Can't help but feel my MPG sucks....

[Great White]

Well, I've pretty much burned through two tanks of fuel and I can't help but think my 83 is gulping at a prodigious rate!

 

I've not done any calculations, but the first tank was under 100 KMS when I hit 1 bar on the fuel gauge and the second tank is now down to 2 bars at 129 KMs.

 

In all fairness, I have no idea how old the fuel was in the first tank. It's an extremely low mileage bike and the fuel was in there when I bought it. I chalked the first consumption up to old fuel.

 

But this tank is fresh.

 

And I'm still only at 2 bars with 129 km on the odo.

 

I'm also not really willing to run below that one bar on the fuel guage since I don't have a res on the petcock (1983 only has on and off). Maybe I should switch it out for the petcock on the 86 tank I have in the parts loft.....

 

I also haven't had a chance to ultrasonic the carbs or balance them but the bike runs pretty smooth, pulls like a freight train and doesn't exhibit any symptoms typical of carbs needing a dip/rebuild. Well, except for what maybe appears like high fuel consumption.

 

Am I missing something here?

 

Is this normal for a bike that's billed as a full dress touring bike?

 

I would expect a tourer would be capable of more MPG and quite a bit longer range.....

Edited May 16, 2015 by Great White

[Flyinfool]

If you only ran the old gas down to 1 bar there was close to 2 gallons in the tank that you mixed with fresh gas. So you still have questionable gas. On most of these when the last bar goes out you have 1 gallon left in the tank. The first tank went 100k with one bar left, now you have better gas and are at 129k with 2 bars left, that is definite progress,

 

When you put in the fresh gas, how much did it take?

 

Strap on a gas can and head out, ride until it is empty to get the last of the old gas out. Then fill it up with some Seafoam in the fresh gas to help with what is left of the old gas.

 

Every spring My bike is not right till I start the 4th full tank of gas.

 

See, now you have to go for another long ride.........

Edited May 16, 2015 by Flyinfool

[Great White]

I don't use additives (except for my diesels or gas line antifreeze in my gassers). Something I learned a long time ago and it's stuck.

 

But, I'll run another tank through it and see how it goes.

 

So can I assume that the fuel gauge in these bikes isn't exactly

"Accurate"?

 

I've always used the trip to know when to fill up. I've never trusted fuel gauges on bikes.

 

I've also always had a "res" position. I know when I'm close by the odo, and then dive for the first station when/if I'm forced to switch to "res".

 

The venture has removed my usual methods and now I'm forced to rely on the fuel gauge. Don't really like that.....

Edited May 16, 2015 by Great White

[Prairiehammer]

So can I assume that the fuel gauge in these bikes isn't exactly

"Accurate"?

The venture has removed my usual methods and now I'm forced to rely on the fuel gauge. Don't really like that.....

 

Actually, the Venture gauge is pretty accurate, albeit, not especially linear. But, the fuel gauge sending units do suffer with age. The wiper on the sending unit sometimes gets dirty and the resistance coil that the wiper runs along sometimes becomes deformed to the point that the wiper does not make contact with the resistance coil/winding. There is a section in the service manual concerning the fuel gauge sending unit and the proper ohm reading through the range of operation.

Back in the day (1985, yes, I keep the records) my 1983 Venture Royale attained high mpg of 53 and low of 46 mpg, solo. The same bike, but loaded and two up attained 42 to 39 mpg. All US gallons and miles.

[Venturous Randy]

Since I have had my 83, about 19 years and have put 150,000 miles on it, I have never ran out of gas and I have ran it to about 225 miles on a tank of gas and still had gas left. Yes, the low fuel light had been blinking for a while, but I knew what the bike was capable of. I have found these bikes to be very consistent on gauge reading and can trust them.

As far as what you have been told about fuel additives, your situation is a prime example of where SeaFoam works well and may help you. You can choose not to use it, and that's fine, but you have very many on here that use it and it improved their situation. As far as fuel mileage on mine, I have gotten as good as 50mpg and usually get at least 44 to 46mpg unless I am running at 75mph on the interstate for long periods.

As far as a reserve valve, you don't need it. If the bike quits as you are out on the highway, you probably could not reach down and change it anyway. Good way to get killed.

