| Author | Message | ||
     Mike_dinger |
Ok, so the wife and I just got back from a nice ride, starting with a full tank. This ride was a gas milage test to see what my Uly gets on a full tank. So, at 146 miles, the fuel light comes on, so cool, I'm thinking "38" the magical number, right? Well, to refill after 16.1 miles into reserve, the tank took 3.1 gallons. This means that I have 1.3 gallons left on reserve, which is well over 38 miles before running out. In a 4.4 gallon tank, that's approximately 53mpg. Either that's really good gas milage, or I am having math issues. Does anyone else get over 50mpg? The ride was moderate pace, 80-85 max, then some nice wide sweepers through Carmel Valley, over to Highway 1 near Monterey, back up to Santa Cruz, then Hwy 17 back to San Jose. Partial sea level, partial straight slab, and some fairly decent climbs through the Santa Cruz mts, riding 2-up with saddlecases and 15-20mpg winds. It was a gorgeous ride, and I am just amazed at the gas milage achieved today. Gonna have to do a couple more comparison rides to verify. | ||
| Kc69xlch |
i regularly get between 45-55mpg. i commute 500miles round trip every week and mileage has slowly improved as bike breaks in. usually fill up at the 150 mile mark and have recently only been able to squeeze 2.7-2.8 gallons. my fuel light has not worked since new, and i have yet to want to be without my uly long enough to get it fixed. | ||
| Mike_dinger |
Awesome! Thanks, Kc. I'm a little happier now, for some reason i thought it would be closer to the 40-45mpg range. Every little bit helps. I hear you about giving up long enough. I want my pipes coated, and the hardest part is giving the bike up for a few weeks. I'm trying to save some $ so i can get a Drummer, and ceramic header coating simultaneously.  | ||
| Adrian_8 |
On my trip out west last week..I checked every tank for gas mileage. I got 53-56 most of the time on two lane roads loaded down with three hardbags and camping stuff. When we were on the interstate running just over 80 and under very windy conditions it would slip down to 43mpg sometimes. I went 49 miles on reserve and put in 4.19 gallons when we had to turn around in the Lassen Lava Beds..near Hambone, CA. | ||
| Maximum |
I get 49 MPG consistently, pretty much no matter how I ride. If I fill up right when my low fuel light comes on, it takes 3.4 gallons. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
My light came on today and I put in 3.25 gallons at 140 miles (previous high speed heavy flog day). Chad and I got 170 miles with no light and each put in one gallon. I think it really depends on staying away from lugging the engine and ripping above 80 MPH for long distances. The bike seems to like running near the rev limiter!  | ||
| Mike_dinger |
50ish plus mpg is just one more reason to love this bike, and leave the truck home every day. | ||
| Ridetherejk |
"Chad and I got 170 miles with no light and each put in one gallon" 170 MPG ?  (Message edited by ridetherejk on June 17, 2007) | ||
| Alchemy |
While riding up at Americade, I got 55 mpg on one section. Later riding home riding solo and with a tail bag and tank bag I seemed to get 58 mpg. Part of that may be that I was riding with 3 other riders and was drafting them a bit. The other strange thing is that the section I got the best mileage on I ran for about 30 miles in 4th gear at freeway speeds. I had ear plugs in and just didn't notice the higher tach reading. I had seen a comment in some other post about running in 4th gear and getting good mileage. Now I am wondering if there is something to it. Prior to this I was getting about 167 miles before the light came on. As I have passed 5k on the bike the mileage seems to be getting better (rising above 45 mpg) and it is running a little cooler it seems using the fan as an indicator. I also have gotten into liking to coast down grades where the speed limit is low. With the belt it is quite quiet. I hope there is nothing about the belt that contraindicates coasting in neutral occasionally. | ||
| Jmhinkle |
I get 52 MPG like clockwork no matter how I ride. Light comes on around 180 miles like clockwork and when I get to the station it usually takes right around 3.6 gallons. | ||
| Cavi |
