Mpg In Low 30's

[Kevin]

The last few tanks of gas I've only been getting low 30's MPG on my '03. I did the obvious -- changed plugs, did trottle body synch, cleaned the air filter, checked for vaccuum/line problems -- all with no change. In the past riding the super slab I would consistently get 44 - 46 MPG. There is no noticeable drop in power. Tires are relatively new and at the correct pressure.

One thing that is differerent is that the last few tanks have also been almost exclusively riding to work and home -- about 20 minutes, rush-hour traffic each way. So being heavy on the throttle is not a possible suspect (within limits, of course, but not out of the ordinary allowed in rush hour anyway ).

I recently bought a 4-wheeler with a built-in MPG computer and discovered that the first 10 minutes the MPG is consistently about half of what it is when fully warmed up. I did a search @ FJROWNERS and someone suggested that NOT warming up your bike before riding will seriously hurt your MPG. I generally start up and go.

Has anyone else run a tank of short rides and seen similar drops? Do you guys "warm up" the bike at all before riding? Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Bike Effects]

You might try taking it to dealer and doing a leakdown compression test. You may have a "silent" ticker.

 

[markjenn]

Absolutely, a 10 mpg drop in mileage can be attributed to short trips and urban mileage. I'd wait until you have some more freeway miles before becoming concerned. This is certainly a much more likely reason that sudden engine problems.

- Mark

 

[zorkler]

i agree. take it for a haul on the open road for a tank full and you will see the difference

 

[The Relic]

If you warm the bike up before you drive it you will be burning fuel and getting zero mpg. You will get better mileage if you get the bike on the road and drive it easy until the engine is fully warmed up.

While the engine is warming up it should be running a richer mixture than it does when it is warm. Like markjenn said this will adversely effect your mileage. A friend of mine freaked out when she bought an economy car then drove it around town for a month getting 17mpg. She recovered mentally when she finally took the car on a trip and got 35+mpg.

Bill

 

[GalaxyBlue]

I usually let it warm up to 1 bar before i head out. I start the bike, Then put my jacket on, Helmet, Gloves, And away i go!! I get about 40mpg with about 50/50 city highway and i am NOT easy on the throttle :aaevil:

 

[sgoat]

Like GalaxyBlue, I let mine warm up till 1 bar shows then I'm off and rollin'. I get about 46/48 no bags and gear, and about 43/45 mpg fully loaded (the bike, not me) and touring.

 

[weekend rider]

Never bother about gas milage it is a hell of a lot more than my pick up. It is my fun so why worry. I like to twist the throttle and run hard from time to time . May be for all that are concerned ,they will have a hybred oy soon. So quit worring and enjoy it while you can happy motoring

 

[FJRottie]

Heavy stop and go traffic / idling etc will give you the low mleage.

If I only go to work and back (mostly city riding) my mileage drops.

Like others said, hit the highway and go 200 miles, then look.

 

[lawinter]

I let mine warm up long enough for the RPM's to get to around 1500 on idle before going to work in the morning.

I have a way to short commute 7 miles and average 39 mpg.

 

[Kevin]

I have a way to short commute    7 miles    and average 39 mpg.

LAWinter -- have you gone through a tank or more of only commuting? To lose 15 MPG sounds like quite a loss just for short rides but on paper it certainly seems possible. But then again, I don't know what else to check. A leak-down won't hurt but there's no ticking at all.

But then again, it sounds like a GOOD excuse to go out and thrash the bike for an afternoon and see what happens on a hot bike. That's a hot bike, not a hot rider! h34r:

 

[UnCaged]

On my Ride yesterday I was burning gobs of fuel. I notice when I'm carving up the canyon (on the throttle) my Gas mileage sucks.

I forgot to check the mileage but I went through 2 bars in about 40 miles, I was kinda sweat'in it to find a gas pump

There does seem to be a large amount of fluctuation in gas mileage depending on how I ride.

UnCaged

 

[Jetmaker737]

I get about 30 mpg on my commute. It's short (8 miles), strictly on city streets, and I have a tendency to race betwen stops

btw...my bike's an '05 w/ 1400 miles on it.

 

[EastTNFJR]

Usually get about 40-42 mpg but got a 48 last week just farting around. My commute is about 25 miles one way so I am up to operating temp on my daily jaunt. It gets double my pickup no matter what so I too am satisfied.

 

[red2kcbr]

We've done these discussions before (you know, on the OTHER forum) but I'll chime in again. My '05 FJR with PCIII and Holeshots, stock air filter, has ALWAYS gotten 35 to 38 mpg. Period. I'm OK with that; I've just never seen any mileage calculation yield better than 38.

I always use the only correct method there is to calculate fuel mileage, that is, fill tank, reset counter, ride, fill tank, check miles, do math. There ain't no other way to calculate fuel mileage accurately.

I don't have an explanation for the high variation in reported mileage. Different blend of fuel in different parts of the country? I'm ham-fisted? I generally stay close to the legal speed on main roads, ride too fast on back roads, with an occasional burst to WFO when the urge takes me.

I've also noticed tire wear on the Avon ST 45/46 is only about 3500 miles before the rear is toast - all the way to the wear markers in the center, maybe a 1/4 " chicken strip, and pretty frazzled on the edges. Toast. Front is slightly cupped, not bad, maybe good for another couple of thousand. Maybe a 3/8" strip on the front. I changed it anyway.

No smokey burnouts, no wheelies, no stoppies. I might leave a black mark in a turn sometimes, but I'm not riding like Hayden back in his Superbike days.

I do like torque, however. I drive an '03 Mustang Cobra, and it gets about 13 mpg as a daily driver. No burnouts, no drag launches, but I do like to put my foot in it.

OK, never mind. It's me. I'm a ham-fisted, lead-footed, thrill-seeking adrenalin junkie. If poor fuel mileage and excessive tire wear is the price I must pay, so be it. I can live with that.

 

[BULLIT MAN]

I have been seeing mpg all over the place.i have been giving my 14 year old son a ride to school lately hes 170 lbs and im 220ish.milage has been sucking...its still so worth it and it kills my f150 supercrew

 

[PopCycl]

I used to own a Honda VTX 1800 that was fuel injected also. I experienced a sudden, severe drop in MPGs and had a real hard time getting Honda to look into it. The bike was running fine with just a small loss of power but the MPGs dropped from 35-37 to 25-23.

After finally finding a dealer willing to take a look they found the waxing valve was broken. I do not know for certain if the FJR uses a waxing valve or not. Basically it is used to increase/decrease the fuel for cold engine idle. My valve broke in the "cold" position where it continued to let extra fuel in during all operating temps. Once this was fixed my MPGs rose back up to 35-37.

Pop

by the way, my 05 w/ 11,000 miles get 40 in the city and 50 on the Interstate.

 

[radman]

When I first got Frank, mileage was atrocious, 5-7 mpg. After about a month, finally got some nerve up, and tried 2nd gear. Mileage almost doubled! After that it was a piece of cake....

 

[markjenn]

... they found the waxing valve was broken. I do not know for certain if the FJR uses a waxing valve or not.

What the heck is a "waxing valve."

- Mark