40mpg

I just hit 40 mpg on my primary tank on my XJ750. Is that pretty average?

 

I get an average of about 42 to 44 on mine I have the midnight version. 11k miles on it.

 

I was averaging 40 mpg before I noticed a slight lean condition has worsened. Hoped for a simple adjustment, turned into a mess. Bike is in dry dock for at least a week until I get it sorted out.

 

Depends on many factors.
~40 sounds good

 

My 83 750 maxim gets 36 town and 48 highway.

 

My 82 750 Maxim got 47mpg last week when I filled up. I haven't done anything perfomance-wise to it since I got it. I did get the fluids and filters changed but that's it.

mikeg

 

just checked my last 3 fill-up slips. 32-35-41 mpg, mixed hi-way and in town driving.

 

CONFUSED HERE ! !

My tank Compacity is 3.7 us gals , The reserve is 0.9 us gals

Do I subtract the reserve from the 3.7?

heres the thing . I have 150+ miles on my bike right now and just switched to reserve.

If this is so the 2,8 gals I already used netted me 150+ miles resulting in about 54 mpg .

This would be the first tank I ran throught the bike in about 12 years. mayybe I'll get this bike to the shop so they can tweek it . I did nothing other than de gunk the carbs. next tank it gets the top of the line gas. BTW These bikes are designed to run with leaded gas. but there is no such animal anymore. my bike requires at least 91 octane. should I be adding LEAD SUBSTITUTE to the Premium gas? what about octane boosters? or racing gas 110 octane?

 

My bike has been averaging 48 – 52 mpg I do a lot of back road and Highway driving. At first I was getting in the upper thirty’s but now after a little tweaking for the last three tanks I have been in the low 50’s I think that is great for a shaft drive.

 

Just go fill up with gas soon and whatever you fill up with gallons is how much you used... take the mileage and divide the gallons.

 

Damn....my 650 averages about 60 mpg and i drive about 75% highway and 25% city. And I dont even baby it. I averaged 65mpg on a 600 mile road trip to Alabama from Kansas city, mo last July running a constant 75-80 mph. I must be lucky or something. By the way the bike was 100% stock with the only add on being a small windscreen and I only run 87 octane.

 

What year and make 650 is it?

 

I'm getting around 36 mpg with a 50/50 mix of hwy city traffic. Not questioning your numbers but 60 MPG on an XJ650 sounds high - they are only factory rated for 40 mpg.

I'm pretty sure my bike needs to be tuned some from looking at the plugs but I'm not sure how much that will get me in mpg..

 

I got 48 MPG with my '82 650 last tank with 100% city driving in the 40-50 MPH range and 5,000 RPM shifts (only about three of them though before you're up to speed...). My first tank with blown out stock mufflers only netted me 38 MPG and this last tank was with stock Harly mufflers off a full sized bike. I haven't pulled the plugs yet to do a mixture check, but the mufflers are plenty black and the header pipes haven't blued.

 

I can't get better than 37 on my '80 XJ650. I checked the plugs 2 days ago and they were white, looked about brand new, even though they've had about 1000 miles on 'em. And thats all highway miles. What is causing the bad mileage? It should be a little better than 37, right?

 

Best I ever got out of my 650 was 50mpg, long ride at 50-55 with few stops.

Worst I ever got was 35, but I had a lot of fun doing it

Around town mix surface and freeway I get 46.

I think long runs on the slab at 70 get about 40.

 

My bike is an '82 maxim 650. I almost couldnt believe the 60 mpg myself. I am starting to regret tearing it apart for the turbo swap.

 

Hmm so at 35 mpg I'm thinking I need to be doing some tuning. I'm off next week - sounds like a good project. My bike is all stock - airbox, pipes etc. Any tips besides mixture?

I don;t ride it hard - Shifting at 4k or so. It runs 5k at 60 about 5500 at 65 to 70...

 

I commute on mine everyday. Mixed road conditions. All highway miles in the morning at 70 mph and usually stop and go city traffic going home. I average about 42 mpg.

