Well I finally broke the bank and bought a new 500 manual ! Love it so far except the gas milage really sucks . I am getting about 48 miles to 50 miles and only have 2 bars left on the display so i thought I would go fill it up and it took 14 liters wich is about 3 gallons imperial. I havent pushed it really at all still breaking in. the second time I took it out again the other day and it did the same as the last , maybe a little bit better. I phoned the dealer and he told me other guys are getting close to 120 miles on a tank The other thing is when I shut it off sometimes its back firing, a soft pop a second or so after shut down. I have read other postings of back fire and some say to rich( wich I agree with) and I think it was Honda Buster that said too lean and turn up the mixture 1/4 turn. Any more richer and I will have to carry a slip tank. I am getting razzed as I need to be looking for fuel and the guys I ride with (450 Honda and 700 Suzuki) have lots left . And I already checked for leaks. other than that great Quad so far ! HELP

 

First off the gas gauge lies, big time on almost all quads, if they even have one. When mine reads 2 bars I have used less than 2 gallons of my 4.8 gallon tank. If all you are putting in is 14 liters, that's just over half of the 24.6 Liters available in the tank. 20 miles per US gallon isn't that bad with a 500 as my 400 only gets 22 mph average and it has over 1200 miles on it. The milage will improve as the engine breaks in. BTW, you have more fuel left than they do. You are filling up way to soon. I judge fuel usage by distance traveled and not by the gauge. I don't think you have a fuel problem either, a soft pop after shut down is not a backfire and adjusting the mixture screw is not a good idea unless there is a real problem.

 

I have an '03' 400 FIS Auto and I thought the same thing at first. I would fill my tank and go out for a ride. 18-miles in, I was reading just over 1/4 of a tank! It was soon after that I realized that the gas guages, (at least the analog ones on my '03') were junk. Here's your best bet, just as Bear stated, judge mileage on miles ridden. Most odometers are fairly accurate. This is what I did. I filled my tank and kept a 1-1/2 gallon gas can strapped to the front rack. I ride fairly consistently, (identical trail conditions, connector road time, etc.). I ran the bike until it was empty, switched to reserve and headed for home. The only thing I really didn't calculate is how far I got on reserve. Suffice it to say, that based on the type of riding I do, I get about 20mpg. I usually fill up every time I go out now, but if I'm lazy, I start thinking about gas at 60-miles or so just to be safe. By the way, I put a smiley face sticker my daughter gave me on the gas guage - it's useless. I also don't buy 120-miles to the tank, but I suppose it's possible? Fill er up, tote some fuel and run it until it's bone dry - this will be your guide. Also, I'm not sure how many miles you have on it, but bring it in and have it serviced at 300-miles. In the meantime, stop worrying and enjoy!

 

agreed, the guages are junk. ive got the same problem. i ride all day(5-7 hrs.) and it says im just about empty or empty. i go to the gas pump and pump in 2 gallons and it fills it up. thats only half a tank for all day riding.

 

Thanks for the info. I will carry some gas to make sure I get home and see how many miles I get on a tank. I mentioned the soft pop after shut down to the dealer and they said they will have a look at it. They suggest 200 mile oil change and service, I'm only at 100 so far. So it could loosen up a little more I guess. Also, is it common to have a fairly hard to shift, with an audible "ka-chunk" while you are shifting up with your heal? I got good news today, the dealer phoned me and said I won a draw for a cool big neon Artic Cat clock. All people who bought a snowmobile or quad got their name in a draw at their open house.I was surprized, as I never win anything!
Are those other bikes I mentioned that good on fuel as they ran the same amount of miles as I did, and used half the fuel?

 

The shift should not ka-chuck. One of 2 reasons, operator error in not keeping the engine at the right revs to match the next gear, either higher or lower; Or the clutch need adjustment. The is no way on this planet that a 700 anything gets better gas mileage than a 500 and the difference between a 450 and a 500 isn't enough to bother with. Are you taking their word for how much fuel they used or did you watch them fill and see the numbers. I changed the oil at 100 miles then again at 300 and went to synthetic oil and 600 mile changes. Congrate on the clock.

 

 

i never actually saw the numbers, but I dont think that the Honda even holds 3 gallons and he wasnt on reserve yet.The Suzuki guy says he gets better because his is EFI. I am taking their word for it. I didnt think it should sound like that but maybe you are right about the revs. But I have driven trikes all my life and lots of different quads so I think I am shifting it when it should be shifted. Maybe it does need to be checked when I take it in. Will it hurt it to be driven like this until then?

 

I get the same little puff when I shut my 06 500 auto down. Last weekend I rode like 20 miles with the gas gauge blinking the last little bar at me yet I never ran out. I put 90 miles on that tank. BTW that was the first tank I ran through it, my bike is still brand new.

 

Keep riding - just be conscious of your revs - may need adjustment. Even though I had been riding everything from motocross to trikes over the years, it did take me a bit to get used to the A/C manual shift on the 300's and 250's I've ridden - especially when switching between toe-shifters and A/C's set up. If you can, I'd change your oil now, then have your 300-mile service done, (unless A/C has since changed it to 200).

I think what you're experiencing is just growing pains of riding an A/C and your issues are no big deal. As for your gas, Bear is right, (as per), there's no way a 700 (efi or not), is getting better mileage than you and your Suzuki friend likely has a gas guage as inaccurate as yours. I went through the same thing with my buddy on his Rincon when I first got my A/C. I was down 3/4 of a tank according to my guage, he had barely moved one bar on his lcd...Turns out he had less gas than I did....