MPG / Range

[BLKMAX]

I commuted two years rain or shine on the Max. Combination city and highway, 66 miles round trip. When you are not moving and the bike is running, you're getting 0 mpg! That includes warm up time or time waiting for the light to turn green.

Two round trips to work per tank then fill up. I would always fill as full as possible by rocking the bike and slowly topping it off. Reset the trip meter each time and checked fuel mileage. Best was 134 miles and it took 2.9 gallons. Don't know where the extra 2 miles came from, but it came out to 46.2 mpg. Around 4 miles of city driving each way and so I must have hit the lights well. I've found that hitting most of the lights while red can drop my mileage by 4 or 5 mpg.

Summer time can mean 2mpg better then winter. I think the oil company's have different blends for there gas for summer and winter. This may account for the difference, another theory. Speed! When it rains, I drive slow. Mileage suffers. Summer time = fast. Better mileage. If I can keep the tach at 4500 to 5000 on the freeway, I end up with the best mpg.
This may be to my personal state of tune so take it with a grain of salt. But if you look around at what people say they are getting for mileage, you'll notice that 70 to 85 mph comes up a lot with the best mpg.

This year, my commute dropped from 66 miles to 8 per day. Thank God! I start the bike in the morning, let it idle for two or three minutes, ride to work, let idle while unlocking gates. Don't hit the freeway and top speed is 40mph. Red fuel light comes on under 100 miles! Fill it up. 87 miles =3.1 gallons for total of 28 mpg. Runs the same, sounds the same. Crappy mileage!

Last week I installed new springs in the forks and bolted on some new shocks. I've heard all of you saying how much improvement it makes, but I didn't expect this much! Of course after 40k, the stock stuff was worn out. Yesterday, I warmed the bike up, went down to the gas station and filled it up. Headed out highway 36 here in northern California. Two-lane highway from the coast to the central valley. I went as far as a town called Dinsmore, had an ice cream bar and turned around. Many many turns and a 5000 foot elevation gain. I rode this bike as hard as I ever have, in the boost more then a few times. Got home, went back to the gas station and filled up.113.5 miles and it took 2.75 gallons = 41.27mpg!

If you want good mileage, keep moving????....fast!:biglaugh:

 

[sswallie]

I havn't had a tank last more than 66 miles before reserve yet. Combination, I'm sure, of bad tuning, old suspension and a fatty sitting on the seat.

 

[113s&s]

I commuted two years rain or shine on the Max. Combination city and highway, 66 miles round trip. When you are not moving and the bike is running, you're getting 0 mpg! That includes warm up time or time waiting for the light to turn green.

Two round trips to work per tank then fill up. I would always fill as full as possible by rocking the bike and slowly topping it off. Reset the trip meter each time and checked fuel mileage. Best was 134 miles and it took 2.9 gallons. Don't know where the extra 2 miles came from, but it came out to 46.2 mpg. Around 4 miles of city driving each way and so I must have hit the lights well. I've found that hitting most of the lights while red can drop my mileage by 4 or 5 mpg.

Summer time can mean 2mpg better then winter. I think the oil company's have different blends for there gas for summer and winter. This may account for the difference, another theory. Speed! When it rains, I drive slow. Mileage suffers. Summer time = fast. Better mileage. If I can keep the tach at 4500 to 5000 on the freeway, I end up with the best mpg.
This may be to my personal state of tune so take it with a grain of salt. But if you look around at what people say they are getting for mileage, you'll notice that 70 to 85 mph comes up a lot with the best mpg.

This year, my commute dropped from 66 miles to 8 per day. Thank God! I start the bike in the morning, let it idle for two or three minutes, ride to work, let idle while unlocking gates. Don't hit the freeway and top speed is 40mph. Red fuel light comes on under 100 miles! Fill it up. 87 miles =3.1 gallons for total of 28 mpg. Runs the same, sounds the same. Crappy mileage!

Last week I installed new springs in the forks and bolted on some new shocks. I've heard all of you saying how much improvement it makes, but I didn't expect this much! Of course after 40k, the stock stuff was worn out. Yesterday, I warmed the bike up, went down to the gas station and filled it up. Headed out highway 36 here in northern California. Two-lane highway from the coast to the central valley. I went as far as a town called Dinsmore, had an ice cream bar and turned around. Many many turns and a 5000 foot elevation gain. I rode this bike as hard as I ever have, in the boost more then a few times. Got home, went back to the gas station and filled up.113.5 miles and it took 2.75 gallons = 41.27mpg!

If you want good mileage, keep moving????....fast!:biglaugh:

nice write UP BLK ..FOUND THE SAME thing with cool weather riding milage is down..weather is starting to get warmer hear im at 35 mpg now..found the same thing about flying on the highway milage cool weather... light would be on in the 80s..now its in the 100,s same riding and roads all the time

 

[Shuriken]

I saw 28-29mpg this weekend. Hoping to see into the 30's out on the freeway.

 

[Shuriken]

Looks like my '85 is running 28-29 around town and 34-35 out on the highway - so far.

 

[113s&s]

rode 160 miles today mostly highway around 75 80 mph few blasts up to 120 or so ... 40 MPG....105 miles no fuel light 2.6 gallons

 

[BLKMAX]

rode 160 miles today mostly highway around 75 80 mph few blasts up to 120 or so ... 40 MPG....105 miles no fuel light 2.6 gallons

Very Good!

 

[bobbfrommn]

As an experiment I made an effort to keep the cruising RPMs around 3k and mpg went from 26 to 32.

 

[BLKMAX]

As an experiment I made an effort to keep the cruising RPMs around 3k and mpg went from 26 to 32.

