FUEL MILEAGE on recent trip!

[Seaking]

yep another fuel mileage thread but with a twist..

 

We always hear of people grumpling about getting bad mileage while others boast how fuel efficient their bikes are compared to others..

 

I constantly ride with the same buddy on long road trips so it gives a good comparison to riding styles, mods and so on as to what works best for fuel mileage.. In the past two years, he's always gotten better mileage than I have, consistently every time until this last trip..

 

Even after visiting Goose in Texas and getting his expertise at hand to tweak the valves, carbs and so on, my mileage never got any better than my buddy..

 

In the USA, I would always pump in about .2 to .5 of a gallon more per tank full runs.. In Canada, it would equate to about 1.5 litres or so per tank load..

 

Except for this last trip!! FINALLY.. the whole trip I finally managed to get consistently every time better mileage than he did.. sometimes by a large margin! yes! lol

 

And I think it's ONLY because I finally remembers to clean out my K&N air filters! When I was down in TX, we pulled the air filters out and just gave them a shake to knock off anything loose but didn't wash and re-load them as they were still very nice and red.. The other week I pulled them off the bike and gave them a proper wash.. and oh my gosh.. filthy doesn't even come close to describing these filters! Even though they looked red and fresh, they were filthy!

 

And right away, after re-loading them, I started to notice much better mileage across the board and under all conditions.. wow.. yeah I think I'm going to be keeping a better schedule on these puppies from now on..

 

As for mileage? Yeah.. it got me thinking why so many can boast 45-48 mpg while others can get better than 35 or 38 mpg.. I think a lot of it is on how you ride and at what speeds..

 

Running the bikes anywhere around 50 to 60 on the speedo will get me anywhere from 44 to 48 mpg on this last trip through the White Mountains, while doing 70 - 85 mph on the I90 series will get me 35 to 38 mpg.. (even at 85 we were the SLOW vehicles, wow)

 

So yeah.. basically, clean your air filters.. just cuz they look clean, doesn't mean they are clean.. Its basic common sense maintenance but I totally let it slip past me.. sigh.

[skydoc_17]

Hey Pete,

As you well know, I live on that dirt road that passes right in front of our house. I have K&N Filters in Jean's Nissan, My GMG Jimmy and the Venture. I cycle all three filters into my parts washer 4 times a year, and EVERY TIME, the powdery brown dirt pours out of the filters. No matter how hard I am riding, if my mileage dips below 40 MPG, I know it's time for a filter cleaning. In Jean's Nissan, I have seen a 6 MPG increase after a cleaning. I know most people don't live on a dirt road, but cleaning and recharging their filter, OR replaceing their paper filter helps keep their Carbs. clean. I am glad to hear that your gas mileage is up.

Earl

[Seaking]

Thanks Earl.. My VStar has K&N air filters and I used to wash those every so many months but I don't know why I neglected them on the RSV, perhaps because they are inside the pods and not exposed like the ones on my VStar (two filters sitting on top of the carbs)

 

But it's smacked me upside the back of the head so now I won't forget.. Fuel Filter and Air Filters.. yep..

 

Hopes ya feeling better M8

[earwig]

yeah, I took a 900 mile trip last weekend and I figured out how to get over 60 mpg. All you have to do is ride down hill!

[MikeWa]

yeah, I took a 900 mile trip last weekend and I figured out how to get over 60 mpg. All you have to do is ride down hill!

 

Both ways. There and back.

Mike

[rickardracing]

My last trip up north in Michigan I averaged about 48 mpg pulling a trailer. 52 mpg riding two up with full bags and trunk and between 55-58 mpg by myself running conservatively. I see some guys getting in the 30's. Yikes!!! Clean them air filters and keep the carbs sync'd. You'll be amazed.

[Freebird]

I agree that the filters need to be kept clean and the carbs synced but I think the biggest thing in what you just said was the speeds you were riding. Riding 55-58 MPH yields MUCH better mileage on these bikes than running in the 70 MPH range. It makes a huge difference.

[N3FOL]

Now you guys made me think about my paper air filters. At the present time, riding 75 to 80 mph on the freeway everytime I ride will always calculate between 38 to 40 mpg. I have about 18.5K miles on the filters, so I am looking past 20K miles then I may just replace them. If I consistently go above 40 mpg running at interstate speeds, I am satisfied. I guess it is time to shop around the web for the best deal on OEM air filters.