What kind of gas milage should I be getting?

[CoreyP]

2001 standard with a glass pack exhaust. Not sure if anything else was done to the bike.

I'm getting around 30 MPG which seems a little low to me. ??? I'm not sure though.

[hubcapsc]

When you fill up, how many miles can you go before you
go to reserve?

I hit reserve at around 115, most people go to 130 or so...

-Mike "Tourer"

[Glaserbeam]

2002 with stock exhaust, stock carb settings, properly synced/adjusted/tune etc., 30K miles.  Batwing fairing.  In California, where the gas is "special" and heavily oxygenated.

Sedate mixed freeway/city riding:  26~27 mpg
Heavy throttle hand mixed freeway/city riding:  24~26 mpg
Moderate throttle hand, city-only riding (short commute to work): 21~23 mpg

I can only fantasize about getting 30+ mpg.

I thought a modern engine would do so much better than my '81 CBX, but NOOOOOOO!  I upgraded to Interstate fuel tank to get more miles per tank, but the bike is THIRSTY for sure.

At least it rewards my with many Smiles Per Gallon!

[Chrisj CMA]

I don’t know anything about California gasoline. Not surprised it’s “special “. I have a 97 standard. It is completely stock as far as engine and exhaust specs. The 97 is supposed to get a bit worse fuel economy than all the rest because it’s more powerful. I get high 30’s unless there are negative circumstances like pulling my trailer, strong headwinds or excessive speed.  So given normal riding conditions I get 36 mpg and most other Valkyries I ride with of later years gets around 40 mpg.

[Willow]

I normally get 32 - 35 mpg.  I've gotten more.  I've gotten less.  I ride without a shield.

[Steel cowboy]

I always check my tire pressure before a ride. 44 in the back, 42 in the front. I clean my air filter and Carb’s sync’d twice a year and I use 1/2 a can of B-12 once a month. I use Rotella 15/40 full synthetic. I’ve gotten up to 37 mpg on my interstate.
I will be going to a C/T tire (Yokohama) in a week or two, I’ll be checking on my MPG afterwards.

[old2soon]

      I'm bout 220 Lbs I carry a Bunch of chit on my I/S and depending on how Hard I twist her tail-normal just out fer a ride low to mid 30s. Start pulling high revs and high speed she Will drop into the teens-low 20s. It ALL depends on yer right hand and how FAR you rev the gears. RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

I get 30 something.  It's never been worth my time to check closer.

The only couple times I ever cared about my mileage was into reserve with no gas station in sight.

[msb]

I have gotten up to mid 30's  with my Interstate when  taking it easy (around 3000 - 3200  RPM max) on flatter terrain...even when 2 up as I am on most of my multi-day rides. Tough to get over 30 though in the hills and mountains here , but it is REAL easy to get down into the low to mid 20's. In 18 years I doubt I have never approached 40 MPG

[WintrSol]

My mpg has ranged from a low of 20 and a high of 42, with a median value of 31.9. I have a shield, and a lot of miles were logged with a 700# camping trailer in tow.

[Warlock]

When you fill up, how many miles can you go before you
go to reserve?

I hit reserve at around 115, most people go to 130 or so...

-Mike "Tourer"

My 99 tourer would go to 150 to 160 regular. Now my 97 Valkyrie trike best is 28 mpg and usually around 24 to 25 mpg. Like my wife told me you didn't buy it for gas mileage.
David

[CoreyP]

I get about 125 miles till I have to hit the reserve.  No windshield and I am a little heavy handed on the throttle. Also I haven't figured out exactly how much gas I put in the tank so I doubt I'm getting the same amount of gas every time I fill up.  

From what I'm hearing 30 mpg is a decent number unless I hit the highway in top gear for a long ride. I haven't gone more 120 miles in a day and that was a mix of in town, back road, highway riding. I'm sure on the highway doing a steady cruise my mpg would go up.

I don't know if you guys have it where you are but I run all carburetor machines on non ethanol gas. I live by the ocean so we have what's called boat gas around here.

[Calboy]

2002 with stock exhaust, stock carb settings, properly synced/adjusted/tune etc., 30K miles.  Batwing fairing.  In California, where the gas is "special" and heavily oxygenated.

