Gas mileage

[faithit]

my spyder has just over 3,000 miles on it now & i'm wondering how others are doing regarding gas mileage. my machine is getting just over 30mpg. is this about average? any ideas on how to increase that--i'm not an aggressive or hard-charging rider & don't abuse the machine.
thanks
rw

[daddydarko]

my spyder has just over 3,000 miles on it now & i'm wondering how others are doing regarding gas mileage. my machine is getting just over 30mpg. is this about average? any ideas on how to increase that--i'm not an aggressive or hard-charging rider & don't abuse the machine.
thanks
rw


I average a little under what you're getting and that seems to be the norm (28-33 mpg). I haven't noticed a significant impact on mileage by driving aggressively though (e.g. jack rabbit starts, city driving) . I DID, however, notice a pretty big difference when I drove 90mph+ for an extended period of time. That got me closer to 20!

[NancysToy]

Ditto, around thirty or less.
-Scotty

[docdoru]

32 m/g average (Hindle, Supreme gas and no Ethanol mixture). Agree with Wolf Spyder: long rides on intersates over/around 90 mph is worst than the city!

[spyderbitten]

I've averaged a little over 30mpg in my everyday commutes to and from work. I took a 200 mile trip last weekend on

interstate hwy with speed kept between 60 & 65 and averaged just a tad over 40mpg.

[LittleJohn]

Everyone should keep in mind when comparing their milage to someone elses, hat different additives in different areas of the country, as well as different altitudes, etc. all play into the mileage you will get. If your with 5 mpg or so of someone else, then your probably not having any mechanical issues.

If anyone starts quoting 40+ mpg, and can prove it, Ill be interogating them for how they did it for sure.

[mike3069]

I've been tracking milage since day one. The worst I've gotten was second tankfull @ 27.5mpg ( I don't think I got it full the first tank). The best was coming back from Homecoming riding thru Vermont @ 37.25mpg.

With 2500+ miles on now it seems to be bouncing around, depending on riding conditions, plus or minus 1 either side of 35mpg. I am not terribly aggressive anymore, but I do know how to have "fun" with my right hand still!

[daddydarko]

but I do know how to have "fun" with my right hand still!


Welcome to married life.

[dbnc]

Welcome to married life.



:bigthumbsup: now that's funny and sad at the same time :a20:

[bjeffrey]

Pre-first checkup at 700 miles I was getting 29.5, I was pretty disappointed. Right after that it jumped to 33.5 mpg and I was running it with alot of quick takeoffs and highway speeds (70 - 85).

The wife and I took a road trip 100 miles, 60 @ 70 mph and 40 @ 50 mph we averaged 34.5 mpg with 2 people on it.

[Dwight]

Spyderbitten,

I don't know where you're from but if you road 60 - 65mph on an Interstate around here (KS) somebody would have run over you! Be carefull out there!!, besides you'll have more fun on the 2 lane roads.

Dwight

[spyderbitten]

Dwight,

I ride 52 miles round trip to work and various trips on I-70 at 60-65mph with no problem. I started doing that months ago in my Ford Powerstroke diesel to conserve fuel. It has since become a habit. I have had no troubles
so far. I figure if people want to pass, that is what the other lane is for. People will pass regardless of your speed.
I committed long ago to not let the driver behind me dictate how fast I drive. I'am in Missouri.

Mike

[Danimal]

Never kept track of it... never will. When I get down to 2 bars... I refill.

Considering all of us spent over $15,000 of disposable income on this toy.... complaining about $$$ on gas is a moot issue IMO.


Put it this way..... did anyone out here really buy a Spyder because they wanted to save $$$ on gas????

No way...... It would take forever to make back the $15,000 you invested in the Spyder.... in Gas Savings.

[daddydarko]

Put it this way..... did anyone out here really buy a Spyder because they wanted to save $$$ on gas????


No, that's just what I said to justify the purchase to Wifey.

[bjt]

Put it this way..... did anyone out here really buy a Spyder because they wanted to save $$$ on gas????

No way...... It would take forever to make back the $15,000 you invested in the Spyder.... in Gas Savings.



I did. At least that was one of the reasons. My "winter ride" only gets 12 MPG or so. This is so much better and more fun.

[trumphair]

One of the most commonly asked questions for me is "What's the MPG?" I realize BRP started design work on this when nobody gave a crap about gas prices, but in today's environment it could be a huge selling point for a lot of people.

[csmead]

I randomly check mileage as a way to check engine performance. Figure if the motor is about to go belly-up, mileage will seriously decrease. I have got as good as 40 mpg (long trip w/mountains) and less than 30 mpg (with all city driving). I would agree that the first few weeks, I got about 25-28 mpg. I just turned over 5,000 miles...I think it's broke in now.

[Danimal]

Well.. obviously if you are buying a new vehicle because you NEED one anyway.... you are going to consider MPG....

But you have to be realistic....

Let's look at bjt's example.

Previous car got 12 mpg.
(3 miles per dollar @ $4.00/gallon)

Spyder gets 35 mpg.
(8.75 miles per dollar @ $4.00/gallon)

Difference of 23 MPG
(5.75 miles per dollar)

Price of Spyder - out the door - $ 17,500 + any extras....

Current price of gas..... $4.00/Gallon.

So you are getting an extra 5.75 miles on the Spyder for every dollar you spend.

In order to SAVE $17,500 in gas... you would have to ride an additional 100,625 miles (17,500 x 5.75) in order to just pay for the purchase price of the Spyder.

That doesn't include maintenance,insurance, etc.

These are just round figures.... but you get the idea......

The other factor is that I have found a 2 mile trip to the store takes at 30 miles on the Spyder...... ;D


No way did anyone buy a Spyder with saving MPG as the main reason....

[COSpyder]

I am getting 35 consistently. I only have 2000 miles on the bike and I have only ridden at high altitude. I have no idea if that makes it better or worse. My other vehicle is a MINI and it gets about the same in the city so I also did not buy it for anything but fun.

[Danimal]

I would think you would get better MPG at a higher altitude.....

[dltang]

Well.. obviously if you are buying a new vehicle because you NEED one anyway.... you are going to consider MPG....

But you have to be realistic....

Let's look at bjt's example.

Previous car got 12 mpg.
(3 miles per dollar @ $4.00/gallon)

Spyder gets 35 mpg.
(8.75 miles per dollar @ $4.00/gallon)

Difference of 23 MPG
(5.75 miles per dollar)

Price of Spyder - out the door - $ 17,500 + any extras....

Current price of gas..... $4.00/Gallon.

So you are getting an extra 5.75 miles on the Spyder for every dollar you spend.

In order to SAVE $17,500 in gas... you would have to ride an additional 100,625 miles (17,500 x 5.75) in order to just pay for the purchase price of the Spyder.

That doesn't include maintenance,insurance, etc.

These are just round figures.... but you get the idea......

The other factor is that I have found a 2 mile trip to the store takes at 30 miles on the Spyder...... ;D


No way did anyone buy a Spyder with saving MPG as the main reason....







One flaw in your theory. The gas saving in mpg does not need to be figured as a payoff for the vehicle. If you have a weekly gas budget as an example, weather you are talking the Spyder, a motorcycle or a car that gets better mpg than your current vehicle, you are going to save weekly on your cost of fuel. We live with somewhat of a budget, nothing extreme and we don't alway follow it to the tee. But if we were budgeting $50 a week for fuel and only getting 12mpg and now we are getting 30 mph, there is going to be weekly savings in our budget. Just because you consider the mpg as part of a reason to buy a vehicle doesn't mean you are going to use that as your whole justification in the purchase.

We really liked the Spyders, we liked the looks and the safety features. Did we buy them solely for increased mpg, no. But if we had been told they are only going to get 15-20 mpg I don't think we would have bought them. I think I would have gone with the Bergman 450 or 600. The 30+ mpg did make a difference in my choice. It is better than my car and more fun to drive and safer than a conventional motorcycle, I had to figure in a lot of factors. Yes it is a toy, but it is also a primary form of transportation for me. I plan on riding it 9 months out of the year. I realize you don't like to ride in the rain or poor weather, I will dress accordingly and go out in whatever. Until the snow flies, I am riding the Spyder. You may not understand this thought process but that is my reason and explanation.

[joelin]

when I hit the red light .I always turn off my bike , if I know it will take more than 6 seconds for stopping time .
There is a report about turn off your engine more than 6 seconds then restart you will save gas and cleaning air .I think it is not only save gas and clean air but also cool down your engine too.

[Danimal]

I understand what you are saying Deb..... I just look at the big picture... and having a $ 500 a month Spyder payment would be hard to offset with weekly gas savings.


joelin ..... turning your bike off at red lights is NOT SAFE.

You need to be running in case something happens and you need to move quickly.

The electric fan may not run when the bike is turned off - I'm unsure on the Spyder - but if that is the case you could cause problems overheating.

Motorcycles do not do a good job of charging the battery... hence why most use a Battery Tender when parked at night. If you stop and start your bike a lot you are only draining the battery more and more.

[trumphair]

Well.. obviously if you are buying a new vehicle because you NEED one anyway.... you are going to consider MPG....

But you have to be realistic....

Let's look at bjt's example.

Previous car got 12 mpg.
(3 miles per dollar @ $4.00/gallon)

Spyder gets 35 mpg.
(8.75 miles per dollar @ $4.00/gallon)

Difference of 23 MPG
(5.75 miles per dollar)

Price of Spyder - out the door - $ 17,500 + any extras....

Current price of gas..... $4.00/Gallon.

So you are getting an extra 5.75 miles on the Spyder for every dollar you spend.

In order to SAVE $17,500 in gas... you would have to ride an additional 100,625 miles (17,500 x 5.75) in order to just pay for the purchase price of the Spyder.

That doesn't include maintenance,insurance, etc.

These are just round figures.... but you get the idea......

The other factor is that I have found a 2 mile trip to the store takes at 30 miles on the Spyder...... ;D


No way did anyone buy a Spyder with saving MPG as the main reason....




It doesn't make sense to compare your fuel savings to the total cost of the Spyder because it's not going to depreciate to zero (hopefully not anytime soon anyway!). I bought the Spyder mostly as a toy but also as a more efficient transportation alternative (I'm about 14 MPG otherwise). If the Spyder got 14 MPG I wouldn't have bought it, and if it got 50 or 60 MPG I would have definitely been willing to pay more.

[ataDude]

...

joelin ..... turning your bike off at red lights is NOT SAFE.

You need to be running in case something happens and you need to move quickly....

+1 Absolutely...plus in first gear, clutch in, ready to go to a predetermined safe spot.

[Danimal]

Well.. I just never even thought about the MPG of the Spyder when I bought it.... and really would have bought it no matter what.

[Smylinacha]

I haven't ridden mine much yet but will now since it's not so hot and sticky out. I put on the touring windshield and hoping I can wear my shorty with it. I will be riding it to work. I don't live far from work but my car only gets around 12-13 miles to the gallon. So I am very happy getting ANYTHING over 12-13!

[Roaddog2]

+1 Absolutely...plus in first gear, clutch in, ready to go to a predetermined safe spot.
:agree:

[Roaddog2]

Never kept track of it... never will. When I get down to 2 bars... I refill.

Considering all of us spent over $15,000 of disposable income on this toy.... complaining about $$$ on gas is a moot issue IMO.


Put it this way..... did anyone out here really buy a Spyder because they wanted to save $$$ on gas????

No way...... It would take forever to make back the $15,000 you invested in the Spyder.... in Gas Savings.

:agree:

[zzneonzz]

Well i have been keeping track of my gas milage since i got the spyder. I have filled up 5 times in the 650 miles I have on it. The first take was 26mpg, 28, 27, 31, and the best so far was this last tank at 33mpg.

[jeuchler]

Current price of gas..... $4.00/Gallon.



Just to throw more gasoline on the fire of this discussion (sorry, couldn't resist), the price of gas when I filled up on Friday on Cape Cod, MA, near the west side of the Bourne bridge was $3.59 per gallon for Shell. Citgo and Gulf were cheaper, but by the time I slammed on my brakes I was at a Shell station, so I filled up... nojoke

[hondaman]

How will we all feel about mpg in the future when gas is 10.00 a gallon?I didnt care about gas a few years back when gas was 1.65.I filled up my sea-doo and ran it out by lunch.we will love the spyders more in the future.....................

