Fuel range

[derek martin]

I've never determined how many miles I can get out of my 74.5 250 with 13/52 gearing, stock Bing and MX tank - can anybody offer up an estimate?

[Rob Thatcher]

I have a 73 Harescrambler and I am also interested in that.  How long or how far can I go on a tank of gas during a cross country event?

[SouthRider]

"Back in the day" 35-45 miles depending on where you are riding and how muddy it is.

Enduro gas stops used to be in this range, and we got worried about making it on the little tanks if they were towards the long end of the range.

Altitude, heat, and riding conditions can change this in a big way. so can the quality of the fuel. We were riding with 103 octane leaded fuel back then.

Best way to find out is to put a quart of fuel in your fanny pack and go riding with your buddies  at a "race pace" until you run out.

I always loved the little tanks on Pentons and Huskies - felt I had so much more control over the bike.



_____________________________________________________________________________________

"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible, for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, that we are now qualified to do almost anything, with nothing."

1972 Penton Berkshire 100
1983 Husqvarna 250 XC
2011 Jayco 31.5 RLDS
2009 Chevy 2500 HD Duramax

[derek martin]

Thanks for responding. I'm trying to decide on what tank to fit up for using the bike in the AHRMA CC series (specifically the ISDT style events) too. The skinny MX tank is great for moving around on the bike. I've got a big plastic tank (Windsor?) that holds a huge amount of gas but is way too wide. My fiberglass enduro tank is in restoration process or it would be the tank to use I believe. I'll not have time to ride enough to run a tank of fuel through the bike for a mileage check but if you've gotten 35 miles in moderate weather and moderate riding conditions then I'll use that as a gauge to determine if I need to canteen some fuel if gas available is over 35 miles distant. Thanks

[tomale]

I rode the ISDT RR on 04 with my 76 and I had no trouble with mileage. The stock take was fine.  I believe it holds just under 2 gallon of fuel. They did not change the that much, so the mileage should be fine for your bike too.

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)
74' 1/2 440 maico
70' 400 maico (project)
72' cr125 Husky (project)
93' RMx 250 suzuki

[SouthRider]

For the 1978 ISDT Qualifier at Perry Mountain I was riding a 250cr Husky with a 2.0 gallon aluminum tank, and got paranoid about the gas stops (45 miles) - so I borrowed & installed one of those plastic Windsor tanks.

Worst mistake I ever made - like riding a cow. In 79 they increased the tank size to 2.2 gallons and I never had to worry again.

Plus - if you put a huge tank on there you tend to over fill it, and the bike just gets even heavier.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible, for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, that we are now qualified to do almost anything, with nothing."

1972 Penton Berkshire 100
1983 Husqvarna 250 XC
2011 Jayco 31.5 RLDS
2009 Chevy 2500 HD Duramax

[Mike Rosso]

We always figured we got 15-16 MPG at race speeds. We spec'd the 2-stroke bikes with 3.2 gallon fuel tanks in order to just make a 50-mile enduro gas stop distance rule.

If you figure 15 MPG then you'll be safe to go at least that distance per gallon.........but really you should be able to get 20 MPG or a little more IMO.

[Mick Milakovic]

Rob and Derek, I use an MX tank on my harescrambler in all AHRMA and AMA harescrambles and qualifiers and have never had a problem.  The harescrmbles are an hour, and the qualifier organizers are very cognizant of the limitations of our bikes.  They never make us stretch the limits of the tanks.  Good Luck!

Mick

[brian kirby]

Derek, I rode one of Chicago Jerry's 250s at your race in '09. It had a small MX tank and I had no problem at all making the distance. I would expect since we go roughly 20-24 miles during a 1hr race going as fast as you can go, you should have no problem with the relaxed pace of an ISDT event outside of the test sections.

Brian

[derek martin]

Thanks to all responders - it's a go on the MX tank. Hope I don't hurt it. It sure would be a good thing if there were a supplier of replica plastic tanks for these bikes.
Brian had some pretty good showings at our place - he over-all'd the vintage events one year on his Berkshire if I remember correctly.