| Author | Message | ||
     M_singer |
I'd say that a sport touring bike ought to be able to go at 200 miles between fuel stops. The Uly falls short in this department but, IMO, it is still a great sport touring bike. | ||
| Bearly |
I've been as long as 179 miles before the light came on. Then I drove another 12 miles to pass up a CITCO gas station to finally get gas at a different brand. We had already stopped to stretch at 60 miles and about 120 miles anyway. If your driving to cape horn you might want to add another tank. :-O I'm in the Happy category. (Message edited by bearly on April 25, 2008) | ||
| Jphish |
One thought - perhaps an erroneous one: The 08's are all by chronology & definition new (mine only has 400mi) thus most of the data for 08's is in "breakin" mode. I'm not even gonna start checking mine until after the 1000mi mark. The 06 & 7's likely are past the "crawling" stage and should be in the 'reduced carbon footprint' category. Just a thought. | ||
| 08uly |
As Wademan pointed out the average was slightly skewed due to unbalanced samples per User (rider) so I fixed that and now show both Average MPG by User & Average MPG by Sample (across all the samples for the model year). Uly Data Page 08Uly | ||
| Cycletlh |
07 with 8,000 miles. MPG varies from 48 to 52. Has since the first tank. Bought it new and put 100 miles on it before I shut it off. Varied the RPM during the initial break in period. I do not ride real hard and do not ride over 70 mph unless to pass. Also do not spend much time in town. | ||
| Etennuly |
Ya got one guy posting that he has put over five gallons in his Uly tank. Does he have a reserve tank or maybe he is part filling, between fill ups?  | ||
| 08uly |
Etenn, I noticed that also but it comes in line with his other entry's so I'd say it's as you suspect, Fuel Cell or multiple refills. I made a note on the form to add comments in such cases. Also, just past 200 samples & 63 Ulys! This is great! Thanks & Keep up the good work! It's becoming clearer that the 2008 is getting lower mpg but the difference year to year is not as significant (8 to 11 mpg) as I originally thought. --- 08Uly See my Uly Data Page | ||
| Galloper |
Is it possible to add a conversion for the liter and kilometer people  | ||
| Peregrine |
Hey 08uly, thanks, you're doing a real service by posting these numbers. While the numerical analysis may be interpreted in several ways it's still clear that 08's suffer relatively poor mileage: To review, the most plausible explanations provided by fellow Uly riders include: 1. lower miles on the '08s' motors which have submitted results. Although fuel efficiency certainly increases with mileage, one wouldn't expect this to make a significant difference in light of the modest gains in mpg reported by owners of '06's and '07's as their bikes' mileage increased; 2. Quirks with the FI system, most notably the new ECM. It seems that many/most ULY's have issues with their FI systems: some inexplicably run rough and thirsty no matter what sort of tinkering is done, some smooth out noticeably with tinkering - up to and including replacing the ECM - and others continue coughing, burping and belching no matter what is done. Some just run fine without so much as a tinker, however the numbers of Uly owners reluctantly having to continually tweak their fuel/air mixtures (even between cylinder one and two), habitually resetting parameters . . . etc. indicates a systemic issue and suggests a possible quality control problem with the '08's new FI systems. I'm not counting all you happy-tweakers who spend late-nights fiddling with the mixture just for fun. Ya, you know who you are.  Funky ECM's in the '08 may be a primary culprit for lower gas mileage; 3. The larger oil pump and higher-capacity oil cooler on the '08, which when working in tandem, demand more energy from the motor to do a slightly more demanding job than their predecessors, thereby leaving less power to put to the tarmac and requiring more throttle input from the rider to go the same speed, hence less MPG. Can anyone else think of anything else? From my perspective number one is a no-starter. The problem is not that the '08s have too-few miles. Number three is something we'll have to live with. Only time will tell if more/cooler oil increases the longevity of our bikes. This is part of owning a quality machine and if this is the problem, it's something I'm happy to live with. Its number two which is a bit irksome. A less than optimal FI system decreases the bike's already slim range, makes commuting/idling/starting/elevation/sea level . . . a drag, it's more expensive than need be, and can be potentially dangerous. So let the results keep coming in, but I think it's safe to say there is an issue. What are all your's ideas? (Message edited by peregrine on April 27, 2008) | ||
| 08uly |
It would be easy to add a separate Results page that shows KPL (and I'll do that) but not sure how easy it will be to have the spreadsheet determine if you are entering miles or kilometers / gallons or liters. If I ask for the units on the form it could work, I'll have to think about that. For now I'll show the conversion factors so if you have SI units it will be a little easier to figure the English units to enter. --- 08Uly Uly Data Page | ||
| Ulyranger |
Unfortunately I only paid attention to one tankful so far, the second. Got 41 mpg. Did a couple partial fills in between my last couple putts but will track this current tank (# 4) and subsequent ones for the good of the order. It appears I have one of the good 08s because I have none of the stumbling, sputtering or any other such abominations with my bike. It has run great since there were 6 ticks on the Odo at delivery and has gotten only better with each ride. I hope the mileage goes up a bit, but if not I don't really care as long as it's not running too rich. It still beats the crap out of my Silverado and MUCH more fun to ride. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
