What kind of mileage do ya get?

WillyD said:
I have run a few tanks of gas thru the 1K since getting rid of the crappy hole-filled factory tap and in-line filter with a new pingel installed...I am getting 26-29 mpg...I just think I am freakin cursed and I will never get 35+ like guys are saying here...Next on the list after mid-ohio it is a valve adjustment and carbs are coming off to be cleaned, checked and synced...But I will bet when all is said and done, I will not get 32 mpg...

We shall see....I am starting to believe that these bikes will NEVER get fuel mileage others get...

I am pretty bummed about the whole thing....really
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26-29 is really not that bad. Since I repaced my tiny inline filter with a larger, high volume IF, I am no longer getting 35-38, but, 30-33
 
This morning on the way to work I was at 96 miles on the trip odometer when I had to go to reserve...I believe that when I go to reserve (I have a pingel) that I would need 3 gallons to fill back up...So in that case that means 32 mpg...A good chunk of that 96 miles was driving on the highway in top gear around 60-65 mph...When I drive back and forth to work, my drive is usually mostly highway around that speed..

I can live with that...That falls in line with what some guys are saying they are getting...I need to really go through some things good...Since I bought the bike 9 months ago, I have not pulled plugs and looked or checked wires, wire ends, etc.....My 900 gets about 23 mpg and I am gonna keep searching to squeeze mileage out of that one..

Willy
 
I guess the only "good" thing I found out from my "attempt" to ride over to VMD again this year is that at my first gas stop I checked my mileage and running 65 - 70 mph on the interstate, I went 58.2 miles and put 1.594 gallons of gas back in. So that's about 37mpg or so with the 136 mains in. Later.
 
Just had the carbs cleaned and set. Bike runs awsome and I got just slightly over 40mpg on the first full tank with mixed riding.
 
So last week I took a ride and concentrated more on keeping the bike in its power band and got 39 mph, better than I have been getting, and then a few days ago I decided to push it and more than few times had it revevved up to 9000 rpms and seriously booking down the road and I got 27 mph, so, I guess that proves that there are limits to the "keep it in the power band" theory. LOL.
 
I was getting 25 mpg on the interstate 75mph every day last year.did a valve adj and went straight to 33mpg. But as far as the 50 mpg thats sounds alittle high
 
Last two tanks on the 1000 I got 25 mpg...First one was from Mid-Ohio...We pushed kinda hard alot, so that is understandable but the most recent tank was with 90% easy riding...I need to pull the carbs and go through and I am going to adjust my valves, check plugs and wires but in the end I do not believe I will ever see 35+ mpg and on my 900?? I would be happy with 30 but that isn't ever gonna happen either
 
Put 51 miles on the ZL on the freeway yesterday, about 75% cruising at 80mph, 25% "spirited" riding. Filled up this morning on the way into work with 1.843 gallons.

51/1.1843=27.67mpg

Will fill up when I get home should have 85 miles on the tank then, to hopefully get a better average; more miles = more accurate :)

I still have yet to balance the carbs and they need to be leaned out more, I think. Plugs were BLACK last time I checked...
 
rkerg said:
So last week I took a ride and concentrated more on keeping the bike in its power band and got 39 mph, better than I have been getting, and then a few days ago I decided to push it and more than few times had it revevved up to 9000 rpms and seriously booking down the road and I got 27 mph, so, I guess that proves that there are limits to the "keep it in the power band" theory. LOL.
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I thought the 'power band' was the rpm range that delivers the most power, around 7000-9500rpm? That would give the worst gas mileage. The best mileage can be achieved by shifting and cruising at the lowest possible rpm without lugging the engine, this is called short shifting and is practiced much more throughout Europe than here in the states. With the ZL900 I try to keep the rpm's around 3500 while cruising, but it's hard keeping it that low with it's short ratio gearing.
Cruising at 6000rpm gives me less than 29mpg.
Cruising way below the power band at 4000rpm gives me 36mpg.

These are the gas mileage estimates from the magazine articles shown on ZL-OA:
CYCLE GUIDE APR'85 says 22-41mpg
RIDER APR'85 says 25-35mpg (60mph=4200rpm)
CYCLE WORLD FEB'85 says 28-35mpg (60mph=4500rpm)
MOTORCYCLIST MAR '85 says 31-47mpg
CYCLE APR'85 (60mph=4384rpm)

My experience matches up with Cycle World (except that my rpm at 60mph is higher).
 
