R U kidding? MPG in the toilet

[unclet]

I went from a '10 RT to a '13RTS a few months ago. the break in mileage on the 13 mirrored that of the 10 at about 25-28 mpg. I am now wintering in AZ and most of my driving is around the resort with a 15mph limit and trips to town at 35 mph. The first and second fillups showed an amazing 16 mpg. I filled it to the brim as we were leaving for an 80 mile freeway trip at 75 mph and the tank full mpg jumped all the way up to 20 mpg. No visible gas leak. engine running smoothly and idle at normal 1350-1400. Any thoughts?

[Jeriatric]

I went from a '10 RT to a '13RTS a few months ago. the break in mileage on the 13 mirrored that of the 10 at about 25-28 mpg. I am now wintering in AZ and most of my driving is around the resort with a 15mph limit and trips to town at 35 mph. The first and second fillups showed an amazing 16 mpg. I filled it to the brim as we were leaving for an 80 mile freeway trip at 75 mph and the tank full mpg jumped all the way up to 20 mpg. No visible gas leak. engine running smoothly and idle at normal 1350-1400. Any thoughts?

First thing I would do is smell the engine oil for any sign of gasoline.

[Bob Denman]

Have you had the ECM updates done on your 2013 yet?

[cuznjohn]

i have bad millage on my 13, will see what it does after the ecu update

[flamingobabe]

crazy as it is....I'll get 19 to 36 all in the same day with almost same conditions......but mine tends to run on the lean side.....had mapping...plan a ride this Saturday....suppose to be 76 degrees....we'll see what happens

[Bob Denman]

We'll expect a full report on our desk; young Lady!

[unclet]

no gas smell in the oil. Had first service done in Dec 13. invoice did not mention any ECU update done, Will look into it with my dealer upon return home in April.

[Bob Denman]

I was thinking about this a bit...
You're doing a lot of running around in just first or second gear.. That's never going to win you any fuel mileage contests...
To get your best fuel economy; you need to be using top gear! (At a reasonable speed, so that aero-drag; doesn't bite back!)

[Jeriatric]

Apples and oranges some may say but, understanding the affects of resistance to the human motor may help in understanding how it impacts a gasoline powered vehicle. Just a tidbit. Use it or discount it.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/aerodynamics1.html

[TexAmRider]

I had the ECU upgrade. The way it seems now is my MPG may be a little lower than before. Time will tell. I didn't really have any issues before and now it seems to be running a little warmer than it was. I don't think I should be seeing 5 bars in 70 degrees. I don't recall seeing more than that when it was 100. I'll give it some more time. If I'm seeing reduced MPG and higher temps when it gets really hot, I may take it in to have them put the computer settings back to what they were.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Two things will lead to unreliable MPG calculations, short slow rides, and tank to tank comparisons. Looking back over my Goldwing record for last year the four tank running average MPG varied from about 30 to 38 over a period of 6 tankfuls, and that's virtually all highway miles. Even the lifetime average MPG varied from 37 to 38 from 15,000 to 52,000 miles

[Dan_Ashley]

Two things will lead to unreliable MPG calculations, short slow rides, and tank to tank comparisons. Looking back over my Goldwing record for last year the four tank running average MPG varied from about 30 to 38 over a period of 6 tankfuls, and that's virtually all highway miles. Even the lifetime average MPG varied from 37 to 38 from 15,000 to 52,000 miles

Maybe due to differences in fueling. If it isn't filled to the same "fullness" each time the calculations will differ. If it is filled until the hose automatically clicks off, and is not topped off, you have to use the exact same hose at the same gas station for each fill up.

[Bob Ledford]

at the speeds your talking about you won't get super mileage because the engine is not running in the economy phase of the power curve.

As previously stated get yourself a small spiral ring notebook and keep track of your consumption by the tank and average it per tank, and per month.


The RPM range for a 13 should be the same as my 11 between 3,500 to 6,000 RPM and if you have a SE your clutch lock engages between 3,000 to 3,400+/- 200. Less then that your slipping it and wasting fuel too

[Dizneyman]

at the speeds your talking about you won't get super mileage because the engine is not running in the economy phase of the power curve.

