What type of gas mileage are you getting on your RT? When is the engine break in officially over? I recently got my RT and love riding it, have about 950 miles on it which is quite alot since I am also out of town alot. I am getting about 20-22 mpg, lots of city driving though. The dealer told me that once the vehicle had about 1000-1500 miles on it the engine would be broken in and would be getting good gas mileage then. It has already had its first maintenance check and is always garaged when not being ridden. What is your experience with this? Thanks
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gas mileage
- Thread starter muonwhiz
- Start date
SpyderAnn01
Active member
:welcome: the RT isn't known for great gas mileage. I usually get around 26 mpg. Some get in the 30's but don't count on it. If you're looking for a high gas mileage vehicle you've bought the wrong thing. Sorry.
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
20-22 is quite low (although within BRP allowances). I'd suspect a possible ignition, sensor, or fuel delivery problem. I'd start by inspecting the spark plugs. If one is fouled (often because of a bad plug wire), the mileage goes in the dumptser. If they both look fried, the Spyder is running way too lean, which could implicate sensors, the fuel system, or some sensors. I have seen both these cause similar mileage results. You could also have a bad throttle body. I'd talk to the dealer...although the search may end up being on your dime.
gelaw
New member
You didn't say if you have an SE or a manual. On the SE, if you run below about 3500 rpm the clutch will continually slip, and your gas mileage will suffer. ( Clutch will suffer as well.). So with an SE you need to wind up to 5000rpm or more before upshifting, and maintain a minimum of about 4000rpm as you ride. Gas mileage improves significantly on an SE when operated this way.
I have a 2012 RT A&C SE5 with the performance package set up by Len at Cowtown and pretty consistant at 30 mpg. It just turned 1900 miles, mostly on highway (2 lane) with my little back-seat lady steering me in the right direction. Very pleased with the Spyder, we normally stop for breaks around 150 miles and we can figure on loading up with 4 to 5 gal.
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
I average about 31 with highway driving. Less mileage with two up or mixed city driving. 23,000 miles on my RTS.
RTGENE
Out of work Member
31mpg
This past week I passed 13,000 miles
That makes me smile 'cause I must be having fun.
I'm at CowTown I mention the new 31mpg to Kevin he tells me sounds like its getting broken in (So that's something to look forward to.)I'm there for a break recall----I tell Jim since I'm here how about doing an oil change,new Elka shocks and a set of the Lamount pegs. They are so nice I feel bad taking advantage of them. On the way home the ride was so good I got over feeling bad.
With out a change in riding habits I now get 31mpg with every fill up,that's an increase from the 24/25 mpg
The June Durango run will be a good test for High way MPG
This past week I passed 13,000 miles
That makes me smile 'cause I must be having fun.
I'm at CowTown I mention the new 31mpg to Kevin he tells me sounds like its getting broken in (So that's something to look forward to.)I'm there for a break recall----I tell Jim since I'm here how about doing an oil change,new Elka shocks and a set of the Lamount pegs. They are so nice I feel bad taking advantage of them. On the way home the ride was so good I got over feeling bad.
With out a change in riding habits I now get 31mpg with every fill up,that's an increase from the 24/25 mpg
The June Durango run will be a good test for High way MPG
WaltH
Senior Member
Cruising in the country at 50 - 60 mph I get an easy 35 mpg, sometimes even a little better. On the highway at 70 mph I get about 30 mpg. At 80 mph I am somewhere below 30 mpg. It doesn't make much difference whether I am on the RT or the GS/RS. It makes a lot of difference what you do with your right hand. It seems to me that gas mileage improves up to about 10,000 miles, or so.
