Mileage. A poll.

There are tons of questions about what kind of gas mileage do our bikes get. Even after reading all the responses, my human brain can't process the information. Now, knowing that all the different types and years will get different mileages, I think a poll would still be enlightening.

In case you are not sure how to best gauge your mileage, fill your tank to a repeatable level. I use the bottom of the fill hole on the tank. Set your odometer to 0. Ride. When it is time to fill up, fill up to the same level.

Take your odometer reading, and divide it by the number of gallons you just put in. So 100.4 miles / 2.567 gal = 39 mpg. Write it down. Ride again.

Please do at least 3 to get an average. If you really want to be accurate, do 5 and throw out the highest and lowest values. If you always keep track of your mileage like me, just jump right in with what you get.

If you prefer, you can take the volume (gal or liters) and divide by distance. The poll accounts for that option, popular in many countries.

And I realize the poll isn't perfect. Please keep the criticism down.

 

I put the URL to this page in my signature, hoping more people would come to it. Unfortunately I left a "," at the end and it only went to a 404 page. So I'm bumping it now that I fixed it.

 

I have a new set of carbs coming... Im gonna pull my old carbs and tweek the s**t out of them while im riding.
I am getting about 28 MPG right now but I know its running rich and the carbs are dirty as hell.

 

only had one full tank through it since I got the valves done and carbs sync'd but seems I'm getting bout 5.5/100km...hadn't hit the reserve yet either. I'll take it!

 

I would love to know what people are doing to get more than 50 mpg. Is it a newer, smaller, or just better tuned bike?

 

back in the day when the bike was new. and the speed limit was 55. mileage was 60 mpg.

i had a 82 maxim 650 brand spanking new in high school. bought in 1984

i have an 81 maxim 650 now. and it sucks compare to my new 82 model i had 25 years ago.

i got 28 with the stock mufflers. i'm getting 35 now with glass packs. haven't done any around town driving yet. cept for a 10 mile trip through town to meet the group and my level hadn't gone down with a fresh fill up.

 

took a trip to the UP last week...filled up 6 times.
each fill-up got 39-41 mpg(driving 65-70 mph).
my last tank had me about 70 miles from home and i busted a$$...that last tank i got 33 mpg...
i drove it to work every day this week (75-80 miles each day) and have gotten 38, 39, and 39 mpg (my commute speeds are mixed anywhere from 60-90 mph)
i need to vac sync and probably put some new plugs in it and maybe squeak a couple more mpgs out of her

 

This summer I got around 42-45 mpg

dbikers-where in the UP did you go? I live up there.

 

My results, I keep clost tabs on my mileage. The XJ and XVZ are all stock, the XS has 4 to 1 exhaust and K&N filter with larger than stock jetting.
XS1100SG 38 avg/ 45 on highway
XJ1100 40 avg/ 48 highway
XVZ12Venture 36 avg/ 42 highway( all my highway trips have been with the bike fully loaded with passanger, I should get better if its unloaded)

 

32 around town and intermittent freeway with a honking slipstreamer on it. A touch over 50 w/o the windscreen and out on the highway.

 

Both of my 550 Secas are bone stock, properly tuned and run fine.

I regularly get between 52-56mpg. It can drop to just slightly under 50mpg if I've been particularly frisky, but it's rare. Usually hovers right around 52mpg, both bikes.

 

The XS gets in the low 40s and the XJ gets just a little better. The XJ has one step larger pilot jets in it which did decrease the MPG a little but it runs a lot better than with the stock jets.

 

I get 50-55 mpg

I tore my carbs down and cleaned them. Polished the bores.

I adjusted the valve clearances.

I built a differential synchronizer and synchronized the carbs as close to perfect as can be done.

Right after all of this work it started like a dream and ran like a scalded dog. Two years later it starts a little less good but still runs like a scalded dog. Its time for another valve clearance adjustment and syncho. I will probably not do the carbs again until starting becomes a problem.

All of the above cost little to nothing to do.

The best gas mileage happens when I ride back country roads at 45 mph.

 

I generally run 60-75mph on back country roads.

I'm sure the 550s are proportionally more fuel efficient; valves in spec, good float levels, tightly synced carbs and a reasonably tight motor are the key ingredients. As any of those deteriorate, fuel economy suffers.

That's good mileage from a 650.

 

I am a very conservative operator. I do occasionally get on it. I have never pegged the 80mpg speedometer. I drive like the old guy that I am. Not interested in wrapping my bike around a tree or riding it into a ditch.

 

Driving one of these bikes for mileage is like having a Shelby Cobra GT500 and never taking it out of 3rd gear these things love to eat please feed them.

 

I do not operate for mileage. I occasionally accelerate like I am drag racking. I just do not do it all that often. I live in a very densely populated area so the only time I can do this is when I get a green light and have no cars in front of me or when I get onto a freeway and the ramp ahead is free of cars.

 

I get 155-165 miles per tank on my '82 XJ1100J...HOWEVER, I am a big guy...really big, 6' 400lbs, so that's easily like riding double everywhere I go. I tend to crave the twisty and ride the beast hard...and yet I rarely if ever get less than 155-165 miles per tank which comes out to about 32 mpg no matter what I do with it.
I don't think that's all that bad for an 1100 carrying my fat ass around the twisties...

