what is your best gas mileage???

[Big Lou]

since I put my 89 back together i have been beating on it,, I dont have a speedometer so I had to follow some body to figure out RPM=speed

 

I got a new front tire ,150$ mounted, even came with air ,, i thought they were going to charge for the air

 

here in alabama it has been raining for a week ... finally got fed up and went out in the rain,,,

 

yes it was slick at times,, i learned that at 2800 to 3000 RPMs i get the best traction ,,torque to the wheels and throttle response is not to bad to break the wheels lose. any thing less seems to lug the motor

 

I have run 8 tanks of gas now in the last 2 days, in the rain,radio started making funny noises,,shut it off

 

the gps on the smart phone and never going above 3000 prms said I am getting 48, 47 46, ,, in town it is 42 mpg

 

before I was measuring gas by the hour ,, a gallon of gas will last me 30 to 45 minutes depending on whether the front end rises,leaving a red light

 

the front tire solved a vibration I have been hunting since I got the bike 6 months ago

 

1989 ..1300 .. royale. riding a country road in a rain is allmost as good as going swimming ,, nice and cool

 

I have no real idea how fast I was going at 2800 in 5th with a 150/80 16

 

did get alot of looks and people passing me .

 

." it is the country if your in a hurry your in the wrong place"

[Peder_y2k]

Last tankful riding 2-up country 2 lane hwy, some stop-n-go, and some freeway 70mph driving 'gently' in fair cool weather flatland adventures netted 49mpg. Think I can do better.

'Gently' means slower roll-ons, shifting up sooner without lugging, and not exceeding posted speed limits.

-Pete, in Tacoma WA USA

'88VR 52,000miles

[bongobobny]

Hmmm, 2 up I'd get around 40 with my 1st gen...

[Prairiehammer]

In July 1985, I rode my 1983 Royale from Illinois to West Virginia to Sault Ste. Marie and home, 2292 miles with about ¾ of it Interstate. High mpg was 53, low was 46. (I keep good trip logs).

In June 1986, I did a similar trip on the same bike with my then wife while loaded with camping gear for two, 1150 pounds gross, 1921 miles. My best mpg was 42, poorest was 36.9 mpg.

In May 1987, Smoky Mountain trip, camping, two up, same bike, 1587 miles, yielded a best of 53, worst of 43.4 mpg.

Jump forward to September 2010; 1990 Royale, one up to Florida and back, 2825 miles, averaged 40.85 mpg, with a high of 43 and low of 39.

August 2011, 1990 Royale, two-up, camping, 1200 pounds gross, 2830 miles, 42 mpg average, high of 44 and low of 40.

 

Part of the disparity I attribute to ethanol "enhanced" fuel, part to lighter bike in the Eighties.

[Yammer Dan]

I have broken 50 but my right hand keeps me around 40.

[Venturous Randy]

I usually check the mileage on every fill up. The best was a tad over 50 on a trip to Cherokee from Asheville and back. This trip went from about 1,400 feet elevation to about 6,000 feet. The one thing I made a real point of on this trip was to not lug the bike at all. I kept the rpm's up and was easy on the throttle.

I filled up yesterday with a mix of riding, some with the V-Max rear and it was a little over 46mpg. After filling up yesterday, I put about 115 miles on it and saw that it still had three bars left when I parked it, so that looked pretty good so far. That was through the NC mountains, two up.

I personally believe that many would get better mileage if they would drop a gear when pulling. My contention is if you drop a gear when pulling and have to let off the throttle a little to maintain the same speed, you are lugging the bike a little. Higher rpm's do not necessarily mean less gas mileage, throttle position does.

Ever since I did the washer mod on the needles, I have routinely gotten from 45 to 48 mpg's. I also am not easy on the throttle and routinely see 7,000 to 8,000 rpm's, especially when riding alone. I mean, it is a MKI, ya know.

RandyA

[mraf]

My best was 52 but routinely get around 42.

[reddevilmedic]

it has a fifth gear??!!!! no wonder....im kidding. I rarely see fifth, my bike doesn't come alive till after 4000 rpms, so I ride it!

[friesman]

I checked my mileage after doing this trip of 911 miles around Sask and Manitoba on July 4th and 5th.

 

http://rideplanner.harley-davidson.com/rideplanner/road.jsp?roadId=555416&locale=en_US and then click view/edit to have a better look.

 

I got 45mpg on my 2003 RSV riding 1up, the return trip was 55-65 mph due to the twistiness of the roads. The trip to Winnipeg was all on the Trans-Canada highway and speeds were 75 mph most of the way. Winds were mostly light, temps were mid 80's and skies were sunny.

 

Brian

[Snaggletooth]

Personal best doing an easy week of cruisng the back roads of the area was 49.8 riding solo and no trailer over several tanks. Haven't pulled that number again since then.

 

Pretty much been running 40-42 to a tank average with a mix of a lightly loaded trailer/no trailer riding solo lately.

 

I know pulling a heavy trailer on the Interstate in heavy winds (staying within the 10 over train of thought ) is not going to work out on a regular basis. Didn't care much for the 27 mpg on that trip.

[jdsauter]

Wow.....I never get 40 mpg....Ride the Interstate here at 75 or 80 and maybe get 33 mpg or a little better.... 1988 Venture Royal.

[Snaggletooth]

At those speeds and above you're not all that far off for MPG. These bikes were designed for the old 55 MPH limits. After that it's fill and fill again. Bikes cheaper to run on the two lanes no doubt about it.

[friesman]

Wow.....I never get 40 mpg....Ride the Interstate here at 75 or 80 and maybe get 33 mpg or a little better.... 1988 Venture Royal.

 

 

With my 85 VR I never got much more than 35 either at anything above 65 mph, but slow it down a bit to ride some mountain roads or some twisties and I was well over 40, maybe 45 friom time to time.

 

Brian

[Red Ryder]

Hey, best was around 44 mpg. Usually backroads and town 38-40. Highway at 75-80 mpr, get 35-38. Later-