MPG

[ironside]

hi every one!
i live in canada were gas prices are a real rip off! but i wonder why mpg is so critical to some riders? this is my toy and i love my burgy and just ride to enjoy it! i feel if i have to try and conseve every ounce of fuel, perhaps a new hobby would be in the works for me. but i guess if it's your only mode of transportation and you have a long haul to work and back i could understand the concern. other wise i would just ride and ENJOY life is short but great!
just my 2cents worth jim

[Jim]

hi every one!
i live in canada were gas prices are a real rip off! but i wonder why mpg is so critical to some riders? this is my toy and i love my burgy and just ride to enjoy it! i feel if i have to try and conseve every ounce of fuel, perhaps a new hobby would be in the works for me.

+1, add to the fact that a ride to the store is usually twice as far ( ) as taking the car/truck, mileage is a moot point.

[Dave_J]

Ok so it's the automatic transmission that causes the bad fuel economy.

Has anyone found any mods to cheaply improve fuel economy?

Its not just the CVT, the final gear drive is a power drag, the fairing is not real aerodynamic, the tires are bigger than what is really needed. Even the guys and gals that have put on aftermarket pipes and Power Commanders on do not get much better and most likly worse gas mileage (right hand control issue).

Putting a Darksider Car tire on will make it look like it is getting worse mileage even yet as you will travel the same miles but the odometer will show less as the tire is much taller. My mileage is 51 and 56 for the last two fill ups but if I were running the factory spec tire I would be at 56.1 and 61.7 MPG. But this is not a Darkside post so I'll leave it there.

Shimming the windshields bottom out a bit will move the top of the shield back and down some and may help some.

[rustynail]

I just lurked multiple HD forums to see what MPG the V-Rod gets and I think your friend is overstating his MPG.

[InfernoST]

Manual transmissions will always get better mpg than an automatic.

That was true at one time but not so much now. Some of the more modern automatics and electronically controlled CVT transmissions in cars get rated as good as their manual counterparts.

Not when it comes to bikes.

[NormanB]

There is no doubt that there is a massive disparity between achieved mpg with motorcycles and the best automobiles ( not American pick-ups). I believe the single biggest factor is that while much can be achieved to design a slippery car in aerodynamic terms, all motorcycles are very dirty in comparison. Remember resistance increases in a square function in relation to speed. I think the Burgman also gives up energy for the convenient always on song 'flat torque' availability together with a 'lossy' transfer from crankshaft to rear rubber.

The problem ,if you see it as a problem, is the ease of putting the torque on the road means you always use it. At traffic lights I will always filter to the front, on the green I am offski, but on checking the mirrors once I am clear, the first car ha not even cleared the intersection.Also I have tried riding 'economically' but it is just contrary wise to the whole ethos of being on a bike - to make progress and maintain high adrenaline levels.

[Baysidebob]

I get high 30's in the city which is a lot of sittling at stop lights. Free way I get 50 or a bit better. I don't drive for milage. The cost difference between pitty-pat riding and having a blast is not worth it. If economy were an issue I'd get one of those gutless Honda 500's.

[Buffalo]

Not when it comes to bikes.

Since I don't know of any bikes that come in both a manual and an automatic version that is kind of hard to prove. The nearest thing is the dual clutch transmissions in the FJR and NC700 bikes but those are not really true automatics but computer shifted manuals. If you want to include those, I believe I read that Honda claims the dual clutch NC700 get better mileage than the standard version.

[TwoWheelTim]

Bully what he said. I love watching (on my gauge) my MPG drop into the high 50s when I WOT the throttle away from traffic and onto the back roads.

I was forced to drive the cage last week (hauling the family) and it was horrible. We have been spoiled with weeks and weeks of beautiful riding weather.

Cheers All,

[Scotty1981]

I just lurked multiple HD forums to see what MPG the V-Rod gets and I think your friend is overstating his MPG.

Yes I think so as well, I spoke with my dad about his Vrods milage and he said this guy has to be fibbing or he's driving like my grandma.

As I said, I've chosen the 650 over the 400 so fuel economy isn't super important but if there were some mods everyone was doing that would help me save some fuel I wanted to look into it, that is all. In the end I'm not going to trade in / sell the burgy just because I'm not getting 70 MPG.

