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mpg

B

bbarrows

Bicycle
I have been checking my MPG lately, 37.5 last time. I up in the 6k to 7k rpm range frequently sometimes 9k, 10k, wondering how this compares with other riders.
 
Sounds a bit low. Before I changes to the "new" and perhaps "infamous" NGK Iridium plugs I averaged around 40 mpg. So far with the new plugs I'm hitting 44 mpg. I'd check the cheap things first. 1. Air filter clean? 2. Tire Pressures correct? 3. Driving habits in line with conservative riding? 4. No brake drag? 5. Mother in-law not attached to back of bike? 6. Carbs sync'd? 7. Spark Plugs are gap'd and clean? 8. Valve adjust within spec's? 9. Any leaks????????? Many other contributing things can occur to drop gas mileage including riding habits, road conditions, wind etc... So take the time to make sure the bike is ok and the rider is ok (forget the mother in-law) then you'll know for sure. Best of luck! AKA "2linby" That's 2-lin-by folks! Northwest Area Director COG #5539 AMA #927779 IBA #15034 TEAM OREGON MC Instructor http://community.webshots.com/user/2linby http://tinyurl.com/njas8 (IBA BunBurner Gold Trip) http://tinyurl.com/lwelx (Alaska trip)
 
1999 conc I bought the bike last fall and used the bike to commute to work 66 miles round trip, about 5 miles back roads and the rest highway. Last season I was averaging 45 to 46 mpg. This year my commute is 46 miles round trip, 6 back roads 40 highway. I made some changes to the bike and now I'm getting 48 to 49 mpg. Changes made were: SISF's 7th gear mod, exhaust cam sprocket and jet kit K&N air filter and NGK Iridium plugs Valve adjustment (they were all between 1 and 3 thou.) and Sinc carbs. I also added faring extenders which should have lowered mpg's slightly. Non performance mods/work were: Fender extender, rear shock fluid, variable resistor for fuel gauge, (hit's reserve right at top of red) helmet lock relocater brackets, speed bleeders, new brake and clutch fluid, peg lowers, new fuel line and inline filter, carb overflow tubes, throttlemister, Murph's great grips and black s/s screw kit, replaced reflectors on side panels with lights from Murph, Goldwing vent in windshield, ML fork brace and reflective stick ons for rear of bags. MAN AM I HAVING FUN!!!! Left to do: Front brake mod, cut front springs down 4" and replace with PVC and 15wt fork oil, Murph's peg lowers and Pilot GT's when I wear out the Dunlops. I hope it never ends, this forum and bike are a blast!! 1968 Honda 160 Scrambler, Sold 1979 Kawasaki SR 650, Traded in 1978 Kawasaki KZ 1000 Z1R Turbo 1986 Kawasaki ZX 1000R Ninja 1999 Kawasaki Concours COG memb# 8645
 
Your 37.5 is about right, given the riding style. My bike is tuned to the teeth, and when I'm riding it aggressively it will be in the 36 area. since that time I put on a header I built, and since that it's been up 5 - 8 mpg with the same riding style. Steve Shleper of the 7th gear unit and performance exhaust cam sprockets. My bike - "SHOODABEN" - 1109cc's of what an 04 concours "shoodaben"!
 
thanks Steve, pulled my air filter this morning, pretty gunjed so a cleaning could help. did the valves not long ago. after seeing all these mid 40 for mpg I was beggining to wonder if tsomething was wrong, but it's running great so sounds like I am in range.
 
~36-40ish here, so I'll say yer in the ballpark. 01 Conc, Mijami Floriduh OTP 06: http://tinyurl.com/2vk9o2 route map: http://tinyurl.com/4p7pmd
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Around 37-38 mpg for me. my one way commute is 50 miles on the highway with a 2500 ft. elevation rise and then drop. When I'm running late (most of the time) it's 80-85 mph. Then it's 15 miles in the city averaging 40 mph with some lights, but no real stop-and-go. I don't go much higher than 6k. I have an '01 Blue C10, no performance mods. Edit, just for completeness: I'm running Pilot GT's at 42 PSI.
 
That's what mine will do if I ride it like you are describing. For me the key is speed. If I stay below 70, I'll go over 40 mpg. I rarely get 40. ;)
 
Wow, that's low..go back to the beginning of the thread and look at posts #2+#3. Basic maintenance items first.

Tell us about ur c10. How long uv had it, from whom and when did u acquire it, whats been done to it.. specifically any carb work. Cuz an older c10 can reek havoc with petcock and carb issues...
 
I have had the bike for 4 years. When I got it, it didn’t run at all (been sitting). Had the plugs changed, carbs rebuilt, new air filter (this was all when I first got it). My mpgs have always been around 28. I had the work done by a friend. I ride pretty conservatively. Mostly back roads to work, don’t really ever get above 4- 4,500 rpm.
 
I'd suspect high float level on one or more of the carbs.
Before ya go into the carbs, check the compression and do a hydrolock/bent rod check.
See if you have a weak cylinder, or a bent rod.
 
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jamesworful said:
I have had the bike for 4 years. When I got it, it didn’t run at all (been sitting). Had the plugs changed, carbs rebuilt, new air filter (this was all when I first got it). My mpgs have always been around 28. I had the work done by a friend. I ride pretty conservatively. Mostly back roads to work, don’t really ever get above 4- 4,500 rpm.
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Sorry yo say it, but that sucks...u should be above 35mpg at least.
 
Trim or replace the plug wires and do the free power mod. You might think about sending the carbs off to Steve. Get overflow tubes while you're at it. Cost between the shop and my suggestion could be close and the shop doesn't do overflow tubes or know them like Steve does.
 