Sedate mixed freeway/city riding:  26~27 mpg
Heavy throttle hand mixed freeway/city riding:  24~26 mpg
Moderate throttle hand, city-only riding (short commute to work): 21~23 mpg

I can only fantasize about getting 30+ mpg.

I thought a modern engine would do so much better than my '81 CBX, but NOOOOOOO!  I upgraded to Interstate fuel tank to get more miles per tank, but the bike is THIRSTY for sure.

At least it rewards my with many Smiles Per Gallon!

I reside in Northern Cali and I get exactly the same gas mileage under the same conditions. That makes my bike a carbon copy of yours.

[Pluggy]

33 or 34mpg.  Bike is all stock 2003 with Honda windshield.

[Gideon]

33 or 34mpg.  Bike is all stock 2003 with Honda windshield.

I have a 2003, purchased it new, I also max out at 34 mpg. However, that doesn't bother me because I ride one of the finest bikes ever made. 

Do I hear a second on that!

[Pluggy]

2003 is the GL1500CD.  The "D" was meant for Deluxe.  The polished wheels and rear drive housing are show the care that went into making that bike.  There were relatively few made in 2003.  One of my coworkers was at the Honda Ohio plant.  He told me that in 2003 Honda moved motorcycle production back to Japan.  Valkyrie GL1500 was discontinued as part of that.

[h13man]

36 mpg. average. Sometimes lower  other times greater especially under 60 mph. and two up. 41 mpg. under this condition using Shell 87 non ethanol.

[0leman]

Here in southern OR, at 4K' in elevation plus, I am averaging 37 mpg.  That is as long as I am riding on the 55mph roads.  If I slip down to CA, just 30 miles away mileage slips down to 35mpg as the roads are 65mph.   

As it has been said, wind and how hard one twist the wrist plus whether one is going up hill or on flat roads makes a difference in the mpg.    Sometimes it hard not to twist the wrist.

[Fazer]

Average 38 but have gotten 32 at high speed at 42 at cruising 55.  Tourer with Woody's fairing and Attic Rat performance work.

Love, love, love it.

[RWhitehouse]

Best ever was about 42 but that was 100% steady speed back roads at like 50-55mph. Normal highway speeds (in Texas, thats like 80-85), mid 30's. Add in higher speeds, a headwind, or both, and I've seen as low as mid 20's but that's not routine. Stock airbox and carbs, Cobra exhaust, and running the Austone tire (which provides something like a 7-8% overdrive effect, drops engine RPM a couple hundred rpm on the highway). Tourer sans windshield.


It could be worse, you could own a Rocket 3, or a second gen Vmax, both of which are lucky to ever crack 30.

[Ricky-D]

Still getting 38mpg to 40mpg  with my Interstate. Bone stock, no piggies, K&N air filter. Regular grade non-ethanol gasoline.

***

[Relax]

It's my impression the speed is thee essential thing when it comes consumption.
Here in Norway the speed limit mostly is 80 km/h ( 50 miles/h), and often lower.
(Yes, we have a few High ways with 65 miles/h.)
I believe my average speed is maybe 40-45 miles/ h.
My consumption is lower than all you, I believe,  and doesnt change much if I have a passenger or not (maybe 10%),  I ride mostly 2 up.
However, when I go down Europe  and speed increase to  65 - 85 miles/h or so, the consumption increase with maybe 20% . Wind resistance, I guess...

Soooo.....to make comparison about consumption on this thread, I believe some words about speed  is essential   

[2KVISRiderDan]

Exact same setup as Ricky D on my 2000 Interstate but average 35 mpg when I stay off the throttle.

[cagrote]

  I get about 30 mpg on average.  A couple of times Iv'e hit 33 mpg.  I did have the carbs rejetted and tuned for the cobra exhaust.  It sounds sweet but my mpg seems to have suffered.  If you have any suggestions about improving it I would appreciate it.

[Ricky-D]

  I get about 30 mpg on average.  A couple of times Iv'e hit 33 mpg.  I did have the carbs rejetted and tuned for the cobra exhaust.  It sounds sweet but my mpg seems to have suffered.  If you have any suggestions about improving it I would appreciate it.

Go back to stock jets and needles, you engine and exhaust doesn't need them.

