fuel mileage

[fuelman]

hey guys, i bought my venture midnight in march, just like to talk about fuel mileage and windshields….

first off, i’d like to say a little bit about me, i’m a truck driver, started driving tow trucks in 93 and CDL in 99, so for the fuel mileage, i might be able to help understanding fuel economy, when i drive a truck with a total weight of 80,000GVW, the best i could do with a kenworth T-800 with a paccar MX13 was around 7.2-7.4 mpg, ao the heavier you are, the more the vehicle will consume, i said vehicle because it’s the same principle for cars, trucks, busses, motorcycles, boats ect… 

the smaller you are, the better fuel mileage you will get, the easyier you ride, the better mileage you will get, having said that, putting my enormous behind wich tips the scales at 345LBS on a 869LBS motorcycle with all saddle cases empty…. i was not expecting much when i bought the bike, i changed the fuel from 89oct to 91oct where i did not see a big enough difference, so i decided to test my motorcycle at different speeds.

let’s face it, this bike is not a racer, it’s a cruiser, so driving it like you stole it will defenetly kill the mileage, maybe i’m getting old, but when i ride, i gradually twist the throttle and i dont over rev the engine before shifting, below is the tests i did here in quebec crossing into ontario, from the gas station near my house, i drove 100km in one direction on the highway, made a u-turn and went back to same gas station(200 km round trip) filled up the tank and calculated how much MPG’s i got, here is the results i got.

p.s. i don’t recomend driving 55MPH on the highway LOL

90KPH(55MPH) 4.8L/100KM(49MPG)

100KPH(62.13MPH) 5L/100KM (47.04MPG)

110KPH(68.35MPH) 5.5L/100KM(42.77MPG)

120KPH(74.56MPH) 6.5L/100KM(36.19MPG)

above 120KPH it’s not very enjoyable for me(maybe i am getting old LOL)

all those tests where made in top gear on cruise control with moderate to medium winds and very little elevation changes

if you’re still reading this, thank you LOL, and i’d like to ask you what is the biggest(tallest) windshield available for this bike? i’m 6’4”🤷🏻‍♂️

 

thanks and ride safe😎

 

[Dutch Navigator]

100KPH(62.13MPH) 5L/100KM (47.04MPG)

110KPH(68.35MPH) 5.5L/100KM(42.77MPG)

That's pretty good imho!

 

[circa1968]

On two cross-country trips last year, I averaged in the 30-32MPG range.  That was with ~ 200lbs of rider/gear weight, standard height, but wide F4 windshield and going as fast as possible for given road, traffic, wind, location etc conditions.  When I was on open highway with little to no other traffic, I regularly did 90+MPH (triple digits occasionally).  I would say my average speed was likely 80-85 MPH.  If you graphed your speed/MPG results and extrapolated out a little further, I think I was on the same plot line as you.

Others with more knowledge can weigh in on the octane, but seems there is no benefit to 91oct.  When over 5k feet in elevation, I run 85oct and it seems to run better(all subjective, of course), but normally run 87.  On one trip to KC I saw ethanol free 91 at a Quicktrip and tried that, but can't say I noticed a difference.  I was happy when I found some ethanol free 87 in rural Kansas and ran a couple tankfuls of that, it felt like I was buying my gal some top shelf tequila to drink.  LOL.

[luvmy40]

Ethanol free gas is going to have more effect on fuel economy and performance than high octane fuel. High octane is benneficial in high compression engines to limit pre ignition and allow for  more high performance ignition timing. It stops "valve ping".

My '06 gets 34- 40 MPG on my daily commute. This varies based on the time of day I leave for work. I tend to fly low when there is no traffic

1 up lightly loaded We average 30 MPG 2 up, loaded heavy and pulling the trailer.