Fuel Mileage Thread

[American]

I thought it would be nice to see what the owners of the new third generation Yamaha Star Venture are getting for fuel mileage.

 

I filled up today, yes I was out in the tropical storm, bike handled great in the wind by the way, no rain yet.

 

This tank was 90% rider & passenger 10% just rider.

 

Fuel: Chevron Premium 93 octane.

 

Miles: 175.5

 

Gallons: 4.204

 

MPG: 41.7

 

This Yamaha Star Venture Transcontinental is getting just a little better MPG then both my 2013 Victory Cross Country Tour and my 2016 Harley Davidson Ultra Limited Low got. The Victory and Harley both got 40 MPG and would touch 41 MPG now and than and on a real good tank of fuel 42 MPG.

 

All three motorcycle were/are driven on the same roads in the same area and conditions so I am very pleased with the Yamaha Star Venture. If I run in a lot of head winds the mileage will drop down to the 37 to 38 MPG range but so would the Victory and Harley in those conditions.

 

I now have 1,833 miles on the Yamaha Star Venture Transcontinental so it should be broken in engine wise now.

[RDawson]

I check mileage every month or two to make sure everything is running right. My bikes are like my trucks, I buy what I want or need, mileage doesn't matter. I see a lot of threads about mileage pop up, am I the only one who doesn't care how much gas I use? If a few dollars in gas matters I shouldn't be buying bikes and riding anyway. Thoughts???

[American]

I check mileage every month or two to make sure everything is running right. My bikes are like my trucks, I buy what I want or need, mileage doesn't matter. I see a lot of threads about mileage pop up, am I the only one who doesn't care how much gas I use? If a few dollars in gas matters I shouldn't be buying bikes and riding anyway. Thoughts???

 

It is what it is, but Yamaha rated the third generation at 34 MPG but I have been beating that big time.

 

It would be nice to know what the third generation V-Twin is getting MPG wise from others. A lot of people see that 34 MPG and that scares them away, but this bike is capable of far better mileage than the 34 MPG Yamaha has listed it at.

 

I got just over 47 MPG on one tank of fuel two up on a lunch trip with the wife, there was not much wind to speak of that day and it was an over one hundred mile round trip.

 

I must say that this third generation has power, beauty, grace and it can get some damn good fuel milage to boot!

[CaseyJ955]

I check mileage every month or two to make sure everything is running right. My bikes are like my trucks, I buy what I want or need, mileage doesn't matter. I see a lot of threads about mileage pop up, am I the only one who doesn't care how much gas I use? If a few dollars in gas matters I shouldn't be buying bikes and riding anyway. Thoughts???

 

Valid point. I like this. The cost of fuel on a bike is secondary to plenty of other things. The cost of fuel after a days ride wont add up to much, but it does add up. I'm less concerned with fuel cost and more concerned with range. The freedom to choose fuel stops instead of being a slave to the reserve light is really nice.

[American]

Valid point. I like this. The cost of fuel on a bike is secondary to plenty of other things. The cost of fuel after a days ride wont add up to much, but it does add up. I'm less concerned with fuel cost and more concerned with range. The freedom to choose fuel stops instead of being a slave to the reserve light is really nice.

 

It is not so much the cost of fuel as these bikes take premium fuel but fuel mileage does play a role in how far you can go on a tank of fuel.

 

6 gallons x 41.7 = 250.2 miles with .6 of a gallon left in the tank.

 

6.5 gallons x 41.7 = 271.05 miles with just .2 of a gallon left.

 

That is pretty good range.

 

The day we got 47 MPG would come out to a range of 6.5 gallons x 47 = 305.5 miles with .2 gallons left.

[RDawson]

47 is awesome for a bike that heavy. I don't try to range miles per tank simply because it varies too much the way I ride. I get the best mileage two up on road trips. I'll get a variance of 5-8 mpg riding solo depending on the road and mood. I hit a good twisting road recently after a very bad day, I left some floor board edges ground into the road and a tank full of fuel in a short distance. The way I normally ride isn't near that aggressive and mileage shows it. I see both of your points, I just ride and think different. I usually have to stop way before the tank is dry to find the passenger a restroom anyway, I fill up every time I stop.

[djh3]

On the slab a couple hours I'm usually out of gas and ready to stop as is the wife. I wounder which range or combination Yamaha used for the MPG rating? Maybe they left it in the sport mode and that may account for the lower MPG.

[American]

On the slab a couple hours I'm usually out of gas and ready to stop as is the wife. I wounder which range or combination Yamaha used for the MPG rating? Maybe they left it in the sport mode and that may account for the lower MPG.

 

I am thinking they went with the over deliver method rather than claim 42 MPG like Harley does only to find out you have to work to get 40 MPG out of it.

 

Yamaha stated 34 MPG but when you are hand calculating between 38 MPG and 41 MPG you are pretty satisfied while with the Harley you are hand calculating 38 to 40 MPG and Harley said you will get 42 MPG now you are darn it I missed it again.

 

I rarely got the stated mileage on my Harley, while I have exceeded the stated mileage of my Yamaha every tank fill up. My best tank on the Yamaha Star Venture was 47 MPG and that was with the wind being light and in the perfect direction both coming and going on that lunch trip. I never got close to 47 MPG on my Harley or my 2013 Victory Cross Country Tour.

