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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | I have been riding my Vision for about 5 weeks now, and while I have yet to take it on a trip (hopefully in a couple of weeks), I have managed time on the highway as well as in the canyons and surface streets. So far, I really love the Vision, and seem to have worked out most of the bugs, including the iPod problem. But one thing is still an issue for me.
I keep reading all these incredible mileage claims (from lower to upper 40's), yet all I can get is 34 to 38 mpg. My best has been just over 38 mpg with highway driving mostly at 65mph (I normally cruise at around 75, but I wanted to see how good I could do at this speed).
Now, if I use the mileage computer on the Vision, it tells me all day long that I am getting in the mid to upper 40's. But at each gas stop I calculate my actual mileage and it is usually 8 to 10 mpg lower than what the mileage computer says.
I did have the Stage 1, Level 1 put on when I took delivery, and at the 500 mile service had the mixture richened up a bit since the plugs were already starting to show some signs of overheating, (I assume the factory sets the fuel fairly lean to pass EPA and CARB, which probably explains the extremely blue pipes when the bike was new with only 4 miles), but this should not make more than 1 or 2 mpg difference.
My questions are these: Am I the only one getting this lower mileage? And am I the only one whose mileage computer lives in fantasy land? Is anyone actually checking their actual mileage against the computer? I have repeatedly asked my dealer about the gross mileage computer discrepancy, but they continue to say they are waiting for an answer from Victory.
Any insight/help would be really appreciated.
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Iron Butt
Posts: 849
, FL United States | Michael, I haven't checked the actual MPG against the onboard computer but I will next trip & post the results. 8-10 mpg off seems a bit extereme. IMHO. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 296
Central Florida | Maybe the problem is that you are not filling the tank to the top. It takes several pauses to fill the tank to the top. if not filled to the same level every time the mileage will vary widely. |
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | Thanks Luke. I would really appreciate knowing what you find. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2027
Brighton, TN | My normal run is around 43-46mpg. That is doing right at 60 most of the way to work and back. I have a 5 mile stretch of 40mph, and about 5 miles of 65mph. Commute distance is around 45 miles.
Last trip, mostly at 75mph, i got around 36-38mpg. The faster I go the faster the needle sinks, it's like having a big V8.
Mileage computer is normally off by 10%. Which is probably a normal variance built in to the computer to be off by.
I don't think your problem is not filling it to the top, unless of course you are unique. Most people, i think, have their own unique way of filling and they do it the same everytime. Which shouldn't give you much of a variance.
Otherwise, happy smiles ahead.
Edited by pollolittle 2008-07-30 3:11 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | Thanks Brian. That at least seems to be a little more in line with what I am getting at highway speeds (with the exception of my computer being so far off). I may try a lower cruise between home and work and see where that falls. I agree about filling the tank. I try to be careful about filling it, but even if I didn't get if filled up all the way, my mileage would actually be better (less gas for the same amount of miles). But all suggestions are welcomed!
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Cruiser
Posts: 235
Evergreen, CO | The delta in the Vision computed mileage and your computed mileage is too great. My computed mileage is usually about 2mpg lower than what the Vision computes. With regard toy your mileage, I believe your lower figures are mostly due to two factors. First, yours is a CA bike, which is set up differently than the other 49 states so it will run cleaner (leaner). Second, the fuel you buy in CA, especially around the LA basin, is a different fuel mixture, again to produce less pollution. Its downside is that you get fewer mpg than with non-reformulated gasoline. I would be willing to bet that if you ran a couple of tankfuls of fuel through your bike from another state, outside of large cities, you would see an impressive gain in your fuel economy.
I typically get 43-53mpg on my Vision, depending upon the mix of stop and go/freeway/yee-ha mtn road riding. I'm outside of the Denver, CO area, live at 7900' elevation, and ride a combination of lower elevation freeway/stop & go during the daily commute to/from work, and higher elevation mountain roads and twisties on the weekends. As they say, YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY!!!! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 173
Prescott Valley, AZ | Since I got the Vision last Nov. I have been getting in the mid to low 40MPG range going to and from work, that's only 14 miles round trip with maybe two or so miles at less than 55/60MPH. On the recent trip to Colorado I kept all gas reciepts and figured it out at 49.29 MPG, the computer reported that I got 51.3 on this trip and like just everyone else I take this reading with a grain of salt. I have seen that you definitely need to take your time when you do fill the tank as the crossover tube between the tanks is pretty small and it does take time for it to level itself. I agree that your milage is low but as stated that could easily be because of where you bought and where you ride the bike. Mo matter what you got a sweet ride!!!!
