How do you guys do it????

[badluck73]

i read this forum and see guys getting 35mph+ mile per gallon some getting close to 40. i have a 07 rstd with 3000 miles and i can only get 30mpg on a good day. do they not go over 55mph? any help?

[RandyR]

At 55 mph I get 42 mpg. But it starts to fall off as speed increases above that. At 80mph it starts to get down below 35mpg.

 

I haven't adjusted my carb's floats yet, which I may do as a winter project.

[Skid]

On average on the interstates I'll get around 42. On my trip to Vogel this year my best was 47 mpg running easy to and from the Dragon.....

[eagleeye]

You should probably start by asking a member near you to help you sync your carbs. Then again, you only have 3M on the bike. It should get better with more miles.

I have been getting 43-46 mpg when I stay below 65mph, but running 70-75+ all day, 35mpg.

 

Speed does matter, It's that BIG windshield effect.

Steve

[spyderhead]

Generally get 40-42 on hwy at 70 or so. Moving up into the eighties costs big time: mpg down in the mid30s. Best mileage I ever get regularly is on the 50-mph Natchez Trace: 50 mpg.

[LilBeaver]

My last long trip (~4600 miles) I averaged 42 mpg (if I exclude my last 2 days where I had 30-40 mph headwinds).

I was fully loaded and 2-up for all of those miles.

I am a rather conservative rider and for the majority of that trip I had the needle pinned right between 70 and 75.

 

Randy - if you are getting ~42, I wouldn't mess with your carbs

badluck73 - if you are only getting 30 and you are taking it easy on your bike (no hard accels, shift at the manual suggested shift point... well, maybe over those a bit ) and you have made a point to take an average for your fuel economy over several tanks where you have not gone over say 70 (along with the above mentioned driving behavior) then I would suggest maybe taking a look at your carb float settings. V7Goose has a very nice write up on how to do this in the tech section. If I recall correctly he has stated that he has yet to see a bike that has the floats set properly from the factory (which obviously impacts fuel economy tremendously).

 

Good luck!

 

EDIT: This trip I had run with an XXL Clearview; before that, comparable mileage with an OEM shield (that was shattered by a bird).

Edited September 22, 2009 by LilBeaver
Added windshield info

[Kross Kountry]

The President called and said you should check your air pressure in the tires. LOL

 

That seems a little low even for city driving. If you have a good dealer, ask him to check the idle mixture (co2 test on the exhaust for mixture) and check the carb sync. My dealer did this under warranty since the bike was so new. And both of them were off. My fuel milage jumped from 30-32 mpg to about 34-36 mpg ( 70 mph interstate, no heavy load or big head wind). I did not see any fuel milage increase from " break-in" after 3000 miles.

 

10% Ethanol seems to drop my fuel mileage by 1-2 mpg. I have not found a fuel additive that will offset the loss from Ethanol.

[Dave77459]

i read this forum and see guys getting 35mph+ mile per gallon some getting close to 40. i have a 07 rstd with 3000 miles and i can only get 30mpg on a good day. do they not go over 55mph? any help?

 

I just did the log for my ironbutt ride from Houston to Denver. It was 1110 miles on the odometer, and 1070 on the GPS. The best mileage I got on the entire trip was 32.0mpg on the final leg, down hill in the dead of night. The worst I got was 24.0mpg into headwinds out of Lubbock. My average was 27.9mpg.

 

Don't tell me to sync my carbs. They are.

 

Don't tell me to check my carb floats. Done that.

 

Don't tell me to change my plugs. Did that 2000 miles earlier when the floats were leveled.

 

Don't tell me to check the tire pressure, because I was particularly careful to do it at 4:30AM before I left. They were at max.

 

I even added Motorkote on the hope it would increase mpg.

 

And yet, 27.9mpg.

 

I got better mileage coming home, for two reasons: I didn't fight a 20mph headwind, and I didn't press it at 77.9 mph (or whatever the max my cruise control would allow). I probably got 35mpg by driving at 70mph.

 

My bike is running great. Lots of power, purring like a kitten. But it also has a huge sail on the front that creates lots of wind resistance. I ride it like I stole it, because I love to ride that way. I have given up hoping to ever get to 40mpg, and envying those that do isn't gonna make it happen.

 

Love your bike, and know you aren't alone.

 

Dave

[hunter 1500]

Went 350 miles on saturday and averaged 42 mpg. Mostly cruzing about 60 mph. I should get better as the bike gets broke in.

[PBJ]

How hard you excellerate will make a big difference in your mileage and also your average cruising speed. My 85 averages 35-37 mpg. But Skydoc17 has told me the 1st gens are set rich from the factory and with a few simple mods he can get 45 to 50 mpg.