oops! looks like the 2006 section was messsed up. Was it because of bienhoabob typing in "gal" into a numerical field? | ||
| 08uly |
Yeah, Alpha in the numeric fields breaks it... No way to enforce data integrity with the google forms (that I know of). Given more time maybe I'll move it to a database on my site. --- 08Uly Uly Data Page  | ||
| Desert_bueller |
This is a very depressing thread!!! My 06 is NOWHERE near the average. Is it my bike or is it me. It's only 5 months old, (bought new in Dec 07). I do ride fast, but that doesn't seem to make a difference because I've tried a lighter right hand. Thank goodness petrol costs only $0.04 a litre here. Phew!!!  | ||
| Bigkuri |
New record? I was late for the Ferry, so London to Folkestone at pretty much 110mph (+)... 95.8 miles on 3.87 US gallons of petrol = 24.74 mpg... Bad this was is that is was over for a weekend of hooning around Luxembourg, and the fuel light was usually coming on at 100 miles mark. Ouch. Proving an expensive bike to run. | ||
| Windrider |
Interesting thread. My 06 has always gotten outstanding fuel economy. Here is some data from a 2 up trip that I took last summer on it.  I usually get 50-53 MPG commuting to work but I can get very near or past the 200 mile mark when riding on the open road before the fuel light comes on. | ||
| 08uly |
Windrider, mind if I add your data to the spreadsheet? --- 08Uly Uly Data Page | ||
| Rekrab |
I just finished a 4000 mile trip, avg. 46 mpg. Low of 42 high of 52. Temps ranged from 78 out to 35 {not so fun} 08 Uly , now with 15000 mi. | ||
| Windrider |
08Uly, No problem, feel free to add it. Since these were open road miles they do a bit better than the bike usually does. Like I mentioned, I usually get 50-53 on the commute. | ||
| Growl |
For me riding with a light hand was not enough to get over 50 mpg. As long as I rode mostly at 3500-4000 RPM and up - a light hand got 45 instead of 42 mpg. But riding a lot at 2300-3300 rpms gets 50+ mpg (this includes some high RPM blasts for variety) | ||
| 08uly |
Someone just posted 55 MPG on a 2008? Is that really possible... they didn't put a username down. 4/29/2008 12:20:14, 2008, 242, 4.4, 3,725 Hmmm... | ||
| Bobr |
I've been averaging 45 without really trying to conserve fuel. 55 certainly seems possible to me, especially if the rider was cruising long distances at 55-65mph and/or trying to conserve fuel. Thanks for maintaining this thread and for the spreadsheet. Bob | ||
| Bigkuri |
This is a great thread, but I think that the mileage needs some validation of riding style. Revs: they are so different for us. Maybe the 2008 riders are just more aggressive and faster   Seriously though - Growl riding at 2300-3300 rpms getting 50+ mpg is just an extraodinary thought for me. I ride around wanting a extra (or higher) gearing as sick of hitting redline in top at 130. A typical non-town speed in the UK (and Europe) is 85mph to 95mph, so a big difference I think. Cruising at 55mph I just cannot relate too. Not knocking anyone, but it is just such a huge factor. Again - no knocking different riding for different uses and people (best rider I know poodles about at 50mph....) but maybe the form needs an average peak rev field? My average peak is 5,500-6,000 when riding to work (gunning it up to 90mph) and redline when playing (7,000+ish). Just food for thought. (Message edited by bigkuri on April 29, 2008) | ||
| Windrider |
Uly08, This is all interesting but why not do a real road test instead? Just find some local buddies with an 06 or an 07 and go on a group ride. Fill up at the same pump with the same fuel, ride the same route at the same speed and pace and then compare when the fuel lights come on. Just a thought. | ||
| 08uly |
I think I have the only Uly in my area  Haven't seen another Uly in my travels (5,000+ miles) let alone another Buell. Guess I'll just have to go buy me an '06 to test for myself  --- 08Uly Uly Data Page | ||
| Growl |
Bigkuri: The Uly has been described as a swiss army knife. One of it's blades is the 50+ mpg option, which in my trials has allowed cruising at 70 mph (3300 RPM). (Not the only blade i use tho' :-) But certainly a useful tool if the fuel light comes on! | ||
| Smpl5 |
While you can't discount variations in riding style, statistics would suggest that these differences wash out with a large enough number of riders. I, for one, am hardly heavy-handed on the throttle and I am usually under 75mph on the highway and I have yet to break 35 mpg. My 08 still has < 500 mi on it, so I am hoping that more mileage will improve mpg. Mileage isn't the main reason I bought the bike, but it was certainly one of many factors. I will try the "manual TPS reset" procedure before my next ride. Maybe that will help. | ||
| Dickc |
I have a 2007 Uly with a stock ECM and an Odie Pipe. Do you think a K&N filter would increase gas mileage? Thanks, Dikc | ||
| 08uly |
I added a leader boards page that sorts users by MPG & then by # of Samples. I'll update this as needed. The one-offs are a little misleading because it may or may not represent an average or a high or a low MPG reading but en mass the data is good so please keep adding your data. Thanks, ------- 08Uly Uly Data Page | ||
| Windrider |
Is there anyone in Boise, Idaho with an 08 that wants to go on a fuel economy run against my 06? Anything in the name of scientific discovery and the quest for truth in Buell fuel usage numbers..... : ) |
