Re: Real tank size
The original question seemed to be does the tank hold the stated capacity? Yes, it does.
A more valid question would be: Can the pump actually get all of the gas out of the tank? No, not quite.
As Checkswrecks mentioned, fuel mileage is rather variable. RPM, rider input, load and accessories all make a difference. This bike seems to be much more variable than my past FJR. I average 42 mpg, but ride fully kitted with panniers and wind deflectors, med CalSci screen, extra lights, etc all the time. Add to that, my odo/speedo is corrected by a Speed-O-Healer, so the speed is correct, but the odo is off, so I have to add in a correction factor or use the GPS mileage to calculate true mpg. I don't trust the cute gauge, but it's a handy reference when you're in reserve and needing to decide how far you have to go for gas, and want to ride more conservatively.
When I had my fuel pump out of the tank, I bent the float arm to decrease the size of the reserve. Sort of a guess at how much to bend it, but before I had over 1.5 gallons of reserve, which I felt was silly. I don't need that much warning. I now still have just over a gallon of reserve. For me, I can usually count on ~40 miles if I'm going steady speeds under 75 mph. The other day, coming home from a long trip, but in home territory where I knew the location of all the gas stations, I ran it 36 miles into reserve. I put in 5.9 gallons. I was traveling at 80 mph steady speeds, but with hills and some wind. I figure that was about as close as I wanted to go that day and I likely would not have made it to the next station 11 miles down the road. The miles on that tank are meaningless to the rest of you, so don't ask. ;D I ride with a 4.8 gallon fuel cell, so can go over 400 miles on a full fuel load before hitting reserve. I've gone 360 to reserve, but also 450 to reserve, just different riding conditions and speeds.
