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1980 GS 850 GAS MILEAGE

  • Thread starter Thread starter Poot
  • Start date Start date
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Poot

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I'm pretty new to the bike, and ive been wondering how you all do on one tank of 91 octane gas.... ive gone up to 201km and only been able to put 12.3 l in (right to the top of the tank).

I do a lot of mix between long highway rides, and in-town stuff.
Just want to know how good the bikes areon gas, so i dont get stuck somewhere.
 
I'm not sure how it would convert to metric, but when I ride my 850 hard, I get about 35 mpg. When I ride it easy, I get about 40 mpg.
 
My '82 has always given me about 40 miles per U.S. gallon for a mix of around town & suburban riding. If I don't hit too many stoplights, I may get 44-45MPG. On the highway I'll get 50-55MPG. :D
 
Mileage is about what you'd expect from a large, heavy bike, and will be affected profoundly by riding style and whether the bike is wearing a huge Vetter fairing.

My naked GS850G gets about 35MPG (15 km/liter) when I commute on it. Half my 65 mile (105km) route to work is 80 - 85 MPH (130+kph) interstate highways, and mileage is pretty horrible at high speeds.

On other roads, I still ride pretty hard so I'm usually no better than 40 MPG (17 km/liter).

Riders who have the slightest respect for speed laws, can do even better, up to 45 MPG (19 km/liter).
 
I get 35-40 with a Vetter fairing and a top box (but no saddlebags). Also my riding style could be described as brisk. On a recent trip loaded up pretty well I ranged from 35-39 running in the 70's.

Different factors will affect. Hot weather will hurt your mileage, so will mountain driving vs. flatland, Higher elevations mean slightly lower mileage.

You ride a steady 55-60 mph over flat ground on a fairly cool day and you will be amazed at how your mileage improves.
 
Yep. The 850 is one heavy pig. I didn't realize how heavy untill I tried loading mine into the back of a pickup last summer (crappy Continental rear "touring" tire blew out on the freeway with less than 5k). Anyway, it took 3 guys to load it, and it actually snapped one of the 2 by 4's we were using as a ramp. (It's light compared to a Goldwing, but for it's engine size, it is one fat momma:)
 
Yes, the GS850 is heavy, but I've been pretty lucky -- I've only had to load mine in a pickup twice in seven years of hard riding. :D

Last time was a couple of weeks ago after stripping the drive splines in the rear wheel. Thanks to eBay, I was back on the road in a week and I also have spares just in case.

How much does a GS850 weigh, anyway?
 
bwringer said:
How much does a GS850 weigh, anyway?
Click to expand...

I think it was 256kg, that would make 563 lbs?

BTW: my 79 GS850GN does about 17km/liter in average.
 
Dry weight, according to Suzuki's specs, is 540 lbs, so wet weight w/o any accessories would be about 580.

By the way, the 40-44MPG I mentioned earlier was with the cheapest 87 octane unleaded gasoline. I get about the same with a Plexifaring III full windshield and a full set of Samsonite hard bags, just the bags or just the naked bike.
 
opiewontaylor said:
Yep. The 850 is one heavy pig. I didn't realize how heavy untill I tried loading mine into the back of a pickup last summer (crappy Continental rear "touring" tire blew out on the freeway with less than 5k). Anyway, it took 3 guys to load it, and it actually snapped one of the 2 by 4's we were using as a ramp. (It's light compared to a Goldwing, but for it's engine size, it is one fat momma:)
Click to expand...
The 850 isn't very heavy except by sportbike standars. It is actually toward the low end of the weight range you would want for a bike that does a lot of long rang touring. If a bike is too light it can be a handful in crosswinds, regardless of how well it is designed.

What makes the 850 seem a lot heavier is the fact that it is top-heavy. If you have a full tank of gas, it is even worse. The next time you need to load it try taking the tank off first. Another thing was that you were trying to roll it with a flat tire. Oh, and you did have it in neutral didn't you (voice of experience talking)?"
 
Yup about 40mpg sounds right to me too...The 850 definitely has a very heavy feel to it which probably contributes to the handling characteristics which I normally describe as dump truckish :lol: :lol:
I'm always amazed when I jump on my fathers '77 kz1000 it feels like a new gixxer compared to the 850!
 
quote]

What makes the 850 seem a lot heavier is the fact that it is top-heavy. If you have a full tank of gas, it is even worse.

Ahh. This makes sense. Every time I come to a stop, or am just starting out, my 850 just wants to fall down. It's like balancing on a ball trying to keep it upright. I have been wondering what I am doing wrong as other bikes just don't seem so prone to this. "Top heavy" Yeah, that's a good explanation. Maybe I should just cancel the e-bay search for training wheels?
 
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