[planemanx15]

I need better fuel economy! I bought a 2003 dl1000 a month ago, and im averaging about 40mpg, driving it very lightly.. in other words not exceeding 4000 rpm. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to raise that? I cleaned the air filter so far, and that got me from 37 to 41 mpg. The previous owner said he had the bike remapped for better mid range torque, that is probably what is ruining my mileage.

Still a fun bike, and a perfect companion to the dr650, just sucks only going 190 miles before all the fuel bars disappear and flash..

 

[Big B]

Get used to it............

 

[marshallnoise]

Yeah, I think the remapping did you in. However, it probably runs MUCH better than my bike which is not compensating for the low/mid-range leanness. I got 40 MPG two up with 3 hard cases and my wife and I are not small. At all.

 

[JRWalker]

try using 91 or better octane fuel if youre not already doing so. i get a couple more mpg w/91 vs 87.

 

[Mikepotter86]

I have an 02 DL1000 without the any mapping changes, and sure, it does not sound or feel perfect under 4k rpms, but I averaged 47 mpg with luggage on my 2000 mile trip to Indy for Moto GP, spending a good bit of time on the highway in 6th gear really helped!!

 

[frostypuck]

try using 91 or better octane fuel if youre not already doing so. i get a couple more mpg w/91 vs 87.

Is $.40/gal worth a "couple more mpgs"? The op is asking about fuel economy. Sounds as if he wants to save money.

FWIW, my '07 gets 40-41 with 75% hiway driving, slightly higher mpgs if I'm just riding around. My peak was 45mpg during a charity ride, but that was with several hundred harleys, so the strom may have just been taking advantage of all the unburned fuel hanging in the air. :green_lol:
More likely it was because I did 150 miles at 35 mph.


Chris in Boston

 

[marshallnoise]

More likely it was because I did 150 miles at 35 mph.

That'll teach you to do charity work ever again! :green_lol:

 

[henerythe8th]

try using 91 or better octane fuel if youre not already doing so. i get a couple more mpg w/91 vs 87.

The higher the octane the lower the energy/gallon.

The above statement is incorrect.

Don't believe me, do some research and get back to me...






.

 

[Lrobby99]

I am surprised no one has said anything about keeping revs on a Vee below 4000. I thought that was bad ju-ju.

 

[xDownSetx]

You're getting about what you should. If you want 50+ trade for a DL650.

 

[JRWalker]

the higher the octane the lower the energy/gallon.the above statement is incorrect.don't believe me, do some research and get back to me.

troll meter
1 1.5 2 3 4 5
^

 

[marshallnoise]

troll meter
1 1.5 2 3 4 5
^

I can't tell if you are trying to call him a troll or tell him he isn't being a troll. Is 1 high or 1 low?

:biggrinjester:

However, the higher the octane, the harder it is to burn the fuel given a certain compression ratio and spark compared to lower octane.

I don't think that fuel economy is tied to octane in the way some people think. A low octane fuel in an engine that requires high octane fuel will get poorer performance. The inverse is true too.

Which is why most people THINK they are doing a good thing by putting premium fuel in the Vee or Wee when in fact they are turning their rides into dogs.

 

[PTRider]

The higher the octane the lower the energy/gallon.

"There is little difference in energy content of regular versus premium gasoline. They both contain about 111,400 British Thermal Units of energy per gallon. "
Regular Versus Premium Gasoline

Summer vs. winter gasoline formulations may have different energy content even with the same octane rating. The more ethanol in the gas, the lower the energy content. Octane ratings are the average of two methods, the "motor" octane and the "research" octane. One brand of gas may be higher on M, another brand on R, both have the same average octane number, and one or the other work better in a certain engine. It pays to try different brands.

Higher octane gasoline has more resistance pre-ignition, i. e. ping or knock.

 

[planemanx15]

You're getting about what you should. If you want 50+ trade for a DL650.

haha.. thats my other bike, wouldnt trade, there a perfect compliment to each other, plus the get along in the garage without supervision :thumbup:

Ok, i'll just deal, I guess going from the dr650 to the dl1000 the gas seems to go faster since I feel more comfortable on the dl and can ride it longer, harder, and faster

 

[agrippa1]

My mileage went south when I installed the PC III. Wasn't a huge difference but I noticed.

Thing is, I didn't care. The bike was so much easier to ride that I was on the throttle more and grinning the whole time!

 

[cooljoe]

The higher the octane the lower the energy/gallon.

The above statement is incorrect.

Don't believe me, do some research and get back to me...






.

The higher the octane, the more difficult to ignite is what you mean. In this case, it is better for a relatively higher compression motor - as it prevents pre-ignition which robs your engine of the power and efficiency that you are looking for. I notice around an extra 5mpg more when using premium fuel vs regular. Most likely because of the way my bike is mapped - as I made it a little richer on the low end due to the aftermarket pipes.

 

[BurnieM]

try using 91 or better octane fuel if youre not already doing so. i get a couple more mpg w/91 vs 87.

The higher the octane the lower the energy/gallon.

The above statement is incorrect.

Don't believe me, do some research and get back to me...

No probs, I'll take you on;

12,400 km on an L0 DL1000
24,000 km on a K3 SV1000
19,500 km on a K1 Cagiva Raptor 1000
(thats a TL1000S engine with the R clutch and remapped for more mid range)

EVERY tankful recorded !

In Australia we have 91 octane, 91 octane with 10% ethanol, 95 octane and 98 octane.

Best mileage per litre;
1. 98 octane
2. 95
3. 91
4. 91 E10

Best economy (lowest cost per kilometre);
1. 95
2. 98
3. 91
4. 91 E10

All bikes above produced similar results

Cost per gallon/litre is irrelevant. Cost per mile/kilometre is the only thing that counts.
I'll stick with 95 octane because I am a tightarse (that's 91 to you Septics)

Note there is a large difference between my mileage around town and on the open road even when riding agressively.
Around town is 25-30% worse economy

Performance wise my buttmeter can feel 91 E10 but the others are all similar.


PS
Australia uses Research Octane Number (RON) to measure octane.
The US uses Anti-Knock Index (AKI), the average of the RON and the MON.
"...the octane rating shown in the United States is 4 to 5 points lower than the rating shown elsewhere in the world for the same fuel."
Octane rating - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
.

 

[JRWalker]

I can't tell if you are trying to call him a troll or tell him he isn't being a troll. Is 1 high or 1 low? Which is why most people THINK they are doing a good thing by putting premium fuel in the Vee or Wee when in fact they are turning their rides into dogs.

ive tried 87 octane and it just dont work for me. everytime i get less mpg w/87 :yesnod:

 

[ockerstrom]

The octane rating has also been "done to death".

My personal testing over the last 10-15 years on both cars and bikes has shown 98 gives best economy, best km per $ ratio, and less maintenance on fuel system.

It also gives me better performance.

This has also recently been proven in controlled tests here in Australia and aired about 3 weeks ago on local TV.

 

[Big B]

I just love experts!:fineprint: