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Why is my 2019 RTL getting poor fuel economy
- Thread starter Upcoaster
- Start date
Jetfixer
Well-known member
It's not fair to compare the 1330 engine to a Yamaha engine. Check out the torque curve on the 1330 and you'll see that you should be in 6th gear a lot earlier than you think. These are torque engines, not hi-rev engines. As to the fuel mileage readouts, I've filled my tank and sometimes seen the miles to empty readout say 320. After about a mile, it's down to 260. This info is really only useful to figure out where you need to fill up again. Something else to try: Fill up to the top of the neck, ride until you get the low fuel warning light to stay on, then fill up again. Do this a few times and you'll not only get a true mpg figure, but you'll comfortably know how far you can go after that light comes on and stays on.
I got the RT for long distance touring. I tow a camping trailer and my wife tows the cargo trailer with her RT. We are touring (i.e. enjoying the sights and experience), so we're not in a hurry and we avoid superslabs and cities as much as possible.
Occasionally, we have no choice but to use the interstate (particularly when destination riding vs touring), and we do keep up with traffic. Last summer, we rode over 300 miles thru mostly desert on the interstate and averaged 70 mph, towing the trailers. Our overall mpg was in the low 30s. Jane's bike did better than mine because she tows the streamlined and lighter RT-622. Our combined mpg was therefore about 16.
If each of our bikes was averaging 25 mpg (i.e. 13mpg combined), we literally would not be able to justify the fuel bill for our planned 10k mile tour to the eastern seaboard next summer and would sell the bikes and trailers.
My GMC Canyon with 4 cylinder diesel gets over 40mpg empty and 20mpg or more fully loaded, towing our camping trailer, so that's my benchmark for expectations for Spyder touring.
FWIW, I keep the (car) tires on the Spyders at 2-3 psi over what the tire experts here on SL recommend. I believe that helps contribute to my higher mpg numbers.
IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
First off, 300 miles is far too few miles to get a reliable read on MPG. 2 to 5k will give a much better reading.
For one person's, one person only (me), real world experience with MPG over 2 summers read through this thread. It's 4 years old but that doesn't invalidate my findings.
https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums...ed-Premium-vs-Regular&highlight=guess+premium
Even though the main subject of the thread is premium vs regular gas there are a lot of comments about what factors affect MPG. You really need to read the entire thread to capture all the good info in it.
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
I ALWAYS fill to the lip/ring on the tank .... when filling I ALWAYS record how much gas fits in AFTER the auto shut-off engages ... this amount is 1.3 to 1.4 gals..... ALWAYS ..... Mike :thumbup:
My 2019 RTD gets 35 when driving under 60. As soon as I get on the interstate the DTE goes down about twice as fast as normal. Then when I slow down I can actually gain miles on the DTE for the next couple of hours making it look like I'm not even using gas.
I don't know what its actually getting when driving the turnpike but it must be like half as much. at 75 it just sucks it down. I don't know how any of you guys do the long distance. That would drive me bonkers. So I try to stay off the highway anyway as there is no way to keep up to traffic even at 75. Cars are now going 80-90 now a days.
I don't know what its actually getting when driving the turnpike but it must be like half as much. at 75 it just sucks it down. I don't know how any of you guys do the long distance. That would drive me bonkers. So I try to stay off the highway anyway as there is no way to keep up to traffic even at 75. Cars are now going 80-90 now a days.
BertRemington
New member
I'll mention that 6th gear also felt a little funky (hard to describe)
"I'll mention that 6th gear also felt a little funky (hard to describe)"
Low mileage 3-year old Spyder: add a full bottle of fuel injector cleaner next fill.
Drive until Low Fuel light.
Then use regular gas (minimal ethanol if possible) for next fill.
Drive a half-tank. Did funky go away?
I don't know 2019 dashboard but if it has bars how many show when Low Fuel light appears?
My 2014 is 1 sometimes 2 bars.
"I'll mention that 6th gear also felt a little funky (hard to describe)"
Low mileage 3-year old Spyder: add a full bottle of fuel injector cleaner next fill.
Drive until Low Fuel light.
Then use regular gas (minimal ethanol if possible) for next fill.
Drive a half-tank. Did funky go away?
I don't know 2019 dashboard but if it has bars how many show when Low Fuel light appears?
My 2014 is 1 sometimes 2 bars.
Little Blue
SpyderLovers Ambassador
I have only gotten one or two extra miles to the gallon using 'Eco Mode'.. This for me is not a game changer.
