The latest edition of ATV Action had an article about the Z running in the Baja 500 desert race. Wes Miller rode the bike SOLO (!) and finished 9th. HE RAN OUT OF GAS ON ALMOST EVERY LEG OF THE RACE (pits were like 60 miles apart). The bike was stock except for a Yoshi pipe (stock airbox), tires and rims, and aftermarket suspension. The fact that a bike finishes the race, is a tribute to any machine!!!! If he had not run out of gas (and remember he rode solo!), no doubt he would have placed much higher than 9th. But hey, thats Baja!!

Anyway, I have (thankfully) not yet had my Z out on any long rides (the deserts are still WAY TO HOT), but my impresion from just some local riding around home is that this bike burns up a tank of gas in a hurry (my motor is still stock). No doubt IMS will have a desert tank on the market soon. So what are your opinions????

 

Normally when a small engine is pressed to make big engine Hp, it uses more gas then a Big engine just relaxing like a Raptor or DS.

As long as your bike is not running rich and your not leaking gas you just gonna have to live with it.

 

When I'm on the trails it seams to use almost no gas. 3-4 hours of rideing and about a half tank left.
But in the dunes when the motor is realy winding out for most of the time it will suck a tank in about 2 hours.

 

<< When I'm on the trails it seams to use almost no gas. 3-4 hours of rideing and about a half tank left.
But in the dunes when the motor is realy winding out for most of the time it will suck a tank in about 2 hours. >>



That is exactly how mine is. I rode everyday last week and all weekend for less then $10 in gas. I am used to 800cc 2 strokes and I use 15 gallons a day with that beast!

 

Like Megacrash I mostly trail ride in the woods so I couldn't say about the wide open desert stuff. I can usually ride 4 to 5 hours in the woods no problem though. That's an excellent finish for running out of gas.

 

My Dale is a gas hog. The Z is decent, but I do mostly trail riding with both.

 

You're Dale is a gas hog??? Wow, I can run all weekend in the dunes, alot of WOT riding and I can go the entire weekend on one tank of gas!!

 

let's just put it this way, i ran out of gas out in the desert before my buddy with a raptor did. when i wen't to pismo with WP, he ran out of gas on his Z waaaay before i had to go to reserve on my Z. i think the difference was that he had a pipe on his.

 

I also gave it more than half throttle.

 

I can get a full day of riding in on 1 tank full.