Looking to buy a used 3rd gen with poor fuel mileage

Hey everybody,

I already have a 5th gen and have been talking to someone selling a used 3rd gen that I would like to buy. Clean bike. However, when asking the current owner he mentioned that the fuel light will go on after about 150 miles or so, and even sometimes after hard riding, after 120. I know my 5th gen gets 42 mpg or so, so it seems to me that there is something wrong with the carbs on this 3rd gen that would cause it to get such poor mileage. Is this a problem anyone out there has dealt with? If so, what did you do to resolve it? Other than the low m.p.g., it is a clean bike and I would like to pick it up.

Surely one of you experts on the 3rd gen has dealt with this.

 

I have two of these bikes, my gas light came on today at 120 miles and I filled up with maybe 3.2 gallons? I have the receipt down the street. This bike gets like 36 mpg maybe. Ms y other one has the gas light come on at the same time 120 miles. I really never give it much thought as I would stop every 100 miles on the open road to just fill up and get my arse off the saddle for a few minutes. Both bikes have overhauled oem carburetors and perfectly synchronized carbs. I took the 93 to work today and had to pass a Tesla car, it s ort of motivated me to give her the berries, it topped out at 145 mph for a few. Shame on me...you could always get a Priuis right if your totally into miles :loco: My commuter EX500 gets like 42 mpg but its always WOT. mileage is over rated. Cheers and scoop that gen3 bike up fast. :vtr2:

 

the tank on these bikes holds 4.2 gallons so that means your playing with another gallon of gas or so. I have stretched out my 91 to 170 miles once. I thought I was gona be hitch-hiking in the middle of the everglades. When I first got my EX I ran out of gas coming home from work. I got lucky and had a co-worker drive by me and pick my arse up and together we got a gas can and rescued the stranded kawi. Seems my super sonic commuting was different than what I was used to regarding the trip tick thing on that twin. Anywho))000

 

I am not a mileage hoard, just with the sport-touring miles we pack on, it is nice to have a bike with the extra range capability. I have and Ninja 500 also and it gets impressive mpg, but could use more range. Would be nice if it had a bigger tank. I thought that the 3rd gen would have roughly a 200 mile range or so. Could the carbs on this bike have an issue?

 

I commute about 4 times a week on two wheels, its either the EX or my 93. The 91 is a member of the family and would not dream of doing commuting duty on her/it. Ride the bike, if it takes throttle out of the driveway well and has smooth rideability with limited throttle, you are probably good. Should idle nice too. Hope this helps. Body work good>?

My last big road trip was only 300 miles to St. Augustine, I took the kawi and filled up every 100 miles. When I had more time on my hands I thought about getting a used Concourse gas tank and doing a number for the little twin. I had a purple 97 kawi back in the day when I did road racing. Doode I sold it to still raced the damn thing. Mine goes 120+ when the temperture is perfect

 

Bad sensor?

 

150 to 125 miles before the light comes on. Im at 136 today and no light yet. 3.2 gallons

 

Ah ha! Jorgescar, you're up and running! good for you!

my gen 3 light comes on at about 120 too. when I first got it, I was worried but like Ridervfr said, it fills back up with only 3 gallons, so not really empty yet. I don't have too many saddle hours on my gen 3 but I do know that little fuel light is part of it's character.

 

side bar note on the fuel gauge, on my 93 the tank was rusted oot really bad (probably saved itself from previous owners) anyway, I got a donor petrol tank and installed the petcock and fuel gauge on the new tank. The old tank had a new petcock so I was good there and the gas level unit cleaned up well. I installed all this kit and all was well with the world, that is until I filled up at the local truck stop. I topped off the tank and walked in to pay and came back to a bike with a large petrol leak underneath it! I was like, "WTF?" I got on that chit and rode it straight home with petrol leak and all. It was a fast ride; what it turned out to be was a cut/mutilated/slashed O-Ring that seals the gas level unit. They were new oem o-rings, examining the gas level unit I discovered some really sharp edges on it. When I re-installed the new oring, I masked the gas level with tape to protect it and paid special attention on the re-install.

Originally the bike ran like a raped ape, problem was I never fully gassed up the tank ound:

I have a bad censor too, it's called my "right-wrist" seems gravity takes control of it and everything regarding gas mileage goes into the "toilet-oh." Cheers I do 120 mile per tank on both these bikes and fill them up then.

 

Fuck gas mileage. Make sure you got enough tire to hold the line in the twisties.

 

my gen 3 will easily do 180 miles on a tank on the highway at 75mph

 

The solution to this problem is easy. When the red light goes on. Stop for gas.

 

Mileage is not so much of a concern as if the low ( I am assuming ) mpg is an indicaiton of a carb issue.

 

3.2 gallons of hi-test at 140 today.

 

Could it be that on the 3rd gens, that the fuel light comes on too early? I know on my 5th gen, I get one blinking bar at about 180-ish miles and I know I have about a gallon left. On 3rd gens is there more than a gallon left when the light comes on?

 

Could it be that on the 3rd gens, that the fuel light comes on too early? I know on my 5th gen, I get one blinking bar at about 180-ish miles and I know I have about a gallon left. On 3rd gens is there more than a gallon left when the light comes on?

 

it seems the little red light does come on too soon. Not likely a carb problem. unless we all have the same problem. I'd do what Badbilly and Ridervfr says, get off the bike every 100 miles, fill up, stretch your legs. And if you get the bike, at the next off season maintenance tear down, just remove the light bulb for the low fuel light and use the trip odo as a gas gauge.

 

If some chickenshit problem like whether a red light comes on or not is enough to cause all this mental anguish and nail biting, don't buy the bike.

 

Whats worse is if you work on some POS and you don't happen to have the foresight to see if the gas gauge works! So, fast forward, you do your work and return said POS bike to customer only to hear, "my gas gauge does'nt work!" I worked with a doode that had one lung (I used to call him the "one-lung-wonder.") The expression that he loved that I used to say was, FUCKING FUCK. Gas gauge not working, happened once on some beemer bike and I swear to gawd, I would always glance down and see if the gauge registered something. Not knocking beemer riders mind you, (do covet some early air-heads.)

What am I saying? :loco: Low gas gauge light comes on with over a gallon left, that means you have at least worse case scenerio 30 miles or so left. I stilll wana see pictures of said Gen 3 bike aboove.

 

We maybe should "return to those thrilling days of yesteryear" and get bikes that didn't have gas gauges and the only red lights were on the assend.