What I think you should do is run it down some and fill it up and calculate how much distance you are getting for a known amount of gas. Once you KNOW what you are getting, then WE can give you some suggestions on improving what you have.

Randy

[Great White]

People are free to toss whatever additive in the fuel they want. Makes no diff to me. To each his own. I wasn't told differently, I was trained differently.

 

If I need to run solvents more aggressive than that already in the fuel through the carburetors, they need to be torn down and properly cleaned.

 

I know there are legions of "seafoamers" out there and you can't change their minds. again, that's cool. To each their own. There are some benefits to additives, they're just not the way to do it for me. No drawbacks to a proper R&R except some down time.

 

No way I could turn the petcock to res on my 83, it's behind the side cover. It would be a stall, stop, switch and find the next station evolution. It's easy peasy on my other bikes to swap to res. I've done it many times, no issues. But they're also not buried behind the sidecovers.

 

Pulled the petcock of the 86 today and it will be finding a new home on the 83. I;m mostly running around town and back and forth to work. Never far from a station and a res position will work just fine for my uses.

 

[BlueSky]

I have an 89 with 6k miles on it. I rarely ride it due to the weak starter and it runs very rich. And my little Kawasaki ZN700 is much easier to get out of the garage and easier to handle riding around town. "One of these days" I will replace the starter with the Pinwall obtained 4 brush. Anyhow, I just rode it to the Myrtle Beach M&E and filled it to ride back and checked the miles/g. It got 27.5mpg. "One of these days" I plan to check the fuel level to see if the carb levels are too high. My idle mixture screws are only 1 turn out, so it should be lean at idle. But, when I start it usually without any choke, the unburned gas smell is heavy. With the air filter off and giving it throttle, the sliders appear to be working like they are supposed to. Anyhow, I hope to get it sorted out soon. It runs strong and doesn't appear to be missing. But, I will put some cleaner in the gas. I put a bottle of Valvoline Complete Fuel System Cleaner in a tank on my Kawasaki and it really cleaned those carbs and it ran really smooth afterwards. Today's cleaners like Chevron Techron and Gumout with Regane on the label are really strong fuel injector cleaners, strong enough to clean the carbon deposits off the back side of the intake valves not to mention the carbs. It may not be a good idea to leave a tank of gas with a whole bottle of those cleaners in it too long, better to go ahead and run it through.

[camos]

People are free to toss whatever additive in the fuel they want. Makes no diff to me. To each his own. I wasn't told differently, I was trained differently.

 

If I need to run solvents more aggressive than that already in the fuel through the carburetors, they need to be torn down and properly cleaned.

Not trying to argue either your training or your opinion but from my experience occasionally adding a few ounces of Seafoam to a tank every so often does make my Ventures run better. My uneducated take on this is that these bikes were designed to run on gas rather than a combination of gas and ethanol. My riding is probably similar to what you describe, daily commuter and shopping trips. Haven't driven my car for 6 years and haven't insured it for 5 years. For me, taking the carbs apart is so far down the list of what will happen that an occasional dose of Seafoam is by far the most practical option.

No way I could turn the petcock to res on my 83, it's behind the side cover. It would be a stall, stop, switch and find the next station evolution. It's easy peasy on my other bikes to swap to res. I've done it many times, no issues. But they're also not buried behind the sidecovers.

 

Pulled the petcock of the 86 today and it will be finding a new home on the 83. I;m mostly running around town and back and forth to work. Never far from a station and a res position will work just fine for my uses.

Again, just my opinion, the reserve switch is a completely useless feature because the reserve gas is not separate from the main tank. Running out of gas on the highway is not a recommended thing to do even if you can stop and tun on the reserve switch. As most on here do, I leave it turned to reserve all the time and monitor both the gas gauge and the trip meter.

 

When I first got my 90 VR I carried a gallon of gas in a side bag just in case. Paid attention to how many km the trip showed when the fuel warning first came on and filled up at the first convenient stop, noting how much fuel was required to fill up. On average it went about 140 km and took about 16 litres. After a few weeks I ran it out of fuel to see how many km it would go to empty, about 220 km and took about 20 litres to fill up.

