Fuel mileage question.

[JaysGone]

I guess this is where this question belongs as its not really a how to or tech type deal.

What is a stock 1999 Standards fuel mileage supposed to be as per Honda?
As Im about as done as I feel I need to be in rebuilding the 99 Valk before triking and paint.
I guess I should ask about fuel.

I bought the bike non running and had to get a used tank and a set of carbs off of an unknown but running bike.
I have not touched the carbs since they were installed.
The bike runs fine and has since putting on the carb set and just adding some gas.

I cant say as to what is in the carbs jet wise and I am running a set of stock OEM pipes.

The bike has approximetly 2000 miles on it since my rebuild.
Its getting 30-32 mpg commuting to work 26 miles a day in 35-65 mph riding.
I have not taken a highway ride to no where to get a good idea of pure highway mileage.

Basically just curious about OEM reported mileage.

[Pete]

1997 Standard in super economy mode 39-40.
Normal easy riding 35 to 38.
Slightly more spirited riding 32 to 35.
Spirited riding 25 to 32.

All test 1 up no baggage.

Valks are not economy cycles.

[tank_post142]

thats about what i get 12 miles south of you, heat, traffic, etc.

[klb]

Just checked my all stock 99 standard yesterday. 30 mpg with 1/2 spirited and 1/2 cruising.

[JaysGone]

Im not expecting economy out of a 6 carb bike.
I have done zero adjusting of this set of carbs just put them on and went..........
The carbs came off of a 2000 Touer or IS I believe.
Id just like to know if 30-32 mpg is acceptable for my commuting.
My other bike from the literature has a reported EPA estimate of 36mpg.
I have it set up for perfromance not mileage.

Ive done a search here nad have not come up with the EPA numbers.
Id like to know back when new.
What Honda had to say about it.
Just more or less what they said combined mileage should have been.
Mine is as stock as it was new, less being desmogged.

This all for curiousty sake.
Not really looking for I get 45 zillion miles per tank.

I ran it down to 4.5 gallons still didnt need to switch to reserve at 136 miles.
I dont even know what the reserve amount is??
It would ne nice to know before hand when this bike will run out of gas.

[JaysGone]

thats about what i get 12 miles south of you, heat, traffic, etc.

Thanks more or less what I wanted to hear.

[JaysGone]

Just checked my all stock 99 standard yesterday. 30 mpg with 1/2 spirited and 1/2 cruising.

Ok so my bikes is in what Id call the "normal" range.
Thanks

[Viking]

My 99 Valkyrie Interstate gets approx. 36 MPH under most conditions. I use 89 octane that they say is 10% ethanol. I'm 6'3" and 290 lbs. so I think a 175 lb guy would get better milage. 

I'm impressed by the gas milage on my bike. My H-D Road King got 42 MPG and wasn't nearly as big and powerful. My brothers H-D Road Glide gets an amazing 50 MPG!  ??? We have no idea how. It runs great and has good power. I think he must have gotten a good one with magic parts. 

[ricoman]

Just checked my all stock 99 standard yesterday. 30 mpg with 1/2 spirited and 1/2 cruising.

that is a reasonable and honest number.
easier to believe than 40+ on a standard.

[cookiedough]

no one really has commented on what Honda specs say the city/hwy. or avg. mpg should be.

My best guess is avg. mpg 35-36 mpg at best.  I get between 32 low and even up to 40 mpg at best with my stock 01' I/S. 

[old grouch]

FWIW, if you trike it you will lose 2-5 MPG minimum and more as your overall speed increases.  More an issue of wind and rolling resistance than increased weight, IMO.  I can get about 37 MPG on my 99 I/S trike, solo, or two up with luggage riding 40-60.    Above that and the mileage starts down.  At 70, the mileage goes down to about 33.  Doesn't seem to matter much about the weight.  I am running 3000 RPM @ 68 MPH (GPS).    Stan

[signart]

Above 75 mph you can get in the twenties, go faster and get mid to lower twenties. Steady around 55, I can get 42mpg. Same motorcycle.
1800 Wing guys are reporting high 50's on interstate speeds (70mph).

[Gavin_Sons]

I get 32 mpg no matter what, I have tried highway, and interstate and both gave me the same results. I have an 01 I/S.

[old2soon]

My I/S gets in that 30 32 M P G range. I have gotten as high as 39 M P G and as low as 20 M P G. As you're already well aware of-what you do with that right hand while yer riding has the SINGLE most important impact on your fuel mileage or lack there of.  Now i aint fer sure but iffin we are talkin SMILES per gallon then i be way AHEAD of da curve.  Lets just say my phatt ghurl makes me VERY happy.  RIDE SAFE.

