How Far Can a Motorcycle Go on One Tank of Gas? [Chart]


Generally speaking, the average motorcycle can go about 150-250 miles on one tank of gas. Even the lowest-range motorcycles can cover 100-150 miles without refueling. In contrast, many touring and adventure motorcycles can reach a remarkable fuel range of 300-400 miles thanks to their huge fuel capacities!

If you want to compare motorcycle fuel range figures by category, this post is for you.

We at PowerSportsGuide have done the research and compiled the ranges of 50 different models into one chart!

But first, let’s start with the main factors that affect the available miles on a motorcycle.

How far can a motorcycle go on a tank of gas?

Factors That Affect a Motorcycle’s Fuel Range

When it comes to motorcycle fuel range, it’s impossible to give a fixed number for each model. Why?

This is because as you’ll see, countless factors affect a bike’s fuel range. What’s more, many of them, like environmental conditions or your riding style can vary from one ride to the next. Consequently, you can virtually expect different fuel economies and fuel ranges with each ride.

Without further ado, here are the main factors that have the biggest impact on a motorcycle’s fuel range.

  • The type, performance, and condition of the motorcycle
  • Gas tank size
  • Environmental conditions
  • The attitude of the rider

Let’s take a closer look at each!

Features on the Motorcycle

It’s safe to say that the main factors affecting the available miles on a motorcycle are its features, like type, design, and engine performance.

Touring and adventure motorcycles are designed to cover long distances, so you can expect these machines to have the best fuel range.

In contrast, the fuel range of sportbikes is notoriously bad, and this is no accident. These bikes are powered by powerful engines to provide the best acceleration and top speed available.

But the higher performance a motorcycle provides the worse fuel economy it has, which ultimately results in poor gas mileage.

Besides engine power, many other factors play a role, such as the features of the transmission, drivetrain, wheels, and so on. But when it comes to fuel range, the key specification is always the size of the gas tank.

That’s why we’ll discuss it separately!

Gas Tank Size

From the smallest 50cc bikes to huge cruisers, the gas tank size of different motorcycles varies widely.

And the fuel capacity of a motorcycle affects its range to a large extent. For instance, if your bike gets 50 MPG, this means you can ride 50 miles on one gallon of gas. If your bike features a 4-gallon gas tank, its fuel range would be 200 miles but with a 6-gallon tank it would jump to 300 miles.

For a better comparison, just take a look at this basic chart, which shows the available fuel ranges of a 50-MPG motorcycle depending on the fuel capacity.

Gas Tank Size (Gal.)Fuel Range of a 50-MPG Bike (Miles)
2100
3150
4200
5250
6300
7350
8400

No surprise here, the more fuel your motorcycle holds the farther you can travel!

Environmental Conditions and Your Riding Style

There is no question that a motorcycle’s performance and fuel capacity have the biggest impact on its fuel range. However, we shouldn’t overlook the other influences, which are as follows:

  • Road conditions (city/highway/dirt, etc.)
  • Weather conditions (temperature, wind, humidity)
  • Other environmental conditions (altitude, terrain)
  • Your riding style

As these change from one day to the next your bike’s fuel range is virtually different on each of your rides. If you would like to find out more about these factors, don’t miss our post about the fuel consumption of motorcycles.

Average Motorcycle Fuel Range

Even if the riding habits or environmental conditions have an effect on it, the fuel range of each motorcycle falls within a well-defined range.

For your convenience, we’ve gathered and sorted the average motorcycle fuel ranges by engine category!

Motorcycle Fuel Range Chart

Motorcycle Category (cc)Average MPGAverage Fuel Range (Miles)
50100-150150-200
12590-120150-400
25050-90150-300
300-50050-80150-350
60030-50150-300
700-95030-80150-350
1000+30-50150-400

For informational purposes only!

If you do extensive research, chances are you can find a few motorcycles that offer a better or worse range in any given category. But based on our research, you can expect pretty similar fuel ranges across these classes.

Average Motorcycle Fuel Range by MPG

As a rule of thumb, the majority of motorcycles get about 30-80 MPG and have a fuel capacity of 3-5 gallons. Therefore, it makes sense to multiply these numbers in one chart to get some average fuel range figures:

MPG of the MotorcycleFuel Range With a 3-Gallon Tank (Miles)Fuel Range With a 4-Gallon Tank (Miles)Fuel Range With a 5-Gallon Tank (Miles)
3090120150
40120160200
50150200250
60180240300
70210280350
80240320400

Again, these are only average figures so please consider this chart as general information!

Still sticking to charts, we’ve also listed the average fuel range of 50 popular motorcycles into one chart.

