My RSV is a gas pig..

[Midrsv]

I'm currently in Albuquerque and after riding 1425 miles with 3 other bikes my bike's gas mileage sucks. I'm riding with a Harley Heritage Classic, a Goldwing, and a 2007 Tour Deluxe. Using a speedohealer calibrated speedometer/odometer I have only achieved more than 30 mpg on two tanks of gas. Most are in the 26 to 27 range with one as low as 24. The tour deluxe is doing slightly better. We've been hitting reserve at about 120 miles. Whenever I put in 4.3 gallons the Tour deluxe uses 3.9 and the wing about 3.3. The Harley is usually pretty close to the wing. We've been running a pretty consistent 70 mph with cruise control. The two tanks that were above 30 mpg were in a slower part of the ride. The bike runs fine and the carbs were recently synched. Is anyone else seeing this kind of mileage and what should I check when I get home. I could have driven the car and used less gas.

 

Dennis

[BuddyRich]

I have always gotten between 30 and 36. Don't think its ever been better than 36 unless I stay below 55

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Only time that my RSV got that bad was when I was pulling a large, heavy trailer with it, running 2-up, and cruising at 75-80 mph. Most of the time I get about 35-38 mpg on the open highway, and 40-45 at slower speeds in the mountains.

 

Something is not quite right, maybe its jetted too rich?

 

[Seaking]

I'm currently in Albuquerque and after riding 1425 miles with 3 other bikes my bike's gas mileage sucks. I'm riding with a Harley Heritage Classic, a Goldwing, and a 2007 Tour Deluxe. Using a speedohealer calibrated speedometer/odometer I have only achieved more than 30 mpg on two tanks of gas. Most are in the 26 to 27 range with one as low as 24. The tour deluxe is doing slightly better. We've been hitting reserve at about 120 miles. Whenever I put in 4.3 gallons the Tour deluxe uses 3.9 and the wing about 3.3. The Harley is usually pretty close to the wing. We've been running a pretty consistent 70 mph with cruise control. The two tanks that were above 30 mpg were in a slower part of the ride. The bike runs fine and the carbs were recently synched. Is anyone else seeing this kind of mileage and what should I check when I get home. I could have driven the car and used less gas.

 

Dennis

 

Hi Dennis, my buddy and I, (me on a 2006 and he on 2008 RSV) had done a 12,000 km run in May-June and kept watch over our fuel consumption, mileage and conditions..

 

the RSV is a weird bike that will give you wildly different mileage depending on a lot of factors, the primary factor being how much winds resistance you put on the fairing and windshield.. no kidding..

 

We got a top best of 210 miles to a tank in Key West Florida area, and a shyte 110 miles in Maine but kept to a mean average of 160 miles between fill ups. His bike doing consistently better than my bike, except for when he was leading.

 

Here's how it breaks down for us on how to get best fuel mileage on this bike..

 

Speed and gears obviously make a huge difference for any bike as far as fuel mileage goes, but for the RSV and that big front end on it, there is more at play. The faster you go, the more air pressure buildup on the fairing and windshield, the more the engine has to work. If you have a large head wind component, you end up with more resistance and have to use more engine power. We discovered that under certain instances, you use less fuel riding 70 mph in 4th than you would in 5th since you don't have to open the throttle as much to get better performance out of the engine 4th, while struggling in 5th when in heavy head wind conditions. Imagine trying to run into the wind holding a sheet of plywood crossways into the wind.. that's what the RSV does..

 

Conversely speaking, if you're riding down the highway at a happy 60 mph in 5th gear and you have to accelerate, you can do so in 5th but you have to open the throttle a lot more to get it to respond and then take up the slack.. but if you drop it in 4th, you have better gear ratio and better engine performance, thus requiring less throttle opening, less fuel used.

 

A lot of prattling on about what is all this about? You mentioned you rode with a Harley and Touring? If I am guessing right, both of these don't have large front fairing, and perhaps just a simple windscreen if at all? So their bikes aren't fighting the wind as much as your RSV does. I did some testing last year with my Tall Wide Clearview and my medium windshield and my 4" stubby and the amount of windshield will affect your fuel consumption. No joke.