[Former BMW Guy]

I consistently get 39 MPG with 91 Octain NON-ethel gas.
I think someone posted a link to "pure-gas" which shows gas stations in your area who sell it.
I use it primarily because: it does not contain additives, which can gum up the carbs, burns more efficiently and is basically low-tech fuel in a relatively low-tech, albeit close-tolerance, engine.
Kinda like they were made for each other.
The MPG is a bonus.

JP

[Hoser]

If you get gas at 130 to 150 miles, you won't run out unless you were riding it hard.  Reserve is about a gallon or so on the oem petcock.  Your's should have been on reserve or about to go on reserve at 4.5 gallon fill up if you have  an oem petcock.  Hoser

[texaninsouthfl]

Just checked my all stock 99 standard yesterday. 30 mpg with 1/2 spirited and 1/2 cruising.

that is a reasonable and honest number.
easier to believe than 40+ on a standard.

I think the only way I could get 40 mpg out of my bike is if I pushed it.

I did get about 35 once on an 80 mile charity ride that was mostly on flat country highway at about 50-60 mph. I think that was the only time I've every ridden her that slowly for that long.

Usually I get right around 30, regardless of how I ride.

[Molasses]

Just checked my all stock 99 standard yesterday. 30 mpg with 1/2 spirited and 1/2 cruising.

that is a reasonable and honest number.
easier to believe than 40+ on a standard.

I think the only way I could get 40 mpg out of my bike is if I pushed it.

I did get about 35 once on an 80 mile charity ride that was mostly on flat country highway at about 50-60 mph. I think that was the only time I've every ridden her that slowly for that long.

Usually I get right around 30, regardless of how I ride.

I usually plan on ~32 for "regular riding".  If it's faster, like on Interstate Hwys, and doing over 80mph, then ~27.   
I have gotten 40 ONCE: while riding around the Keweenaw Peninsula in the UP in heavy rain, was going very slow for whichever gear it was in all day.  Occasionally pull off mid-30s if I'm feeling especially mellow and hold it to 62-ish on two-lane roads and no launches.  Once got 18mpg out on Hwy 212 in MT with the Mrs on the back and the trailer behind, doing  about 75 into a headwind in 100+ temps.
(anything in this post that could be construed as admission of flagrant, ongoing disobedience of speed laws should be disregarded as "internet bravado" )

[Super Santa]

Granted, among those I ride with, I am the exception concerning gas mileage.  I think the best thing you can do to keep mileage reasonable is to ride it often.  Don't let the bike sit for extended periods of time as the fuel evaporates slowly clogging up the jets in the carbs, most noticeably in the low speed jets.

I have a 2000 I/S with a trigger wheel installed.  Fuel capacity is 6.9 U.S. gallons.

For my last 10 fuel ups, covering about 1860 miles during the past month
                Bike                                   Trip
Date          Mileage      Miles     Fuel       Mileage
7/21/2012   129606   149.5      3.837   38.963
7/21/2012   129793   186.4      4.910   37.963
7/22/2012   129960   166.8      4.719   35.346
7/27/2012   130137   176.8      4.872   36.289
7/27/2012   130331   194.0      5.455   35.564
7/28/2012   130535   203.9      5.982   34.086
7/28/2012   130697   162.2      4.604   35.230
8/4/2012   130897   200.5      5.395   37.164
8/10/2012   131103   205.7      5.244   39.226
8/20/2012   131322   219.0      5.741   38.147

I have had this bike just a little over 5 years and have put 106,000 miles on it in that time.  I can pretty much ride all year round here in Texas plus I am retired.  I realize that most cannot ride quite as much as I do but as long as I can, I intend to ride.

[JaysGone]

FWIW, if you trike it you will lose 2-5 MPG minimum and more as your overall speed increases.  More an issue of wind and rolling resistance than increased weight, IMO.  I can get about 37 MPG on my 99 I/S trike, solo, or two up with luggage riding 40-60.    Above that and the mileage starts down.  At 70, the mileage goes down to about 33.  Doesn't seem to matter much about the weight.  I am running 3000 RPM @ 68 MPH (GPS).    Stan

All of this is a small part of my concern in using a 14 year old bike as the basis for a trike project.
Once Im in upper 20s mileage wise.
Lets say a car of which Ive got a few around the house, looks alot more appealing long term and just keep my 2 bikes as they are.
Parts are getting harder to find new for the Valk and my Yamaha.... well parts will be around for that bike forever.