Joy riding and back roads with some high speed runs and a occasional thrashing I average about 35 mpg.

Touring on the highways and intersate at 65 mph cruising speed I usually get about 50 mpg.

I just went through the carbs on my back a month ago, sealed the tank, new plugs, oil, filter, and air cleaner. My bike also has low copression and is due for a ring job. After I rebuild the top end, my milage should increase by abiut 5 mpg. So if you have your bike tuned and set up right. You should average about 40 mpg. 45 - 50 mpg on a fresh rebuild.

Lyle

 

I just got 81 Seca 750 about a month ago. Have been tinkering with it and still not where I want it. I got 40 MPG's on last tank and had gotten better. This is 50/50 mix with city and highway. I'm riding for fun - so sometimes harder ride. I'm impressed with the reports of 50 - 60 mpgs.

 

Honda made a CRX HF with a 1.3 L and 5 speed that got 67 MPG.

A 650 has half the motor, maybe 1/3 the weight, and punches a smaller hole in the air (with a much larger coefficient of drag).
It should get 100 MPG in the same state of tune.

My 750 gets 32 - 38 MPG
My 900 gets 49 MPG. Which do you think I ride? :lol:

 

I was getting around 40mpg until I started riding at 45mph in fourth gear instead of fifth. Once I changed that driving habit, my mileage jumped up to 49-51mpg. It seems these bikes like to run best at a minimum of around 4K rpm. Anything less is lugging the engine which seems to waste fuel.

My daily commute starts with about 3.5 miles @ 45mph (4th gear), followed by 1.5 miles @ 25mph (3rd gear), then a mile @ 30mph (3rd gear), then a half mile @ 40mph (4th gear), followed by 8 miles at 55mph (5th gear). It finishes with about a half mile @ 25mph (3rd gear). Reverse this for the trip home.

 

that is a very interesting thought, I might try that.

What RPMs does everyone shift at?

 

Like wise here. Interesting thought, I wondered about lower RPM and how it would effect gas mileage. My boat's 125 will get much better mpg if I keep it around 3k. At 4k and over you hear a huge sucking sound as it gobbles gas ;0)

I'll try running it at 5k or so and let you guys know. Could be my riding habits - I'm willing to learn.

 

My last two full tanks (all 4.7 gallons) brought 54 mpg. I have all my ratios in sync and set to factory specs. I've also got nothing after market on her so that might affect it. Most of my miles are freeway as well.

 

I just had my 82 650 out for AT. I got 51 cruising town and the highway. Then I rode home on the interstate into the wind and got 41. I haven't ridden it enough to find the sweet spot yet, but I does seem to get better economy higher into the rev range. My sho gets 31 if I cruise right around 78, but it will drop to about 28 if I go up or down more than a hundred rpm.

 

I just richened up my fuel mixture to get my spark plugs lookin like they should and my mileage dropped from 38 (at its best) to 32. Why am I getting such terrible mileage?

 

82 750 and I am getting 51 mpgs stock bike nothing over 65 mph 500 miles a week to and from work same every time. GOD I love this bike.

 

Best I have gotten with my bike is 53 MPG, but I can usually run the better part of 200 miles before going on reserve, so I average about 50 MPG. Mileage is all about how you ride, how you shift and how much load you are carrying. I am 220 lbs, and have a factory touring package on my bike, so it is a little heavier than most, but I think the fairing helps cut the wind better.

 

I think you are just pissed because you can't afford a Harley.

My other ride!

 

Sorry not PO'd. Ain't got one and don't want one! My first bike was a 1955 HD 45 Flathead. Didn't keep it long. Too heavy...... I will stay with my mid-sized bikes and you are welcome to ride what you wish.

 

Like it says in Ass.Fault's sig: "I'd rather push a Yamaha than ride a Harley".

 

Good point.......

 

i,ve had my 750 for 3 years and never bothered checking the mileage, it runs good and other than putting smaller carbs on it or riding like a old lady, theres nothing i can do about it, if i wanted mileage i'd have bought a 250
and that push a yamaha thing, will that be true two miles down the road?
only push shopping carts

 

Have you ever ridden a Harley? They vibrate so much that 2 miles down the road you can't feel your hands and feet. What kind of a ride is that?

