...and the fact that the available range disappears when the fuel light comes on is pretty annoying...Terrible range. With a 3 gallon usable tank, I typically get about between 90-100 miles per tank (mostly highway and low traffic areas) before the light goes off!
You might want to try fuelmoto.com guys. You just need to buy a Power Vision 4 device from them for around USD400 and then record the stock tune using the PV4. Once you have it, you need to send it to fuelmoto guys so that they analyse it and send a new tune for you to flash on your back. If the new tune won't work, you just need to record some 10-20 mins of your general riding with the PV4 and send to fuelmoto again. They will send you an adjusted version of the tune which you can flash. This should iron the fueling issues out.I find I don't mind the range if I'm actually out riding. Getting off the bike to stretch for a minute and maybe getting a soda doesn't bother me that much.
Where I don't like the range is when I'm running errands locally. It seems every three trips to town I have to fill it up. Again, it's not the end of the world and I knew it buying the bike.
what year is your FTR and what model?I had a Z900RS and now I have an FTR. Don't believe all these reviews. The maping and throttle control is shit. It seem that it was designed for long sweeping corners where you don't need throttle control. The bike is an updated cruiser. It would be at the bottom of my list of touring bikes. If I could find someone in Australia to remap it and give me correct throttle control I would be happy. I prefer the Z900RS.
"It seem that it was designed for long sweeping corners where you don't need throttle control."
I fixed it with fuelmoto tune. The surging made me crazy as I ride with cruise control often and the surging happened exactly at or around the allowed speed limit which made a half and hour ride highly unnerving. Have to add that I'm a novice rider in my late thirties and this is my first and only bike.Mine has an occasional surge in mid-range, it startled me the first couple times but to read about it or hear about it, you would think the bike explodes or something.