MPG Averages?

[n2ppn]

Just wondering if we could compile a bunch of data to give others "expectations" of what average MPG and cruising range could be.

Things like what brand of fuel, regular or hi-test, E-10 or E15, average speed, average outside air temp, any additives to fuel, one or two-up riding, terrain type, highway or city, riding style... stuff like that. The more data we have the better someone would know how their bike's "health" is. MPG is the first thing that indicates a problem with your bike, so knowing what the average is in the real world helps.

I average 38 MPG on my GL1100I for mostly highway driving, one-up, pretty flat terrain average speed of 60 MPH with 2 Oz of Seafoam and 2 Oz of Stabil Marine formula per tankful. I usually fill up at about 140 miles on the odometer and use Sunoco Regular gas only (which is E10). This week the temps have been averaging (between highs and lows) 70 degrees F. Oh and I try to ride at a constant speed and don't accelerate heavily... just get on and keep in my lane and enjoy the ride... not a canyon carver, or cafe racer type.

We could do this in a spreadsheet and after a while have a pretty comprehensive amount of data on where the "middle of the road" is for MPG.

Just a thought, I know it might turn into a big project to collect all the data, but I just had to ask....


Rich
:moped:

 

[joedrum]

my 79 mongrel would 46mpg ...then i made it taller geared with a 1100 final drive lowering the rpm about 500 at 70mph and still got 46mpg ....

i need to check the 83 with its mods of bigger carbs and hotter cam

 

[dan filipi]

Highway riding is really the only fair comparison in MPG because city can be anything from 10-35 MPG depending on how much your actually moving.
Here in L.A that's ALOT of stopped so I wouldn't even try to keep track of it.

My full dress Interstate on the highway 1 up seems to average 43 MPG regardless of temperature.
Even 2 up is over 40.
Pretty much all gas here is 10% ethanol.
I run the cheapest I can find and add 8 oz ATF to a tankful when I remember to add it.

I ride pretty conservative between 60-70 and I have an oversize windshield.

One thing I notice when cruising on a flat highway where you can hold the throttle steady and maintain speed is if I put my feet up on the highway pegs I have to increase the throttle, obvious extra wind drag which will reduce MPG.

I've never had the patience to cruise steady at 60 very long so I don't know what MPG it would get and the "sweet spot" for mine is around 68 mph.

 

[mcgovern61]

I have had the chance to track city driving, combined and then highway on my '82. In stop and start traffic I get 28 MPG. Combined is 38 MPG and on the highway (I average 74 MPH) is 42 MPG.

My best mileage is at 62 MPH on the back roads in the farm lands of NJ where I get 46 MPG.

 

[detdrbuzzard]

44mpg on the 1500 wing and 48 mpg on the 1200 wing, mixed riding

 

[scdmarx]

38mpg on the 82, and 44mpg on the 83, highway. That's pretty consistent, no matter 1 or 2 up. In 55mph zones I'll go 55-60, and in 65mph zones I'll go 65-70. City mileage sucks! 25 to 30mpg.

 

[mcgovern61]

BTW...we had a thread about MPG in the past:

viewtopic.php?p=7153#p7153

 

[n2ppn]

I had read that thread but it kind of evolved into a thread about ATF rather than keeping to the original posting...

It is also interesting to see how things have changed/stayed the same with all the proponents of the ATF additive to their fuel. So add that as another "field" to be included in the data..."do you add ATF to your fuel"??

Now with that information included we can also see any benefits it provides...

Oh another couple of "fields" could be "K&N Air filter"??? "Tires, make & model & PSI average", "Stock or upgraded Ignition coils", "Full dresser or naked"??

The data fields are endless...

My favorite one would be "boxers or briefs"??
:yahoo:

Rich

 

[joedrum]

yes atf ...bike runs well ...really well ....i went from mid thirties to 46 mpg on my 79 1000...still need to check the 83 ...as well as its running it might do really well ....seems like i can get abou 170 miles before reserve is close to coming in ...id say im close to mid 40s in mpg maybe more

 

[backlander]

'86 1200, been running stable in every tank until this last fill up, now it's on atf. My rides are normaly mixture of every type road and condition, rural, urban and city and are usually 40 to 80 miles in length. This aspy is running trunkless right now but she still is toting about 350 extra pounds with me and the "stuff" in the saddlebags. I burn premium gas only and I avg. 42 mpg combining city and road miles.