 

When I started riding the 89 VR, it got much better mileage, about 140 miles at the fuel warning and a little over 200 miles at empty. Unlike Prairiehammer, I don't keep records, just use my rather faulty memory so those numbers are approximate. The actual numbers are an indication of the state of tune but otherwise don't matter much since it is how far the bike you are riding will go before needing fuel.

[Great White]

Not trying to argue either your training or your opinion but from my experience occasionally adding a few ounces of Seafoam to a tank every so often does make my Ventures run better. My uneducated take on this is that these bikes were designed to run on gas rather than a combination of gas and ethanol. My riding is probably similar to what you describe, daily commuter and shopping trips. Haven't driven my car for 6 years and haven't insured it for 5 years. For me, taking the carbs apart is so far down the list of what will happen that an occasional dose of Seafoam is by far the most practical option.

 

That's cool. I said there are legions of seafoamers out there and nothing will change their mind. No sense even trying.

 

Me, I'll continue to take 'em down and clean 'em in the ultrasonic when I see performance degradations. It gets everything, including air circuits. Back to factory fresh every time they go back on.

 

Seafoamers are free to do as they wish. Sometimes it's as much a fact of they can't do a proper rebuild due to resources or skills.

 

Meh, Free country and all that jazz.

 

 

Again, just my opinion, the reserve switch is a completely useless feature because the reserve gas is not separate from the main tank. Running out of gas on the highway is not a recommended thing to do even if you can stop and tun on the reserve switch. As most on here do, I leave it turned to reserve all the time and monitor both the gas gauge and the trip meter.

 

When I first got my 90 VR I carried a gallon of gas in a side bag just in case. Paid attention to how many km the trip showed when the fuel warning first came on and filled up at the first convenient stop, noting how much fuel was required to fill up. On average it went about 140 km and took about 16 litres. After a few weeks I ran it out of fuel to see how many km it would go to empty, about 220 km and took about 20 litres to fill up.

 

When I started riding the 89 VR, it got much better mileage, about 140 miles at the fuel warning and a little over 200 miles at empty. Unlike Prairiehammer, I don't keep records, just use my rather faulty memory so those numbers are approximate. The actual numbers are an indication of the state of tune but otherwise don't matter much since it is how far the bike you are riding will go before needing fuel.

 

Again, to each their own although I disagree with a res position being "useless".

 

I've never owned or even seen a bike where the RES is separate from the main tank so that's pretty much moot.

 

Stuttering means pull over and switch to reserve. It's not like the bike just drops dead while riding.

 

Once I've switched to res, there is no question in my mind how much fuel is remaining in the tank and how long I've got.

 

I also use the trip to know when RES is going to hit and then when empty is going to happen. I fill before RES in normal running but if I get caught with my butt hanging out and have to use RES, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I have "XX miles" left before I'm walking/pushing.

 

Just a different way of doing business.

 

Like I said, Free country...

 

Edited May 17, 2015 by Great White

[videoarizona]

BJ, regardless of additives or not.... I do suggest you find a way to determine how much gas your Venture is using while riding normally. Whatever works best for your style of riding. Then you will see if you have a carb issue.

 

I did that when I first got my 89...and even though my gas gauge drops quickly...I find there is more fuel in the tank than one would think. That ruled out bad MPGs...just a gauge issue. My gauge is linear as can be. I can pretty much figure I get 40 miles before 1st bar disappears, then 20 miles for each bar until last bar goes away. That is all I need to know to feel comfortable enough to make gas stop decisions while on road. Of course the above is a moot point if I can't resist cranking the throttle!

 

 

Until you've experimented with your fuel usage vs gauge accuracy on the 83, I would disagree with above... at least I wouldn't know how much I had left...

 

Interesting how different bikes are.....I've had a few myself and there's always one that's a challenge to figure out. But that's why I bought a Venture...to work on it and enjoy the challenge!

