MPG on the 82 xj650?

Wondering what everyone gets for mileage on their 82 xj650 maxim...

If I read correctly the 650's tank capacity is 13L or 3.4 Gallons and the bike got 47mpg from the factory.

Only had the bike about 2 months and I haven't gotten terribly scientific, but i can definitely get about 100 miles or a little more from a tank (usually 91 octane) before needing to switch to reserve.

If i compute 100 miles / 3.4 gallons i get ~29.5mpg ... seems low compared to factory spec..

Does anyone know the volume of the reserve? thinking i need to subtract this volume from the total before computing mpg.

Am I terribly far off your 82 xj650 as far as mileage goes?

thanks

 

Your method of calculating MPG is ineffective.

What you need to do is this:

Always fill the tank to the same level in the filler neck. Every time you buy gas, record your odometer reading and the exact amount of gallons purchased (I scribble right on the gas station receipts.)

After a couple of fill-ups, you'll have miles and gallons numbers you can work with to get accurate MPG.

For instance, my last calculation was 136 miles on 2.6 gallons; which comes out to 52.3 MPG, just right for a healthy 550.

 

What Fitz said. If you have a smartphone though, they have apps that do those calculations for you

I vary between 38 and 48mpg depending on how my right hand feels that day

 

If I recall right, I got around mid 40s on mine. Had to switch to reserve at almost exactly 100 miles.

I think I was able to get mine below 38 if I was really having fun.

As Fitz said though, you need to keep track of miles ridden and fuel purchased. The more tanks full the more accurate your calculation will be.

 

My 81 XJ650 used to be in the low 40's.
Now that I am educated in the ways of the 'power band' and higher RPM's I am trending towards the high 30's. :lol:

Try it - at about 7500 RPM's in second gear something magical happens.
Hold on! 8O

Seriously I am trying to not be too abusive and commuter driving is not the place to be reckless; shifting at higher RPM's gets you up to 70 mph really quick. But damn it is a thrill!!!!

 

Mine gets 48-50 mpg for normal riding. I have a fairing with windshield. More spirited and it goes to mid 40's.
I normally have to go to reserve around 115 miles and comfortably go to 145 when I know gas is nearby.

 

I use fuelly to calculate mileage, it is great at tracking $, gallons, liters, km, miles or whatever you want to throw at it, here is the one for the VFR:

 

I'll get anywhere from 45-55MPG on my 550. Depends how I ride