ANOTHER Mileage sucks thread... - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

GAR-M50 · 08-15-2008, 11:57 PM

I've got a 2005 M50 with just over 10,000 miles on it. I picked it up in March as my first bike and have a question as to how horrible my gas mileage is.

I'm 6'2" 240lbs and my first flashing light comes on about 110 miles into a tank. I usually don't let the tank run past 125 or 130 before filling up since it turns solid right around there. That seems like it puts me a little low as far as mileage!

Most of the commute is in town (2.7 miles). The bike is stock other than the SpitFire windshield and I debaffled the pipes a couple weeks after I got it.

Is there something that I should be looking at first?

Thanks!

jwm50 · 08-16-2008, 01:09 AM

I get 36 -42 mpg. Half freeway half city miles. I think it is just the way I ride. I tried to "cruise" on one tank to try and get better mileage, but it wasn't any fun. So now I just don't worry about. Motorcycle Cruiser list the mileage as :Fuel mileage: 38 to 49 mpg, 42.9 mpg average...

What are you calculating as your average?

womper · 08-16-2008, 01:20 AM

i've gotten from 32 to high 50s...

it really depends how i ride...
fill up your tank, go cruising, with slow accel and decel and don't go over 60mph..

then fill up again and figure out how much fuel you used for your distance...

GAR-M50 · 08-16-2008, 01:39 AM

I would say just over 34 m.p.g. on average. Going to recheck that on this next tank. 3.8 gallons on the fill-up after 130 miles.

This is usually in town driving.

m50Joe · 08-16-2008, 02:23 AM

I get at least 130 in town.

Maybe you spend more time at red lights, stops signs, or idling to warm up? At those time you get 0 MPG.

aguyintx66 · 08-16-2008, 02:24 AM

I check my mileage everytime. I get 42 to 45mpg.

awilson40 · 08-16-2008, 06:42 AM

I Check min on every fill up and I get 50 +, even 2 up riding.
The worse I thing I have gotten was 48.
And I have added the FI2000 to fix the lean surge, but I have the pots adjusted
to add just enough fuel to stop the surge

womper · 08-16-2008, 07:25 AM

you drive like miss daisy or something?

diamond_jim · 08-16-2008, 07:37 AM

For me I can consistently add 3.3 gallons if I pull over and fuel up just when the low fuel light comes on. So I base my mileage calculations on that. Thursday I did 120 miles on 3.3 gallons which comes out to 36 gallons. 80% of this was interstate riding at 80-85mph (speedo read), lots of hard acceleration. I can get 45mpg if I drive like a grandma.

OHIOM50 · 08-16-2008, 08:08 AM

I usually fill tank up with bike leaning on kickstand and get around 45mpg but this last time I held the bike level and filled to bottom of filler neck which resulted in 52mpg on this tank.

Mix of city , rural and Interstate driving, mostly rural.

frostbitevinnie · 08-16-2008, 08:17 AM

Dang, I though you fiddy guys got better mileage than that. I consistently get 40 in the city with my 90. Superslab at 75mph I average 44mpg and have gotta as high as 48.5 out on country roads. I do have a Bully stage 3 so I suppose that make a big diff. over stock.

Rumrunner · 08-16-2008, 08:22 AM

I normally put in 3.6-7 gallons of fuel. I do drive like a grandma and get around 150 miles or a bit better out of it. I rarely drive over 65 with it. Not to save fuel...but to enjoy the ride.

Rumrunner · 08-16-2008, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GAR-M50

I've got a 2005 M50 with just over 10,000 miles on it. I picked it up in March as my first bike and have a question as to how horrible my gas mileage is.

I'm 6'2" 240lbs and my first flashing light comes on about 110 miles into a tank. I usually don't let the tank run past 125 or 130 before filling up since it turns solid right around there. That seems like it puts me a little low as far as mileage!

Most of the commute is in town (2.7 miles). The bike is stock other than the SpitFire windshield and I debaffled the pipes a couple weeks after I got it.

Is there something that I should be looking at first?

Thanks!

BTW...how are your plugs? Air Filter?

nicocorea · 08-16-2008, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OHIOM50

I usually fill tank up with bike leaning on kickstand and get around 45mpg but this last time I held the bike level and filled to bottom of filler neck which resulted in 52mpg on this tank.

Mix of city , rural and Interstate driving, mostly rural.

Holding the bike level while filling up improves fuel economy--Brilliant!

diamond_jim · 08-16-2008, 09:17 AM

Nico, where ya been?

nicocorea · 08-16-2008, 09:26 AM

Hey, DJ--I've been around, just not posting much lately. But I'm getting ready to start a couple of mods over the next month, so expect to see more posts from me, either about the trouble I run into or the results (or both)!