I ride because I enjoy it.
Mileage is not very important in the big picture.
Just being curious here.
If you dont twist your wrist you aint riding,your loafing............
I get to 6th gear as fast as I can most of the time.
So Im happy with my 30-32mpg.
It appears to be normal for my riding style.
Im not into econo boxes being it a car, or bike.

So I thank all you guys for your answers.

[DLSSOJC]

Today I took about a 200 mile round trip on my 2000 Interstate driving on on the interstate and 2-lane roads. Ran about 65-70 mph most of the way. A few times I had to get up to 90-95 mph with some spirited passing, due to log trucks and slow drivers.  I checked when I got home and got 41 mpg. Now running around local through town I have checked and get about 36-38 mpg. I was happy with the 41 mpg today. 

[Rams]

I ran it down to 4.5 gallons still didnt need to switch to reserve at 136 miles.
I dont even know what the reserve amount is??
It would ne nice to know before hand when this bike will run out of gas.

The reserve on all Valkyries is 1.1 gallons.  It all depends on the height of the "tube"  on the top of the petcock.  It's supposed to be the same for I/S and Standards.  I would expect there to be slight differences but not much.

The Standard and Tourer versions hold 5.3 gallons, the Interstate holds 6.9 gallons.

Most efficient fuel mileage is achieved below 3000 rpm.  Most smiles per mile is somewhere above that.

Mine carries right at 10 gallons (US).

[Varmintmist]

The 97 std I had got 34 commuting, however, on the highway, it had a sweet spot between 65-70 where you could hear the motor level. I got 42+ on a trip to Niagra.

This 99 tourer seems to get 37 commuting, I really havent had it on a extended trip, but the ones I have taken havent shown the % difference that the 97 had,

[Valkahuna]

FWIW, if you trike it you will lose 2-5 MPG minimum and more as your overall speed increases.  More an issue of wind and rolling resistance than increased weight, IMO.  I can get about 37 MPG on my 99 I/S trike, solo, or two up with luggage riding 40-60.    Above that and the mileage starts down.  At 70, the mileage goes down to about 33.  Doesn't seem to matter much about the weight.  I am running 3000 RPM @ 68 MPH (GPS).    Stan

All of this is a small part of my concern in using a 14 year old bike as the basis for a trike project.
Once Im in upper 20s mileage wise.
Lets say a car of which Ive got a few around the house, looks alot more appealing long term and just keep my 2 bikes as they are.
Parts are getting harder to find new for the Valk and my Yamaha.... well parts will be around for that bike forever.

I ride because I enjoy it.
Mileage is not very important in the big picture.
Just being curious here.
If you dont twist your wrist you aint riding,your loafing............
I get to 6th gear as fast as I can most of the time.
So Im happy with my 30-32mpg.
It appears to be normal for my riding style.
Im not into econo boxes being it a car, or bike.

So I thank all you guys for your answers.

6th gear? ???

[ricoman]

1800 Wing guys are reporting high 50's on interstate speeds (70mph).

they're lying
or they are reading the dash display-they are not getting actual high 50's from calculating mileage by dividing miles by gallons added.

[Oss]

I think the poster Pete is pretty close to my Interstate (01) mileage

Lowest I ever got was 21 pushing 90+ out into a headwind in south dakota
Average non spirited mileage is 33-35 for me
Best ever was route from Red Lodge on 78 up to Interstate 90 in Montana on 85 octane gas
was a smidgeon under 50 but I averaged 50mph as the middle bike of 3 using that road early in the morning  Bike generally got good mileage with 85 octane

Never even had gotten over 35 before that in almost 80000 miles and probably never will again

Seems I have a problem keeping the tach under 3k on trips of any length

[Hoser]

You better slow down a little Oss, you get caught in Kansas at 90+, you may need a lawyer! Oop's, never mind.    Hoser 

[Rams]

You better slow down a little Oss, you get caught in Kansas at 90+, you may need a lawyer! Oop's, never mind.    Hoser 

Not always true Hoser, last summer I and a good friend of mine both got pulled over for 94 on I 70.  True story.  He came up behind us and we didn't see him for a while.   Once we noticed him, we both pulled over.  The first thing he did is ask why we hadn't pulled over sooner and my friend told him that old joke about the wife that ran off with a highway patrol officer and he thought this one was bringing her back.  Our guy laughed out loud.  We still got tickets but, he cut it way back.   

[pitbull]

I get around 40 to the gallon but when I tow my trailer is increases to nearly 50.

This could be down to our UK gallons being more than a US gallon.  but cost alot more 

Pitbull