3k? Sounds like city driving. Get out on the freeway at 5 to 6k and see what you get.:biglaugh:

Joe

 

[82ndCowboy]

3k? Sounds like city driving. Get out on the freeway at 5 to 6k and see what you get.:biglaugh:

Joe

I agree...
I seem to get the best millage out of a tank when I have a lot of highway miles around 5-6K RPMs. My Max runs smoothest in that range.

 

[MikeS]

When I first got my max I could go about 100 miles before the red light would come on. since then I've added a windshield (not the little one that mounts to the turn signals, a larger one that mounts to the top triple tree screws) and now I can go between 110-120 miles before the red light comes on.

I just installed the T-boost mod with a 3 way switch (3k/off/6k) and expected running the T boost (3k) would lower gas mileage, but I'm still able to get between 38-40mpg. Right now I'm running with the boost shut off completely to see if my mileage goes up much, or if it stays the same.

Perhaps because I came from riding a cruiser (Kawasaki Vulcan 750) rather than a sport bike, and still ride it like a cruiser (aka riding like an old man) might explain my good mileage? I must say, the T-boost mod was a great thing, really makes the bike fly between stop lights! As far as highway riding, I try to keep the speed to 100mph or less, even tho I know this bike can do much more (the VN750 topped out at around 115mph).

I was actually surprised that adding the windshield seemed to increase the mileage, I mean I know they do with scooters, but they're small underpowered bikes, so anything at all the make it more streamlined helps, but I didn't think it would make as much of a difference on a bigger more powerful bike!

-MikeS

 

[Idaho ALR Max]

V-Boost is your enemy if you're looking for mileage (that's the only time!). When my riding group does a road trip and we take the back roads, I can get 50 MPG pretty easy. Out on the interstate, it's a different critter all together, and I can expect my fuel light to come on at 100 miles. That works out to about 33 MPG. The RPM difference from the back roads to the interstate brings the V-Boost into play, and the mileage goes out the window.

 

[MikeS]

Well, I ran 2 tanks thru the max with the boost completely shut off, and considering that I was getting 38-40 around town with the T-boost on I had expected to get between 40-44mpg with the boost off, but was I ever surprised when the first tank got 36mpg, and the second got 35mpg! The only thing I can think of is with the boost shut off, to maintain any particular speed that the throttle has to be opened much more than it would be with the T boost engaged.

Not to mention that once you've gotten used to the feel of the T boost kicking in at 3k rpm, having either no boost, or having it kick in a 6k makes the bike feel SO slow! In fact just from the seat of the pants, the max without the boost on feels slower than my Vulcan 750 did!

Quite honestly if the difference in MPG is only 5mpg either way, then I might as well leave the T-boost on for around town riding, and only switch back to the factory 6k setting, or off would be on a long highway trip.

I was also wondering, when the boost is engaged, in theory it shouldn't make the bike run any richer, as along with gettingg 2x the gas, it's also getting 2x the air as well, right?

-MikeS

 

[maleko89]

You got it Mike. I run open Vboost with my Morley kit and I've been getting 39-43 mpg.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

You got it Mike. I run open Vboost with my Morley kit and I've been getting 39-43 mpg.

We did almost 300 miles Saturday and I averaged 37 MPG, am running 160DJ mains, .010 shims on the needles, stock airbox, UFO exhaust and Vboost open full time. We were running an average of around 80-85mph for the most part with very little stop and go stuff.....

 

[Rusty McNeil]

I was also wondering, when the boost is engaged, in theory it shouldn't make the bike run any richer, as along with gettingg 2x the gas, it's also getting 2x the air as well, right?

-MikeS

My thought on that, which I've noticed on mine since I get almost no difference in mileage between Vboost open full time and closed full time ( I use a thumbscrew on the cable to hold it whereevr I want it; the servo motor is gone but the butterflies and cable are still in place), is that the engine is going to pull however much air it needs whether it is thorugh 2 carbs or one carb. Velocity is simply reduced when pulling through two carbs and therefore less gas thru each carb as well.

Throttle response is significantly different and of course on the top end perfomance starts suffering when the single carb reaches its CFM limit.

 

[beerbellybill]

I've only hit the Vboost once during my 450 miles so far on the bike. (Hope it wasn't too early to try it, but I just had to. Only getting about 30 MPG so far. I was expecting a bit more. maybe I just need to break her in a bit more. Still not going too much over 5-6K yet. I think I had the RPMs up to about 7 or 8 for about 20 secs when checking out the Vboost.

 

[lankeeyankee]

I've only hit the Vboost once during my 450 miles so far on the bike. (Hope it wasn't too early to try it, but I just had to. Only getting about 30 MPG so far. I was expecting a bit more. maybe I just need to break her in a bit more. Still not going too much over 5-6K yet. I think I had the RPMs up to about 7 or 8 for about 20 secs when checking out the Vboost.

450 miles I would think you may want to start wicking her up to atleast 7500-8500 in first gear anyways, this way its a quick burst. I wouldnt hold high RPMS long on a fresh motor.
Yes your mileage will improve as the engine loosens up after breakin.

 

[beerbellybill]

450 miles I would think you may want to start wicking her up to atleast 7500-8500 in first gear anyways, this way its a quick burst. I wouldnt hold high RPMS long on a fresh motor.
Yes your mileage will improve as the engine loosens up after breakin.

Thanks for the info man, time to twist and rip a lttle, hehehe.

 

[mjsonar]

Hello everyone

I am new to this forum and new to the vmax just got mine 4 days ago. All I can say is WOW I love this bike. My question is this. Is the reserve 1 gallon I think I read in this thread that the tank is a 4 gallon tank. and when My fuel light comes on I can put in about 3 gallons so I am assuming that the reserve is 1 gallon. Is that right?