Motorcycle Fuel Range List of 50 Popular Models

ModelAverage MPGAverage Fuel Range (Miles)
Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight48100
Kawasaki KLX250S50-70120
Aprilia SX5070-80143
Honda CRT250L60-80147
Honda CRB1000RR30-40151
Suzuki GSX-R60030-40158
Yamaha YZFR130-40158
Harley-Davidson Iron 120048158
Harley-Davidson Roadster48158
Harley-Davidson Softail Standard47165
Harley-Davidson Iron 88350165
Ducati Desmosedici 800RR25-35171
Suzuki GSX-R 75030-50180
Suzuki GSX-S1000F35-50189
KTM 390 Duke50-60193
Harley-Davidson Street Rod (750cc)55193
Honda Grom134194
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R40-50203
BMW G310GS65-75203
Aprilia RS4 5050-60209
BMW S1000XR30-50212
Boss-Hoss bikes (6000-7500cc)20-30213
Harley-Davidson XL1200C Sportster48216
Kawasaki W800 Café50-60220
Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa35-45220
Honda CBR300R60-70221
Honda X-ADV 75060-70221
Honda Rebel 30070-80225
Harley-Davidson Street 50065228
Harley-Davidson Sport Glide47235
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 11447235
Honda CBR250R60-80238
Yamaha YZF-R25060-70241
Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide41246
Yamaha FZ645-55255
Honda NC750X60-80259
BMW F750GS60-70260
Kawasaki Ninja 50050-60264
Harley-Davidson Road King45270
Harley-Davidson Street Glide45270
Suzuki DR75035-40293
BMW R1200RT40-50297
Honda Africa Twin 110050-70300
Yamaha YZF-R125100-110320
Benelli TNT 600GT40-50321
Honda CBR500R70-80338
Honda ST1300 Pan European40-50347
Honda CB125F100-120374
Yamaha YS125100-120407
BMW R80 G/S Paris Dakar50423

These figures are for informational purposes only! Don’t forget that the fuel range of a bike varies and depends on many factors, meaning that you may get more or fewer miles on any of these bikes.

How Far Can a Motorcycle Go on One Tank of Gas?

Lightweight Motorcycle Fuel Range

Lightweight motorcycles are powered by frugal, 50-400cc engines. Combined with their lightweight body, these machines have very good fuel ranges, which usually means 150-400 miles depending on the make and model.

The smallest 50cc motorcycles can typically cover 150-200 miles on a tank of gas, as most of them are manufactured with a 2-gallon fuel tank.

Unlike their smaller brothers, the fuel range of 125cc motorcycles is from 150 up to 400 miles thanks to their larger gas tanks.

How far can a 250cc motorcycle go? Surprisingly, 250cc motorcycles have a lower fuel range compared to the 125cc, as they can typically cover 150-300 miles on a tank of gas. Are you wondering why?

This is because although these categories share similar tank sizes, the 250cc machines are powered by much thirstier engines.

Fortunately, you can expect to see better figures on 300-400cc motorcycles.

Middle-Weight Motorcycles

From the long-distance runner BMW R80 G/S Paris Dakar (range: 420 miles) to the Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight (range: 101 miles) the fuel range of middle-weight motorcycles varies widely.

In general, touring and adventure motorcycles offer the best fuel ranges in this class. Many of them feature a fuel-efficient engine and a bigger, 5-8.5-gallon fuel tank. This is why these motorcycles can cover 300-400 miles, or even more.

In contrast, 600cc, 4-cylinder sportbikes are legendary for their poor fuel consumption and smaller (4-5 gallon) gas tanks. This is why many of them can only reach 150-200 miles on one tank of gas.

Regarding cruisers, they typically offer a fuel range of 100-200 miles in this class.

Heavy Motorcycle Fuel Range

Just like their smaller brothers, the fuel range of heavy motorcycles is also strongly dependent on the type of bike.

Sadly, you will never get 300-400 miles on a 1000cc sportbike. These machines typically get 30-50 MPG and have a fuel capacity of 4-5 gallons, so they can typically only cover 150-200 miles.

In contrast, adventure bikes not only have better MPG figures, but many of them also feature a 6-8-gallon fuel tank. Thanks to these features, the fuel range of these motorcycles can exceed a generous 250-300 miles.

Which Motorcycle Has the Longest Range?

If you are looking for motorcycles with the longest range, you should first take a look at 125cc street motorcycles. Thanks to their small and fuel-efficient engines, many of these bikes can run 200-400 miles on a tank of gas. But if you are looking for a bike for longer tours, you can’t go wrong with a touring or adventure bike, as these motorcycles have the longest range among the big boys.

For instance, one of the highest-range motorcycles on the market is the BMW R80 G/S Paris Dakar. This bike gets about 50 MPG and features an 8.45-gallon fuel tank, which results in an outstanding 423-mile fuel range.

Conclusion

Based on our research, the fuel range of most production motorcycles is about 100-400 miles.

Lightweight motorcycles are powered with low-consumption engines, so they can cover very long distances on one tank of gas.

Regarding bigger machines, you can expect the worst fuel ranges to be on the middle-weight and heavy sportbikes, as many of them can only cover 150-200 miles. (Or even less if you ride very hard!)

You can see similar figures on many cruiser motorcycles, but some of them can even go 300+ miles without refueling.

When it comes to full-sized motorcycles, the ones with the highest fuel range are the touring and adventure models, as their fuel range can reach a whopping 300-400 miles.

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