***

[WintrSol]

It's my impression the speed is thee essential thing when it comes consumption.
Here in Norway the speed limit mostly is 80 km/h ( 50 miles/h), and often lower.
(Yes, we have a few High ways with 65 miles/h.)
I believe my average speed is maybe 40-45 miles/ h.
My consumption is lower than all you, I believe,  and doesnt change much if I have a passenger or not (maybe 10%),  I ride mostly 2 up.
However, when I go down Europe  and speed increase to  65 - 85 miles/h or so, the consumption increase with maybe 20% . Wind resistance, I guess...

Soooo.....to make comparison about consumption on this thread, I believe some words about speed  is essential   

Quite correct, sir. Fuel use rises with either the square or cube of velocity (forget which). Average speed is definitely a player, here.

[Oss]

Best mileage in a stretch 50mph for half a tank was 47
The other two Valks with me got about the same  5th gear the whole time hardly ever on the throttle. Doubt that will happen again as it was downhill lol

Worst was 19 on I90 westbound into stiff wind trying to keep alongside a bmw1200 for a hundred miles on the last leg to Keystone  was between 85 and 90 that part

After BigBF got done with my bike I got 36mpg at 75-80mph tank after tank on I10.  I think it does better when colder out.

I suppose if Attic Rat got a hand on it be same or better mpg

But I did not get this bike for mpg got it for spm (smiles per mile)

[Oompa Loompa]

Mine is a 97 tourer bought last year with 27K on the clock. Runs great. I've never got much more than 25 or so mpg, but I don't think I've ever got much less either. Mostly solo with no extra weight. I do love to give the throttle a work out though.

[98valk]

when I first bought my new leftover '98 I consistently averaged 32-34 mpg. after many years and modifications now avg 42-45 mpg.  still fine tuning carbs after installing ported and polished heads with R1 camshafts.

[pokrovsky]

please tell us more! what kind of modifications to the valkyrie could yield 30% bump in gas mileage.

[turtle254]

when I first bought my new leftover '98 I consistently averaged 32-34 mpg. after many years and modifications now avg 42-45 mpg.  still fine tuning carbs after installing ported and polished heads with R1 camshafts.

Hey 98valk,
What setting are you now using … curve?retard?jets?idle screw turns and needle height?
Mine is
curve 7 - retard 5 - jets 100/35 - idle screw out 5 turns - needle 4 shims and back to stock springs
MPG - 36/37
Charlie

[98valk]

when I first bought my new leftover '98 I consistently averaged 32-34 mpg. after many years and modifications now avg 42-45 mpg.  still fine tuning carbs after installing ported and polished heads with R1 camshafts.

Hey 98valk,
What setting are you now using … curve?retard?jets?idle screw turns and needle height?
Mine is
curve 7 - retard 5 - jets 100/35 - idle screw out 5 turns - needle 4 shims and back to stock springs
MPG - 36/37
Charlie

for the dyna I want max advance on the highway for best mpg. so I modified the OEM TW for 6 degrees, might have been 7 degrees, need to check it one day.  Use Curve 7 with the 10 degree advance above 2000-2500k rpms depending on load, about total advance of 32 degrees at 3k rpm, 36 degrees at 4k rpms and . below that always -10 degree advance which provide almost the same curve as the I/S ICM and for max power provides about 26 degrees at redline.
I use the Factory Pro Needles and the std slide springs. The std springs give a little crisper throttle response.
Still need to do some final tuning of the carbs after I installed the ported and polished heads with shimmed valve springs and R1 camshafts.
without changing the jets the engine would run at 208-210F on a 90f day doing 50-55mph on back roads, as indicated by an autometer temp gage.
Before the heads and cams she never ran that hot.
I was running 112 MJs and 38PJs all carbs, front two needles were 4 steps from top, others were 3 from top and mixture screws 3 turns out, this is with air box, intakes inside air box and oem air filter modifications. Running Viking Exhaust which I ceramic coated the headers with ITC 213 and 296 coatings.

Running right now, Front two carbs 102 MJ, needles three steps from top, other four carbs 105 MJ, needles two from top, all mixtures 2.5 turns out.
After going to smaller jets she has been running normal water temps as she was before the heads and camshafts installation.
She was running really great and pulling really hard with less than half throttle, then the weather went into late autumn and 50F temps and that was the end of testing and fine tuning.