I get 45mpg constantly, but I do have the race kit, and the XB9 gearing, but my reserve light comes on at like 110, and at that point I can only get a bit over 2 gallons in the thing. Pisses me a bit that I still have a 2 gallon reserve | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Thanks, Ridethere. We had a gallon left. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Cavi, Take it in on warranty. | ||
| Etennuly |
On a 260 mile outing last Saturday with a buddy on a Ultra, we fueled a the same time to start. When we got gas at about 150 miles he whipped out his calculator and is very excited to be getting 38 mpg(he used to ride a 406 Boss Hoss at 12mpg). So he walks over to my gas pump and I asked him to get that calculator out again to be precise with mine. It was 53.5. He was a bit stunned that it would do so well on the twisted hilly Kentucky back road as fast as we were hustling through there. My worst ever was 41.2 riding with Chadh and Ft_bstrd on a long fast back road trip. my best ever was 60.2 on the 45 mph Blue Ridge Parkway. | ||
| Dgunther |
I get crap mileage. Barely 40mpg on most fill-ups, but there is usually a bit of start-stop and sitting in traffic. Occasionally, I'll get some high mileage (54 mpg on and near the BRP), but if I hit 45mpg I normally consider myself very lucky. I've tried keeping it over 4k RPM and babying it and neither seems to make much difference. I do seem to get consistently worse mileage if I end up having to use 10% ethanol gas. | ||
| Kc69xlch |
the mileage difference when using fuel with ethanol in it come from the variation in stoichiometric ratios of gas 14.7-1 and alcohol 8.6-1. it takes alot more alcohol to make complete combustion than gasoline, therefore your reduced mileage. | ||
| M2nc |
My best on the Uly was on the BRP. We were running with some XB9 with the smaller tank so we stopped for gas at 119 miles. It took 1.9 gallons to fill the bike up so with the tenths figured in I got 62.54mpg. The longest run I have done before the fuel light came on was 201 miles. I was scared last burned out because on the road the light usually comes on by 185 miles. I have run out of gas on the bike once and got 36.8 miles on reserve. | ||
| Paochow |
I've found extended running over 95 mph, two up with bags brings some crap mileage, often in the mid 30's. Normal use usually brings 45+ and my offroad experiences usually have me using less petroleum distillates (55mpg+) than my buddies' 650 thumpers. | ||
| Jlnance |
so the wife and I just got back from a nice ride I find I get better mileage with a passenger. That seems strange, but I've seen it enough that I know it's real. I think it has to do with aerodynamics. | ||
| L_je |
Like DGunther says, poor gas mileage is endemic to our neighborhood. I average 48mpg. Sometimes I get as low as 43mpg. Sometimes I get as high as 53mpg. But, if I stay in metro Atlanta, the mileage will be < 48mpg. For those of you who have met me, you know that my engine isn't exactly struggling to overcome inertial effects when it's just me on the bike. So, why can't I get the good mpg? Some thoughts on why it's stupid to do math like 183 miles / 3.93 gallons = 46.56 mpg... Fuel-Air Ratio is a mass ratio, yet we fill up with a volume of gas that is a function of temperature. And, just how accurate are the pumps when they dispense less than 5 gallons of gas? But, if you do enough sampling, in theory, all of the errors will cancel out. Regardless, metro ATL sucks. To correct this problem, I've decided to move to the Blue Ridge Parkway. | ||
| Dgunther |
Fuel-Air Ratio is a mass ratio, yet we fill up with a volume of gas that is a function of temperature If I'm doing my math right, there is a ~1.5% difference in the density of gasoline between 60 and 90 degrees F assuming a volumetric coefficient of expansion of 950 x 10 -6 for gasoline (δV = βVOδT). Filling up early in the day when the temps are lower and with a cool frame will probably boost MPG a small, but perhaps noticeable amount. | ||
| Sparky |