 

Anyway...you'll figure this out...

david[/color]

[videoarizona]

BJ...today..rode the 2nd Gen 2005 for an all-day outing. First time I was going to run until she ran out of gas. Started sputtering at 181 miles...BUT...gauge still showed "1/4" on it and no indication for low fuel at all. Switched to reserve and fine. So on the 2nd Gen...my gauge must be way off...

david

[dna9656]

I do not believe in "Mechanic In A Can" most days. Transmission sealers, power steering sealers, crank case sealers, Radiator Stop Leak ALL BAD IDEAS for use on a vehicle you really can afford to fix. On a vehicle you know you're going to fix just not NOW maybe then it's a good idea. They chemically attack the seals and make them swell up ruining the sealing material, they attack the bad seals as well as the seals that aren't giving you a problem. Eventually the seals get weaker because the sealing materiel is chemically breaking down due to the addition of a leak fixer. Now you got a REAL mess because all the exposed seals are FUBAR. This is why you were trained to not use additives Chemistry technology expands Every day; sometimes beyond our current level of wisdom, but Sea Foam dissolves the oil based stoppages in the fuel system, rather slowly

Sea Foam doesn't do this. It's a solvent that doesn't effect rubber type material. Some fuel system cleaners are VERY aggressive and can dissolve the floats in our (XVZ12 and 13s) bikes. I don't know anything about the Harley (bet I get into trouble over this) looking Ventures. I don't know much about the 1st gen 1300CC bikes either.

If you haven;t looked up the coat of the parts alone to rebuilt the carbs hold on to your butts,,,,if you can find ALL the parts I'm sure it's going to be over $100.00 PER CARB. Right now at my local Wal-Mart I can buy Sea Foam for less than $7.00 per can. You get 3 treatments per can.

I have plugged pilot jets, under acceleration the bike shudders like it's in to high a gear for it's speed. I was advised to use Sea Foam first; by those that have been through this before. That was Spring of 2013. i still have the issue and i still add Sea Foam at least twice a month.

More experience: When I got the bike it had sat for 2 years. Fuel system un-drained. (cretins!) At the PO's (prev. owner) location we installed a charged battery, added new gas, hit the ignition switch, the pump came on and while filling the bowls it urinated on to the ground through the over flow on the carbs. We got it started, and shut it off to avoid a fire and I paid the man his asking price less $300.00.

I got her home (I live in Puget Sound; I bought her in Oregon) on a trailer and was in a quandary about where to start. This is my 2nd XVZ12, I had a service manual at my Ex's house...I went on line and found this forum. Stated my issue(s) just like you did and learned that SEA FORM is like the Holy Grail. I followed Prarriehammer and Sky-Docs advice (and others) and treated the carbs to Sea Foam. The floats might have got un-stuck per use of a generic carb cleaner, (Wal-Mart's a buck a can, about 12 cans) and Sea Foam; I think it was the Sea Foam that did the trick... You add it through the drain hoses into the bowls, let it sit for a time and drain, repeat like shampoo.

Sorry for the lengthy post BUT I agree with your premise on additives... HOWEVER you can try a few cans of Sea Foam, no harm in that. If no satisfaction by all means get your $400.00+ out and tear the carbs down. There is an excellent DVD available here from time to time that is a walk through of the process on V-Max carbs, they are very similar to the carbs on our bikes. I'm looking at my copy because I have to run a guitar string through those damn pilot jets that won't un-clog.

My mileage ranges from 50 (doing 55 to 60/single rider) down to the 30s depending on my speeds. The bike really devours gas over 60 MPH. I fill up at around 130 miles usually 3.? per fill up. I think I'm doing ok. I travel 26 miles each way to work every day. My Yukon gets 20 MPG at 55 mph, 15 at 60. The Yukon was killing me in gas, $400.00 per month and more when gas was really high. Now I spend no more than $100.00 in gas. I ride rain or shine, hot or cold so long as there is no ice or snow on the ground.

[YamahaLarry]

Due to running corn thru our carbs, products such as Seafoam have become a necessity. One riding mower carb I tore down a couple years ago had about a 1" diameter yellow glob in the bowl that had built up over about a 10 to 12 year span. I am convinced than an annual dosage of Seafoam could have prevented that.

