Fuel mileage?

[crash33]

Ok got the new drive on the front wheel so Im able to check the mileage now ( plus see how fast im really going ) and it doesnt seem to be as high as I was expecting at only 33.8 mpg.
Not knowing the full history of the bike as when the last time plugs were changed and such.
I do know the PO did say he went thru the carbs and it does seem to run pretty decent what else should I be looking for to get the mileage back up to where it should be?

[debron]

33 is pretty low. Was that city or highway or??? My mileage went up 3-4 mpg after I replaced the dirty paper air filter with a new k&n filter.

[ekap1200]

33 is pretty low. Was that city or highway or??? My mileage went up 3-4 mpg after I replaced the dirty paper air filter with a new k&n filter.

I would consider 40mpg low on my bike...Tis the season for bike PM's . Maybe the neddles are shimed up for more fuel.

[crash33]

This was pretty much on the highway, at about 75 to 80 mph. I only rode 88 miles on the test and plan on a longer ride in the morning.
as far as a feel it seems like the speedo is off about 5 plus but according to Carl it shouldn't be off that much, reason for the feeling, im running 75 and passing cars pretty frequent.

I did look at the air filter when I first got the bike, looked new but didnt fit very well.
My gut is telling me something may not be set right with the carbs and btw I hate CV carbs with a passion but got a feeling I may have to learn to love them

[debron]

The only time I get in the low 40s is at high speeds -75-85, and usually head winds or cross winds (or pure city riding.) Most Japanese bikes have a built in 10% speed error. Both of the XIIs and the Honda I've had have or had the 10% error. That is, at 50 on the speedo true speed is 45, at 60, true is 54, at 70, true is 63, etc. as confirmed always by my gps.

As speed climbs above 65, mpg goes down fast!

[Mr Jensee]

I don't know any bike that can maintain a good fuel economy going 75 to 80 mph, anywhere. I get an average of 44 running 65-70 mph using the cruise control.

[Me Again]

Running a mileage test on only 88 miles plus a lot of idling time while checking it out is just a tad out of whack.You need to use a least one full tank ,two or three would be better.
Throw in a little fuel system cleaner and go for a ride.
At 88 miles you only used a little over 2 gallons of gas .The difference between 40 mpg and 33 mpg is less than 1/2 gallon,and that is easily gained or lost at the fill up.

[forplay]

My belief is any time you get past the 65-70 mph your fuel milage is greatly affected. My 2001 XII will usually get around 45 mpg. If I push it above 70 it has dropped as low as 36 mpg. I would suggest you slow down a tad and see what happens.

[gearheadfla]

In flat Florida my 88 will get 50mpg, 45ish at higher speeds, when I installed a K&N filter I did see a couple more miles to gallon, when I went to a Car tire I picked up a couple more because the tire is taller than a MC tire so I dropped a couple hundred RPM's on the highway. I agree with 88 miles is not far enough to get a good reading, BTW, if you twist the throttle these bikes will fly, but also the fuel gauge will fall fast. When I am in fuel save mode I ride easy and short shift, but when one of those American V-Twins tries to show off, well I handle it and use the fuel, the look on there face at the next stop is worth it, most of the time they wont even look over.

[ekap1200]

In flat Florida my 88 will get 50mpg, 45ish at higher speeds, when I installed a K&N filter I did see a couple more miles to gallon, when I went to a Car tire I picked up a couple more because the tire is taller than a MC tire so I dropped a couple hundred RPM's on the highway. I agree with 88 miles is not far enough to get a good reading, BTW, if you twist the throttle these bikes will fly, but also the fuel gauge will fall fast. When I am in fuel save mode I ride easy and short shift, but when one of those American V-Twins tries to show off, well I handle it and use the fuel, the look on there face at the next stop is worth it, most of the time they wont even look over.

Hi Jim, I know the feeling, I will be riding the the Harley guys today. And to compete with the torque I need to keep the tach always at 3k and up . They used to play around and goose the speed up to about 105 and when I zing by them at 120 and still have some rpm left to go, well they don't challenge the 1200 no more. But riding with them I still don't go lower than about 43 mpg. Gene Kap.

[crash33]

good thoughts, I am planning a ride today PGR mission that will run thru a tank of fuel and will check it once again.
Dont think riding at 65 and 70 is safe around here most of the speed limits have been moved up to 75 and I dont want to be a hood ornament.

[kjsett]

good thoughts, I am planning a ride today PGR mission that will run thru a tank of fuel and will check it once again.
Dont think riding at 65 and 70 is safe around here most of the speed limits have been moved up to 75 and I dont want to be a hood ornament.