GAR-M50 · 08-16-2008, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumrunner

BTW...how are your plugs? Air Filter?

I know the bike was serviced right before I got it, and I have another 1,000 miles to go before I get it serviced again. I don't have any experience on motorcycle maintenance, but finally got a copy of the manual and am going to look into pulling some parts off and checking everything out.

I'll check the plugs and filter today.

Oh, and as far as how I fill up. I keep it on the stand and fill it up to the very brim thinking that as it stands up, it will drop the level. Also, the first time it hits the brim I shake the bike a couple of times to level it out and get any bubbles out of the way. Usually drops the level a little and allows me to put more in. Am I the only one that has to hold the sleeve on the filler up to get the gas to pump? Probably not...

cyclesinct · 08-16-2008, 10:41 PM

Nah, having to hold back the sleeve is normal. Its some safety feature, maybe for vapor lock? It forces you to push in tightly when you fill up a car, but with a bike you have to use your hand. As for me I only average 36-40 miles per gallon. But most of my riding is stop and go town driving as well a a ton of hills. In New England if your not constantly going up and down hills its because your still parked. Those two factors together cause me to get lower mileage out of the tank than some of the other people here who live on flatter land.

NateHarris · 08-17-2008, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicocorea

Holding the bike level while filling up improves fuel economy--Brilliant!

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I wonder how many miles we could get if the bike was pointed downhill while we filled it up? We would be coasting most of the way then!

NCxM50 · 08-17-2008, 12:45 PM

I ride a good mix of highway and country roads with a little city driving thrown in. I clculate mileage every tank, and do an avg every 10 tanks to get a more accurate reading. Prior to putting the windshield on i averages mid to high 40's, since putting it on, the worst tank I've had was 50.5mpg. For the most part, I average right at 52mpg consistently. I ride easy on the highways (NC ranks in the top 5 for speeding tickets handed out per year, and in the top 3 if you calculate it per driver, I'm taking no chances on the highways around here) but I ride pretty hard on the country roads.

08-15-2008, 11:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
GAR-M50 Newbie Joined: Mar 2008 Bike: 2005 Suzuki Boulevard M50 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 15	ANOTHER Mileage sucks thread... I've got a 2005 M50 with just over 10,000 miles on it. I picked it up in March as my first bike and have a question as to how horrible my gas mileage is. I'm 6'2" 240lbs and my first flashing light comes on about 110 miles into a tank. I usually don't let the tank run past 125 or 130 before filling up since it turns solid right around there. That seems like it puts me a little low as far as mileage! Most of the commute is in town (2.7 miles). The bike is stock other than the SpitFire windshield and I debaffled the pipes a couple weeks after I got it. Is there something that I should be looking at first? Thanks! __________________ 2005 M50 -Spitfire Windshield -Non-Custom Passenger Backrest -Storage Studded Leather Saddlebags (as in they are in my closet) -Complete OEM Toolkit! -Big F-in Dent on Tank from the previous owner.

08-16-2008, 01:39 AM	#4 (permalink)
GAR-M50 Newbie Joined: Mar 2008 Bike: 2005 Suzuki Boulevard M50 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 15	I would say just over 34 m.p.g. on average. Going to recheck that on this next tank. 3.8 gallons on the fill-up after 130 miles. This is usually in town driving. __________________ 2005 M50 -Spitfire Windshield -Non-Custom Passenger Backrest -Storage Studded Leather Saddlebags (as in they are in my closet) -Complete OEM Toolkit! -Big F-in Dent on Tank from the previous owner.

08-16-2008, 07:37 AM	#9 (permalink)
diamond_jim Refrigerator Magnet Test Engineer Joined: Oct 2007 Bike: S4 Scatcat Location: North Alabama Posts: 3,622	For me I can consistently add 3.3 gallons if I pull over and fuel up just when the low fuel light comes on. So I base my mileage calculations on that. Thursday I did 120 miles on 3.3 gallons which comes out to 36 gallons. 80% of this was interstate riding at 80-85mph (speedo read), lots of hard acceleration. I can get 45mpg if I drive like a grandma. __________________ M50 tutorials, tips and how-to links DJ's new project bike

08-16-2008, 08:08 AM	#10 (permalink)
OHIOM50 Newbie Joined: Jul 2007 Bike: 2007 M50 Location: Anna, OH Posts: 19	I usually fill tank up with bike leaning on kickstand and get around 45mpg but this last time I held the bike level and filled to bottom of filler neck which resulted in 52mpg on this tank. Mix of city , rural and Interstate driving, mostly rural. __________________ STRIPPED EMBLEMS MAPAM LOW SISSY BAR