[Great White]

I do not believe in "Mechanic In A Can" most days. Transmission sealers, power steering sealers, crank case sealers, Radiator Stop Leak ALL BAD IDEAS for use on a vehicle you really can afford to fix. On a vehicle you know you're going to fix just not NOW maybe then it's a good idea. They chemically attack the seals and make them swell up ruining the sealing material, they attack the bad seals as well as the seals that aren't giving you a problem. Eventually the seals get weaker because the sealing materiel is chemically breaking down due to the addition of a leak fixer. Now you got a REAL mess because all the exposed seals are FUBAR. This is why you were trained to not use additives Chemistry technology expands Every day; sometimes beyond our current level of wisdom, but Sea Foam dissolves the oil based stoppages in the fuel system, rather slowly

Sea Foam doesn't do this. It's a solvent that doesn't effect rubber type material. Some fuel system cleaners are VERY aggressive and can dissolve the floats in our (XVZ12 and 13s) bikes. I don't know anything about the Harley (bet I get into trouble over this) looking Ventures. I don't know much about the 1st gen 1300CC bikes either.

If you haven;t looked up the coat of the parts alone to rebuilt the carbs hold on to your butts,,,,if you can find ALL the parts I'm sure it's going to be over $100.00 PER CARB. Right now at my local Wal-Mart I can buy Sea Foam for less than $7.00 per can. You get 3 treatments per can.

I have plugged pilot jets, under acceleration the bike shudders like it's in to high a gear for it's speed. I was advised to use Sea Foam first; by those that have been through this before. That was Spring of 2013. i still have the issue and i still add Sea Foam at least twice a month.

More experience: When I got the bike it had sat for 2 years. Fuel system un-drained. (cretins!) At the PO's (prev. owner) location we installed a charged battery, added new gas, hit the ignition switch, the pump came on and while filling the bowls it urinated on to the ground through the over flow on the carbs. We got it started, and shut it off to avoid a fire and I paid the man his asking price less $300.00.

I got her home (I live in Puget Sound; I bought her in Oregon) on a trailer and was in a quandary about where to start. This is my 2nd XVZ12, I had a service manual at my Ex's house...I went on line and found this forum. Stated my issue(s) just like you did and learned that SEA FORM is like the Holy Grail. I followed Prarriehammer and Sky-Docs advice (and others) and treated the carbs to Sea Foam. The floats might have got un-stuck per use of a generic carb cleaner, (Wal-Mart's a buck a can, about 12 cans) and Sea Foam; I think it was the Sea Foam that did the trick... You add it through the drain hoses into the bowls, let it sit for a time and drain, repeat like shampoo.

Sorry for the lengthy post BUT I agree with your premise on additives... HOWEVER you can try a few cans of Sea Foam, no harm in that. If no satisfaction by all means get your $400.00+ out and tear the carbs down. There is an excellent DVD available here from time to time that is a walk through of the process on V-Max carbs, they are very similar to the carbs on our bikes. I'm looking at my copy because I have to run a guitar string through those damn pilot jets that won't un-clog.

My mileage ranges from 50 (doing 55 to 60/single rider) down to the 30s depending on my speeds. The bike really devours gas over 60 MPH. I fill up at around 130 miles usually 3.? per fill up. I think I'm doing ok. I travel 26 miles each way to work every day. My Yukon gets 20 MPG at 55 mph, 15 at 60. The Yukon was killing me in gas, $400.00 per month and more when gas was really high. Now I spend no more than $100.00 in gas. I ride rain or shine, hot or cold so long as there is no ice or snow on the ground.

 

Appreciate your points, but I still won't be using "sea foam".

 

Doesn't cost me $400+ to tear the carbs down and clean them properly in the ultrasonic. I have an ultrasonic cleaner in the garage and I am more than capable of doing the work. I've been doing motorcycle carb work for about 32 years, either as a hobby or part of my previous profession. I'm pretty much "kitted out" to do it all properly and quickly.

 

this is my first XZV, but not my first downdraft carburetors. I have a Honda V45 that requires regular carb work and have worked on many others. No real differences (other than orientation) from sidedrafts really. Same basic components doing the same basic job.

 

Only cash outlay I would have would be parts found out of spec or perhaps an o-ring or diaphragm if they're unserviceable.

 

But then again, seafoam won't fix bad/worn parts if that is actually the problem. The only way to know is a tear down.

 

That's one of the many reasons I prefer to tear carbs down for a proper cleaning: you find everything that is wrong in the assembly and you start from a known point when tuning them to the engine.