Ride Safe, Ride Often!!
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Tourer
Posts: 340
Regina Saskatchewan Canada | I think that for the Average Miles Per Gallon computer reading to be close to accurate you have to reset it at each fill. At the next fill it should come close to your calculation. Otherwise it giving the average for many tank fulls.
Edited by Crawford 2008-07-30 5:14 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | Interesting. I never knew there was that much difference in fuel mixtures, especially in large metropolitan areas. That might explain why have I seen better mileage on my Road King when I am out on the road (even in California) than I do in the City. I have noticed some pretty large variations in mileage when I am on the road (some rather startling at times, now that I am thinking about it, and usually when I got gas in some fairly remote areas. I had always attributed it to driving habits, but this makes more sense. I will check it out when I am out of town next time.
Of course, I do know that California bikes are set up differently than in other states, and while I am no mechanic, I would think that a leaner mixture would tend to lead to better mileage. Having said that, your mileage still seems hugely greater, although maybe when you add the gas issue with the altitude at which you live, that might be the reason.
As far as the mileage computer is concerned, I could deal with just a couple of mpg off, but 8 to 10 is just too excessive, so I guess I will just have to continue to try to get satisfaction from my dealer. I would still be very curious if anyone else has had this problem, and if so, what did they do to solve it.
I'm not complaining about bad mileage, mind you. After all, 34 to 38 mpg is still pretty good in the overall scheme of things. Its just that I keep reading of mileage like yours, and can't help but wonder why mine is so different. Maybe your's is the answer.
Anyway, thanks for the response; I really appreciate your insights.
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Cruiser
Posts: 296
Central Florida | 95% of the gas in central Florida is 10% ethanol. It is almost impossible to find 100% gasoline. ethanol has a lower energy output that gasoline, and effects mileage adversely.
Regarding difference between computer and actual, I usually do a quick MPG in my head
and compare it to trip computer on bike. On leisurely rides without getting on it too hard
I average close to 50 mpg under 60 mph. The far extreme is the day I was trying to keep up with a highly modified Kingpin at excessive speeds and that same day let the bike idle for 10 minutes and then ran in on a dyno... I was at about 33 mpg for that tankful.
I would say overall average is 42-44 mpg...
I fill the same way every time, filling very slowly and when it gets to top I give it a little jiggle and fill to top. sometimes it takes 3 -4 attempts to get it full....
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Cruiser
Posts: 115
Victoria, BC | Wizard523 - Your biggest problem is that you live in California, a State where they add ethanol to their fuel to make it burn cleaner for emissions. It also means you're going to get less miles to the gallon, as ethanol has less BTU's than gasoline.
I found out the hard way on our trip to California, as we ran out of gas in the middle of the countryside. Thankfully, a good Samaritan took me to the nearest gas station & back.
When I did the fuel mileage calculations after arriving home, I discovered we were getting only 37 miles/US gallon in California, instead of our usual 47 mpg.  |
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | I had no idea that the gas in California made such a big difference (although I probably shouldn't be surprised)! I need to take a trip outside the state and see what kind of mileage I get. In the meantime, I guess I will just have to suffer with great weather and scenery, and take my lumps on gas mileage.
Thanks to all who responded! Would still like to hear if anyone had the same problems with their mileage computer though.
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Tourer
Posts: 319
| I'm in California......crusing speed average is about 70-80mph. I consistently get about 43mpg. |
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Tourer
Posts: 495
Carrollton, TX | I have experienced big swings in gas mileage due to the speed I am traveling at and the amount of wind I am bucking. I have gotten as good as 56 mpg in calm winds to having a moderate tail wind while traveling at 50 to 60 mph to as low as 28 to 32 mpg heading into a 30 mph plus head wind going 95 to 115 mph out in the middle of nowhere. When I am on the highway I am normally traveling at 80 to 95 mph but so are the other people on the highway.
This is Texas and it is the largest of the 48 conterminous states so if you don’t drive fast you would never get anywhere. The total area of Texas is 266,807 sq mi, of which land comprises 262,017 sq mi and inland water 4,790 sq mi. The state's land area represents 8.8% of the US mainland. The state's maximum E-W extension is 801 mi; its extreme N-S distance is 773 mi. The boundary length of the state totals 3,029 mi. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | Thanks to CARB Ca. requires its own blend of fuel. The oil companies have to add oxygenating agents to sell fuel in Ca. The reason gas is more expensive in Ca. ( Ca. has a bad habit of leaping before it looks. They mandated all gas have MTBE in its blends, then found out it contaminates the ground water and banned it 10 years later). If I stay between 40 & 70 mph, I average 38-44 mpg. Anything above 70 and milage drops around 36. Resetting the trip odometer restarts the calculations. All trip computer numbers are based on conditions staying the same, traffic, hard acceleration and change in riding habits will affect the outcome. Its more of a prediction. IF you mantain current conditions, you SHOULD get XXX mpg. |
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Tourer
Posts: 404
San Antonio, TX United States | I live in the east coast and we have the 10% ethanol mix here at all gas stations in Virginia. After about 2500 miles is when i hear most people get the best mileage from the Vision or even most of the Victory bikes. One very important factor that i have yet to see anyone mention is the gear in which they travel in. I pretty much never have the oppurtunity to get in 6th unless i am on open interstate and can get the bike to cruise at 75 to 80 mph. anytime you are running the engine in to high of a gear it is lugging the engine and just pumping fuel through the system to keep the bike at that speed. I can get the 50 and 52 MPG mileage on the onboard computer and when i do the actual calculation if i keep the bike in the 2500 to 3500 RPM range. The engine seems to be running most efficiently in this range. When i drop into a lower gear just so i can cruise along with low engine rpm's and listen to the wonderful sound of the engine, that is when my fuel drops down to the low and mid 40's.
Edited by dwhite28 2008-07-30 9:42 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | Mileage improves with miles on the Vision. With stage 1 level 1 and mapped, I get 40-42 mpg. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 53
Island Lake, Alberta, Canada | Correct me if I'm wrong, but how can the computer measure how much gas is in the can. Wouldn't it be easier to count how many times the injector (fixed orface) is open & compare it to speedo pulses (distance) for a reading? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 53
Island Lake, Alberta, Canada | Correct me if I'm wrong, but how can the computer measure how much gas is in the can. Wouldn't it be easier to count how many times the injector (fixed orface) is open & compare it to speedo pulses (distance) for a reading? |
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Tourer
Posts: 404
San Antonio, TX United States | Fixed orifice or not, the fuel pressure can vary and cause different amounts of fuel to be forced through plus the fact of variations in air density due to temperature and elevation will affect the amount of fuel needed at different times. The onboard computer is no different than what the autos have been using for 15 or so years. It knows when the fuel gauge reads full and how many gallons that is. It knows this because the fuel level sender sends a signal to the computer. It is only a best guess average. The only way to have accurate fuel usage is to keep a card on the bike and always write down the odometer reading and the amount of fuel put in the bike at each fuel stop. Then after about 10 to 20 fuel stops, average that number out. That is the best way to get an accurate reading of fuel usage with your personal riding habits and allowing for variations in weather and terrain. I kow we should all do our part to help with fuel economy, but face it, we did buy a 106 Cubic inch V-twin, we did not buy a 250 cc scooter for commuting. The fuel economy is still one of the best out there. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 12
| I have had my Vision for about 6.5 weeks & have 6k on it now. I always check actual milage when I fill against gps miles. Riding one up will average 42-43 in no wind conditions. Riding 2 up will cut about 2 to 3 mpg. The average on the bike is always off 1.5 to 2 mpg. I always top off tank when filling. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| I was in the low to mid 40's until my bike hit 2600 miles. Then it jumped way up as did the power. My current average is 48.7 around town and 51.9 on the hwys and open road. I tend to get better mileage then almost anyone I ride with regardless of bike so here is my tip, shift tall early to keep the rpm's at 2-2.5 rpm's until you get up to hwy speeds, or unless you are riding in an area where you might need to excel fast. This habit will yield WAY better mileage. Even staged and richened up you should be seeing 45-48 mpg easy.
Oh and I have checked my mileage at fillup verses the computer and mine is spot on the money. As for filling up? I place my foot on the right floorboard while filling and rock the bike to release the air pocket. I was doing the handlebar sake thing but that got a bit old and I found the floorboard works just as well. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 12
| My 42-43 is riding extreamly easy under 60, no wind 91 to 93 octane & no ethenol blend. I rarely go over 2500 rpm & usually 20 to 23. seems like the windshield all the way down makes some difference as well. It is hard to believe that I can get any better than this unless I have a good tail wind. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 72
Eden Prairie, MN | Wizard,
In the 12k I've riden, I average 43 to 45. I've gotten as low as 38, but I was riding pretty hard like chasing a group through twisty roads and then up over 80 on a windy freeway.
I have stock pipes (I know boring).
If you want to get better mileage, keep the RPMs down and stay off the throttle. Again, boring, sorry. |
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Mileage