 

During that long trip we also discovered something quite interesting that we could replicate over and over again.. My fuel consumption was always consistently higher than my buddy's by the same margin.. that is until he finally took the lead on some stretches, and we found the opposite happened, HIS consumption was higher. After several fuel runs like this, we surmised that the lead bike is breaking new wind (no puns) and thus working harder, burning more fuel while the following bike, even though not having to be all that close behind, is running through disturbed air, working less, burning less. Odd thing that.

 

Short of it is that on any given long ride, I can dictate my fuel consumption by how I ride the bike, either hard or gently..

 

Albeit, when you're riding with a group, you're stuck doing what the lead bike is doing so you won't have much to say on how to ride for range.. But here are a couple of tips I can recommend for you when riding in a group like you were..

 

You didn't mention if you were all riding in stagger or a wide loose gaggle.. If you guys ride in a nice 2 sec separation group, place yourself behind the GoldWing to get better drafting behind him. Don't hammer down the throttle when pulling away from stops and such. Without knowing what your riding style is like, its hard to tell if you're just pulling too much throttle and using a too steep a gear for the speed or load on the bike..

 

However, a typical highway run in the 70 mph range should get you 35 to 38 mpg easily.. Some highway runs I get down to Reserve at around 120 miles.. but I'm hammering it down.. the worse I ever got on the highway was 110 miles, limping in on reserve but that was due to a 40 mph (gusting 60) head wind..

 

We're heading out again on another run through the USA, this time going down the Blue ridge and Deels Gap.. Along the way we're going to do our fuel runs again to see if we can do better than the last time..

 

Yes, you could have used your car and used less fuel.. but you wouldn't have been happy with that ride

[Midrsv]

Thanks for info Seaking. Here's a little more info. The Harley and the Tour Deluxe had no fairing. The Tour Deluxe windshield had been cut down several inches. The TD would always use between .3 and .5 gallons less depending on how many miles we ran on the tank. I was the lead bike all the way and they didn follow closely. Probably 100 yards or more between each bike. Also, my speedohealer has a correction factor of about 7%. Therefore, those without corrected odometer are probably seeing 5% to 7% less than measured. When I get above 65 I really see the mileage drop.

 

Dennis

[flb_78]

Being as your bike and the Tour Deluxe are using almost the same amount of gas, I'd say there's nothing wrong. Welcome to the high plains of the west. You're gradually gaining elevation starting at Tulsa, OK and usually you're fighting a westward wind. When I lived in Amarillo, my speedohealed bike usually did around 28-30mpg and on really windy days, it was even worse. Plus the V4 requires a large amount of air and the higher up you go, the less air there is so the harder the engine has to work to make power.

[Seaking]

Thanks for info Seaking. Here's a little more info. The Harley and the Tour Deluxe had no fairing. The Tour Deluxe windshield had been cut down several inches. The TD would always use between .3 and .5 gallons less depending on how many miles we ran on the tank. I was the lead bike all the way and they didn follow closely. Probably 100 yards or more between each bike. Also, my speedohealer has a correction factor of about 7%. Therefore, those without corrected odometer are probably seeing 5% to 7% less than measured. When I get above 65 I really see the mileage drop.

 

Dennis

 

Hi Dennis, see if you can gather up the lads again and put yourself behind the largest bike, ride smoothly, proper gears etc. You should see a difference.. we didn't think the 'lead bike' thing was for real but we tried it over and over and yep, I get better mileage than he does when HE is in the lead but he hates the lead position.. lol..

[Carbon_One]

Prior to triking my bike I consistantly was getting 38-42 mpg. Now that I've added 400lbs more weight and more frontal area I get 30-33mpg with a speedohealer unit set for actual speed.

I have also upped the pilot jets 1 size in their respective carbs, fine tuned the mix screws and syn. the carbs. I did this before converting to the trike so triking had no effect there. I find a much better low end acceleration, cold engine starting now.

So ya comparing my beast to yours I'd say something is way off.

Larry

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Generally speaking, Harley's get pretty good mileage, always better than the RSV. The Heritage does well in the mpg test, but its not pushing a huge lower fairing thru the wind, AND its aircooled, which means no water pump draining a few horsepower, AND its turning less rpm, AND its got something like 30-40 LESS horsepower.

 

If you get within 10 mpg of what its getting, your doing GOOD. I ride with a buddy on an 01 Heritage and its no contest...he can run 200 miles on 5 gallons...I cant do that with 6 gallons on the RSV.

