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Getting about 25 MPG on my GS650...

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    #1

    Getting about 25 MPG on my GS650...

    That's half of what it should be, yes? I use it to commute in the city, so I expect it to be a bit lower than 50... But 25 MPG?! I don't ride my bike very hard at all and I'm wasting a lot of money

    What could be the problem? I'll probably replace the petcock (or at the very least rebuild it). I really need to the change the air filter as well. Is there anything else I should do?
    Tags: None
    #2
    I rode all city this summer and got between 42-60, depending on how hard I rode.

    (Is it rode or road while being used as a verb?)

    Comment

      #3
      Maybe some PO changed the jets. As part of going through all the maintenance, check what size jets are in the carbs and compare to standard settings. Is your bike still standard with airbox, or does it have pods and 4 into 1 exhaust? If the latter, the jets will be different to standard sizes.
      1981 GS850G "Blue Magic" (Bike Of The Month April 2009)

      1981 GS1000G "Leo" (Bike Of The Month August 2023)

      Comment

        #4
        Yes, somethings wrong, so time to investigate. Mileage? how long have you owned it? Does it spend lots of time in sunshine when parked? Is your gas cap still locking?
        1981 gs650L

        "We are all born ignorant, but you have to work hard to stay stupid" Ben Franklin

        Comment

          #5
          For that bad of mileage, I would suspect petcock and/or float needle valve issues. How does it run? Is the oil level going up? What does the oil smell like?
          sigpic Too old, too many bikes, too many cars, too many things

          Comment

            #6
            Heck..I ride around 75 to 80 usually on mostly highways and get around 36 on my 1000's.
            MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
            1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

            NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


            I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

            Comment

              #7
              Originally posted by tom203 View Post
              Yes, somethings wrong, so time to investigate. Mileage? how long have you owned it? Does it spend lots of time in sunshine when parked? Is your gas cap still locking?
              about 28,000 miles. i generally park it in my apartment's parking garage but it sees the sun when I park it at school.

              the gas cap does lock.

              As for the other questions, the gas levels don't seem to be rising. I just recently changed it so I can't say whether it smells like gasoline or not.

              It has the standard airbox, but I realized recently that it's not sealed very well and the air filter is very dirty. I'll fix those two issues this week and see how that goes. If it still sucks, I'll have to look at the petcock more closely. I don't know anything about carbs so I'll need some more advice on that.

              Comment

                #8
                Yeah i run them hard..like i said, when you ACTUALLY know something......
                Last edited by chuck hahn; 02-13-2012, 11:03 PM.
                MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Come ride a day or two with me..75 to 80 is stuck in traffic speeds. Oftenn see 90s plus if i can get the open road for it. But you are the all knowing Karnak, so it really doesnt matter. Now if I kept itmunder 65 and babied it it may get as good as 42 or so..but we all knowm thats not any fun. Ill never know becuase 65 wont ever be seen in my speedo if i can avoid it.
                  MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                  1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                  NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                  I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Originally posted by chuck hahn
                    When you ACTUALLY know something about what I have or havent done then your excerpts will be of value. Can you see this cyber middle finger???? You talk outm your asss so much i dont know if i should hand you toilet paper or give you a breathe mint.
                    geez, was that necessary?

                    Comment

                      #11
                      For Tom the troll..yes it was.
                      MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                      1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                      NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                      I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Someone did ask how it runs.....? smoke . idle ok? does your fuel gauge still work ? gas in oil gives off obvious smell when you remove oil fill cap. As for clutch stuff, try to adjust it,but your cable (30 years old?) might be failing and stretching. Correct asap, cuz transmission repairs are no fun!

                        Added; I missed the "oil change recently". What kind/type/weight did you use? did shifting problem occur at this time?
                        Last edited by tom203; 02-14-2012, 10:56 AM. Reason: delayed thought
                        1981 gs650L

                        "We are all born ignorant, but you have to work hard to stay stupid" Ben Franklin

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Originally posted by DrunkenChekhov View Post
                          (Is it rode or road while being used as a verb?)
                          Part of speech has NOTHING to do with the spelling there.

                          "Rode" is the past tense of the verb "to ride".

                          "Road" is where you do it.

                          In other words, "you rode on the road".


                          (I try not to correct the spelling and grammar errors I see every day, but you asked, so I answered.)

                          .
                          sigpic
                          mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                          hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                          #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                          #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
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                          Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                          (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                          Comment

                            #14
                            I have a 650GLD, that I would like to cosnidered factory tuned. Pushing it hard I get about 35 to 37 MPG. Normal city drive, same. Highway at 60 MPH, about 45 MPG. stock jetting.

                            Comment

                              #15
                              Check your floats!
                              I had the same problem, my 750 was going threw insane amounts of gas, couldn't figure out why. It turned out that 2 of my carbs were ****ing gas threw the overflows while I was riding down the road.

                              You won't even notice the leaks either, the gas immediately evaporates, especially when it hits your exhaust or riding down the road.
                              The way I finally figured it out? One morning I was letting the bike warm up, and had to move it real quick. I just happened to lean over, the sun was shinning right inside the rear of the bike...I noticed whenever I Moved the bike alittle bit, it started squirting gas from the hoses.

                              My bike always smells like old gas, so I never noticed the smell.
                              Last edited by Guest; 02-14-2012, 04:56 PM.

                              Comment

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