[zzneonzz]

Just to throw more gasoline on the fire of this discussion (sorry, couldn't resist), the price of gas when I filled up on Friday on Cape Cod, MA, near the west side of the Bourne bridge was $3.59 per gallon for Shell. Citgo and Gulf were cheaper, but by the time I slammed on my brakes I was at a Shell station, so I filled up... nojoke

The Amaco on my way to work has regular for 3.56 its dropped 40 cents in the past 2 weeks here

[Zerocool]

A few observations from a new open-air rider; 1400+ miles, and no, I didn't buy the Roadster for mileage either :-)

1.) Fill the tank. As someone else posted here, the tank will not completely fill with the nozzle stuffed into it. You need to pull the fuel nozzle up, and slowly top the tank off, I stop when fuel starts to kick back out the air slots.

More importantly,

2.) For the past week I've been running the Roadster at 6500-7500 RPMs in each gear, as opposed to 3500-4000 RPMs like I do with my car. This seems to have made a huge improvement in mileage.

Bottom line, my gas mileage seems to be on par with others following the adjustments above.

[zzneonzz]

A few observations from a new open-air rider; 1400+ miles, and no, I didn't buy the Roadster for mileage either :-)

1.) Fill the tank. As someone else posted here, the tank will not completely fill with the nozzle stuffed into it. You need to pull the fuel nozzle up, and slowly top the tank off, I stop when fuel starts to kick back out the air slots.

More importantly,

2.) For the past week I've been running the Roadster at 6500-7500 RPMs in each gear, as opposed to 3500-4000 RPMs like I do with my car. This seems to have made a huge improvement in mileage.

Bottom line, my gas mileage seems to be on par with others following the adjustments above.

so you are getting better gas milage by going higher in RPM's?

[Zerocool]

That's the observation.

Hoping someone on this thread, who has experience with this type of sport engine, would be able to confirm/deny.

Being a new rider, I "think" I've been driving the roadster w/automobile habits, and after thinking about it, it makes sense. If I'm running a gear, say 3rd, at 3500 RPMs my guess is I'm inefficiently burning fuel. A better way would be to run 2nd gear in the 6-7K range.

... or am i smokin' something?

[zzneonzz]

Yea i'm shifting about the same as you are around 3500 with the occasions at 4500 but rarely higher than that.

[BAZMAN]

I AVERAGE ABOUT 38MPG, LOW OF 35 HIGH OF 41. SPYDER WAS BROKEN IN MODERATELY. WHEN I COME TO A STOPLIGHT, I DOWN SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. ALSO BECAUSE OF THE GEARING, YOU SHIFT INTO 5TH GEAR AT ABOUT 37 MPH. THE ENGINE PULLS NICELY FROM ABOUT 2600RPM. AS FAR AS HIGHER ELEVATION.[IAM ABOUT 5000FT] THE ENGINE USUALLY RUNS RICHER DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH THE FUEL INJECTION WILL COMPENSATE. I CHANGED OIL AT 1000 MILES PER MY DEALER I USED BRP OIL. MY NEXT CHANGE I WILL TRY AMSOIL 10W40. ALSO MY OIL WAS PRETTY DIRTY, SO IAM GLAD I CHANGED EARLY. I DO NOT THINK WE WILL SEE MPG ABOVE 40 UNTIL WE CAN CHANGE THE RATIO OF THE 5TH GEAR.
[WHAT WAS BRP THINKING THAT WE WERE GOING TO JUST DRIVE IN TOWN] WITH THE RIGHT MODS THIS IS A GREAT RODE BIKE. JUST ASK LAMONT.

[AMTJIM]

Smaller rear sprocket and belt accessory or get rid of that reverse, which I don't care to have my tranny torn apart should the option come available. The reverse function has been only a novelty at best for me, this thing is easy to push around, I would rather have 6th gear. The gas mileage for this machine is a little ridiculous. I did get 36.5 mpg today, but it was all 55, mainly under 45...during my workweek it goes down to 30ish, this machine should easily get 40 mpg minimum. Unfotunatley the way it's geared forces bad fuel economy.

[kma10-4]

31 mpg mostly 33 couple times driving the same:dontknow: using premium..
used regular 1 tank and i could tell difference more popping on downshifts
and idle was rough.. i'd be suprised if it ever got close to 35 so to get close to 40 all down hill with engine off :)

[sleepman]

1.) Fill the tank. As someone else posted here, the tank will not completely fill with the nozzle stuffed into it. You need to pull the fuel nozzle up, and slowly top the tank off, I stop when fuel starts to kick back out the air slots.

More importantly,

2.) For the past week I've been running the Roadster at 6500-7500 RPMs in each gear, as opposed to 3500-4000 RPMs like I do with my car. This seems to have made a huge improvement in mileage.