Maybe I'm stating the obvious with what follows. You can control some factors to get good mileage, while Mother Nature and the environment control other factors. As you may know, you're gonna get the best mileage if you're in the topmost gears and not accelerating or rowing through the lower gears. Naturally tailwinds & headwinds will affect mileage for better or worse. Then consider that when calculating mileage, one usually looks at the last accumulated miles and divides by the number of gallons that was just put in. Well, that's backwards and presumptuous because you haven't logged the miles from that the last purchase of fuel yet. Are you with me on that? Of course, we all assume that we fill the tank up to the same point each time, right? So, you hope it all evens out. But there is gonna be a slight tolerance using that method, and the most useful thing will be looking at the average of many mileage/fillups over time to determine trends, etc. | ||
| Gotj |
Dgunther, I just saw an article about gasoline, temperature and pump calibration. Pumps are calibrated to dispense 231 c.i. of gasoline as one gallon at 60 degrees F. At 80 degrees F, 234 c.i. is required to dispense the same amount of energy. | ||
| Dgunther |
I just saw an article about gasoline, temperature and pump calibration. Pumps are calibrated to dispense 231 c.i. of gasoline as one gallon at 60 degrees F. At 80 degrees F, 234 c.i. is required to dispense the same amount of energy. That's what I was stating above. Pumps don't measure density or energy content. They measure volume and most liquids take up more space as they get hotter. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
This is true, but nearly all gas is stored in underground tanks rendering the gasoline roughly the same temperature regardless of ambient air temps. Temperature at the 8 foot mark is about 58 degrees. Most tanks are the 10-12 foot variety. Thus even if not all the fuel is at the 8 foot mark, the average mean temperature would be no higher than 65 degrees. Thus, the ambient temperature is irrelevant for submerged tank facilities. | ||
| Kc69xlch |
wow you guys think of everything.  | ||
| Florida_lime |
I rode from Florida to N.C. and back this weekend, with about 100 miles of riding while I was there. MPG ranged from 40 - 45, with the best being off the highway, up in the mountains. One up (except the local riding there included my 6 3/4 year old daughter), side bags only. 1360 miles when I left, 2855 miles when I got home, so it's still breaking in some. | ||
| Dgunther |
Thus, the ambient temperature is irrelevant for submerged tank facilities. True, as it leaves the nozzle of the pump, it's always going to be close to the underground temps. But as it gets heated by our lovely frame-tanks, it gets less dense. I honestly suspect that the density plays less of a role than even evaporative losses over a couple days. A 1.5% change in density would amount to mileage difference of 2-3 miles over a frankful of gas. | ||
| Gotj |
"Thus, the ambient temperature is irrelevant for submerged tank facilities." FB, here's the link to the article I was referring to: http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/ap-centerpie ce-lawsuits-allege-hot-fuel/n20070618214609990004 It seems they would disagree with your conclusion or maybe you could straighten them out. I can't imagine that Hawaii has above-ground tanks. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Unless the tanks are super close to the surface, I think the argument is a red herring. (With all due respect to Carl Rittenhouse the gas huffing carpet installer. ) Maybe one of you guys with the infrared thermometers can point it at the fuel actually coming out of the nozzle while fueling. Rather than having pumps that regulate flow based upon temperature, why wouldn't you simply adjust the tank depth codes for facilities. Dirt is free, and I bet you could rent a backhoe for cheaper than $1,500-3,800. Require that all tanks be buried at a depth of 8' minimum. You could even retro-fit existing tanks cheaper than what is being described. If Boxer and Kucinich is fanning the flames, you know something ain't right. Leave it to another Tennessean to throw rocks as the theory! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