I did the free power mod. Haven’t rode the bike yet, definitely seams more responsive on the throttle. Tell me if I’m crazy, I swear I can hear my plugs sparking now. Anyone?
 
I did the free power mod some time ago. Also, I've been running the Iridium plugs and installed the 2 min jet mod with overflow tubes in the bowls. With those changes, my mpg has generally been a bit better than stock, maybe a couple mpg better. However, the engine feels more responsive with those changes and that ~2500 rpm lean/stumble area has been virtually eliminated. I'm happy with the results. I can get >50 mpg if I'm easy-cruising at 50-60 mph. It'll drop into the mid to upper 40's in the 65-75 mph range. Above that pace, I'll drop into the upper 30's for mpg.
Of course, headwinds will tend to increase fuel consumption.
One pays for all that frontal area, but I like the protection.
 
Hey jamesworful;

You hear "sparking"?

Hmmm....the two sources of that sort of sound I can think of are exhaust leaks or a sparkplug wire that is leaking energy. If it's spark related, you could be having arcing in/near a sparkplug boot. The boots can be disassembled and cleaned but I had trouble getting all the corrosion out of where the wire screws in, so bought aftermarket units. Both ends of the sparkplug wires can also be loaded up with corrosion but probably less likely at the coils.
 
jamesworful said:
Thanks.
Never heard it until I did the free power mod today, so I’ll be looking at the plug wires first.
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Other than the mod was there anything else different this time when you ran the bike? Was this perhaps the only time you ran the bike with the plastics off?

Plastics can mask lots on noises, e.g. lifters, exhaust gasket leaks, timing chain to name just a few cyclical noises that could sound like a snapping.

Wayne. Carol & Blue
 
in the same section you can directly power the battery, the fuse box and also the front electrical harness of the headlights ;)
I also advise you to check the grounding, from the battery to the engine and the ignition coils ;)

It often happens, as on the fuse boxes that the welds of the components of the CDI are defective.

berna1201.over-blog.com

CDI GTR 1000, (réparation) - Berna1201

J'ai réparé quelques CDI de GTR1000 . Pour le démontage, il faut découper de 3 mm tout le tour, coté prise avec un outil fabrication maison taillé dans une lame de scie a métaux.. Après auscultations en général, des condensateurs peuvent être endommagés...
berna1201.over-blog.com berna1201.over-blog.com
 
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Got a quick question about MPG, to make sure I'm in the right range.

  • When I'm doing DoorDash in the city, I'm getting about 28 MPG. That's lots of stop and go, starting and stopping, etc.
  • The only long runs I've been on have been with my fiance. I'm 300, she's 150. On those long hauls (80% highway, 10% local roads, 10% slow speed gravel), I'm getting 40 MPG.
  • I still haven't been on a long solo run to gauge range.

That said, does that sound about right? Bike seems like its running great.

Thanks!

-x01660
 
deanbuffington909409 said:
I'am curious about this Door Dash thing. Is that the same as Ding Dong It's Drizzy.

Dean
Click to expand...

Its like UberEats or Grubhub. Food and store delivery service.

I went out yesterday and worked for about 6 hours, split up into 2, 3 hour "shifts" (you pick when you wanna work). Did about 90 miles. Made $300.

I go out daily for at least 3 hours a day (when its not pouring rain). I try to make around $100/day.

Let's me get TONS of ride time in, and the work pays for the gas and parts. Plus, riding a bike in DC has made me a MUCH better rider... never thought I'd EVER be able to maneuver a bike this large in spaces so tight, lol (DC doesn't have a law explicitly against lane splitting, much like how CA was up until I think 2018 or 2019, and cops don't care AT ALL).

In fact, DoorDash is so lucrative in this city, that we have people coming from as far away as 50 miles (that's a LOT around DC Metro area) to do DoorDash in the city. Its really convenient, actually. I wanna take my fiance out to a fancy dinner, I hop on my bike and deliver stuff for 3 hours. Done.

😎

-x01660
 
Bud said:
If a person wants to make money, there's lots of ways to do it. Heard a guy that called Dave Ramsey that's making 100 grand a year picking up dog poop. DC should be full of folks that would hop all over that.😉🤑
Click to expand...

This. There are ALWAYS ways to make money, and legally and without sacrificing your dignity/self respect. I work my IT job during the day, and get ride time in the evening while making money. Yes, its expensive here, but darn if the hustle doesn't feel good.

Another reason I'm stoked that these C10's are bulletproof; I am NOT easy on my machines, lol. There's a reason I like UJM... 😁

-x01660
 
x01660 said:
Its like UberEats or Grubhub. Food and store delivery service.

I went out yesterday and worked for about 6 hours, split up into 2, 3 hour "shifts" (you pick when you wanna work). Did about 90 miles. Made $300.

I go out daily for at least 3 hours a day (when its not pouring rain). I try to make around $100/day.

Let's me get TONS of ride time in, and the work pays for the gas and parts. Plus, riding a bike in DC has made me a MUCH better rider... never thought I'd EVER be able to maneuver a bike this large in spaces so tight, lol (DC doesn't have a law explicitly against lane splitting, much like how CA was up until I think 2018 or 2019, and cops don't care AT ALL).

In fact, DoorDash is so lucrative in this city, that we have people coming from as far away as 50 miles (that's a LOT around DC Metro area) to do DoorDash in the city. Its really convenient, actually. I wanna take my fiance out to a fancy dinner, I hop on my bike and deliver stuff for 3 hours. Done.

😎

-x01660
Click to expand...
And unlike being an Uber driver with passengers they don't have vehicle restrictions 👍
 
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