 

The rest is just my time in the garage on a lazy weekend afternoon. Always a good way to spend a day!

 

 

P.S. not trying to poke holes in your cost analysis, but 3 treatments per $7 can since 2013 is somewhere around 100-150 bucks you've spent in sea foam (depending on what months you started). I, personally, would rather put that towards a tear down and cleaning (which costs me nothing unless I find U/S parts which would have to be replaced anyways). Again, not trying to be snotty, just that my course id different than yours.

 

 

 

Anyways, to all reading: lets not turn this into a "seafoam" thread please. I understand your point of view. Mine is different. Thank you.

 

Edited May 20, 2015 by Great White

[videoarizona]

 

 

Totally agree with above. A known starting point is important when you buy a used machine.

david[/color]

[mralex714]

Well, I've pretty much burned through two tanks of fuel and I can't help but think my 83 is gulping at a prodigious rate!

 

I've not done any calculations, but the first tank was under 100 KMS when I hit 1 bar on the fuel gauge and the second tank is now down to 2 bars at 129 KMs.

 

In all fairness, I have no idea how old the fuel was in the first tank. It's an extremely low mileage bike and the fuel was in there when I bought it. I chalked the first consumption up to old fuel.

 

But this tank is fresh.

 

And I'm still only at 2 bars with 129 km on the odo.

 

I'm also not really willing to run below that one bar on the fuel guage since I don't have a res on the petcock (1983 only has on and off). Maybe I should switch it out for the petcock on the 86 tank I have in the parts loft.....

 

I also haven't had a chance to ultrasonic the carbs or balance them but the bike runs pretty smooth, pulls like a freight train and doesn't exhibit any symptoms typical of carbs needing a dip/rebuild. Well, except for what maybe appears like high fuel consumption.

 

Am I missing something here?

 

Is this normal for a bike that's billed as a full dress touring bike?

 

I would expect a tourer would be capable of more MPG and quite a bit longer range.....

 

Have you done the math yet?

[Great White]

Have you done the math yet?

 

Nope, just did my third fill up today.

 

I only burn back and forth to work and little local jaunts so the MPG won't be spectacular anyways and what seems like a small tank with probably make for a low trip ODO....

[BlueSky]

I do not believe in "Mechanic In A Can" most days. Transmission sealers, power steering sealers, crank case sealers, Radiator Stop Leak ALL BAD IDEAS for use on a vehicle you really can afford to fix. On a vehicle you know you're going to fix just not NOW maybe then it's a good idea. They chemically attack the seals and make them swell up ruining the sealing material, they attack the bad seals as well as the seals that aren't giving you a problem. Eventually the seals get weaker because the sealing materiel is chemically breaking down due to the addition of a leak fixer. Now you got a REAL mess because all the exposed seals are FUBAR. This is why you were trained to not use additives Chemistry technology expands Every day; sometimes beyond our current level of wisdom, but Sea Foam dissolves the oil based stoppages in the fuel system, rather slowly

Sea Foam doesn't do this. It's a solvent that doesn't effect rubber type material. Some fuel system cleaners are VERY aggressive and can dissolve the floats in our (XVZ12 and 13s) bikes. I don't know anything about the Harley (bet I get into trouble over this) looking Ventures. I don't know much about the 1st gen 1300CC bikes either.

If you haven;t looked up the coat of the parts alone to rebuilt the carbs hold on to your butts,,,,if you can find ALL the parts I'm sure it's going to be over $100.00 PER CARB. Right now at my local Wal-Mart I can buy Sea Foam for less than $7.00 per can. You get 3 treatments per can.

I have plugged pilot jets, under acceleration the bike shudders like it's in to high a gear for it's speed. I was advised to use Sea Foam first; by those that have been through this before. That was Spring of 2013. i still have the issue and i still add Sea Foam at least twice a month.

More experience: When I got the bike it had sat for 2 years. Fuel system un-drained. (cretins!) At the PO's (prev. owner) location we installed a charged battery, added new gas, hit the ignition switch, the pump came on and while filling the bowls it urinated on to the ground through the over flow on the carbs. We got it started, and shut it off to avoid a fire and I paid the man his asking price less $300.00.

