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GS550T Average Fuel Mileage

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    #1

    GS550T Average Fuel Mileage

    Okay, so I read some of the threads in the search function on increasing fuel mileage and I think I'm pretty well at where those suggestions were. My carbs were cleaned in May, tire pressure is okay (need to recheck them tonight), and I don't believe I'm accelerating real hard but I'm getting up there. When doing 60/65 down the highway I am in 6th gear at about 5500 - 6000 RPM. This morning, even with the choke on, the bike had trouble staying running so I swapped it over to the reserve tank and it fired right up and stayed running. Since I didn't know for sure how much I have in my reserve I decided to go ahead and fill up at the station 12 miles from the house in order to be sure I could get to work (only station on way into base then one on base) without problems this morning. I put in about 2.5 gallons to about the bottom of the neck and had 92 miles on the gauge which gave me 36.8 mpg.

    With that in mind, I'm wondering about what fellow 550 riders normally see on their bike. Specifically:

    What is your average mpg?
    What else can I do to increase mine if it is at all possible?
    Does 6000 RPM sound right for 6th gear?
    According to bikez.com I should have a 4.5 gallon tank so what is the actual size of my reserve? I plan on driving somewhere this weekend with my girlfriend in tow carrying a 1 gallon can in the truck but I'm still curious.


    As an extra: I will always be doing highway speeds due to where I live and won't be in the city that often.

    Thanks all.
    Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

    1981 GS550T - My First
    1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
    2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

    Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
    Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
    and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"
    Tags: None
    #2
    bikez.com is wrong for your T. They are probably quoting for a straight up 550 (not sure though).

    My manual states:

    "Capacities:

    Fuel Tank including reserver ... 12 L
    reserve .........4.0 L"

    So, that puts a full tank at 3.17 Gallons (give or take depending where you consider full) with a reserve of 1.05 Gallons.

    As for your mileage, sounds about right esp if you were doing any testing/tuning or the bike sat for any time allowing for evaporation.

    Your engine speed sounds about on par with what I remember the 550 being like before on the highway. It seems odd to run that high, but these engines actually love it.

    I haven't been able to get a good calculation on my bike this year for various reasons (mostly the sitting for periods of time) though.


    Doing some calculations here, 2.5 gallons added to what should have been in your tank after switching to reserve and going 12 miles, puts your milage for this morning at around 32 mpg (give or take) which isn't too far off of your overall average.


    Amos

    Comment

      #3
      Thank you Amos. Sounds like I'll be filling up quite a bit since I have a ~22 mile one way drive to work but hey, 7 dollars to fill up versus almost a 100 for my truck is still pretty dang nice.
      Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

      1981 GS550T - My First
      1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
      2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

      Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
      Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
      and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

      Comment

        #4
        I toured and commuted quite a bit on a '78 GS550E from 1979-83, and got around 45 mpg in town and 50-55 highway (with Windjammer SS fairing). Can't remember how fast we rode, but probably 70-80 mph.

        On my current '78 GS550, I don't do as well, but it has an aftermarket pipe, and who knows how the carbs are jetted.

        Comment

          #5
          Originally posted by cowboyup3371 View Post
          Thank you Amos. Sounds like I'll be filling up quite a bit since I have a ~22 mile one way drive to work but hey, 7 dollars to fill up versus almost a 100 for my truck is still pretty dang nice.

          Probably about half way through the week to me.

          If I recall correctly (it's been 6+ years since I used the 550 regularly) I usually started looking for a gas station at about 100 miles. That is the downside to the T model, while it isn't a cruiser like the L, it ended up with the same small tank.

          And yes, you are correct it sure beats filling a larger vehicle.

          Amos

          Comment

            #6
            Originally posted by ChicagoBob View Post
            I toured and commuted quite a bit on a '78 GS550E from 1979-83, and got around 45 mpg in town and 50-55 highway (with Windjammer SS fairing). Can't remember how fast we rode, but probably 70-80 mph.

            On my current '78 GS550, I don't do as well, but it has an aftermarket pipe, and who knows how the carbs are jetted.

            It may be possible to hit those numbers well tuned. I never did have my 550 properly tuned before, as it just ran well enough, and I didn't really give it another thought.

            I also (before) rarely went to reserve and would look to fill up around 100-110 miles. I don't recall how many gallons those fill ups were, but I may have been getting closer to those numbers, I just don't recall.

            I really do need to iron out the last issues with this bike over the winter so I can ride regularly next year..

            Amos

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