 

[n5mdvcolorado52]

:hi:

I've been getting about 45 combo of city and hwy. I have allot of Hwy but mixed with some city.

:laptop:

 

[MagnAndy]

Oh dear........170km/15L this last fillup all "open city driving", no additives, reasonably typical.
62.4mi=100km and
1 L = 3.96 US Gallons

106 miles / 3.8 US Gallons = 28mpg It looks like I have a significant issue. This confirms what I was thinking even if it is early days for me - bought in the fall and just put on the road a few weeks ago. I'm used to a V45 Magna (750cc) so this fuel gobbling was an eyeopener - now I know why.

I think I will skip the valves for now but do a plug clean/set, carb synch, & idle drop mixture set and see if that improves things. First I think I'll run some MMO or Seafoam through first.

 

[toytender01]

Was getting 39 then 33then 31 (me think somthng rong). Pulled carbs on the best riding day this year. Great planning. :head bang: :head bang:

 

[mcgovern61]

Oh dear........170km/15L this last fillup all "open city driving", no additives, reasonably typical.
62.4mi=100km and
1 L = 3.96 US Gallons

106 miles / 3.8 US Gallons = 28mpg It looks like I have a significant issue. This confirms what I was thinking even if it is early days for me - bought in the fall and just put on the road a few weeks ago. I'm used to a V45 Magna (750cc) so this fuel gobbling was an eyeopener - now I know why.

I think I will skip the valves for now but do a plug clean/set, carb synch, & idle drop mixture set and see if that improves things. First I think I'll run some MMO or Seafoam through first.

When I first installed my '81 engine and carbs....I was getting the same results. Cleaned and rebuilt the carbs and found the biggest problem was the floats were WAY out of adjustment and the float pins were not sealing allowing gas to dump while riding.

 

[Sidewinder]

Just got finished with rebuilding carbs and adjusting.

'81 with all the bags on and maybe 30 lbs of "stuff"

Mostly highway with mix in the city, 55-70 .......... 46 MPG.

This week I will run a tank out here in the city and see what that is.

 

[MagnAndy]

When I first installed my '81 engine and carbs....I was getting the same results. Cleaned and rebuilt the carbs and found the biggest problem was the floats were WAY out of adjustment and the float pins were not sealing allowing gas to dump while riding.

Couldn't you have left me with my self-delusions of an easy fix???? :smilie_happy: At least these ones should come off more easily than on a V4, where they are all mounted inside the V, right? RIGHT??? :read:

I don't mind working on carbs, but I sure dread getting them off and on that V4 :rant:

 

[joedrum]

yes those magnas are nothing short of a real nightmare to get at carbs

 

[MagnAndy]

Oh dear........It looks like I have a significant issue......

I think I will skip the valves for now but do a plug clean/set, carb synch, & idle drop mixture set and see if that improves things. First I think I'll run some MMO or Seafoam through first.

PLUGS: I replaced the plugs with a lightly used set from my Magna stock (same plug) that I cleaned, filed, and gapped at 0.034".

SYNCH: I synched the carbs using my home made manometer - they were so far off that I had to adjust them BEFORE I could idle the bike on the manometer. When done they were within 1" of chain bar oil (equivalent to 1/15th " Mercury) - essentially perfectly matched.

IDLE: I set the idle back from 1100 to 800 rpm - that's going to save some gas sitting in traffic!

MIXTURE: The mixture screws were initially set at anywhere between 1-1/4 and 1-3/4 turns out. None of them seemed to have any effect on the rpms as I screwed them in until bottomed! There may be a need to do more work here but I just set them all at the default 2 turns out.

I'm going to run the bike like this for a while and see how it does - it already runs more smoothly and has a lot more power than before this adjustment.

 

[joedrum]

run atf through it ...6-8 oz per tank...this sould help cean it

 

[MagnAndy]

Currently running MMO thru it - is atf more aggressive?