Do what you want and enjoy some ryde time....:thumbup:
mecsw500
Member
I cruise with traffic at normal highway speeds. When I accelerate I tend to shift up at around peak torque and don’t bother revving it out to the redline. I usually ride 2 up.
You have to consider, an RT LTD ways about 1,000 lbs plus riders. It might look sleek but it has the aerodynamics of an RV trailer. The tires are wide and run low pressure. It has a flat underbody 4 inches off the ground which probably creates a lot of drag from the resulting down force related drag. Then there are potential frictional losses and a basic engine technology not designed with things like V-Tech in mind.
My Triumph Trophy TTSE had a similar motor, but it revved more and made lots more power. But with 350 pounds less, much smaller frontal area, two much slimmer inline tires, it would manage mid 30 mpg at 20 mph faster. It had a tall top gear though.
So 35 mpg on the freeway at 75 mph would seem not too bad in comparison, and that’s what I see. It is a touring machine after all and was probably designed for a vastly different purpose to the high speed mileage eating Triumph.
The rotax motor is designed on the side of basic for a reliable high mileage life, so high technology systems for greater engine efficiency at the cost of engine life were probably not in the equation. You get hint of that from the low redline rpm’s.
I think they could have built a better fuel tank, with slight more capacity and a better filler neck. I can’t even fill up with the Costco pumps any more as to keep the activation sleeve pushed back by the filler the nozzle goes in so deep the tank has about 2 gallons of free space left. That costs me more than the fuel consumption as I have to go to more expensive stations.
You have to consider, an RT LTD ways about 1,000 lbs plus riders. It might look sleek but it has the aerodynamics of an RV trailer. The tires are wide and run low pressure. It has a flat underbody 4 inches off the ground which probably creates a lot of drag from the resulting down force related drag. Then there are potential frictional losses and a basic engine technology not designed with things like V-Tech in mind.
My Triumph Trophy TTSE had a similar motor, but it revved more and made lots more power. But with 350 pounds less, much smaller frontal area, two much slimmer inline tires, it would manage mid 30 mpg at 20 mph faster. It had a tall top gear though.
So 35 mpg on the freeway at 75 mph would seem not too bad in comparison, and that’s what I see. It is a touring machine after all and was probably designed for a vastly different purpose to the high speed mileage eating Triumph.
The rotax motor is designed on the side of basic for a reliable high mileage life, so high technology systems for greater engine efficiency at the cost of engine life were probably not in the equation. You get hint of that from the low redline rpm’s.
I think they could have built a better fuel tank, with slight more capacity and a better filler neck. I can’t even fill up with the Costco pumps any more as to keep the activation sleeve pushed back by the filler the nozzle goes in so deep the tank has about 2 gallons of free space left. That costs me more than the fuel consumption as I have to go to more expensive stations.
IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
Do like I do. Pull the nozzle out like you did before and grab hold of the sleeve and pull it back. Then gas flows! I fill my tank to the brim that way!
StalkyTracker
Member
There are also cards to hold the sleeve back out of the way.
Aerostich - https://www.aerostich.com/gascard.html
Adventure Rider - https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/vapor-recovery-nozzle-tool-aka-gascard.647816/page-22#post-44190291
Aerostich - https://www.aerostich.com/gascard.html
Adventure Rider - https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/vapor-recovery-nozzle-tool-aka-gascard.647816/page-22#post-44190291
IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
Kind of neat!
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
ECO mode, if used faithfully, will give you about one extra MPG. It will also slow down your power curve.
rjinaz86323
Active member
I currently have ~7600 miles on my 2018 F3 Limited. I typically get around 35+ mpg. When I fill up my DTE will usually read around 235 -250 miles. I am not positive how it arrives at this, but it seems to be fairly accurate. The only time my mileage drops much is if I have a long run on the I40 to get home. Then my CC is set at 81mph to avoid getting run over from behind. But my mileage never drops below 30mpg. Coming from a Harley trike I am loving the mileage I get from a tank of gas (87 octane by the way)
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
The "ECO mode " is calibrated to improve gas MPG's ..... IMHO if you are on the interstate and keep it a steady speed ( whatever number you chose ) it will make a difference in your MPG's. However, trying to compare it to a different Trip is really impossible. The calibration they set it for is only " theoretical ". Google " EPA " testing procedures, it will explain how it's done. However No One can actually drive this way. If you put a veh. on a Dyno type machine you can get pretty consistent measurements because the parameters will be constant. ... actual driving will produce Hughley different numbers ..... hope this helps .... mike :thumbup:
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