| Author |
Message |
    
Court
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 07:59 am: | 
|
I've got to ask . . . does anyone much care about the fuel mileage?
Hundreds of thousands of miles, 44 states and 20 years of riding Buells and I confess I;m not sure, other than for entertainment, I've ever kept track of mileage.
I've just ordered a new car and confess that MPG never entered into the equation. . . . well, except to prove to my wife how smart I was buying a vehicle that got more than 10MPG more than my current daily driver. |
Packdog
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 08:10 am: |
|
Well, I'm not sure that I am as concerned about fuel economy as much as I am the range of the bike. Fuel mileage is a part of that equation.
At one point of my career I had a 70 mile commute (140 miles per day). I had to fill my sportster tank up every day. Even though it had the 4.5 gallon tank, I couldn't make it there and back and again ~ 210 miles.
Last year when I rode across Montana and Wyoming I noticed that in some areas the exits were 50 miles apart and not all of them had gas stations!
So, yes, it is a concern that is fairly high up on my list of things when considering a new bike.
-Ron |
Aussiexbox
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 08:25 am: |
|
Hey Dave(08Uly)does this mean the fuel data sheet on our Aussie site is working or not matey,I have not been riding lately to use it,but it's coming |
Dynasport
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 08:32 am: |
|
Court, can't speak for anyone else, but the main reason I care about mileage on my scooter is for range. I sometimes like to do some long distance touring and on those occasions range can be important. I'd be about as happy with a larger tank as I would be a little better gas mileage.
Now, for my cars, with the current cost of gasoline, gas mileage will be a consideration on my next car purchase. My current primary car is a Ford Explorer that doesn't get the best gas mileage in the world. My situation is not as bad as my sister's though. She told me she spent $900 on gas last month, which is fairly typical for her. She drives a Ford Expedition. She was shopping for a Honda Civic when I last spoke to her. She'll be keeping the Expedition when she buys her new car though, as she can barely give it away. |
Court
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 09:45 am: |
|
I'd heartily agree with the range point. It is frustrating, when doing high mileage riding to have to stop and refuel before anything other than fuel in the bike dictates it.
When I am riding distance I go into this ride-fuel-ride-fuel-ride-fuel-ride routine. I've got the stops to around 5 minutes to loose fuel, hydrate, dehydrate, check zippers (don't ask) and get back on the road.
The S-2 is an elegant bike for such fun.
I'm doing the same thing with my F-150. It was new about 24 months ago and you can't give them away. It gets about 13mpg in NYC commuting and got about 20 when I drove to NC. I figure I'm just going to keep it parked here, drive the far more economical German car and have the truck for when I need it. |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 09:50 am: |
|
LOL. The Saab has a MPG meter as part of its "infotainment" display, so on booring drives I get a feeling of smugness by tring all sorts of stuff to get as high a "score" as possible.
They nailed the term, its definitely infotainment... and I can't play solitaire on the blackberry when I am driving.
I do a quick calculation on the gas pump and the trip meter (reset with every tank) on the XB to make sure there are no signs of a catastrophic failure coming. At 24k (rolled over yesterday), my enconomy just seems to continue to improve.
And by the way, by using the cruise control, neutral coasts, allowing about a 20 mph speed variation, keeping the windows up and the AC off, and opportunistic drafting, you can get 27 MPH on a 2001 Saab 9-3 in the mountains hauling a trailer and two motorcycles  (and that was not cheating, that was up one side and down the other, not just the downhill side).
If the EPA really wants to improve fuel economy, stop mandating CAFE fleet standards, and just force everyone to put a "$1 meter" in every car that shows in real time how much it is costing you to drive. I suspect the US would get a 15% reduction in fuel consumption virtually over night. |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 10:57 am: |
|
I've got to ask . . . does anyone much care about the fuel mileage?
Well obviously yes, just look at the 134 Uly owners who cared enough to log in 800+ samples on 08Uly's MPG Database. But I'd guess you're really asking "Why" should we care about fuel mileage. 08Uly cared enough to start this thread because he was curious, (as am I) why we were not getting the 45-50 mpg claimed by the '06 and '07 Uly owners. The data he has collected shows that our '08s were not unique. Less mileage as compared to previous engines can be indicative of a problem. A recent ECM patch for '08 XBs seems to indicate somebody at Buell must care. Other than that, +3 on range for long distance trips. |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 11:56 am: |
|
Look what Harley has done with their 2009 Touring lineup. Whenever the bike is stopped, for instance at a stop light, the ECM stops feeding fuel to the rear cylinder. That is their answer to rear engine heat concerns. Seems that Buell should look into this and maybe provide us another ECM patch for all ULYs. I imagine that as soon as you turn the throttle the gas starts metering immediately to the rear cylinder and away you go. Might actually conserve fuel in the bargain. I'm all for it. |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 12:05 pm: |
|
Court,
In answer to your post "I've got to ask . . . does anyone much care about the fuel mileage? "
Doesn't everyone care about fuel mileage?
You even go on to talk about being stuck with and just parking your Ford pickup because of its gas sucking ways.
If Buell could somehow figure out how to increase fuel economy on their bikes to 100 mpg (and I'm not talking about emasculated bikes) I'd bet new customers would be beating down the dealers doors to buy one. I believe that is how much people care about fuel economy these days. I've harped on it before, manufacturers need to concentrate on fuel economy in these days of high fuel prices. Bikes are pretty much fast enough for our highways.
(Message edited by electraglider_1997 on July 26, 2008) |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 03:21 pm: |
|
I for one have always calculated mileage on all of the vehicles that I have owned over the past 35 years.