 

But when we hit the open highway and need to pass a line of vehicles on an uphill passing lane...guess who can get the job done in a hurry and who has to struggle with it.

 

Yep...those extra ponies under the hood may be hungry, but they do what you want, when you want.

 

Just ride.

 

[Jerry W]

I have gotten 40 mpg, I have also gotten 30 mpg. I have always enjoyed the ride.

[Sleeperhawk]

So, how is the Mustang seat working out for you?

[jlh3rd]

we were in albq. , n.m., az., in june....running two up..fully loaded, no trailer...running 70-75 on i-40.....55-60 on rt. 66.........avg mpg was about 33-34........back in pa. now, getting about 36 mpg....only time i get 40 + now is when i'm running around 50 mph or less............

[rock hound]

Last weekend i filled up in santa fe nm. Rode north thur. The mountains over to las vegas nm, then to tuccumari. 231 miles ,36 miles on reserve. Thats 45.2 mpg. Thats 2 up + luggage . Average speeds 55-70. Iam lovin it

[flb_78]

Last weekend i filled up in santa fe nm. Rode north thur. The mountains over to las vegas nm, then to tuccumari. 231 miles ,36 miles on reserve. Thats 45.2 mpg. Thats 2 up + luggage . Average speeds 55-70. Iam lovin it

 

we were in albq. , n.m., az., in june....running two up..fully loaded, no trailer...running 70-75 on i-40.....55-60 on rt. 66.........avg mpg was about 33-34........back in pa. now, getting about 36 mpg....only time i get 40 + now is when i'm running around 50 mph or less............

 

Were the speedometers corrected with a speedohealer? If not, you need to take off about 7 or 8 percent of that.

[jlh3rd]

nope..mine's not corrected.........so if my distance meter says 180 miles...my actual distance is around 168 ?...

[gibvel]

nope..mine's not corrected.........so if my distance meter says 180 miles...my actual distance is around 168 ?...

 

That's not necessarily true. I don't believe that the odometer is as far off as the speedometer. But yes, the actual mileage is less than what the odometer says.

 

The best way to know is to use a GPS to find out what the actual mileage is.

[Guest PlaneCrazy]

I just recently bought my RSV (in May) and I have been keeping very detailed gas logs to track the mileage through the break in period and while I get a feel for the new bike.

 

So far, I have been very consistent at 38 MPG. The only time it ever drops much is when I burn a whole tank just going back and forth to work here in town. I tend to hot rod it a bit more then as I get off work in the early AM so its nice having the streets to myself

 

As for range... A few weeks ago I got stuck in Toronto and missed my planned exit for gas and I ended up having to run the bike right to the ragged ass looking for the next gas station. I drove it 48 km past reserve until there was no bars showing on my gauge and I still made it to the station. Total mileage for that tank was 342 km (about 212 miles)

 

I have found that the RSV's large size and powerful engine make the mileage much more stable then my previous bikes. I did a lot of long trips on my last bike, a 2001 Honda ACE, and it was all over the map in mileage. Before I started adding a lot of weight, it was consistently 50 mpg, but as the weight started to added up (bags, fairing, etc.) it dropped to the low 40's. Then I put a batwing fairing on it and it could barely stay above 60 mph on the highway if the wind was blowing hard. So I went Stage III and got some power back, but then my mileage dropped drastically to 36 mpg or so. Thats when I sold it and bought the RSV. Figured if I was going to be paying for the gas anyhow, i may as well travel in comfort and style.

 

BTW, I usually drive around 120 km/h (75 mph) and I use my GPS as reference. I'm sure that if i stayed at the speed limit, I would hit the 40 mpg mileage that yamaha claims for this bike.

[gibvel]

BTW, I usually drive around 120 km/h (75 mph) and I use my GPS as reference. I'm sure that if i stayed at the speed limit, I would hit the 40 mpg mileage that yamaha claims for this bike.

 

Yup, once you hit 70 or above they start to suck the gas pretty well.

[Seaking]

I just recently bought my RSV (in May) and I have been keeping very detailed gas logs to track the mileage through the break in period and while I get a feel for the new bike.

