Poor Gas Milage ... '03 Savage?

[PerrydaSavage]

Hi everyone ... hit Reserve last evening at only 80km since last fill-up ... and with the Savage tank at 8.0 litres (2.1 US Gal.), that's pretty poor milage?? My Bike is an 03 with only 1300km's (808 miles) on her, she is running well and I ride very conservatively and am not prone to long warm-ups, nor leaving choke on for more than a couple of minutes.
Here are my rough figures;
8.0 litres/80km = 2.10 US Gal./50 mi. (24 mi./US Gal)
= 1.75 Imp Gal/50 mi. (29 mi./Imp Gal)
Hell my Hyundai Accent Gets better milage than this!!
Last Aug., had to switch to Reserve on my very first tank of gas at 188km ... this translates into;
67 mi./Imp. Gal. (56mi./US Gal.) which seems to jive with what others are gettig out of their Savage's ... what gives with the poor milage?? Comments?

[DrBob]

Did you have the 600-mile service done yet? There are some things that they will check and adjust: Is your carb adjustment out of whack? Is the choke properly adjusted so that it is really open all the way when the knob is pushed in? Is the air filter dirty? Are your tires properly inflated? Is the rear brake dragging? All these things will effect gas mileage. The choke thing is pretty common on a new bike, as if the cable stretched or slipped on the mount you will accidently pull it out too far, causing the choke to be out adjustment.

[PerrydaSavage]

Yes, I did have the 1000 km (600 mi) service done just before I put the Bike away for winter storage last October ... whether they did anything besides change the oil & filter, I dunno ...
Checked my spark plug when I took the Bike outa storage approx. a month and a half ago and it looked a little black ... not oily, but a little sooty ... I cleaned it up and put it back in ... bike may be running a little rich maybe? As I said, the Bike runs well, and strong too ... 'cept when she's cold, then she hesitates a bit ...
I went to the gas station and put in almost 8 litres of fuel, which pretty much filled the tank. I run the Bike for 100km then refill and do the math. The Bike's still under warranty 'til late Aug. so if the milage isn't in the 50-60 mpg range, I'll get her checked out at the dealer ...

[DrBob]

Ahhh...so the MPG went down after you stored it for the winter? Did you run it out of gas when you parked it? If not, the carb will have some varnish in it from the gas sitting all winter. Put some fuel system cleaner into the next tank or two, and your MPG will improve over the next few hundred miles.
I failed to store my Intruder 800 correctly when I broke my ancle in October, and it got really bad MPG this spring. But after a couple of tanks of Amoco Super with some fuel system cleaner in the tank, and a couple nice long trips at freeway speeds, I am getting 53 MPG again.

[PerrydaSavage]

Hi Bob! No, I stored the Bike with a full tank of stabilized gas which had also been run into the carb ... she started right up this past April after sitting in the back of a neighbour's unheated garage for 6 months once I reinstalled the battery ... the Bike is pratically brand new, with only 1300kms (800 miles) on her ... will report my milage after I run her for another 100kms ... just waiting for the weather to clear so's I can get out!

[PerrydaSavage]

For those interested, I re-checked my fuel consumption again today, eventhough the weather here in St. John's, Nfld. kinda sucks for Ridin' (RDF - rain, drizzle & fog) ... Fill-Up today after 112 km (69.59 mi) for 4.71 litres (1.244 US Gal. or 1.036 Imp. Gal.) = 56 mpg US or 67 mpg Imp.
Pretty much what it should be ...