998 MPG average ?

[sledge]

i am an old Goldwing guy , have had 5 in a row in last 15 or so years. 1100 & 1200 cc 4 cyl. and every one I have had .... mountains or level ground hot or cool weather , always real close to 42 mpg. BUT my Spyder dont get anywhere close to that I dont think. I have not really wrote down the miles and gallons , but... i think something close to 30 MPG. ... anyone really figured their MPG ???

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

i am an old Goldwing guy , have had 5 in a row in last 15 or so years. 1100 & 1200 cc 4 cyl. and every one I have had .... mountains or level ground hot or cool weather , always real close to 42 mpg. BUT my Spyder dont get anywhere close to that I dont think. I have not really wrote down the miles and gallons , but... i think something close to 30 MPG. ... anyone really figured their MPG ???

I had an 08 GS & an 11 RSS .... both with the 998 engine ..30 MPG was about avg. .... your RT is going to get less it's heavier with a larger body .... figure about 27-28 mpg .... good luck ... Mike

[Peter Aawen]

While the GS/RS/RSS/ST Models might get better fuel economy (cos they're lighter! ) that 30 mpg is probably not too far off the 'best to be expected' mark for an aging 2011 RT that hasn't had any 'weight reduction' mods done (like a cat delete ) plus an ECU Upgrade with air intake & exhaust mods to suit/enhance the engine's ability to take advantage of the better tune....

But if you do those things mentioned, and you can resist the temptation to always wring the throttle right round to WOT at every take-off, you could probably get a whole lot better than 30 mpg! . Maybe not quite reliably getting the 42 mpg that some report getting with their 1330's, and no matter what you do to the tune & in the air intake/exhaust/weight loss departments, you're unlikely to ever get the same range as the 2014 & on 1330's simply because they have a 26 litre(usable 24 litres)/6 gallon or so tank, while your 2011 has a 22 litre(usable 20 litres)/5 gallon tank!! That said, my 2013 RT Ltd that does have all those mods & has been on a weight reduction programme, and it generally gets pretty close to 35 mpg most of the time(cos I can't always resist the temptation to wring the throttle! ) and occasionally, on a steady speed/long run where I'm not working the twisties & I don't spend too much time over 8,000 rpm &/or 70-75 mph, I can get pdc to 38-40 mpg!

Still, it's the nature of the beast - the V-Twins are high revving power plants that thrive on those revs to deliver top end power rather than putting out heaps of torque at relatively low revs in order to lump along & poke around the place; and any Spyder is a pretty large lump of real estate that hasta push a dirty great wall of air ahead of it; so as a result, the V-Twins are much more exciting to ride to their limits, but not as economical as the lazier engined, higher torque, lower revving 1330 motors can be - but if you (try to ) ride one of them like I usually ride my 2013 & you keep it in the top third of it's rev range ALL the time, they too will certainly wake up (a bit ) but then they won't get as good as 40 mpg either! And once you get either of them up over about 75 mph, or if you're pushing your Spyder hard into a gusty or head on wind, you'll pay the penalty in terms of fuel economy too!

So if you want better fuel economy, why don't you get that ECU Upgrade, improve the air flow IN & the exhaust flow OUT of the engine, maybe fit a shorty windscreen to lessen the wall of air you hafta push ahead of you, and put your Spyder on a weight reduction programme starting with the catalytic converter (if you haven't already!)?? Do that, then all you'll hafta worry about is resisting the temptation to wring the throttle hard & enjoy all the new found power & those wonderful revs - which could be something a whole lot harder to do than you might think!

Go On... DO IT! You Know You Want To!

[ARtraveler]

I was the owner of four 998's. 08/09/10, & 11. All of them got about 30 mpg...did not matter whether it was the GS/RS or the RT configuration. We did not buy any of them for the mileage.