I have toyed with getting a 150 for commuting to work and saving the burgy for weekends. I'm not totally convinced the fuel savings would be worth the added registration and insurance every year though. Not to mention the added costs of the second scoot, I've seen a few on ebay and craigs list for 2k, I've seen some 50cc models for 1k, those I believe get around 120 MPG and I only work 2 miles away so they would be fast enough for the 40 MPH drive to work but not much else.

[rustynail]

Not when it comes to bikes.

Since I don't know of any bikes that come in both a manual and an automatic version that is kind of hard to prove. The nearest thing is the dual clutch transmissions in the FJR and NC700 bikes but those are not really true automatics but computer shifted manuals. If you want to include those, I believe I read that Honda claims the dual clutch NC700 get better mileage than the standard version.

Yeah, Yamaha claimed the AE and manual FJRs got the same - I don't know about the VFRs.

As far as I know, the CVT is the only transmission that does the same or better than a (gingerly driven) manual.

I'll bet that still holds true.

[Buffalo]

As far as I know, the CVT is the only transmission that does the same or better than a (gingerly driven) manual.

I'll bet that still holds true.

Maybe, modern autos with lock up converters, more gear ratios and computer controls are getting very good mileage. For example. Chevy rates both the 6 speed manual and 6 speed automatic Cruze with the 1.4 turbo engine at 38 mpg.

[Quantum Mechanic]

Hi Scotty, I'm pleased you are happy with your Burgman. The Six Fiddy is a wonderful bike. I have the 400 because, well that the one I wanted, and here is 'Urop' gas is super expensive at around $10 per gallon (that's a bigger gallon as Norman says at 4.54Ltrs). So my B400 ridden on the back roads gives me anything between 80-86mpg which is great. But on the open road that drops to somewhere in the 74-79mpg area depending what the traffic is like and how fast I go. But I'm pleased. Thing is, as others have been saying, you need to run your bike in before worrying about the gas mileage. It won't be good just yet. It takes a few thousand miles to run it in properly. The initial running in takes place over the first 1000 miles as you know, but the engine won't give full power, and best gas mileage until at least around 8-10K miles. How much improvement you see at higher mileage is dependant on how you treat it now. Don't spend all your time trying to ride in an economical style as this is bad for the engine if it's not run in. It can cause glazing of the cylinder bores and the engine won't then run in properly, ever! This means you won't get full power or best gas mileage later either. The engine may use more oil than it should and the engine may be unreliable mechanically at higher mileages too. But that's the extreme case and if you follow your book instructions on running in, the bike will go well and be super economical. That's all you need to do. Enjoy your bike and post often.

[Scotty1981]

The book instructions say to keep it under 4k RPMs for the first 500 miles and I've had it up to 7k or so on the highway a few times (not for the whole trip but while accelerating, it prob was around 5 to 6k most of the time), is this a major problem or not a big deal?

Then keep it below 6k RPMs up to 1000 miles

Finally Below 8500 RPMs after 1000 miles.

[Desert Rat]

Scotty
Not to make you feel bad but my son has a Victory Vision 8-ball which weighs over 800 lbs. and he's getting your mpg. Now my 400 is averaging 64.5 mpg over the last 42k+ miles.

[Scotty1981]

Yes that is what I am saying heavier bikes that make way more torque and HP are getting similar MPG I don't understand it. I'll just have to wait around until someone who knows why can explain it to me lol

[Scotty1981]

I'm a little worried that I haven't been to worried about keeping it under 4k rpms during my first 350 miles. Is this going to give me trouble later? I read in another thread it wasn't that big of a deal and was more a liablity issue for the dealers than anything.

[Buffalo]

As long as you varied the engine rpm frequently and didn't do full throttle acceleration you should be OK. Your not likely to have caused problems for the engine but on the 650 you also have to worry about seating the belt in the CVT to the pulleys. Doing heavy handed acceleration before the belt seats might lead to shortening it's life. We don't know for sure but we do know that Suzuki recommends going through the same break in procedure if you replace a belt as it does for a new bike.

[Scotty1981]

I did full throttle accelerate a little on the highway but not the whole trip just to see what the top speed was. I did vary the speed a little not sure if I did enough. I'll just have to live with it, damage is done already, nothing I can do now.

