MPG Variations

[JeffHicks]

Hey guys - I'm loving my '91 Voyager XII that I've now had for a little over a month!

I've put about 1500 miles on it already. During that time I've noticed a couple things...

When I first got it, I took a couple trips up and down the Interstate. I typically got 31-32 mpg.

Yesterday (July 4th) my wife & I puttered through the local hills, had supper, and rode home watching fireworks. I got 41 mpg.


Is this bike going to be pretty hard on gas, when running 75 mph? Does it run far more economically at 60 mph?

The guy I bought it from hadn't ridden it much during the past 5 years. Did it just need to be driven, in order to get everything working as it should?


What kind of MPG can I expect to get on a regular basis?


THANKS!

[cranky]

... before Ya pass "GO", run a few tanks of nice strong Seafoam thru it! I also
use Chevron gas (supposed to be a good cleaner gas, I have a nephew that used
to fix scoots, he used it as a parts cleaner it was so good...) and clean out your
machine!!! After cleaning my machine out and getting some road miles in,
my gas mileage went up noticeably..... Very best to Ya!!!!

... forgot to add, if it's been sitting for a while, check the tire date code
and change every drop of fluid in it! JM2C

[JeffHicks]

... before Ya pass "GO", run a few tanks of nice strong Seafoam thru it! I also
use Chevron gas (supposed to be a good cleaner gas, I have a nephew that used
to fix scoots, he used it as a parts cleaner it was so good...) and clean out your
machine!!! After cleaning my machine out and getting some road miles in,
my gas mileage went up noticeably..... Very best to Ya!!!!

... forgot to add, if it's been sitting for a while, check the tire date code
and change every drop of fluid in it! JM2C

Thank you!

As per the tires... one of the selling points for me is that the tires are almost new. I think the seller may have put them on just last year.

Regarding clean gas... The first evening my wife & I rode it, it had a very "exhausty" smell. I'm sure you know what I mean. But with clean gas and some Lucas Fuel Conditioner, that smell is long gone.


One more question: Is there an "octane" gas that runs best through these bikes? We have 87, 89 and 91 available here. 87 is always mixed with alcohol, and 89 & 91 sometimes are and sometimes aren't. I have not noticed an mpg difference between any of them. You?


Thanks!

[cranky]

... all the posts I've seen say to use 87, and that's what I use....
Can't comment on the ethanol/alcohol... best I know, Ya
don't have any choice.. and I don't worry... yet.....

[SgtSlag]

My 94's manual said to avoid ethanol gas, period. My 2000 truck lost its gas tank level float due to eth-gas... I run non-oxygenated (ethanol free) gas whenever possible, to avoid it destroying internal components, over time.

87 octane is enough, it won't ping. The octane rating is the percentage chance of pinging/pre-detonation, or the fuel's resistance to pinging. You won't get more power/mileage/etc. from higher octane fuels. Cheers!

[cushman eagle]

If the carbs are not jetted up,and the ignitor is getting the vacuum from the carbs,it should get 48-50 miles per gallon at freeway speed.My wife and I recently went 1050 miles to,during and back from the Nashville rally and got 49 mpg,if the GPS is correct on millage.700 of those miles were freeway miles,with the GPS showing 73 MPH most of the time[speedo showing 76].I use 87 octane gas ,running Seafoam a couple times a year,and keeping Seafoam in during the winter downtime.

[ghostler]

... all the posts I've seen say to use 87, and that's what I use....

Just a little trivia, but anyone who treks to the higher elevations of New Mexico will notice most gas stations sell 86 Octane gas. It's the same stuff as at sea level, but has been derated for our higher elevation. (I live at 4,300 ft., elevations vary from a low of 3,300 ft (Carlsbad) to 8,000 ft (Chama), Albuquerque 5,000 ft (same as Denver), some higher. The 2001 XII and all my cages burn 86 Octane without any problems.

Seafoam is great stuff. My bike was idling rough when I first got it, but now purrs. Every couple months I run another shot of Seafoam in the tank.

[voyager55]

41-45mpg is a good average. Faster you go, more fuel it eats. 70mph + can lower it quite a bit

[JeffHicks]

Thanks all!

I just got home again, having ridden the Voyager entirely on the Interstate - approximately 75 mph.

I was back down around 33-34 mpg. This disappoints me.

I'm going to run some Seafoam through a couple tanks of gas and see if that cleans things out and helps my mileage a bit.

[cushman eagle]

Does it have have good plugs in it? Is it running on all four cylinders,so it is burning all the fuel running through it? That milage is low.