From a similar discussion (from a guy who works at a fuel station)b: @MarkVictorArnold: Ok, I scanned a few Veeder-Roots in some sunny, warm locations and the difference in temp of an in-ground tank @ 1AM vs. 1PM is less than 4 degrees F at most. Over a 48 hour period, the tanks fluctuated about 1.6 degrees on average, including fuel deliveries. In contrast, an above ground tank fluctuated as much as 20 degrees. A co-worker who has much more experience in this arena than me went on to tell me that if a store closes at night and re-opens in the morning, the fuel in the lines to the pumps and the pumps themselves will be much warmer. The thermal expansion is enough that it can trip leak sensors, which will force a pump into "slow flow" mode, which is exactly what it sounds like. So, the worst time to get gas, if thermal expansion is a concern, is right after a non-24 hour store opens or on a rarely used pump. 06/18/07 01:42 PM http://jalopnik.com/cars/i-feel-gassy/a-major-mond ay-meijer-dilemma-fill-up-for-cheap-or-help-out-th e-environment-269794.php | ||
| L_je |
My goal is to become totally banned from BadWeb because of the following response: In response to that link that Gotj posted: Hot fuel coming out of the gas pump affecting your wallet? What a bunch of bull $#^! that is! [and this diatribe is in NO WAY directed at Gotj] These little whiney @#$%ing socialists should move to @#$%ing Canada or mother @#$%ing Finland if they want cooler fuel. If they are so terribly impacted by a <1% change in fuel density, then maybe their pennyless @$$es should park the car and @#$%ing walk! If these clueless @#$%ing @#$% heads think that the the stupid flow meter is accurate enough to discern the density differences between 60F and 90F, then these stupid @#$%s have $#^! for brains and should just volunteer to have themselves turned into biofuel if they really want to make a difference in the global fuel supply! These @#$%ing @#$%ers are @#$%ing @#$%ed in the head! Get a job, not a lawyer! You want cold fuel, dude you got it! You should see what the Russians have to do to their jet fuel to ensure proper cold weather ignition. It's a good thing that turbines can't really PING, 'cause it would sound awfully frightful! Hot fuel? You can't handle hot fuel! When you have to ask yourself, "how much more $#^! are we going to have to add to keep this stuff from boiling?"...well, then you've got hot fuel... ___________________________ I had to edit this post: I accidentally misspelled "think" as "thing", sorry, my bad (Message edited by L_JE on June 20, 2007) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
L_je, I would pay good money to see a real life tirate! The problem is that the average joe lunch bucket doesn't take the time to actually think about what is being proposed as "wrong". They just "KNOW" those damned oil companies are robbing them blind. What the average joe lunch bucket doesn't know is that oil companies make about $.08-$.27 per gallon of gasoline. That's it. http://www.conocophillips.com/newsroom/other_resou rces/energyanswers/oil_profits.htm#Make_on_a_gallo n_of_gas http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18448 Government, on the other hand, makes between $.23 and $.54 per gallon in various taxes. http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/statistics/gas_t axes_by_state_2002.html The "equity" pimps prey upon peoples lack of ability or interest to actually figure out the truth. I was looking at gas prices and how they affect me last time I looked to change cars. My car got about 24MPG. I drive about 35,000 miles a year. That means I'm burning about 1,458 gallons. For simplicity sake, let's look at 1,500. In 2001 gas prices were averaging about $1.50 per gallon. Current prices are about $3.00 per gallon now. That means I spend about $2,250 more per year than I was in 2001. I'm an extreme example. Most don't drive nearly that many miles. That's about $188 more per month. Average joe drives about 12-15,000 miles per year. Let's call it a third of what I drive. So average joe is impacted about $62.50 per month or about $750 per year. I'd love to have $2,250 more in my pocket, but that's just not going to happen. It isn't "big oil's" fault. It's Osama's fault. It's Iran's fault. Mostly, it's China and India's fault. | ||
| Dgunther |
L_je, C'mon man, you don't have to sugar coat it - tell us how you really feel!  Can you imagine the price drop in fuel if we actually did use stupid @#$%ing @#$%ers as bio-fuel? Ft_Bstrd is right on the money about China and India. I've been to Shanghai and Beijing few times in the last year and it is simultaneously amazing and frightening the hunger that China has for gasoline, diesel, concrete and steel. |