I got her home (I live in Puget Sound; I bought her in Oregon) on a trailer and was in a quandary about where to start. This is my 2nd XVZ12, I had a service manual at my Ex's house...I went on line and found this forum. Stated my issue(s) just like you did and learned that SEA FORM is like the Holy Grail. I followed Prarriehammer and Sky-Docs advice (and others) and treated the carbs to Sea Foam. The floats might have got un-stuck per use of a generic carb cleaner, (Wal-Mart's a buck a can, about 12 cans) and Sea Foam; I think it was the Sea Foam that did the trick... You add it through the drain hoses into the bowls, let it sit for a time and drain, repeat like shampoo.

Sorry for the lengthy post BUT I agree with your premise on additives... HOWEVER you can try a few cans of Sea Foam, no harm in that. If no satisfaction by all means get your $400.00+ out and tear the carbs down. There is an excellent DVD available here from time to time that is a walk through of the process on V-Max carbs, they are very similar to the carbs on our bikes. I'm looking at my copy because I have to run a guitar string through those damn pilot jets that won't un-clog.

My mileage ranges from 50 (doing 55 to 60/single rider) down to the 30s depending on my speeds. The bike really devours gas over 60 MPH. I fill up at around 130 miles usually 3.? per fill up. I think I'm doing ok. I travel 26 miles each way to work every day. My Yukon gets 20 MPG at 55 mph, 15 at 60. The Yukon was killing me in gas, $400.00 per month and more when gas was really high. Now I spend no more than $100.00 in gas. I ride rain or shine, hot or cold so long as there is no ice or snow on the ground.

 

I definitely agree with you on the seal softeners. I made the mistake of putting a few ounces of TransX in my power steering pump on my 82 Firebird Trans

Am and it stopped the pump seal leak. However, a year later, the pump seal was leaking again, the steering box seals were leaking and both high pressure and low pressure hoses were eaten up. I had to replace everything in my power steering system.

 

Some Fuel Injector cleaners do work well (Gumout, techron, Valvoline). Whether they damage the ventures carbs floats I do not know. I had not read that before, just warnings about aggressive cleaners. Anyhoo, I might find out. I put a half bottle of Gumout for high mileage engines in my Venture tank yesterday because it started missing occasionally on the way back from the MB M&E. I rode it a while and the missing got worse. I had also switched the fuel valve to reserve recently so it was sucking off the bottom of the tank where anything can be on a 26 year old bike. I rode it about 25 miles. Today, I rode it about 10 miles and it ran much better, almost back to normal. I hope to run the rest of the tank out tomorrow to get the rest of the cleaner out of the tank. I bought some new plugs to install afterwards. I'll post the results. My gas mileage is terrible and my idle mixture screws are only one turn out and it starts without any choke.

[videoarizona]

<... it starts without any choke.>

 

Something is to rich....for sure.

Sucking off the bottom can be a major issue as well if the filter screens on top of the pickups are gone or shot. Doesn't take much to make a carb run poorly.

Hope you figure it out.

 

My biggest issue with the 89 is my right hand. Keeps wanting to crank the throttle! The 05 I don't have that same urge. Plus, the more I ride it (only had it one month), the better my mpg's are getting. Probably cleaning itself out with the Costco gas I buy and little doses of Seafoam 1st two tanks. No Seafoam this last tank just to see how things are going. Best mileage yet.

 

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[BlueSky]

As stated in my prior post, the 89 Venture was missing occasionally on the way back from Myrtle Beach and was getting worse. Prior to going to MB, since the bike has a gas gauge, I set the fuel valve on reserve so it started sucking the sediment off the bottom. So a couple days ago, I poured a half bottle of Gumout for high mileage engines in the tank that was less than half full. Then I rode to a gas station and filled it with alcohol free premium and rode it about 25 miles. It ran more ragged the farther I went. After sitting overnight, I rode it about 10 miles yesterday and it ran much better. Today, I rode it until the gas gauge indicated empty with the fuel light on and it ran fine, part throttle, full throttle, ran fine. When I filled it, it only took 4 gallons so it should have had 2 1/2 gallons left. it got 25mpg on that tank mostly running around town and part of that tank included 24 miles of I40 at 75mph in high wind. I am also cranking on the throttle when I leave a stop sign! So, it's running too rich. But it is running great now after loading it up with Gumout for high mileage engines. Knock on Wood! I'm not recommending anybody else use Gumout, just reporting my experience with it. Use it at your own risk!

