the trip odometer every time you fill up the tank.

Exactly

The BMW OBC has always had issues and provided dubious range information on various bikes, not just the F800GS. I ordered mine without the OBC specifically because of that.

Using the trip meter and noting how much fuel you put back into your tank for any given distance is the easiest most accurate way to know how far you can ride. It doesn't take very many fill ups to figure out the consistent trend.

I have the 650GS front sprocket on my bike and I know that my reserve light will come on at 280Kms +/- 10 kms. At that point, I also know that I have another 90Kms till empty. The greatest variable on the road is headwind vs tailwind but either way, no matter which sprocket I have installed that day, whether I am off road or on the interstate, when the light comes on, I note my distance travelled and divide that figure by 3 to get my distance till empty at the current average rate of consumption.

Waaay better than relying on an OBC in my opinion. I am amazed at how many owners have no idea what there bike is capable of regarding range or endurance because they rely completely on the OBC.

[Maddaddy]

Originally Posted by karstenwind

I have just been at Intermot 2010 in Cologne Germany where I asked the specialists at the BMW Motorrad stand that very same question and they said that when you update the software on an older (pre 2011 model) then the "range" function will be eliminated. This is not good news for all that have an older model. For a lot of riders the range" function is one of the most important and mostly used features.

I will try to verify this at my local BMW service partner and get back asap with more info.

When man relies on technology to accomplish life's simple tasks, it will fail you at the most opportune moment, leaving you stranded and feeling stupid.

Be smarter than your equipment

[itsatdm]

Originally Posted by karstenwind

I have just been at Intermot 2010 in Cologne Germany where I asked the specialists at the BMW Motorrad stand that very same question and they said that when you update the software on an older (pre 2011 model) then the "range" function will be eliminated. This is not good news for all that have an older model. For a lot of riders the range" function is one of the most important and mostly used features.

I will try to verify this at my local BMW service partner and get back asap with more info.

Ask about the refund check I am going to get after paying for something and then have the features removed.

[Karbono]

Originally Posted by itsatdm

Ask about the refund check I am going to get after paying for something and then have the features removed.

That sounds a lot like the world of Sony and the playstation 3.

Anyway, I realised today (first day out after I brought it home) that I don't have the range indication. That sucks!!!!!

[lmclamore]

In 1986 I got a ticket for wearing earphones on a motorcycle because the state believed it to be too distracting. As a safety instructor, we taught that riding a motorcycle uses 5 times as many mental processes as driving a car.

Fast forward to 2010. We now have OBC's, GPS's, XM Radio, IPOD's, Bluetoothed cell phones and more to distract us from the tasks associated with riding our motorcycles. I welcome a little less "information" in my face. I would be satisfied with an analog odometer and the ability to pull off the gas cap and see the bottom of the tank.

I want less to monitor, charge, plug-in, program, re-set, and service in my motorcycling experience. A little more RL sight, sound, and smell please.

[EnderTheX]

Don't take away my readout!


I like it and it seems to be pretty accurate for me. I usually have my computer set on the temperature readout until the bars get low then I switch over to see how long I have to go (I try to stop before it gets to 20 miles left).

[lmclamore]

Originally Posted by EnderTheX

Don't take away my readout!


I like it and it seems to be pretty accurate for me. I usually have my computer set on the temperature readout until the bars get low then I switch over to see how long I have to go (I try to stop before it gets to 20 miles left).

Having been allowed to vent I must agree that I use mine the same and it has been fairly accurate, if not conservative, for me. i.e. when I pull in to a station "on fumes" I have always been surprised at how much more fuel was truly left in the tank than I thought.

[MaxReving]

Originally Posted by karstenwind

I have just been at Intermot 2010 in Cologne Germany where I asked the specialists at the BMW Motorrad stand that very same question and they said that when you update the software on an older (pre 2011 model) then the "range" function will be eliminated. This is not good news for all that have an older model. For a lot of riders the range" function is one of the most important and mostly used features.

I will try to verify this at my local BMW service partner and get back asap with more info.

Good news for all pre-2011 models. According to my local BMW Motorrad service partner then it is not true that the "range" will be eliminated when the software is updated on older models (pre-2011). It seams that I have been given incorrect information from the BMW people at Intermot 2010 in Cologne Germany. I am very sorry that I have passed on this incorrect information.

If anyone gets their software updated on a pre 2011 model then please verify that the "range" function will remain in the On Board Computer (OBC).

[EnderTheX]

Originally Posted by karstenwind

Good news for all pre-2011 models. According to my local BMW Motorrad service partner then it is not true that the "range" will be eliminated when the software is updated on older models (pre-2011). It seams that I have been given incorrect information from the BMW people at Intermot 2010 in Cologne Germany. I am very sorry that I have passed on this incorrect information.

If anyone gets their software updated on a pre 2011 model then please verify that the "range" function will remain in the On Board Computer (OBC).

Woot!!! <--- happy dance

[Singletrack_mind]

Originally Posted by karstenwind

Good news for all pre-2011 models. According to my local BMW Motorrad service partner then it is not true that the "range" will be eliminated when the software is updated on older models (pre-2011). It seams that I have been given incorrect information from the BMW people at Intermot 2010 in Cologne Germany. I am very sorry that I have passed on this incorrect information.

If anyone gets their software updated on a pre 2011 model then please verify that the "range" function will remain in the On Board Computer (OBC).

This will be key. If anyone has their dealer "update" the OBC and then discovers the fuel monitoring system has changed, please post your experience so the rest of us with older bikes can be on guard. I fully belive Karstenwind has done his/her best to get a definitive answer, but as we all know, it's possible to get a lot of differing answers when trying to ask BMW about something like this.

[easy_rider_77]

I get around 350 km to a tank, but I usually fill up about 330 or so. I use my trip counter, and reset it after every fill up. Usually, the range shows about 180 - 190 km (depending on how fast you are going), but I only look at it after I pass 170-180 kms on the trip meter, as that is when it stars counting down. A bit odd, but it works for me.

[CheckerdD]

How about a bumper sticker, "If you want to take away my range function, you can pry it from my cold dead fingers." My neighbor in Anchorage had something like that on his 4 wheel drive PU with gun rack in the 70's. This is quite a change of pace. A month ago we were bitching about how poorly this worked. Now we are going to fight to the death to keep it.

Does NRA stand for National Rangefunction Alert? Maybe No Range Alternative? Dave

[EnderTheX]

Originally Posted by CheckerdD

Does NRA stand for National Rangefunction Alert? Maybe No Range Alternative? Dave

Here's my insurance against BMW taking away my range function!!!




(photo through a lane splitting screen, that guy behind me just walked up to start shooting on his lane and he isn't staring at us because of the camera, my new Beretta Px4 Storm subcompact 9mm puts out a huge discharge and sounds like a 45 magnum!)








J/K BMW!

[AlanI]

Originally Posted by EnderTheX

my new Beretta Px4 Storm subcompact 9mm

When can we expect the forum name change then Mr Bond?

[scott-5x5]

I had the same question and as others have said, it's not covered in the 2009 manual. This answer was spot-on:

The system cannot tell exactly
how much fuel is on board when
the tank is completely full. Under
these circumstances the display
shows a minimum-range figure
accompanied by a

> symbol. A
more accurate figure for range is
shown as soon as the fuel level

can be measured exactly.

Thanks much!