Bottom line, my gas mileage seems to be on par with others following the adjustments above.

I can't see where packing your tank is going to improve fuel mileage, it's just going to give you a little extra gas to go a little further. As for higher rpm's making a "huge improvement in mileage" give us the comparison. What did you get before and what are you getting now, that just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I think one thing that we all have to consider about the Spyder is that BRP put a performance minded engine in it. Most of the guys I've talked with who ride the supersport bikes experience the lower mpg's as well. I rode yesterday with a friend who had a 103" HQ build done on his Road King and he's now getting 30 mpg's at best. Horsepower comes with a cost to fuel mileage.

[Zerocool]

I can't see where packing your tank is going to improve fuel mileage, it's just going to give you a little extra gas to go a little further. As for higher rpm's making a "huge improvement in mileage" give us the comparison. What did you get before and what are you getting now, that just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.


Yeah, I wasn't clear regarding "packing your tank." It has nothing to do with getting better fuel mileage, rather, my gas light would come on and when I filled the tank it would only take 3.6 gallons; a bit off from the 6.6 gallons where I'd expect to put at least 5 gallons in. So I wasn't topping off the tank which lowers the distance you get.

"Huge" is relative, I know ;) I was getting 26 mpg previously. This past week, and for the first time, I got 34 mpg. Maybe the bike is improving the more miles I rack up.

Understand, I'm not trying to belabor the gas mileage, as it's not that important to me. Rather, being new to riding I'm trying to avoid developing bad riding habits by checking with you who are more experienced.

Thanks.

[sleepman]

I would think if anything that the improved mileage is from improving your riding style as you gain experience. I've had my Spyder a month now and just went over the 2,000 mile mark this weekend. I feel like it's significantly broke in and I haven't seen a change in mpg. I can range between my lowest of 30 mpg to my highest of 35 mpg, I'm consistently at 32 mpg. I would think however that there could be a mpg difference between the SE5 and the SM5 much like there is a difference between a standard and automatic car.

[NancysToy]

I would be surprised to see much difference between an SE5 and the SM5. It will be interesting to get some feedback now that the button shifters are arriving. The losses on automatic transmission equipped cars are mainly due to the slippage in the torque converter. With the modern lock-up converters, they are closer than in the old days, but they still slip at low speeds in the lower gears. The SE5 is different, and electronically controlled. It will only slip at an idle, from what I have gathered, when it has to. It may lose a little in comparison because you never let off the throttle to shift, though.

The mileage on Spyders seems to vary a lot. I don't think this is all the rider, and maybe not the machine, either. I feel that some variance is due to the increased amount of ethanol in our gas. Obviously it varies from stae to state, brand to brand, and region to region. Across the board, my 30 vehicles are getting worse and worse mileage. Even my lawn tractor has suffered this year. We did document improved gas mileage as our Spyder was broken in. I doubt it was rider variation. In that department, however, my wife wins. She consistently gets 2 mpg better than I do, highway, city, or mixed. Apparently she hasn't discovered the joy of twisting the throttle yet.
-Scotty

[Smylinacha]

I did around 600 miles over the weekend. 300 of it was highway on the way home and the Spyder was getting in the low thirties. That was doing between 65 and 75 mph.

[smokster]

Well i have been keeping track of my gas milage since i got the spyder. I have filled up 5 times in the 650 miles I have on it. The first take was 26mpg, 28, 27, 31, and the best so far was this last tank at 33mpg.
Sounds about correct.

[trikester]

I think my mileage is improving as the riding mileage goes up. I haven't refilled yet, after the Julian ride, but having three bars on the gauge after 172 miles of twisty mountain riding, I know that is better than when I first got the Spyder.

The only time I've measured the mileage was my first tank full and I only got 26 mpg then.

I have 694 miles on the clock now. It'll be interesting to measure what I got on this latest ride. :read:

[Star Cruiser]

I have been driving pretty aggresively for the break in. Lots of higher reving and back down. Looks like it really chewed up the gas. I'll fill the tank and start to track the milage. A neat site to get on and do mileage and best gas prices is: www.gasbuddy.com (http://www.gasbuddy.com) There is a fuel logbook option for the Canadian Sites, and for some of the States as well.

[Hummer42]

Me too. lol