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:headbang: I got 36 mpg when we rode the Dragon , we rode slow a lady was killed the day before and as soon as we hit 129 there was a bike off the road and an ambulance pulling out. so we rode nice and easy.
 
gds said:
I thought the 'power band' was the rpm range that delivers the most power, around 7000-9500rpm? That would give the worst gas mileage. The best mileage can be achieved by shifting and cruising at the lowest possible rpm without lugging the engine, this is called short shifting and is practiced much more throughout Europe than here in the states. With the ZL900 I try to keep the rpm's around 3500 while cruising, but it's hard keeping it that low with it's short ratio gearing.
Cruising at 6000rpm gives me less than 29mpg.
Cruising way below the power band at 4000rpm gives me 36mpg.

These are the gas mileage estimates from the magazine articles shown on ZL-OA:
CYCLE GUIDE APR'85 says 22-41mpg
RIDER APR'85 says 25-35mpg (60mph=4200rpm)
CYCLE WORLD FEB'85 says 28-35mpg (60mph=4500rpm)
MOTORCYCLIST MAR '85 says 31-47mpg
CYCLE APR'85 (60mph=4384rpm)

My experience matches up with Cycle World (except that my rpm at 60mph is higher).
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You are probably right, I probably should have said not lugging it, but, at 3k it doesn't feel much like its lugging. Anyway, if I keep it closer to 4k I get better mileage. (And at 9k not so much). LOL.
 
I get the best MPG between 4k to 5k on the tach. Anything lower or higher shows when I fill up.

Going slower dosnt always show an increase even if not lugging the engine. You will get best MPG at the points where the motor is burning its fuel the best VE (volumetric efficiancy at a given RPM) if you will.
 
paulfun said:
I get the best MPG between 4k to 5k on the tach. Anything lower or higher shows when I fill up.

Going slower dosnt always show an increase even if not lugging the engine. You will get best MPG at the points where the motor is burning its fuel the best VE (volumetric efficiancy at a given RPM) if you will.
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Yeah, thats what I meant. What he said. LOL.
 
since fitting my streight thou turn out pipes 36mm cvk carbs from a zx1000a (gpz1000rx) which were in turn fitted with stage three dynojet kit and K&N filter and finished off with an ignition advancer 4 deg my zl 1000 is now returning 48 mpg or 10.6 miles per liter

however i did notice one draw back with the above modifications on apower run the carbs seem to run dry at 128mph causing me to back off for a couple of seconds before powering on again i may have to look into fitting a fuel pump afterall :pistols:
 
zl1000 pilot said:
since fitting my streight thou turn out pipes 36mm cvk carbs from a zx1000a (gpz1000rx) which were in turn fitted with stage three dynojet kit and K&N filter and finished off with an ignition advancer 4 deg my zl 1000 is now returning 48 mpg or 10.6 miles per liter

however i did notice one draw back with the above modifications on apower run the carbs seem to run dry at 128mph causing me to back off for a couple of seconds before powering on again i may have to look into fitting a fuel pump afterall :pistols:
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48mpg??? wow.

Try running it on prime, if that works then you might consider a pingel fuel tap with no inline filter
 
OK...can someone explain to me how someone with a ZL1000 can get 48 mpg and on my last two tanks of fuel I was only getting 25 mpg....

How does making mods to the bike that obviously give more horsepower equate to getting that kind of mpg? All of the mods should increase airflow through the engine and if you don't want to run waaaay too lean, then obviously the gas has to increase through the engine to keep the a/f ratio in check....

It seems that the estimates that were posted in the magazines ( a couple posts back) were more on track to mine (carbs get cleaned/synced, plugs and wires get checked and valve adj...yet to come) and someone can do these mods and increase mpg that much...
 
Pretty easy Bill, ride it two blocks and push it six, ride it two more blocks and push another six. shut it off, refuel and check mpg's. Bet it goes up.
 
If I can consistantly get 30 mpg in my daily driving of the 1K, I would be happy and not feel like there was something terribly wrong...As we talked Martin, I am unsure of the last valve adj, so that is on the list...I know the carbs are not correct and I am unsure about plugs, wires, etc...All of that is on my list to do...The 900? I gotta whole list on that...

I am not looking for fule sipping mileage, just want to be in the ballpark with what it should be...When it is not right, just drives me nuts...
 
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