Help 180km out of one tank....

So I was riding my zxr250A to work this morning and my bike decided it was quite thirsty and ran out of fuel after doing only 180kms from a full tank. Any idea what could cause this? I'm going to check the carbs and make sure they are at factory settings this afternoon. Hopefully that will help. The smell of fuel was quite strong while riding but I couldn't see any signs of a leak anywhere. Could there be something else causing the bike to go though fuel that quick?

 

If you can smell fuel while riding the carburetor seals probably need an overhaul. You'll probably find that you're either getting fuel in the air filter or out the overflow pipe from the bottom of the carbs.

Clean your carbs and get a seal kit - try a LiteTek one from Blair over at http://litetek.co

 

I'll have a look tonight. $50 for a seal kit seems like a good deal.

 

could just be running rich... did you swap it to RES? also 180km is pretty standard.. most people get 200km out of their tank with RES... they are thirsty bikes.. also it comes down to how you ride it.... if your keeping the revs really high and carrying a lot of speed you will literally burn through it... lol

 

Not sure on the fuel economy side myself - My ZZR gets around 350 km/tank before I hit reserve so it sounds like the ZXRs are comparatively thirsty beasts!

 

they are very thirsty but they are sports bikes... if you putt around on them and don't rev them out they have they develop all sorts of problems...lol

 

I get 180-190 before I have to hit reserve. That's riding around town running through the revs.

 

I got to 180kms before hitting reserve and for the most part, keeping the revs above 8-10 grand.

 

also stop starting uses a lot of fuel..

 

I usually full up not long after hitting res and she normally takes about 11L. So 5.5L/100km isn't that bad if your using a lot of revs

 

I get 250 before reserve on mine.

 

you also cruise up the motorway..lol

 

You mean fly down the side.... Lol. I also brim the tank like nothing else

 

Small tank rather than overly thirsty bike then!

 

I think I put about 13-14 litres in this morning after hitting reserve. I reset the trip meter and will keep an eye on how much I go through.

 

Just out of curiosity this 180kms you are doing at 8k revs, is that in second and third?
If you are riding in peak traffic and keeping in a low gear then there may not be a problem.
If you are doing 8k revs in top and getting 180km/tank there is an issue.

 

I got about 200ish to a tank on the ZXR, but my speedo hasn't been working for a couple of months so that's just the last time it worked >.>

 

Had a feel of the headers when I got home. 3 are to hot to touch and the putter right one was a lot cooler than the rest so I'm assuming I'm only running on 3 cylinders. Will it be alright to ride untill the weekend when I have the time to have a proper look to find what's wrong?

 

It's a bit of both. I do about 18kms down the highway in 5th and 6th at around 8-10k and about 6kms in 1,2 and 3 each way to and from work.

 

I'll have to check next time I fill up. Maybe it is more than 11 litres.