35 MPG??? What SHOULD my 1500 be achieving?

 

I just bought a 2001 Suzuki Intruder 1500 with 11,000 miles on it.  It
was an upgrade from an '82 kawasaki 750 which got 49 mpg.  

I was Expecting a drop in miles per gallon, but _35_ MPG seems
incredibly LOW.  Is this normal for a 1500?  If not, any suggestions
as to what the problem may be?  

The only alteration I know that's been done to the bike is a
windshield and louder pipes.


Please.. don't tell me this is NORMAL because my wife's Kia get's
nearly he same mileage, so my arguement for taking the motorcycle
flies out the window!!!

James, Seattle

 



I don't know if it's normal but, an important ingredient of
the calculation will probably be:

What other possible changes were made(re-jetting, etc)
for the loud pipes?, or FI remapping?

What type of riding?(general traffic, highway, etc.)

Tires inflated correctly? Any rolling impediments(brake
drag, driveline drag, etc., wheel bearings?, dirty air
filter, tune status, crankcase vacuum leakage)?

Of course, it's no more relative than your 750 vs. 1500
comparison but, I have a 1.5+ liter bike with 6 cylinders,
each with a thirsty carburetor. While I can probably get
a consistent 35mpg at baby stroller speeds, once it gets
cranked up(3.5Krpm+(+75mph)), gas mileage will
*seriously* deteriorate. Ridden very aggressively, I can
reduce mpg to that of an average IRL vehicle.

You might also want to visit: http://www.soc-usa.org/
to get brand comparable views.

Thanks,

Gary

 



Well, your 1500 has twice the displacement as the 750, so it's heavier to boot.
35 mpg doesn't seem terribly out of line for a bike like that. Has it been tuned
up lately?

My R1100GS gets ~40-45 mpg depending on how fast I go; 35 mpg if I'm doing a lot
of city riding. When I bought it, I didn't consider the rising price of
gasoline, else I might have tried to import an R850GS.

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com>
faq:  http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml

 

Just for comparisons

My '04 Honda ST1300 has averaged a confirmed/calculated 47MPG  in 60
mile per day commutes and joy rides since Feb '05 in Ohio, 6000 total
miles. Highway, backroad, solo and 2 up riding included daily. Pretty
good for a 1.3 liter 140mph, wheelie pulling, touring bike. Smaller
engines dont get "significantly" better mpg figures. My only problem
is its not paid off, and thats the biggest contributor to my monthly
cost to operate right now. ($225 a month for 4 years) .



suggestions

heavier to boot.

it been tuned

doing a lot

 



Not as part of your regular commute.


But it has a pretty good fairing.

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com>
faq:  http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml