Checked my milage for the first time solo.

[lilwoody]

There was another thread where someone said folks who got over 60 mpg were riding down hill with the wind at their backs  (kidding) but it was alludesd that folks were riding like grandmas. Well yesterday I rode with a group of 10 bikes to Vaca Key (Marathon) in the Florida Keys. I can assure we did not ride like grandma. My GS was the only 1/2 liter with the next smallest displacement bike a CBR 600, there were 6 sport bikes and 3 cruisers and me. Wll I know I got the best fuel ecomony and it really surprised me. 180 miles (on a GPS) with a 20 knot wind comeing off the water, average sped 45 mph (traffic ) the old girl got 66 MPG. I really, really really like this bike.
On a side note I got my risers and installed them before the ride. It made a noticable difference but going into the 20 knot wind it made a difference too. Over all I like them. Next is a sport touring wind screen.

[qwertydude]

It can also depend on what year you have, the newer I think 01 and up bikes have 3 circuit carbs which meter fuel much more precisely. And Long trips will always get better mileage, while you bike warms up it burns much more fuel. I've never seen my mileage below 55 mpg, and that was thrashing it. With an 18 tooth front sprocket and mostly freeway miles I regularly get 70 mpg. When I was hypermiling it on a trip from LA to San Diego and back I got 85 mpg. I've never seen those numbers on something like a Ninja 250, the only thing that got close was my Honda Rebel. There's a small carb mod that you can do to those and I've seen as high as 90 mpg on my old rebel, but I was riding city miles only with a top speed of about 40 mph.

[Toogoofy317]

Hey what part of Florida you in? I've been wanting to do the Keys ride from O-Town. How fun was it? I've been to the Keys once and I had a stinkin sinus infection.

Hope you had a blast. Got pics? We LOVE PICS around here!

Mary

[lilwoody]

I live in Homestead, it's the second to last city before the "18 mile stretch" to the Keys.  It's a great ride from here. There's some construction on the first stretch of US1 but it's only about 10 miles. You can make Key West in 3 hours easy, it's 130 miles. I like to take my time, stop for lunch and I'm sure you'da want to see some sites. Like the Key deer in Big Pine (thieir in the neighborhoods not the reserves), the beach at  Bahi Honda, the World Wide Sportsman, feed the Tarpon at Robbies Marina, Therater of the Sea, the Dolphin Reaserch Center. There's a bunch of things if you choose and if you like tiki bars you're in the right place.
If I was going to ride from Otown I'd go 192 out to Holopaw and then south on 441 to Okeechobee City and 441 around the east side of the lake. Thats a real nice ride. Then you take 27 south to 997 and that down to Homestead/Florida City where you'll be at the jumping off point for the keys. From Hoopaw to a dozen miles out side Homestead you'll have less than 12 traffic lights in 180 miles and most of those will be in  Okeechobee.

[Toogoofy317]

Hey thanks for the info. Hopefully when I get better I'll be able to go!

Mary

[bill14224]

45mph?  I thought you said you weren't riding like grandma?    You can see my mileage on my Fuelly, and I do about half my miles at 70 mph or more.

The 2001 and later carbs have 3 circuits, but they're also bigger. (34mm vs. 33mm) According to Suzuki the mileage is unchanged, but they add 2 HP.

When it comes to engines this size, other than the condition of the bike and how your ride, your mileage has more to do with the engine size and number of valves than type of carbs, or whether it's injected.  Ever notice how mileage figures are about the same for carbs and injection on smaller bikes and how mileage is less on models with more than 2 valves per cylinder?  It's true that injection is more efficient than carbs, but on smaller engines below about 750cc the mileage benefit becomes negligible.  That is why the SV picked-up a few HP with injection but the mileage didn't change.  With bigger engines, especially cars, you get more mileage and HP with injection.

[qwertydude]

A larger carb isn't necessarily less efficient what it enables is a larger range of travel for the slide which means more precise fuel and air metering. And the reason why injected bikes don't get outstanding mpg is because the manufacturers keep trying to wring out more power and broader powerbands, the engines are still rev happy monsters which is naturally inefficient. Though the Ninja 650r gets close to GS500 mpg, it would probably exceed the GS's mpg if the transmission ratios were widened and it was given a real overdrive gear, talking about something like 2500 rpm at 75 mph. And then everyone would complain that the gears aren't sporty enough. People on forums would flame the bike saying it's absolutely gutless and not a single person would rise to it's defense saying hey it get 85 mpg. Rev happy engines will never be efficient. The big problem is a bike designed for economy would never sell in this country. Take for example the Suzuki TU250. This bike is to launch with most of the motorcycling population not even knowing about it. With a low revving air cooled low compression engine you can bet this will get at least 80 mpg.

Look how many people on this forum think an 18 tooth front sprocket is absolute lunacy because the bike won't even get off the line cause they think it's like a 3rd gear launch, except I'm happily getting 70-75 mpg WHILE traveling in the fast lane. Just try to see your mpg at those speeds with a 14 tooth front sprocket. What would make the GS500 perfect would be those widened ratios for kick butt acceleration and an overdrive for mileage cause seriously in everyday driving situtations it's annoying as heck to upshift and revs drop only like 300 rpm between gears so I'm constantly shifting through gears in traffic.