It is a habit my dad ingrained in me when I was little. He was a machine maintenance technician and his reasoning was that it is one of the easiest ways to monitor and maintain an engine.
When an engine is performing as it should, it is almost always at its most efficient. When you have multiple cylinders you cannot always detect a problem that is creeping in, but it can effect fuel mileage first.
When I started driving in the mid seventies, I had a VW Beetle that got 29 to 33 mpg all of the time. Gas was $.69 per gallon. Wages were $5.00 hour.
I went to a '71 Camaro with a 375 hp 327 turbo 400 trans and a Ford Floater 9" rear with 411 gears. It took all of my adolescent income to buy and build that car, as gas went to $.89 a gallon.
The Camaro came with a 100,00 mile 307 that would do about 17 mpg, but after modifying it, somehow that 327 and my right foot placed it in the 6 to 8 mpg range. My wages went up to $6.00 but that and more went through the carburetor of the beast.
A particular instance where monitoring fuel mileage made a difference was in a van that I owned in the eighties. It ran fine but the mileage dropped from 15 to 13 doing the same kind of driving. That lead me to investigate the cause. Turned out to be a plug wire leaking across another. At the time I was traveling a lot using the van to move 1200 miles from home.
I had other instances where fine tuning a carburetor to an engine was done over time, after its initial setup, by monitoring fuel mileage.
I also have an uncle who worked for Bendex in the sixties. They made fuel systems back then and he got on a project where he and two other driver/technicians took three Thunderbirds across the US on a fuel economy run. One had a carburetor, one had injection and the other was a gas turbine. Interesting stuff. |
Jb2607
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 06:02 pm: |
|
Yes, we should all care about MPG. Buell as an entity should care more than we do about MPG. I am 52 and I have kept accurate records for every vehicle I have owned. Every gallon has been documented and logged. Every vehicle I own has a book in it that documents every gallon of fuel, repair, part, documented by date and odometer, etc., that has become part of that vehicle. Yes, I too can detect some mechanical/maintenance issues in my vehicle just by noticing the change in MPG. I am not alone in this. |
Jb2607
| | Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 06:26 pm: |
|
I just returned from a trip from NC to CA/NV. Total miles driven 6894 and total gallons used 153.9. Avg. of 44.8 mpg. High was 67.0 mpg in Utah and low was 36.8 going through Texas fighting WSW winds and I was riding cockeyed. I got several tanks above 55 mpg but all were at higher altitudes... Eastern California along US 395, thru Utah and Colorado. Normal for this bike has been 42-43 mpg before this trip. Can someone explain why the MPG was so good at higher altitudes? This is nothing more than input from another rider. |
M2nc
| | Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2008 - 01:34 am: |
|
I commute on the bike so I care about fuel mileage. On 08Uly's page, I have logged every fill up for the last 3200 miles. I am averaging 50mpg on my Uly. When commuting I am getting between 40-42mpg. When on the freeway I get 50mpg. When cruising at 60mph on a back-road I am getting 60mpg. My average mpg is a good measure on how evenly I ride the Uly for work and play. |
Dottrz
| | Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2008 - 09:16 am: |
|
Just a pedestrian snapshot of my mileage on an 06 Uly with 13K miles puts it around 47-48 MPG, regardless of fuel grade, driving habit changes, etc. I have not placed it under "load" yet, packing on the traveling gear, but I hope that doesn't change the MPG much. |
08uly
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - 09:21 pm: |
|
chrisp,
Awesome, thanks for all the new data...
Looks like one hell of a tour!
---
08Uly
Uly Data Page
(Message edited by 08uly on July 30, 2008) |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - 10:28 pm: |
|
Can someone explain why the MPG was so good at higher altitudes?
Jb2607 - My highest mpg was in the mountains as well. Hughlysses says he gets better mileage in the mountains, too. His theory is the ECM leans the fuel mixture to compensate for the altitude. |
Froggy
| | Posted on Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 02:19 pm: |
|
+1 to running leaner. Less air coming in = Less fuel needed, but also less power, so you guys can keep your 200mpg |
08uly
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 10:23 am: |
|
Wooo Whooo...
Yeah!
Broke 1,000 samples!
Thanks to all that continue to add data. I'm curious to see some 2009's hit the chart.
---
08Uly
Uly Data Page |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 03:03 pm: |
|
That will be interesting indeed. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Friday, August 08, 2008 - 12:19 pm: |
|
I just filled up yesterday but can't do the chart because having the battery unhooked will loose the trip meter numbers! |
Froggy
| | Posted on Friday, August 08, 2008 - 12:25 pm: |
|
The Odometer is your friend :P |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Saturday, August 09, 2008 - 10:31 pm: |
|
The Odometer is your friend :P
That would require that I pay attention......come on, I'm doing the best I can here!
How the heck can this thread be put back on the front page? Archiving this thread isn't a good solution. |
Froggy
| | Posted on Saturday, August 09, 2008 - 10:39 pm: |
|
A certain bastard that is fat can click and drag it. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 02:53 pm: |
|
But that would require that he pay attention! I don't see that happening for him without some help. |
Froggy
| | Posted on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 04:28 pm: |
|
True, but if Blake was nice and gave me the godlike powers we wouldn't be having this discussion |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 08:59 am: |
|
Perhaps a PM to the offended party? I'll nudge Jeremy. |
Froggy
| | Posted on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 09:28 am: |
|
Jeremy offended? Like that would ever happen |
|