[Jimvoyager01]

my average mpg is 45 to 48

[ghostler]

At these higher elevations, been getting around 48, sometimes 50, 38 towing the trailer. Most riding is at 55 - 65 mph.

[Highway Rider]

Fuel mileage. Things to consider and some have already been mentioned.
#1 miles per hour
#2 Wind - Head wind-Crosswind
#3 Towing a trailer
#4 Alcohol in the fuel
#5 Not so much Octane rating--Lower octane slower burn of the fuel--Higher octane faster burn of the fuel.
#6 Good spark plugs

These machines will get great mileage when running 55-60 mph. But start running 75 to 80 mph there is a significant drop in the miles per gallon.
Then add alcohol to it and there is another drop in mileage per gallon will cost less but the mileage will drop
Then if you add a head wind and or a cross wind there will be another drop in the mileage.
For instance --10% alcohol--87 octane--20 mile per hour cross/headwind-- running 75 mph I have seen it as low as 26 mpg
Then No alcohol--87 octane-no head/cross wind-- running 75 more like 36 mpg

One would thing that the higher the ambient temp is would also have an effect, as the warmer the air is the less dense it becomes, but increases the ability to hold more humidity

[JeffHicks]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the responses!

I'm an old-school "wrencher" so I'm familiar with all the issues of alcohol, plugs, speed, etc.

I was just wondering if my mileage variations were normal. Sounds like they actually are.

Thanks again!

[scottolds]

If you look at my Fuelly link at the bottom of the post you can get an idea of mileage variations.

I have had my Voyager for 15 months and have ridden about 22,000 miles. Also I have logged almost every fill up via Fuelly.

What everyone mentions on here is spot on.

I just finished riding the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge parkway. At those speeds I was getting tanks of 49, 50, and 51.

If I ride much over 70, my mpg is about 38-39. If I keep it about 65, it is closer to 41-42.

Wind plays a big part. On a trip out to Texas earlier this year I saw my worst MPG and that was dealing with heavy winds most of the trip.

For those of you wondering I verify my distance traveled with GPS and always use the same method for filling the tank to get the same level each time. So, my data is actual measured data which is then calculated. These is not estimates or general feeling about the numbers.

If the bike has been sitting up some, I would wonder about the carbs and the balance. When I got mine, I was told by the PO that the carbs were done. The reality was they were not done. I have the luxury of being near Carl Leo and he checked out the bike before my first big trip. The balance was way off on the carbs and they would leak gas out the overflows on occasion. He synced the carbs and put in a new air filter. It was good enough for me to get to Vegas and back and then I eventually has Carl rebuild the carbs.

Congratulations on your purchase.

[starrider]

With our 2003 Voyager XII, we see solo, 55 MPH or less typically 54 MPG. Two up 55 MPH or less we get average low 50's MPG. 65 MPH and up gets us high 40's. Towing the camper to the Nashville rally we averaged 40 MPG doing 65 MPH. We've gotten as high as 59 MPG two up. That was gentle up rolling hills at 40 MPH. Always been impressed with the milage for a touring rig.

[Mr Jensee]

Nothing much I can add to what already has been said. Highway Rider I think you have the Octane thing backwards. The lower the Octane the faster the fuel will ignite, the higher the Octane the slower it will ignite. Hence low octane and preignition. Oh and FYI that Premium Octane fuel the stations try to sell you is pretty much a scam. All but the most exotic cars will run fine on 87 to 89 octane or regular fuel. What they try to do is convince you that higher octane fuels (which modern fuel injected cars all are) are better for your engine. It isn't, just a way of Oil companies want to brain wash you into paying more for what you don't need. The Voyager XII was intended for regular fuel. Buying a premium fuel wont give you better gas mileage or make it run better. And yes I know the new Voyager recommends premium fuel but the bike like modern cars has a way to retard the ignition to adjust to various fuel octanes. Every vehicle I have ever owned dating back to my brand new 73 Chevrolet Vega has run fine on 87 octane.

[joerod777]

This thread has been helpful for me. I also use Seafoam in all my vehicles and lawn equipment...it works! My 03 Voyager runs great and I get 38-42 MPG depending on driving conditions...and I never ride 2 up. It has 40K miles on it. I'm surprised by a previous post where an 03 owner claimed mileage in the 50-55 range. I have never gotten over 42 mpg. Why such a big difference between two 2003 Voyagers?

P.S. I'm amused by my die-hard Harley friends who claim to get extraordinary mileage and then 125 miles into a trip are stopping for gas!