SpyderAnn01
Active member
Gene are you saying that you are getting better mileage because you got new shocks? I'll buy you a Diet Coke in Durango.
d.o.spyder-rts
Active member
Fuel grade
Ok, what grade of fuel do you use? The owners manual specifies for optimum performance 91 octane (high test) min 87 (regular). I was using 87, however, the service manager at the local dealership recommended using 91. I'm just curious if the possible increase in mpg would justify the price of premium.:dontknow: Comments/suggestions. Dale
Ok, what grade of fuel do you use? The owners manual specifies for optimum performance 91 octane (high test) min 87 (regular). I was using 87, however, the service manager at the local dealership recommended using 91. I'm just curious if the possible increase in mpg would justify the price of premium.:dontknow: Comments/suggestions. Dale
scooterexpress
New member
ever since day one all i have been using is 91-93 octane and only getting about 26 on avg and i have 6k on my rts my hwy speeds go from 70-80 and in the city i usally do the posted limits. i was told that 5krpm was the ideal r's to ride on the freeway that puts you at about 68-70mph.when we went to spyderfest i got 31.66mpg but my avg speed was about 60-65 with tons of twisties and hills.coming home all hwy i got 25 and that was going 70-75 into the wind.
Bob Denman
New member
Good question! :thumbup:
The RT's 991 is tuned for the good stuff. It'll run on 87, but "performance" isn't optimized. :gaah: It probably doesn't get all of its 100 horsepower and might not be getting the best possible use of the fuel as it dials back timing to keep things from "knocking and rocking" inside the cases. :shocked:
I've decided to use the best grade of fuel that I can find; My mileage has always been pretty darn good, but I ride "low and slow" too!
Most of the issues with mileage are the result of your right wrist doin' the talking! :shocked: These bikes push a lot of air in front of them, so try slowing down 5mph and see if that helps... :thumbup:
Thanks! I have the Roadster RT-SE (red, not the limited edition) with the semi automatic transmission. I ususally shift gears around 3000 rpm and in the city I'm up to 5th gear by the time I hit 40 mph. I have not had any trouble with the engine struggling and thought if I kept the rpm a bit lower that better gas mileage would result. I am also a conservative driver, never red line it, and stay pretty close to speed limits. The days of wanting to race anyone or impress anyone are long gone. I also have used the regular unleaded gas for it- do you think the aditional cost of premium gas is more than offset with better mpg? Any other tips?
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
What you have said here may be the key to your poor mileage. First, the Spyder SE shouldn't even shift at 3,000 rpm. I'm sure you may have noticed some hesitation and refusal to shift. The Spyder centrifugal clutch does not begin to engage until 2,000 +/- 200 rpm, and is not fully engaged until 3,200 +/- 200 rpm. It will typically drop about 1,000 rpm between gears. If you shift at 3,000 rpm, it will end up running at around 2,000 rpm, with the centrifugal clutch slipping badly. You need to shift above 4,200-4,400 rpm to assure no clutch slippage. As was said, clutch slippage kills mileage and will eventually kill the clutch.
The Spyder RT will run on 87 octane, but 91 or better is recommended. The higher octane fuel will make the Spyder perform better, which may actually improve your mileage. Higher octane fuels get poorer mileage than lower octane fuels, in themselves, though. If you ride 12,000 miles a year, and get 25 miles to a gallon, the premium fuel will only cost you $100 more a year.
Bottom line...pick up the rpm a bit and see if your fuel mileage improves. Your performance certainly will. You are going to discover a whole different machine once you hit 5,000 rpm!
GloryRyders
MOgang Member
I returned last week from "Run To The Wall in Washington D.C. last week and got an average of 30.7 MPG for the total trip of 1800 miles I currently have 11,200 miles on my RT LTD. Something to look forward to.:2thumbs:
can-am sam
New member
Try shifting at a higher rpm- 4500 or higher and you will find the gear changes are much faster and smoother. The engine really comes to life at higher rpms.
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
Update: Akspyderlady rode one up and the speeds were 45-60 mph for total miles of 157.7 on the tank. It took 4.9 gallons to refill. That was 32 mpg--about 1 mpg more than I normally get.
Slower speeds equate to better mileage. She also kept the rpms under 5000.
Slower speeds equate to better mileage. She also kept the rpms under 5000.
Grandpa Spyder
New member
Average is 30 mpg Best was 38 mpg worst has been 28 mpg. Always use prem. gas
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