Page 3 of 3

Re: Mileage; and 5th gear may not be your friend

Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:18 pm
by drumgod
Indeed, my '81 runs around the same RPMs. I get a touch over 32 MPG average with fairly spirited riding and a rider weight around 260. The highest MPG I ever got was leading a handful of riders across IL into AI. One of the guys had had a fairly bad accident and was trying to get back into the swing of things and didn't want to go over 55 MPH. An excruciatingly long day of 50 MPH on unending farm roads amounted to 45 MPG.

Re: Mileage; and 5th gear may not be your friend

Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 3:12 pm
by Psycrow
Yes I seem to be lacking in the mpg department, it may be time to pull the carbs.

Psy

Re: Mileage; and 5th gear may not be your friend

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 10:05 pm
by pistolpete
Wow!
You guys are so cool.
Sunday I returned from Michigan on a business trip. Being the coolest kind of trips, business or otherwise, I was able to ride the bike. Maggie Mae, my 76 rider runs perfectly and is definitely subject to the nuances of all conditions governing mpg.
On the trip back the ambient air temp ranged from 59 degrees to 79 degrees. The roadway was nearly all interstate. It took me nine hours, thirty minutes to make the trip (discounting stops for fuel and food)
From MI to KY, my average mpg was 46.7. From Cinti to home it dropped to 42.7. I am pretty convinced that the hills of KY and TN played a very large part in the drop in mileage.
But really it was just a curiosity to take a look at mpg, as the trip was fantastic.

In a footnote: I was able to breeze thru Cinti, and that by itself was a small miracle.

Thanks guys for all the cool response.
Pistol

Re: Mileage; and 5th gear may not be your friend

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 10:34 pm
by CYBORG
I don't know how you went thru Cinci, but I always have better luck going straight thru town, and avoiding the around town route

Re: Mileage; and 5th gear may not be your friend

Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:13 am
by Rat
On a recent trip of around 1000 miles, my 'new' 84 Standard got between 43 and 50 MPG .... the biggest variable I could identify was ethanol , the more of that ..... the lower the MPG. It's getting really hard to find ethanol free Regular (87) Octane.

Sometimes the premiums have less ethanol but they cost too much to be much help confused22

Gord (gonna keep trying) Jones crossy.gif

Re: Mileage; and 5th gear may not be your friend

Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 12:08 pm
by salukispeed
Got back late Sat from Virginia and the Shenandoah national park on my 84 interstate. traveling loaded with camping gear At 60-65 and flat land I got 45.2 average, at 70+ it was 41.1 and in the hills it was around the same and I tried to keep the engine around 3-3,500 rpm on the up hills There is some beautiful riding and scenery once you get away from Chicago, Awesome riding the blueridge PKY and in the national park road 2,300 miles total in a week. I have never ridden that part of the country but will again, Beautiful. ( as a side note, did a day trip to DC ). Never will I travel those roads on the bike again. Nice to visit DC but traffic ruins it all for me. 13 hours in the seat with only gas stops was over my comfort limit and I wish it was less at times. two days would be better each way.

Re: Mileage; and 5th gear may not be your friend

Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:08 pm
by pistolpete
Sounds like the GL1000, GL1100 and the GL1200 get mileages that are pretty much the same. Glad to hear that.

Cyborg, yes I went thru town. Lucky I wasn't north bound. The traffic was dead stopped for 2 miles back.


Pistol