As previously stated get yourself a small spiral ring notebook and keep track of your consumption by the tank and average it per tank, and per month.


The RPM range for a 13 should be the same as my 11 between 3,500 to 6,000 RPM and if you have a SE your clutch lock engages between 3,000 to 3,400+/- 200. Less then that your slipping it and wasting fuel too

If he is staying in first and second gear he is on the power band.

[spacetiger]

I went from a '10 RT to a '13RTS a few months ago. the break in mileage on the 13 mirrored that of the 10 at about 25-28 mpg. I am now wintering in AZ and most of my driving is around the resort with a 15mph limit and trips to town at 35 mph. The first and second fillups showed an amazing 16 mpg. I filled it to the brim as we were leaving for an 80 mile freeway trip at 75 mph and the tank full mpg jumped all the way up to 20 mpg. No visible gas leak. engine running smoothly and idle at normal 1350-1400. Any thoughts?

Can you post what grade gas you use and dates of your last fill ups? 93 octane gas boils off quicker than 87 and there is always the chance your gas was switched to winter grade grade and or ethanol blend. A combination of these might chip away at your MPG, then the short trips would be a factor in accounting for a drop from 20-25 to something lower.


keep us posted

Jerry

[ARtraveler]

Some of this is even more technical than me the accountant would do.

I do keep track of tank to tank--but don't write it down or keep in a gas mileage program. I do expect the mpg to vary if I am doing a different kind of ride (slower, more hills, bad traffic, in town, etc.).

Filling to the same level each time I get gas for the has always been done.

I mostly run 31 mpg and have experienced as low as 26 mpg and as high as 34 mpg. This information is over 4 different 's and 94,000 miles.

[cuznjohn]

i also don't really keep track of millage also but i do know i don't do that great with it, but with the snow and the cold i still have a full tank from last season

[Bob Denman]

If he is staying in first and second gear he is on the power band.

He's in the powerband; but in those low gears... there's no fuel economy to be found anywhere..

[NancysToy]

There is no way to accurately gauge or measure mileage under those riding conditions. That being said, if under those same conditions mileage has dropped drastically, I would suspect:

A. A fouled spark plug
B. A bad plug wire
C. A slipping clutch (that is deteriorating)

JMHO

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Maybe due to differences in fueling. If it isn't filled to the same "fullness" each time the calculations will differ. If it is filled until the hose automatically clicks off, and is not topped off, you have to use the exact same hose at the same gas station for each fill up.

It's difficult to not have differences in fueling, even though I take it to near the top every time. Wind, varying speeds, hills, weather, tire pressures, etc., all influence MPG. The 4 fill variation I mentioned above is not the norm. It was on a cross country trip and I think wind was a big factor. I mentioned it mostly to point out how unreliable short term MPG calculations are, and even long term MPG numbers move some.

[Spyder in La.]

Have you had the ECM updates done on your 2013 yet?

I received the ECM software update last Friday, but the service tech couldn't explain the reason for the update other than it was the latest software...

Should I expect improved gas mileage? btw; the only experience I've ever had with low gas mileage (<29mpg ) was during a trip thru Amarrillo when we all purchased a tank of bad gas... The four of us were running on fumes less than 85miles down the road..

[unclet]

I last filled on 2/23 in Casa Grande AZ. The best AZ offers is 91 octane. Since there is no winter down here I doubt they sell winter blends. Problem has to be majority of driving is 15-17 MPH in 1st gear of SE tranny.

As an example, odometer currently showing 46 miles and fuel gauge just hit 1/2 tank.

[Bob Denman]

It's not the bike; it's the speeds and gears, that are being used...

[billrob71]

I dont know about your area but around here in the winter we get that oxygenated fuel and it kill mpg in most of the vehicles , imagine the bikes would have the same results .


sorry didnt see your above response, lower RPM , low speed riding is hard to do a MPG comparison