[djh3]

Yea My Victory XCT best hwy was 45 I think. The onboard computer said 48 or 49, must use that new math stuff or something. Round town and I mean my trip to work and back is like 12 miles under 60 mph. Usualy 36-37. Highway 2 up no gear 41. If I was lookin for MPG Id a bought a smart car.

[baylensman]

The reason to check mileage is to confirm proper operation and compare to other riders. riding style has a lot to do with mileage, but if you are consistently 20% poorer in MPG than others with the same bike under similar circumstances you may have an issue that needs to be looked at! I get gas when its empty (usually every friday) if I'm not getting between 120 and 140 when the fuel lights comes on i need to think about crb since air filters oil change spark plugs etc. A bad reading at fill up time makes me pay careful attention for the next couple of days to see what and where the bike is not right

One time I forgot i had the battery out about 20 miles after fill up, so i good a poor reading on that tank.

another time a found a leak in the fuel hose.

Here again I ride almost every day and use the bike in place of a car not an adjunct to a car.

[RonK]

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I ride my Eluder conservatively (usually under 65 mph) and don't accelerate real hard. I do ride at the elevations here in Colorado of about 4-6000'. Usually mileage is over 50. I have not yet confirmed the accuracy of my odometer with a gps, so that's with the mileage at stock.

 

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[Mimurph]

39 real world miles... Don't baby it at all.. I'm impressed

[Slynky]

I have a bit over 2k miles on mine now and have averaged anywhere between 37mpg and 46mpg depending on how and where I have ridden. The 46mpg was on a two-up trip where I rode pretty conservative. Overall I am probably averaging around 40mpg.

[Zelthian]

I consistently get between 37 and 47 MPG, depending on headwinds and... erm, how heavy I get on the throttle... *cough*

[NOHAWG]

I just put on 1,750 miles fully loaded and two-up on a Sturgis, SD trip (530 mile one-way), so a mix of 70 mph highway and slower on the twisties around the area. Got 41.66 average. Impressive. My Victory Vision got 36 at best.

[Texas Tom]

I have logged just over 5k on my Eluder and consistently get 40 mpg while running at 80 mph on the tollway. If I stay in the 70-75 mph range I get about 42 mpg. I am running the mid-grade gas in it, not sure if the premium would yield any better mileage.

[RonK]

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I just posted a thread on the Eluder Category about mileage. Take a look if you want. Most all would apply to Ventures.

 

I am using the recommended 91 octane. I don't know if that has any effect or not.

 

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[ChiefGunner]

I have logged just over 5k on my Eluder and consistently get 40 mpg while running at 80 mph on the tollway. If I stay in the 70-75 mph range I get about 42 mpg. I am running the mid-grade gas in it, not sure if the premium would yield any better mileage.

 

Not sure about the Eluder, but it’s the same engine as the SVTC. The manual AND there was a gas tank sticker SPECIFYING to “USE PREMIUM GAS ONLY with a 91 or HIGHER Octane rating”.

[Zelthian]

Octane has nothing to do with mileage (directly) and everything to do with knock prevention. It's a rat hole.

 

That said, I use 91 only. Yesterday's ride through 6 mountain passes over 10,000 feet yielded 49.9 mpg.

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Pic]

Took a trip from TX to MN in July. Super slab going up and averaged 42 to 46 using 91 octane. Coming back thru MO and AR Ozark Mountains averaged 48 using 91 octane (most was no ethanol)

[American]

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Edited September 11, 2018 by American

[ChiefGunner]

It is not so much the cost of fuel as these bikes take premium fuel but fuel mileage does play a role in how far you can go on a tank of fuel.

 

6 gallons x 41.7 = 250.2 miles with .6 of a gallon left in the tank.

 

6.5 gallons x 41.7 = 271.05 miles with just .2 of a gallon left.

 

That is pretty good range.

 

The day we got 47 MPG would come out to a range of 6.5 gallons x 47 = 305.5 miles with .2 gallons left.

 

I’m pretty aggressive throttle wise but don’t run “Sport Mode” very often. I’m getting 41.7 consistently.

[ChiefGunner]

I have logged just over 5k on my Eluder and consistently get 40 mpg while running at 80 mph on the tollway. If I stay in the 70-75 mph range I get about 42 mpg. I am running the mid-grade gas in it, not sure if the premium would yield any better mileage.

You have the same engine as the SVTC and manufacturers label in the tank states “USE PREMIUM UNLEADED ONLY. MINIMUM 91 OCTANE RATING”. There’s a reason they do that.

[American]

The reason they recommend premium fuel is two fold, one for knock prevention, it allows them to provide the best tune for the engine and two premium fuel burning slower actually will assist in cooling the engine some.

[Patch]

Chief is right, octane has a known and therefore expected ignition value or timing. There are many reasons why engineering will choose a specific grade of octane. It is assumed that the operator will except in cases when stranded without desired octane, follow such recommendations.

Your owners manual should have a section or chapter on fueling which should detail what if 91 octane not be available. Usually the suggestion is to not run the engine hard or, to operate within a lower Rpm range. The RPM range is significant to ignition duration and therefore combustion timing.

 

In short everything will work as expected including mileage while using the correct fuel.