[safecracker]

My 998 Spyder RTS manual gets around 33 to 35 mpg when riding 2 up. I have gotten 40 mpg when I was by myself doing 60 mph. When I am on the Interstate riding double and fully loaded and doing 75-80 mph it drops alot, 24 to 26 mpg. My gas tank is 6.6 gallons. Most I have ever put in the fuel tank is 5.7 gallons on the road. Bruce

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

My 998 Spyder RTS manual gets around 33 to 35 mpg when riding 2 up. I have gotten 40 mpg when I was by myself doing 60 mph. When I am on the Interstate riding double and fully loaded and doing 75-80 mph it drops alot, 24 to 26 mpg. My gas tank is 6.6 gallons. Most I have ever put in the fuel tank is 5.7 gallons on the road. Bruce

Bruce ... very Happy to hear you are getting that kind of MPG's with your V-twin .... However from what I've read on the forum it's un-usual..... I have heard about some incredible mileages using the Kenda tires also, but that is also not the norm .... JMHO .... Mike

[M109Dreamer]

The wife has had an 11 RTS since new and has always averaged 30-32 mpg. Until she throws the RT-622 on and cruises above 75 mph, then the mpg really goes to crap.

[sledge]

well... I never got my Spyder for MPG either , and as I said yesterday I have never really wrote down how much fuel and how many Miles , so I really don't know what the MPG is , but I could tell just by how often I was filling up that it wasn't getting even close to what my Goldwing gets . But the truth is I LOVE my Spyder , and at my age , with Knee and Back problems , my Spyder has been a Blessing for an Old Rider to get in a few more years and enjoy everyday I can. and I sure thank everyone for your input , this is a great group for any kind of Info about Spyder's that I have asked . thank you all so much

[safecracker]

Sledge, in a couple more weeks I will be getting mine out. The 998 has been a good motor. I have 90,000 miles on mine. still running good. Bruce

[missouriboy]

My 2012 RTL averaged 30.73 for the 32K miles I drove it. Lots of 2-up.

Bruce ... very Happy to hear you are getting that kind of MPG's with your V-twin .... However from what I've read on the forum it's un-usual..... I have heard about some incredible mileages using the Kenda tires, but that is also not the norm .... JMHO .... Mike

Mike, Bruce said he had the SM5... wouldn't that do better than the slippy-slipping centrifugal clutch on the SE5?

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

but... i think something close to 30 MPG. ... anyone really figured their MPG ???

MPG with a Spyder, especially the 998 engine, is like a kid jumping on a trampoline. Speed, headwind, load like a passenger or pulling a trailer, windshield, all affect the MPG, and not to the good either! I had as low as 21 pulling a trailer in a headwind, and maybe as high as 36.

[sledge]

man thats good news , 90,000 miles is really good news .. I traded for my Spyder in July of 2021 , it was 10 years old and only had 13,000 miles on it , and before cold weather I had put little over 3,000 miles on it ... so 16,000 now ... runs and rides and drives like new I think . my wife bought me a new set of tires for it for Christmas , I got to put them on before spring , I am building a set of Highway pegs for it . can't wait to do some riding. hope your bike is ready to roll and hope you enjoy every minute of everyday .

[sledge]

when I traded for my Spyder I got a little trailer , and hitch and all that , I will never use either , and when I take my rear wheel off to put new tires on before spring I plan to sell the Trailer and Hitch . I don't like the looks of the Hitch on it , and I will never do any riding that I am gonna need a trailer . I hope I can sell it to someone who needs it more than me.

[SpyderJerry]

When my friend who has a 2005 1800 Goldwing trike and I ride together(mine is a 2013 RTSe5) we get about the same mpg. Any where from 30 to 34. Normaly driving 60 and below on secondary roads. Driving interstate it may drop to 28 mpg. Most trike conversions will drop mpg by adding weght and body panels.

[sledge]

oh yes your right , I used to have a Goldwing Trike 10 years ago , I never liked it and sold it after only 600 miles on it . but I am getting old and knee and back problems , so I really was looking for something that I could still ride and be comfortable . this Spyder filled the Bill . just fits me , and my needs . around here , don't seem to be many Spyder Riders . pretty Rare to see one out on the road , and when I do see one they have mostly Va. or NC tags on them . i am in north east Tn. soooo I am about 40 miles to Bristol Va. and about 50 to Boone NC. wish I could find an older Spyder rider to ride with when the weather in good . I been looking . hope to see you someday.

[Eviltwin]

On my 2010 RT, the average is 29.92. I use a fuel logger on the phone and update it on every fillup. This is over about 1900 miles and 18 fillups over 2 years.

[sledge]

well then Eviltwin thats good enough for me.....LOL ... thats pretty close to 30 MPG . Thank You so much .