08-16-2008, 08:17 AM	#11 (permalink)
frostbitevinnie In The Zone Joined: Jul 2007 Bike: 07' C90T 76' MT250 Location: 3rd house NW of the Depot Posts: 2,727	Dang, I though you fiddy guys got better mileage than that. I consistently get 40 in the city with my 90. Superslab at 75mph I average 44mpg and have gotta as high as 48.5 out on country roads. I do have a Bully stage 3 so I suppose that make a big diff. over stock. __________________ I set up a by knot of soups that valid terrific, and can be made in big batches and frozen. Is there any interest? Karri Tamsin

08-16-2008, 01:09 AM	#2 (permalink)
jwm50 Seat Tester Joined: May 2008 Bike: 2008 M50 Posts: 63	I get 36 -42 mpg. Half freeway half city miles. I think it is just the way I ride. I tried to "cruise" on one tank to try and get better mileage, but it wasn't any fun. So now I just don't worry about. Motorcycle Cruiser list the mileage as :Fuel mileage: 38 to 49 mpg, 42.9 mpg average... What are you calculating as your average?

08-16-2008, 02:23 AM	#5 (permalink)
m50Joe Ditch Magnet Joined: Mar 2008 Bike: '06 M50 Electric Blue Location: Vidalia, LA Posts: 162	I get at least 130 in town. Maybe you spend more time at red lights, stops signs, or idling to warm up? At those time you get 0 MPG.

08-16-2008, 02:24 AM	#6 (permalink)
aguyintx66 Seat Tester Joined: Jun 2005 Bike: 2005 Boulevard M50 Blue Location: Houston, TX Posts: 70	I check my mileage everytime. I get 42 to 45mpg.

08-16-2008, 06:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
awilson40 Where Am I ? Joined: Oct 2007 Bike: 2007 M50 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 48	I Check min on every fill up and I get 50 +, even 2 up riding. The worse I thing I have gotten was 48. And I have added the FI2000 to fix the lean surge, but I have the pots adjusted to add just enough fuel to stop the surge

08-16-2008, 08:22 AM	#12 (permalink)
Rumrunner In Training Joined: Jun 2008 Bike: 2007 M50 Location: Grand Rapids MI Posts: 124	I normally put in 3.6-7 gallons of fuel. I do drive like a grandma and get around 150 miles or a bit better out of it. I rarely drive over 65 with it. Not to save fuel...but to enjoy the ride.

08-16-2008, 09:17 AM	#15 (permalink)
diamond_jim Refrigerator Magnet Test Engineer Joined: Oct 2007 Bike: S4 Scatcat Location: North Alabama Posts: 3,622	Nico, where ya been? __________________ M50 tutorials, tips and how-to links DJ's new project bike

08-16-2008, 09:26 AM	#16 (permalink)
nicocorea Found second gear by accident Joined: Apr 2008 Bike: 2008 VZ800/Z Black Location: Albuquerque NM Posts: 320	Hey, DJ--I've been around, just not posting much lately. But I'm getting ready to start a couple of mods over the next month, so expect to see more posts from me, either about the trouble I run into or the results (or both)!

08-16-2008, 10:41 PM	#18 (permalink)
cyclesinct Fourth gear and illegal Joined: Feb 2007 Bike: Boulevard M50 Location: Connecticut Posts: 707	Nah, having to hold back the sleeve is normal. Its some safety feature, maybe for vapor lock? It forces you to push in tightly when you fill up a car, but with a bike you have to use your hand. As for me I only average 36-40 miles per gallon. But most of my riding is stop and go town driving as well a a ton of hills. In New England if your not constantly going up and down hills its because your still parked. Those two factors together cause me to get lower mileage out of the tank than some of the other people here who live on flatter land. __________________ '05 M50 black MAPAM backrest Corbin dual tour Highwayman Jumbo Straight Bags Johns Kit forward controls Debaffled exhaust

08-17-2008, 12:45 PM	#20 (permalink)
NCxM50 Clunked into first gear Joined: Mar 2008 Bike: Silver '06 M50 Location: NE NC Posts: 229	I ride a good mix of highway and country roads with a little city driving thrown in. I clculate mileage every tank, and do an avg every 10 tanks to get a more accurate reading. Prior to putting the windshield on i averages mid to high 40's, since putting it on, the worst tank I've had was 50.5mpg. For the most part, I average right at 52mpg consistently. I ride easy on the highways (NC ranks in the top 5 for speeding tickets handed out per year, and in the top 3 if you calculate it per driver, I'm taking no chances on the highways around here) but I ride pretty hard on the country roads.

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