my spyder mpg and me

[aka1004]

when i first got my spyder i was getting about 25 mpg in stock form but i heard other ryders were getting mpg up to 35. i thought may be there was a problem with my spyder but it was so fun i did not think much about it. as i rode more, i began to think it's me and my heavy throttle hand.
i've been getting somewhere between 20-26 mpg for last year or so.

on this trip to palm springs, i decided to do a little experiment.
no acceleration above 40% throttle and rpm not higher than 6000.
this is the range of closed loop of ecu fuel map and anything above this, power commander is set to feed more fuel. 13.7 afr in closed loop, 13.2 til 80% throtte and 13 at 100%.

i was good for the most part on the way to palm springs but i was not really true to the test but still got 27 mpg.

on the way back, i kept the throttle well below 40%, 100% of the timeand kept rpm below
6000 rpm 99% of the time and wow wow wow. i got 165 miles out of 5.2 gallon. i still had 5 bars of fuel when i hit 100 miles(it went to 4 at 104). normally, when i am 100 miles, i have to fuel or think about it as i am down to 1 or 2 bars.

yes it was all me.pps: i only had myself to blame for the bad mpg.

i think this also means that just because you have performance mod, that does not mean you will burn more fuel, not much anyway. you burn more fuel because it's more fun to get on the throttle with mods.
i always felt like spyder was about to bleed thru it's a#$hole at full throttle(if it had one)>

 

[Tom in NM]

I see a big difference . . . .

. . . . in town, I get 32mph +. But out on the roads, 55-65 mph, I get 40mpg +.

When I hit the expressways, it drops back to around 35mpg - if I stay under 85mph, but that seems to be more self-control than I seem to have.

Tom

 

[sledhead]

40+ per gallon!!!!
Are you serious????
You are the 1st I've seen to get any where near that!
I have all I can do to get over 30. Apparently I am way to heavy handed.
Good for you..:thumbup:
What mods have you done to get that good mileage????

 

[bone crusher]

40+ per gallon!!!!
Are you serious????
You are the 1st I've seen to get any where near that!
I have all I can do to get over 30. Apparently I am way to heavy handed.
Good for you..:thumbup:
What mods have you done to get that good mileage????

I love Tom but I ain't buying 40 mpg. I have tweaked my machine as much as I can and tried a full tank at average rpms well below 5000 and can't get above 35 mpg...if you're on the highway at 75mph, you're at about 5500 rpm...this is chewing up significantly more gas...

 

[boborgera]

I love Tom but I ain't buying 40 mpg. I have tweaked my machine as much as I can and tried a full tank at average rpms well below 5000 and can't get above 35 mpg...if you're on the highway at 75mph, you're at about 5500 rpm...this is chewing up significantly more gas...

:dontknow:
I don't know about 75/85 MPH, I do a 165/180 mile loop along the Delaware River 60/65 MPH twice a month, With the stock windshield i was getting 37/39 MPG I added an Evo 111 w/side deflectors the mileage dropped to 32/33. All stock except for the Evo. Around town Pop. 5k+- just two traffic lights 31 MPG. Last Sept. i followed my son on a 585 mile run, His ride is a Busa so you know we were flying low.:yikes: Stock shield 33MPG.
I said this a few times, not all Spyders are put together the same.:dontknow:

 

[aka1004]

I said this a few times, not all Spyders are put together the same.

i do believe this also. whoever put my spyder must been really hung over, the whole group. i had so much problem... but i still love ryding it.

 

[bone crusher]

:dontknow:
I don't know about 75/85 MPH, I do a 165/180 mile loop along the Delaware River 60/65 MPH twice a month, With the stock windshield i was getting 37/39 MPG I added an Evo 111 w/side deflectors the mileage dropped to 32/33. All stock except for the Evo. Around town Pop. 5k+- just two traffic lights 31 MPG. Last Sept. i followed my son on a 585 mile run, His ride is a Busa so you know we were flying low.:yikes: Stock shield 33MPG.
I said this a few times, not all Spyders are put together the same.:dontknow:

I've gotten her recently up to about 35 mpg...that was with the first update and the juicebox tuned nicely...and, no higher speeds on highway and no throttle burns...

I just had the second update done so I have to turn the JB on again and tweak it. If I can get over 30 mpg as an average, I'll be happy.

When I first got my bike, I was around 26...got it up recently to 33-35....hope to get it back there again...I have the sport windshield but would like to get something higher to help with wind noise...again, keeping it over 30 mpg would be great!

 

[boborgera]

I've gotten her recently up to about 35 mpg...that was with the first update and the juicebox tuned nicely...and, no higher speeds on highway and no throttle burns...

I just had the second update done so I have to turn the JB on again and tweak it. If I can get over 30 mpg as an average, I'll be happy.

When I first got my bike, I was around 26...got it up recently to 33-35....hope to get it back there again...I have the sport windshield but would like to get something higher to help with wind noise...again, keeping it over 30 mpg would be great!

I check my MPG just to see how far i can go on a tank of gas.
I'll run it to zero bars pps: [170 180miles 93 octane] I fill up at home then when i get back i fill up again, I hate stopping to gas up on my loop run.

Just a note a high w/shield will kill MPGs [H/way] When i put a high Memphis shade on my VTX 1800 H/way mileage went from the low 40,s to mid 30,s.