[Quantum Mechanic]

Scotty, don't worry about your bike. I doubt you have caused any problems but take it a bit easier for a bit. Stick to the instructions in the manual. The 650 is a bit more picky about how it's run in than the 400. But even if you were not to stick to the book instructions, it's unlikey you will cause any real issues by going faster than the book says a few times. How someone runs in their bike is of course up to them...but in all my years as a biker and motor technician I've found the book instructions seem to produce the best long term results for your bike. Just ride it and don't keep worrying about gas mileage. Yours will improve quite a bit as you learn the riding technique for the bike and transmission, and as the bike beds in properly. It really does make a difference with a few thousand miles on the clock. Your current very low road miles is much too soon to be concerning yourself with gas mileage. Concentrate on running her in. It's all good from now on!

[Derrill]

I have a 2012 Burgman 650. I bought it 5 weeks ago and have 2100 miles on it. My milage ranges from a low of 46 mpg to a hi of 53 mpg. I use high test gas and run Lucas gas treatment every third tank. I am a simi agressive rider, mostly moderate in town and a wild child on a 300 mile day run. The Burgman has more power than my 2006 Harley and gets better gas millage.

[Scotty1981]

Scotty, don't worry about your bike. I doubt you have caused any problems but take it a bit easier for a bit. Stick to the instructions in the manual. The 650 is a bit more picky about how it's run in than the 400. But even if you were not to stick to the book instructions, it's unlikey you will cause any real issues by going faster than the book says a few times. How someone runs in their bike is of course up to them...but in all my years as a biker and motor technician I've found the book instructions seem to produce the best long term results for your bike. Just ride it and don't keep worrying about gas mileage. Yours will improve quite a bit as you learn the riding technique for the bike and transmission, and as the bike beds in properly. It really does make a difference with a few thousand miles on the clock. Your current very low road miles is much too soon to be concerning yourself with gas mileage. Concentrate on running her in. It's all good from now on!

Will do, thanks for the advice.

[Dave_J]

It has been said many many times that running the Burgman on "High Test" is a waste of good money but its your money. Ask others that have done back to back testing and you'll find that they are now running "Regular". The engine of the 400 and 650 was not designed to run on anything higher than 87 octain. The only thing that will happen is the cost per mile will go up when using higher octain.

[Noth]

It has been said many many times that running the Burgman on "High Test" is a waste of good money but its your money. Ask others that have done back to back testing and you'll find that they are now running "Regular". The engine of the 400 and 650 was not designed to run on anything higher than 87 octain. The only thing that will happen is the cost per mile will go up when using higher octain.

Now you just confused me... You say "higher than 87 octane"..... 87 octane is regular.. so what you are saying that I should be using higher than regular ? I have been using 87 with no issues... but I don't want to create a problem.. the next step up is 89 octane.. buying 3 gallons at a time it doesn't matrter what I use.. but I thought the manual said I could use 87 octane..

[Dave_J]

It has been said many many times that running the Burgman on "High Test" is a waste of good money but its your money. Ask others that have done back to back testing and you'll find that they are now running "Regular". The engine of the 400 and 650 was not designed to run on anything higher than 87 octain. The only thing that will happen is the cost per mile will go up when using higher octain.

Now you just confused me... You say "higher than 87 octane"..... 87 octane is regular.. so what you are saying that I should be using higher than regular ? I have been using 87 with no issues... but I don't want to create a problem.. the next step up is 89 octane.. buying 3 gallons at a time it doesn't matrter what I use.. but I thought the manual said I could use 87 octane..

No, you miss read it, I underlined the importent part. It was designed to run on 87 octain at sea level, you can use 85 octain up in like the Rockie Mountians. I have heard from one of our Ausie buddys that he ran his on 75 Octain in his worldly travels. Using 89 - 94 octain will not hurt anything but your pocket. You may get a placebo effect that makes you think it runs better but I bet a $1 that after 100 gallons, you would have gotten the same MPG as regular 87 octain. Chart it and see. Sure if you only ride 2000 miles a year, the costs is not much @ $0.25 per gallon higher. I ride over 20,000 miles each year, thats 395+ gallons and it would be another $98.75+ per year IF I were to put 92 octain in. I can use that money elsewere. Do a search on OCTAIN and read some of the posts. Thats my $0.02.