Back to the topic - after changing my shift points I got my mileage back up to 37 after richening up the fuel mixture. Better, but still not where I'd like it.

 

Yes, and you are right, back to the topic......
You have to be losing fuel somewhere, have you checked to make sure you are getting fuel in the oil? How about your plugs, are they black and sooty or clean and tan?

 

I'm looking at your sig and the K&N's and wondering of you're jetted properly running those. Something to think about.

 

The plugs aren't black and sooty. They're a little darker than tan.
Gamuru: Just to clarify, the K&N is just a replacement filter, not pods. But still, the jetting may be off.

 

Today we went on a 160 mile trip into southern MN. My son took the 750 maxim (red) I was on the 1100. He got about 52 mpg and I got 46 mpg. We averaged about 55 MPH all through the trip. I would think that since the weather was nice and not too humid or hot we had the best conditions to check MPG. We did our best to keep off of the throttle to see what we could actually get.

 

What are you doin' to get 46mpg with your XJ11? I've got one and with no mods, I'm getting about 36-38mpg. Granted, I tend to ride just over the listed speed limit...

 

Not sure what I have going on. I have the valves alittle loose. Carbs are super clean. (float level slightly lower than spec) I put a throttle lock on it (cruise control) I used Middle Grade fuel from BP. I'm using synthic lube in the diff and middle gear. I pumped up the tires to what ever it said on the side wall. Otherwise its all stock. I'm going to check the plugs today to see how they look and I will get back to this thread with the results. My tach never went over 4500. it would cruise at 3800 at 55 Thanks for asking.

 

I must be a little heavy on the throttle.....

I cant seem to get more than 110 miles before I put 3 gallons in.......

 

Plugs look clean, maybe too clean. The insulators look white 3/4 way around and brown spot the last 1/4 way. I have stock jetting and my mixture screws are 3 turns out. Maybe the little o-rings are bad and its sucking air making it lean. Wonder if I should just put a little dab of silicone over each pilot screw and see if that changes the plugs. Thinking it might be too lean if the average is 38 MPG on your bike. Let me know what you think. I don't want to burn my pistons up being too lean.

 

The discription sounds like you are running lean. Can you post pics of them?

 

I was thinking this the other day.
The tires say 45psi on the side.
The Yahmmy owners manual says 28psi front and 32psi back.
I run the 28-32psi setup, maybe I should be running 45psi.
What are your thoughts here?

 

The psi stated on the sidewall is the max psi when carrying the maximum load the tires can handle. Stick to what the owners manual says.

 

I am going to further go off topic and question the owner's manual. I don't know about yours, but mine was written 25 years ago when bias ply tires was all the rage and I was barely getting out of diapers. Today we almost all use radial tires which don't have the sidewall stiffness of the old tires. So I am only going to question the owner's manual and leave it up to an "expert", but my guess is that it will be somewhere in between.

 

You should still be using bias ply tires, therefore you should be following the owners manual suggested psi rating.

 

I run what Yamaha recommends for the weight I am carrying.

 

You are lean if the insulator is white, should be a TAN color all the way around.

I would not say that about THIS harley.
http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Cont ... cale=en_GB
Check her out.....a real bike from Harley, not just another fat, dumb, slow, non-fuelefficent, loud PITA, vibrating erotic massager of a "bike" :lol:

It has everything I have been asking of HD, minus the freakin rocket launcher. But I am sure that is avalible from the aftermarket in the middle east.....
OH btw it is ONLY avalible in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. How messed up is that.....
The markets ALREADY covered by european sportsbikes will now have a harley cafe racer. Why not usa, crotch rockets are just plain uncomfortable, and BIG LOUD V-Twins that shake like a badly broken washer and drier set and those two are the only options that are regularly avalible.

I say we storm the HD factory and confiscate several models for "testing."
Whos in?

*EDIT