 

As for range... A few weeks ago I got stuck in Toronto and missed my planned exit for gas and I ended up having to run the bike right to the ragged ass looking for the next gas station. I drove it 48 km past reserve until there was no bars showing on my gauge and I still made it to the station. Total mileage for that tank was 342 km (about 212 miles)

 

I have found that the RSV's large size and powerful engine make the mileage much more stable then my previous bikes. I did a lot of long trips on my last bike, a 2001 Honda ACE, and it was all over the map in mileage. Before I started adding a lot of weight, it was consistently 50 mpg, but as the weight started to added up (bags, fairing, etc.) it dropped to the low 40's. Then I put a batwing fairing on it and it could barely stay above 60 mph on the highway if the wind was blowing hard. So I went Stage III and got some power back, but then my mileage dropped drastically to 36 mpg or so. Thats when I sold it and bought the RSV. Figured if I was going to be paying for the gas anyhow, i may as well travel in comfort and style.

 

BTW, I usually drive around 120 km/h (75 mph) and I use my GPS as reference. I'm sure that if i stayed at the speed limit, I would hit the 40 mpg mileage that yamaha claims for this bike.

 

My bike, being a US bike, shows its ODO in miles while I fill up in litres.. So what I do know is that for every 10 miles I run on the ODO, an average fuel burn is roughly 1 litre. This is the average.. If I ride it like I stole it, then it's a lot more.. If I ride it like Miss Daisy, then I get far on a tank of gas. But it's that 1 litre per 10 miles is my base mark.

 

My friend and I do a 40 mile slab run for coffee (Halifax to Truro) and we do it in different configurations.. one will be in 5th while the other in 4th all the way, holding a 120 kph on the clock (110 speed limit real speed) and depending on the winds, and who is leading, we get all kinds of fuel mileage.. The only thing I know is consistent on this bike is that any amount of head winds, and your mileage will suck canal water.. (The Rideau?)

 

Let me know if you're doing Port Dover this year. I may be passing through Ottawa to see a buddy, might be able to hook up and make a run or compare notes.. or do a Timmies

 

Cheers M8

[Chiro]

I ride a lot in the mountains of CO. My Venture feels like it has about 1/2 the power it does in other areas of the country, like say; Illinois or Florida. I mentioned this to a friend who has a heavy equipment business here in CO and he said the general rule is that you will loose 3% HP for every 1000ft above sea level you are. So in Breckenridge CO where I spend most of the summer, I have about 30% less HP or raw power. My point is that with less HP to pull the same amount of weight and push the same amount of air, you're going to use more fuel. In Illinois and Florida I get between 41-44mpg. Out here, it's about 38-40mpg. I too have noticed that what gear you are in makes a big difference, so I use 4th in the mountains a lot and that's at 60-70mph. This is actual 60-70mph and true mpg figures as I always run a GPS. I should also mention that I use a lot of Sea Foam to keep things good and clean as I don't really trust the fuel all the time!

[Condor]

Sounds like a good case for a V-Max Final....

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Were the speedometers corrected with a speedohealer? If not, you need to take off about 7 or 8 percent of that.

 

During my installation of the speedohealer in 2007 I discovered that the odometer was not as optimistic as the the speedometer. There is a 'slew' or 'delta' error ratio between the two.

 

The factory calibration on the speed was about 7 or 8% optimistic, depending on speed, but the odometer was only around 2-3% optimistic.

[wngrr]

A friend and I just completed a trip to Colorado. We were both riding RSVs two up, pulling heavy trailers. Both bikes had been sinked before we left and were perfroming well. We both averaged 30mpg pulling the trailer and 35-36 unhooked. We were always within .1 of a gallon of each other at fill ups. The bikes performed well to above 14,000 ft. but the mpg could be better.

 

David

[uechi kid]

WOW!! I'm sitting here scratching my head. I consistently get 42-44 mpg. Last weekend took a ride through the central valley, Yosemite to Mammoth lakes ridding two up with our luggage and got the above mileage.

I have gone 180 miles before the light came on.

[rickardracing]

My 07 RSV must be an annomally. I average about 45 mpg. Two weeks ago on a ride with my wife on her shadow, we rode very conservatively, I got 59 mpg. All back rodes, no heavy throttle twisting. I was truelly shocked. My brother in-law is a member of this site and was with me. He got about the same I think. Chime in anytime Don.