As I posted earler I just got back off my trip (3900 miles). My gas mileage was 38 to 42 miles per gallion on hi test gas. Except one time 153 miles on 4.955 gals. and me with a 5 gal. tank it was close. I didn't have a windsheild. I put one on today on my Texas Ranger. Saved my sidecar windwheild, put my cut down Road Glide ( got one of those molded one it really seem's to handel better) windsheild on my sidecar it's not as big as stock one. I hope it's not going to cost me to much gas mileage.rudy
Hello wellcome in the club of CV loving freeks.
The lovely sidecars, at least most of them, have the cv factor of an opened parachute!
For to get a rig fast and gassoline efficient there are 3 options in my eyes:
1. make front area small (what I did always. Better a small cigar without windsheeld => gives more space for you to monkey too)
2. get a smouth integrated form for big bucks.(=> see Kramer rig or better said Star war fighter)
3. Get a workhorse with such a big engine that it runs less stressed.
(Funny to me is that I have on my Jawa 350 a very low consume while the 250 MZ sucked gas and oil like a Sportcar, but for me it was allways impressing that the Goldwings have less consume than 2cylinder Beemer and Guzzies. Better said it is nearly the same allthough it is a much bigger engine. So somewhere is an equilibrium.)
Rigs are thursty and sometimes(often) muskle forcing.
But they keep you young in mind and health.
Best regards
Sven Peter
I certainly would not complain about that gas consumption. My rig gets about 38mpg on its best days...which are days without a passenger and when I don't like to hear my mufflers bark too much.
35 yesterday on the way to and back from Wenatchee. Me and the Arch...
last run 3K plus. First 8 days mostly under 70mph got 44 mpg, 70-75mph was 42 mpg.
96 inch FI '08 FXLR rig.
Last day was running over 80 mph most of the day from the Wyoming/Utah border to Boise so I didn't bother to check mileage till today. Last fillup was 4.039 gallons of premium with 141 miles on the clock.= 34.9mpg.
Tour windshield on bike/chopped windshield on hack.
Altitude range was sea level to 12,000', temps from 60 to 115F.
Lonnie
If you are getting 38 to 42 mpg, that's really all you are going to get. I suspect that you have a Harley-Davidson since you mentioned a Road Glide but I'm not sure.
If it is a Harley, assuming that it's a late-model, 38-42 is excellent since that's close to what they will do as a solo.
If it's a stock Harley Twin Cam engine, assuming that it's stock with no modifications, you could easily run it on 87 Octane and save some money.
I have a 2004 Ultra that I run on 87 Octane all of the time. I haven't checked the mileage lately but it's done 38 mpg in the past.
It sounds fine at 38-42 mpg.
I've got a 07 Harly road glide. I've got a lot of power. All I need, only mod. is a free flow air filter. Oil cooler. It's a good bike for a tug. Now that I'm back home I usely run 89 oct. and that gives about 38 to 40. But not much freeway rideing about 600 miles a week going to work and all.rudy
I was just hacked in the last couple of weeks and mileage was a concern of mine as well. I am very happy however that on average I am getting around 48mpg, the real test will be the next two weeks while I am on vaction. about 3500miles, camping gear passenger etc....
I haven't calculated it, but my '05 Ultra Classic would go 180 miles before the gas light came on. With the Hannigan sidecar attached, it's dropped to 155 miles till the light.
Well, I am very envious of all of you. My 07 GL1800 w/ a Dauntless Liberator had it's first trip w/ my wife as passenger and got about 30mpg. Driving between 65 and 75, interstate and 2 lanes. My 94 K1100LT w/ a Friendship III got 33mpg pulling an Aspen tent trailer. We've got at least 6k of trips planned to finish out the year when my wife retires in October. I'll repost then with updates.
I've got a 1999 GL1500 Champion Daytona 2+2, best I've ever got is 32mpg on interstate at 65 - 70mph. I thought maybe it was just the size of the sc, but I guess it may be the GL/sc package.
Best to all - Roy
Well boyes the chickens have came home to roost. Going up to kan. ralley a couple week a go I got 30 miles to gal.(nothing but shell hi-test) going a littel fast by myself. I really had a gopod time. Some one informed me that all the stations or going to winter blend that my have shot my mileage. Comeing back I used Phillip 66, conoco & no name all hi-test. Got 32 mile to gal.. At a Honda dealer today and he told me I would get better gas mileage over 5000 ft. altitude. Soundes good to me.Rudyr
With our 88 Goldwing and a California side car fully loaded with wife and weekend baggage we got 33 mpg on 87 octane on our way into Ontario. Last year only getting about 25 mpg until changed the air filter which jumped it over 30 mpg. As a newbee, with a lot to still learn, I expect that there still are a few more mpg to be gained as I become a better operator.
Oh My!!! I just read through this thread and discovered that you all are getting from 30MPG at the low end to well over 40MPH on the high end. Ugh. Despair 🙁
I recently did a 900 mile trip in which I got a very consistent 23-24 MPG on the freeway. Around town and for my daily commute I get between 15-16 MPG on a very consistent basis.
Oh well. I have a ton of fun on my commute and plenty of power on the freeway 🙂
It's kind of refreshing to hear people talk about what poor mileage they have gotten on their rigs. I was always told that the only 2 things a guy would lie about are the mileage he gets on his bike and the number of women he's slept with!