[Karaboo]

If you have an 89 Venture and put in 4 gallons of gas, there is no way it had 2-1/2 gallons left. The capacity is 5.3 gallons and you can maybe get it filled to 5.1 total (with the neck around 2" from the top).

Glad to hear it is running better, though.

[videoarizona]

Your gas mileage should go up as you keep using it. Suggest you throw a little Gumout in now and then until your mpg's settle down to a constant number (as constant as we can get with a 1st gen - those smiles from throttle twists are easy to enjoy!)

 

Once you get her settled down...you can look into the mixture, etc.. Richer is far better than lean with those V4's.

Good to hear!

david

[BlueSky]

If you have an 89 Venture and put in 4 gallons of gas, there is no way it had 2-1/2 gallons left. The capacity is 5.3 gallons and you can maybe get it filled to 5.1 total (with the neck around 2" from the top).

Glad to hear it is running better, though.

 

My bad! I hadn't looked at the specs since I bought the bike a year ago. Memory is defective. At only 71, how can that be!!? 5.3 gallons is rather small for a big tourer.

 

My 2004 Kawasaki Concours had a 7.5 gallon tank with almost the fuel range of a car. With all that gas on top of the bike, combined with very little rake, it was the easiest bike to drop in a parking lot of any bike ever built I'm sure. I think that is why they sell dirt cheap. They are very reliable bikes.

[Patch]

Wow!

 

Start with the gas mileage, I aim for a station around 180 klm, if I only get (and it happens) 220, I've been riding hard, I expect 280 out of mine. I recently use Freebird's post regarding the sender maintenance, worked as prescribed!

 

Mileage is elusive, and is maintained only through proper maintenance and a couple of other things, like using the correct octane!

 

I've posted in other places some of my experiences fooling with combustion, I've had my share of looses, also a couple of wins. Octane is timing, when you know the correct math that says X then you stick to it, then tune around it.

 

GW is right that is what we were taught, it went like this, first find it, then disassemble it, confirm it, chem it, measure it, meets spec/doesn't meet spec reuse or replace it, re-assemble it, test it, close the order, onto the next it!

 

That does not mean that today there isn't a cheat for the "it's" because there are plenty, knowing their limitations though is as important as is the cost savings of the inexpensive fix -it is meant to be!

 

Seafoam does not cause oil to disappear, in mans world that is impossible, but a neat idea. It will liquefy hardened oil deposits though, it will dissolve the varnish that may cause a gate needle to stick shut and where ever else it reaches varnished areas, if soaked long enough it can dissolve as in liquefy, then to be burned off and ejected out. Works wonders for removing gunk out of the bottoms of thanks, fuel pumps, fuel lines, because it tends to soak making for a fare system conditioner.

 

You all know I use chems, more than most, it took a while to find what worked, when to use them, what to expect, sometimes I win and sometimes tearing it down it the only option. For example: can someone please explain how seafoam can unblock a carbon close off pilot jet?

 

Someone mention fuel injector cleaners, there are 3 main types used in gasoline engines, I have never seen anyone make a positive impact on any, ever.

 

Patch

[baylensman]

Gonna chime in. I've owned 3 of these beasts so far one 86 one 97 one 07 90% of my riding is as the OP said back and forth around town and under 60 mph. all of the bikes averaged around 32MPG in town. period end of story no bull ****, I've ridden two of these into the ground so far! I'm 300 lbs solo! add the GF and we're pushing 500 lbs with gear. The best i've ever gotten is the 07 on a speed run to Daytona with my bro (see other post about speed issue) was 43MPG. I swear by Seafoam once a year or more if I pick up an iffy load of fuel. The difference is immediate, noticeable and I could document it in terms of performance and time when I dump the next load in. I understand that someone 120 lbs lighter than me riding almst always under 55 running 30 miles or more per leg on his/her commute may get 45-50 MPG I've just never seen it.