 

Old girl gets about 28. I drive like a idiot though.

 

I'm getting 35 currently. The commute is 6 miles each way through DC traffic, lots of lights.

When I was commuting 25 miles each way (about 40 min commute with speed limits from 30-55) I was getting around 42 mpg, less traffic and faster speeds, but still lots of lights.

 

I get my best (56mpg+) with the 550 when traveling in Ontario and feeling compelled to somewhat obey the lower speed limits.

The old right wrist is probably the most effective tuning tool for fuel economy as long as everything else is up to snuff.

 

I drive 25 miles a day (to and from work) 50/50 city/highway. In the summer driving conservatively I get 45-46, but when winter comes along California winter blend gas drops it to about 40-42.

If I drive more aggressively and fast, it drops to about 40-41 in the summer. My 82 Seca is factory stock with cleaned carbs & polished carb bores done 2 winters ago. Living in San Jose I ride everyday except when rainy or I'm hauling something to work or have to pick up the kids.

 

My '83 XJ650 always got about 45-50 until last summer when it began getting hard to start and having idle issues and mileage dropped into the 30's. Once I replaced the intake boot gaskets, I went easily to 55 mpg and have gotten as good as 62 (riding 45-50 mph for two tankfuls on a country road with virtually no stops)...

Impressive mileage for a multi-carb setup.

I see the new 500cc Royal Enfields with fuel injection boast 80+ mpg....I'm considering it...

 

How are you sealing your boots?
Mine are stock, and no cracks at all.
I have the original rear clamps and nothing on the front side.

 

They have flange gaskets in between them and the motor. At this age, they begin chunking out and falling apart, and suck air.

The first time, like an idiot I just replaced the one that was leaking...then another went bad a few months later. That time I wised up and replaced them all.

The gaskets are like $11/each from Yamaha, I think...I just bought a $6 roll of Fel-Pro sheet gasket and cut my own...

 

I'm 205lbs.. I consistently get 42-44mpg from my 1983 XJ750.. in all kinds of driving. I rarely shift before 6K-7K rpm, and often run to 9K in 1st and 2nd... so it's run pretty hard. I often take 30-50 mile trips @ highway speeds. My in-town driving is limited to .6 miles to my shop, and maybe 5-miles to the post office or parts-store... everything else is 55mph+.
My bike is full-dress with original Yamaha Bags and trunk. I think this helps the mileage tremendously.
Mileage changes are negligible with a passenger.

Ray

 

Consistent 50+mpg on my XJ650J.

 

I'm getting horrible mileage right now. 29mpg on my XJ550.
I just cleaned the carbs (they were already clean) and replaced the carb boots.
I think I still have issues so I'm examining the electrical system. Bad coils, I think.

 

My 650 is usually mid to upper 30's while hauling my oversize self around.

 

I recently realized that my car gets 18 mpg where i usually drive, and my bike gets 39.

Thing is, my car usually gets 25-30, in anything other than my 0-40-0-40-0 and sit there for 5 minutes at a stop light just to get out of my neighborhood.

I know I went up to ramona once and got like 55 mpg or something, but I thought that was a fluke.

 

i'd be interested in knowing the compression readings to go with those milage numbers.

what's the compression for some of you getting 55+
what's the compression for some of you getting 30-

and what's the ethanol content in your state.

i've found one gas station around here that claims no ethanol. i get 3mpg better. everything else is 10%

i've heard one state already selling 15%

 

I'm getting 155 psi last time i checked

We're at 10% ethanol here in Maryland.

 

Went for another good ride. Got to 148 miles before I was so hyperconscious about my fuel I stopped at the first hiccup, and I was on the coast so getting gas where it was good. Filled it up with 3.2 gallons of gas, so I Got 45.2mpg on it riding mountain roads not highway time. Wish my commute to work was longer then .6 miles to take advantage of it but hey, I spent 18 bux to drive 200 miles around the most beautiful roads in the state....

 

155 is pretty damn good compression. your engine is running like new.

mine only had 140.

most on this forum have 120.

 

yeah, I did the test twice just to be sure. So either the gauge is hosed, it was new, or engine is in top shape. I'm going for the later because I have no complaints.

 

Is there a special compression tool that you need to test these bikes, or will a standard compression tester work? Curious about what mine is and was too much of a newb to know to check it before I bought my bike, lol.

 

The better I get at syncing the carbs the better my fuel economy becomes.
Last year I was getting 25 MPG. Now I am getting 31.
The idle is crap but I still think I can get it up to 40 by the end of the riding season.

 

I got the regular one at Advance auto. Main thing is to take a spark plug with you and make sure it has the right adapter for your plug size. Mine came with 4 adapters I think and was about $25.

Then with a fully charged battery, unplug your TCI, remove all plugs, put your tester in #1 hodld the throttle wide open and crank it over by the starter until the needle stops rising. Record the number. Repeat for each cylinder.

Higher is better, to an extent, but you're mostly looking for even numbers.