[Condor]

Suggestion. Keep the rpm around 3000+ no matter what gear you're in. These Ventures love high revs. If you're in 5th gear and only doing 55mph you're lugging the 'H' out of the engine. Fifth is a tall gear anyway..... Bet your milage improves.

[Brake Pad]

use mid-grade gas.

 

I used to get 33- 36 on low grade gas

i get 41-46 on mid-grade gas.

and while pulling the trailer. I get about 38-41

[Yammer Dan]

"Ugly' gets about 40 when riding twisties around here and my right hand stays busy. I'm not going to complain much but might visit Earl's garage sometime for a lesson in carb needles. I think I understand how to do it but it sounds like a good excuse for a ride.

[SilvrT]

Suggestion. Keep the rpm around 3000+ no matter what gear you're in. These Ventures love high revs. If you're in 5th gear and only doing 55mph you're lugging the 'H' out of the engine. Fifth is a tall gear anyway..... Bet your milage improves.

 

Unfortunately, that's about where the "whine" is at it's worst ...

 

I try and stay away from that by being in a gear that produces a higher rpm. Exception is 5th.

[Sylvester]

I actually got over 50 mpg while riding the Blue Ridge Parkway in winter two years ago. I left it in 4th, set the cruise at 45 mph and road from Ashville, NC up into VA. Usually under 70 mph I get 40-42 on regular gas.

 

[Condor]

Unfortunately, that's about where the "whine" is at it's worst ...

 

I try and stay away from that by being in a gear that produces a higher rpm. Exception is 5th.

 

So take the revs up a little higher and stop your whining.... :rotf:

[bikenut]

Last weekend I got 47.5 on a tankfull running between 50 & 55.That is on my 2006 Venture and My 1986 trike gets 35 mpg on the highway. I use 87 oct and seems to work best for me.

I have gone up two main jets and one size on the low speed for starting problem I had . Now it runs just fine.

Have done allot of other things to her too.

Bikenut:missingtooth:

[bj66]

I average about 36, on my 08. I usually ride about 70 to 75 mph. But if i keep it under 65 i'll get upwards of 42. Doesnt happen very often though, i ride at 70 or better most times so I dont worry about it.

[OB-1]

I just did the log for my ironbutt ride from Houston to Denver. It was 1110 miles on the odometer, and 1070 on the GPS. The best mileage I got on the entire trip was 32.0mpg on the final leg, down hill in the dead of night. The worst I got was 24.0mpg into headwinds out of Lubbock. My average was 27.9mpg.

 

Don't tell me to sync my carbs. They are.

 

Don't tell me to check my carb floats. Done that.

 

Don't tell me to change my plugs. Did that 2000 miles earlier when the floats were leveled.

 

Don't tell me to check the tire pressure, because I was particularly careful to do it at 4:30AM before I left. They were at max.

 

I even added Motorkote on the hope it would increase mpg.

 

And yet, 27.9mpg.

 

I got better mileage coming home, for two reasons: I didn't fight a 20mph headwind, and I didn't press it at 77.9 mph (or whatever the max my cruise control would allow). I probably got 35mpg by driving at 70mph.

 

My bike is running great. Lots of power, purring like a kitten. But it also has a huge sail on the front that creates lots of wind resistance. I ride it like I stole it, because I love to ride that way. I have given up hoping to ever get to 40mpg, and envying those that do isn't gonna make it happen.

 

Love your bike, and know you aren't alone.

 

Dave

 

We've got a 2006 Midnight, almost all riding is two up, lots of 80+mph driving, lots of wind, (Wyoming), Clearview XXL windshield, and a right wrist that likes to twist the grip, results in similar mileage. We typically average 30mpg. We actually broke 50mpg once, but that was when we were on a group ride with a really slow group. Occasional mountain driving will yeild about 40mpg, but that doesn't happen often.

 

Lowest mileage was 21.5mpg, and that was 2-up loaded heavy pushing incredible head winds and trying to run 85mph...had to use 4th gear to hold that speed in the wind.

[GeorgeS]

Burn as much gas as you can, as soon as you can, before they BAN Gasoline!!

 

I think we know who " they " are.

 

I have a goal in life, and that is to Burn As Much Gas As I Can, before I die !!!!!

 

And, I don't care what " They " think about it !!!!!!!!!

[jfoster]

Do you get gas with ethanol in it? I think someone else posted on it. I know I got some in Tenn and my mileage went south real quick, low 30's. I also found that by shortening the windshield by a few inches my mileage went up 2-3 mpg.