 

[ARtraveler]

PE:0474 My mileage continues to climb as I put a few more miles on the machine. Now up to 3K miles. Highway only--the best I ever got was 34 MPG. My usual stuff is 3/4 highway with about 1/4 in town, stop & go driving. This mileage started out at 26 MPG but is now averaging 29 MPG. Last tank on this type of driving was 29.6. I am not too heavy handed--and drive mostly 3 MPH about the posted speed on average. Most of my highway speed is at 67-68 MPH.

 

[Tom in NM]

Sunday . . . .

I love Tom but I ain't buying 40 mpg. I have tweaked my machine as much as I can and tried a full tank at average rpms well below 5000 and can't get above 35 mpg...if you're on the highway at 75mph, you're at about 5500 rpm...this is chewing up significantly more gas...

. . . . I went for a ride up to Madrid, NM on the Turquoise Trail this past Sunday - it was great. I don't think the speed limit gets over 60 mph anywhere on it and because of some of the curves, would guess the average speed would be around 55.

I filled up before leaving and filled up after I got back: 156 miles on 3.75 gallons ( 41.6 mpg ). The fill-up was not measured to the ml, but was really close to the same amount.

Today, I did a run to Mountainair, NM - but I had to cut it short. Lots of expressway and some small town stop and go - and wind-gusts up to 40+, I will be happy if I get 31 mpg when I fill-up tomorrow.

My Spyder is stock ( 4" risers & 6 spoke wheels ) and I do have the Madstad Robobrackets & shield, which I have set to a good slope, though pretty high, since I was riding without a helmet. Unfortunately, I don't have Bone Crushers line-back build and only weigh about 145 lbs., but then, neither do I weigh the Spyder down or act as a windscreen.

I find if I can keep the throttle down and RPMs under 5k, I can easily get up to 40 mpg - I am no SethO or Doc, but that does not happen very often. I think 32 mpg is my overall average - though I have dipped down to 27 mpg a few times.

Tom

 

[jabba11]

last time I kept track thru 8 tanks of fuel driving 60 percent higway and 40 percent city my bike was averaging 29.78 mpg. I am not heavy handed but do have a sci tall windshield and weigh about 225. 40 mpg is proabably doable under the exact right conditions (weight, air temp, drive, wind, bike configuration) It is defintely not typical though. I would say my average is pretty average from what I have read.

 

[NancysToy]

last time I kept track thru 8 tanks of fuel driving 60 percent higway and 40 percent city my bike was averaging 29.78 mpg. I am not heavy handed but do have a sci tall windshield and weigh about 225. 40 mpg is proabably doable under the exact right conditions (weight, air temp, drive, wind, bike configuration) It is defintely not typical though. I would say my average is pretty average from what I have read.

You are right at our 29 mpg two year average for Nancy's RS. I think it is typical...at least for the gasoline quality we have here in Michigan.

 

[aka1004]

i ran out of fuel on spyder twice. one time i fueled up to the rim and had to go 143 miles to next gas station and could not make it... i ran out of gas at 133. ryde was mostly 65mph 2 lane highway.

 

[boborgera]

i ran out of fuel on spyder twice. one time i fueled up to the rim and had to go 143 miles to next gas station and could not make it... i ran out of gas at 133. ryde was mostly 65mph 2 lane highway.

:dontknow:
Are you running a stock fuel symptom,? Or do you have some kind of fuel enhancer dumping an very rich mixture into the throttle bodies??
My low fuel light doesnt come on till 155/165 miles.

 

[aka1004]

:dontknow:
Are you running a stock fuel symptom,? Or do you have some kind of fuel enhancer dumping an very rich mixture into the throttle bodies??
My low fuel light doesnt come on till 155/165 miles.

i have ran completely stock, just with hindle, hindle and evo's race air system and 02 sensor, than stock again now power commander/autotune and evo's race air and two bros pipe and it does not seem to matter what set up i have.
worst ever was 89 miles when fuel warning light came on and best was the last leg of last trip, 155 miles but typically i am at about 100-120 when light comes on.

 

[SpyderWolf]

I have honestly never tried to track the mileage of my Spyder. I also know for a fact that I am way too heavy handed, and I would probably be very dissapointed if I did check the mileage sometime. I do know when I hit 3 bars I had better start looking for fuel pretty soon.

 

[BajaRon]

I average between 32-35 with an occasional 30 and an occasional 38.

I think around town hurts me the most with heavy handed throttle coming in 2nd in the MPG hurt box.

 

[aka1004]

I average between 32-35 with an occasional 30 and an occasional 38.

I think around town hurts me the most with heavy handed throttle coming in 2nd in the MPG hurt box.

32mpg on regular basis is just unimaginable for me. yes i do have heavy throttle hand and my fun is between 1st and 3rd gear but that 89 miles when fuel light came on was when spyder was completely stock.
may be i do have a monday spyder.:dontknow:

 

[truck 85]

average 28.1 best ever 38 or so and do probably 60 40 hwy city. no mods weigh 240 and stock window.

 

[Recluze]

After 43,000 miles I get 30 MPG. That is the same that I got when it had 500 miles on it. Driving hard I get 30 mpg. Driving not so hard I get 30 mpg. Fully loaded I get 30 mpg. I put a green filter in it and I get 31 mpg. Then I realized that the odometer is 3 percent high so I am back to an honest 30 mpg. I basically fill up when I get to four bars and let the fuel mileage take care of itself.