Haven't rode my XII thru Texas (yet), but between El Paso and San Antonio I-10 goes up to 80mph. Found this out on a last second, must go to our rental house in Florida (from Phoenix) to deal with renters a year ago. Big change from when you used to have to drop 10mph at night.
Took my PU with a Cummins that gets around 20mph on the highway, but very much noticed a drop in mileage that evening (I think i got 15-16mpg) at those speeds. My XII has seen as high as 50mpg, and as low as 25mph (pulling a trailer with a wheelbarrow on it at highway speeds). But usually gets 45mpg on the highway and 40mpg around the city combined (Phoenix). Trailer drops that by 5 to 10 depending on weight and speed.
K&N air filter, good plugs (last year), Rotella T6 oil, Dunlop E3's all combine to help the mileage. I also regularly dose her with Seafoam treatment (every 5th tank or if parked very long) to keep the Ethanol they put in the gas around here from building up.
You get the bugs worked out, you will love this bike.
Personally, I do enjoy the Vtwin sound around town, but on a long trip, that sound wears on me (my wife has a Vtwin Vulcan 800).
Thanks for listening,
Ken

[voyager55]

Put Iridium plugs in it & synch the carbs. Our carbs are very easy to sync..
I use this http://www.carbtune.com Best I've tried. They ship it very quickly to

[voyager55]

Jim, where did you find a K & N air filter?

In flat Florida my 88 will get 50mpg, 45ish at higher speeds, when I installed a K&N filter I did see a couple more miles to gallon, when I went to a Car tire I picked up a couple more because the tire is taller than a MC tire so I dropped a couple hundred RPM's on the highway. I agree with 88 miles is not far enough to get a good reading, BTW, if you twist the throttle these bikes will fly, but also the fuel gauge will fall fast. When I am in fuel save mode I ride easy and short shift, but when one of those American V-Twins tries to show off, well I handle it and use the fuel, the look on there face at the next stop is worth it, most of the time they wont even look over.

[gearheadfla]

It is a filter for a low 90's Camaro V-6, it is listed in the Dollar for Dollar section K&N - P/N #33-2008 , got mine from a local auto parts store, did no mods to install, only extra thing I did was seal around the edges with a RTV silicone. Clean it once a year and done. It was just that easy, take the stock filter out, drop the K&N in and seal it, 10 mins and done.

[gearheadfla]

In flat Florida my 88 will get 50mpg, 45ish at higher speeds, when I installed a K&N filter I did see a couple more miles to gallon, when I went to a Car tire I picked up a couple more because the tire is taller than a MC tire so I dropped a couple hundred RPM's on the highway. I agree with 88 miles is not far enough to get a good reading, BTW, if you twist the throttle these bikes will fly, but also the fuel gauge will fall fast. When I am in fuel save mode I ride easy and short shift, but when one of those American V-Twins tries to show off, well I handle it and use the fuel, the look on there face at the next stop is worth it, most of the time they wont even look over.

Hi Jim, I know the feeling, I will be riding the the Harley guys today. And to compete with the torque I need to keep the tach always at 3k and up . They used to play around and goose the speed up to about 105 and when I zing by them at 120 and still have some rpm left to go, well they don't challenge the 1200 no more. But riding with them I still don't go lower than about 43 mpg. Gene Kap.

I am always impressed by the XII's power, I know that it will kill my 1600 Nomad off the line and top end too, and the Nomad ain't no slouch with it's throttle body, power commander and pipes, it runs pretty darn good, BUT, 33mpg on a good day with it.

[crash33]

ok rode only 130 miles today and havent filled up yet, dont think its going to be very good since I was kind of umm moving along the road so to speak.
while riding in the procession had a couple of bikes do a speed check, seems im anywhere between 5- 8 mph off, I was at 40 one was at 45 the other at 48, so that can account for some missed fuel mileage.
basing the speed being off and adding another 12 miles to the 88 rode that would bring the mileage up to 38.4 so maybe its not that bad after all

[voyager55]

I'd say you're on the low average side of mpg. No problem

[Chris near Kansas City]

While the speedo may be off depending on year, etc, the odometer on the XII is usually accurate.

[crash33]

ok after the 130 mile ride I checked it and it was at 34MPG. and this was at the 75 -80 range
Did another ride today with some friends speed was kept at around 55-65 @ 160 miles this time it got 44MPG, so the moral to the story 65 seems to be the magic number.
So guessin its not far off