 

I'm getting 139.6 miles to the tank, on my 86 Maxim-X 700. You guys can tell me if it's good or bad, I have no idea. That's riding at all speeds, just me on it.

 

Depends on how much gas you put in. The first post is instructions on how to calculate your mileage. It's real easy, if you tell me how many gallons (or liters) you put in I can calculate it for you if you'd like.

 

Sorry, it's 13 litres my friend

 

Ah, I think I see why you were having problems. I didn't think to include miles with liters in my system. I guess I presumed if you used liters, your bike read in kilometers.

Anyways, 139 miles divided by 3.4 gallons is 41 mpg, but I doubt very much that you are letting your tank go all the way to empty before you fill it up again, so you are more than likely filling up around 2.6-3 gallons, which puts you at 46-53 mpg.

For you, read my original post, and you can take the miles driven, divide it by the liters you fill up with, and multiply that result by 3.8 and you will have your approximate mileage in miles per approximate gallon.

US gallons, anyway. If you would like to know how many leagues per pottle you get, let me know....silly Brits.

 

I average 43-44 mpg on my '82 550 Maxim. I haven't done anything to the bike since I bought it a month or so ago except a new front tire. Rear tire is in the mail. Fitz, your proof I can get more outta her. I will have to do a valve clearance check and sync the carbs.

 

I got right around 150 across the board on my "project" 650, which was why I went ahead and bought it. 120 is a tad low, for a 650/750.

That being said, gauges vary. You're mainly looking for less than 10% variation between the cylinders.

 

I was barely getting 40 mpg previously on the 650 but now that I've replaced all rings, a problematic piston, and lapped the valves I hope to increase the fuel efficiency. we'll see by the end of this riding season. I won't check the compression, til after I put the carbs back on for a little while just to let the rings seat. then I expect the compression to increase hopefully near 140 across the board. a whole new upper engine rebuild is not cheap..

 

Hi everyone. Here's my mileage stats over the last 1042 miles.
Mileage.... Gallons.... MPG
141.5 ..... 2.63 ..... 53.80228137
145.8..... 2.749..... 53.03746817
172.6..... 3.132..... 55.10855683
149.4..... 2.715..... 55.02762431
147.1..... 2.777..... 52.97083183
147.5..... 2.821..... 52.28642325
138.7..... 2.559..... 54.20085971

1042.6..... 19.383... .. 53.78940309 MPG AVERAGE

Well, there's my mileage chart (when you're using Excel spreadsheet, why not go to 8 or 9 places past the decimal? LOL) and here is some background information. My bike is a 1982 Maxim XJ650J (YICS). As you can see, I usually fill up after 140 miles and put in about 2.7 gallons. Stock, starts good, runs strong. I usually put in 89 octane, haven't experimented with 87 or 93. I ride a lot of 2-lane roads at 55MPH, and about half my miles are riding 2-up. I like to twist the throttle for accelleration and frequently run to 6K or 7K to shift, but I don't ride long distances at high speeds. I wonder how much of a factor the Vetter is on my gas mileage?
I guess I'm getting pretty good MPG; hopefully that is an indicator that things are pretty good with my engine. It has about 16,500 miles and I don't know my compression or valve clearances, yet. I just received the valve shim tool but I think I'm going to order a new valve cover gasket and rubber donuts before I crack it open. (Sidenote: props to Bigfitz for his great valve tutorial which I will be using along with my Haynes book.)

Ride safe!

 

Your not happy with stating "53 Miles per gallon"?

You REALLY need everyone to know you averaged: "53 Miles and 6-1/2 Feet per Gallon"???

Like there ain't enough Bool-crap for us to deal with already, ... we need to find-out whose Bike goes a Silly Millimeter Further on a tank of gas!!!

Ridiculous.
Man, you godda be fargunn kiddin' me!

 

Rick,
I'm thrilled with my 53 mpg. I just quick-entered my miles and gallons on a spread sheet and didn't tell it to round, and was amused by the long decimals I'll assume you are just having fun with this as well!

 

I did that once ...I got about 50 mpg if I recall correctly. I think type of riding has a lot to do with it. I know my car generally gets 22 mpg around town and 33 on the highway on a road trip....but 17 on my commute. My bike gets 39 on that same commute...and the rest of the time I'm doing 80 to 90 on the freeway (gotta make sure I don't get run over!) or stopping and going at red lights.

We tend to forget that motorcycles are NOT aerodynamic. High speeds eat up a lot of power. I can get about 500 rpms from the same throttle position just by leaning down so I'm no longer a sail! In 5th gear I think that's around 5-10 mph. That's a lot of power lost due solely to wind resistance! I also notice it's hard to get it up to that speed without leaning down also.

I don't know how a Vetter would affect the aerodynamics. On the one hand, you have a HUGE front surface, on the other you have a SMOOTH front surface and a longer profile.

rick you crack me up! pbjman...your attention to detail is admirable, but look up Significant Digits.....and rick...it's 53 miles and 4118 feet per 1.000 gallons of gasoline.

 

I was going to do that, but I don't want to get on Rick's bad side!