Filling up earlier, I had 80km on the clock and the tank took 5L to top up to its huge capacity of, wait for it, 8.5L which includes the reserve of 2.5L or 1.5L if you modify it (an easy thing to do). Conservatively, or pessimistically, that means that I was getting 15km per litre. Hmm. That means, in theory, I should be able to make at least 120km on a tank. And that reserve should pop on, at about 90km.
While at the lake, I could perhaps, if I was so moved, drop a line in the lake to see if anything was happening: it was a week ago last year that I hauled a bunch o trout from this very lake. Surely today would yield something similar...and if I run out of fuel, raw trout will keep me alive until I've push, pulled and cussed my way back to what we subjectively call "civilization" (although from the finger hoisted my way enroute for having the audacity to merge in front of a cager, you have to wonder if the gap between civilization and red-neck is nothing more than a veneer on the island. Anyway, I digress. Cool, though, my horn works! - And so does my finger...)
Having done my research on the Internet, I had discovered that most 450 and 570 owners seem to get between 65km to 120km before reserve. Not much help there then, except that 390 should be better? As mentioned, the total tank capacity of all 3 models is 8.5L. Reserve on the FE series of bikes is 2.5L, although you can change this to 1.5L fairly easily. Most owners do, as they lament the "ridiculously large" reserve on these bikes. What a joke! KTM/Husa owners, you need to know that 2.5L/1.5L is nowt if you've wound your merry way to the back and beyond and the little yellow light comes on. You'd be better to siphon out the gas, start a fire and decide which part of the bike you're going to eat first. Perhaps the tires, drizzled in a oil reduction? No, then I give you the rubber hand grips, melted in cowling and seat saute? Coming from a bike with a 300km plus range, it was a new experience today to be at all concerned about fuel range on a "routine" jaunt like this.
Some things never change. Absolute silence and beautifully scenic. Unfortunately, there were no bites either... |
Anyway the long and short is I got back home with 102km on the clock and no orange reserve light. Which means one of two things. The orange reserve light isn't working or, hopefully, it is, and I have more than 2.5L left.
I'll update this post when I've ridden until the reserve light pops on, filled 'er up, and calculated what my range is on mainly dirt. On the positive side, the bike is sooo torquey, that loping along in 5th or 6th is easy...I have deliberately kept the revs down today...most of the time. It is very tempting though, to open Ingrid up and ride the wave... wow!
*****************************************
UPDATE. I finally had enough time to ride the Husa until the reserve light came on. Mostly dirt, it came on at 140km. When I filled up though, it took 6.6L, not 6L which gave me a reserve of 1.9L not the vaunted 2.5 L reserve...
So, conservatively, I'm looking at 20km per L. With 8.5L in the tank plus two 1.5 L fuel containers, I'm looking at a 11L and change. This gives me a range of 200km+. That's more comforting than the 80-100km that had been rumoured...
******************************************************