mpgs

[tc862011]

i finally got down to business today and did a mapped trip of 50 miles after i filled the tank and then i refilled the tank after the 50 miles. the math is saying just under 35mpg for my little gs550. is that about right or is that low. i am not lugging the engine the rpms is usually floating around 5-6 unless i am getting on her, then i am shifting right around the 9.5-10, i know the more throttle you use the more gas you are using. this is just a curious question. its not bad mileage compared to my minivan (that i hate driving).

[Badooka]

I'm getting ready to start watching my 750T's mileage the same way.
I can't speak from experience but I had always heard the 550's were close to 50 mpg.
Could be as simple as a little tweaking of your carbs.

[Steve]

... the math is saying just under 35mpg for my little gs550. is that about right or is that low. ...

I would think you should be getting a lot better than that.

Hate to say it, but every bike listed in my sig gets better than that, except the Scrambler, and that is only because it's waiting for restoration.

.

[Chitownhillbilly]

What kind of route are we talking? Stop and go every mile or less? Or are you cruising 5- 10 miles before ya roll through a country stop sign? If it's the latter I'd say you need a little carb work. If it's stop and go, I'd say 35 is pretty good for a bunch of shifts around 10K.

[tc862011]

more stop and gos then staright aways in my area

[tkent02]

I was never under 50 mpg on my 550, no matter how I abused it. The 1100G is always 45 or so.

[Riding Again]

I'm subscribed. Watching with interest!

Been through my carbs 4x in a month, new boots, o-rings, etc. but best I've gotten is 30 mpg @ 1/4 throttle (5.5k - 6k in 5th, flat slab on the interstate)sometimes worse, like 22 mpg.



Plug chops haven't told me anything so I must be






Because I feel like I'm

My thoughts are still on jetting though all discussions lead me to believe I shouldn't have to with cv carbs.

[Steve]

My thoughts are still on jetting though all discussions lead me to believe I shouldn't have to with cv carbs.

You are under the impression that you don't have to worry about jetting because you have CV-type carbs?

How stock is your 850? Stock airbox or pods? Stock exhaust or a header?

.

[koolaid_kid]

i finally got down to business today and did a mapped trip of 50 miles after i filled the tank and then i refilled the tank after the 50 miles. the math is saying just under 35mpg for my little gs550. is that about right or is that low. i am not lugging the engine the rpms is usually floating around 5-6 unless i am getting on her, then i am shifting right around the 9.5-10, i know the more throttle you use the more gas you are using. this is just a curious question. its not bad mileage compared to my minivan (that i hate driving).

Back on topic, the 550 should be getting better mileage than that. tc, what mods, if any, do you have? What have you done, in the way of carb cleaning,etc.? We need a good starting base. No, your mileage is not good for a mid-sized bike, it it closer, but less, than my 1100 GS got around town.

[tc862011]

no real mods, except i couldnt find a filter asembly for the stock air box, so i went and got a filter assembly that fit nice in the hole of the inside of the air box, the hole where the plastic box meets up with the metal one, sealed it up with jb weld real good and let it drie overnight, this way it has a real filter and it has a base so when i need a new one i can just unscrew it and put a new one on there. i have clean and recleaned my carbs and i have also chem-dipped them for over 24 hours a carb. i still need to get the orings for them from this website, with it running well i didnt see the issue but with the low mpgs maybe thats what i need to do

[koolaid_kid]

For that small of a bike the fuel mileage should be much higher. Once you find and fix the source of this issue you may also find that performance will improve as well.

[tc862011]

i dont want it misunderstood that they dont have orings cause they do and they wernt in horrible shape by any means. i havejust been planning on doing to orings as a safety thing, but not i am thinking that it might me a mileage thing, unless the orings could cause that

[tc862011]

unless the filter is making it run rich, because i have had to lower the needles from the middle clip to down one clip, the air screws ar at 2 turns and the fuel screws are at 1 1/2 i think, its been a while since i have had the carbs off

[tc862011]

[koolaid_kid]

For that small of a bike the fuel mileage should be much higher. Once you find and fix the source of this issue you may also find that performance will improve as well.

Unless you have already done the Nessism rebuild, you must do it first. He has a link in his sig, and Cliff has a link on his web page. This is a must-do, we cannot go any further until you do, task. Let us know when this is complete and we can continue.