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.