[XR1200]

I came up with my Vee, a 4K with less than 2000 miles on it, a few weeks ago....it's like a new bike. Beautiful.

Spent time getting it cleaned up and running right....removed the secondary plates, balanced the throttle bodies, new plugs, got a Yosh box and went +1 on both cylinders in the idle circuit, +5 in Low, and +5 in Mid, 0 in High.

I've put about 500 miles on it in the past week and it runs great, idles great, pulls away smoothly with no stutters or stumbles. Crazy good.

But I was surprised when I figured out for the past three tanks of fuel I'm averageing 32 MPG!!! WTF? That can't be right, can it? I'm thinking my speedo is off or something....the mileage has been a mixture of highway and city. I'm not particularly hooliganish but I do like the throttle...:thumbup:...I try to keep the tach between 4-6.....I could stand to lose a couple of pounds but Im not too heavy.

I'm generally not a mileage guy. I'm going to ride a motorcycle even if it gets 10 MPG....my concern is whether or not the 32 MPG is a manifestation of some other problem.......

So just thought I'd throw this out to y'all and see if anyone has some insight to what's going on....

Thanks.

 

[SittingDuck]

[...]my concern is whether or not the 32 MPG is a manifestation of some other problem.......
[...]

Yeah, sure it is; it has to be.

At first glance I'd say your bike had the ECM controlled butterflies removed and the fuel mapping messed with.

Oh wait... Never mind. There's no way I could explain this to someone in Alabama; someone else is going to have to try.

 

[dancer]

I've been listening to fuel mileage comments for the Vee for almost four years of Stromtrooper membership. 32 MPG is on the low side of "normal" and probably reflects your riding style with "new-bike-itis" and three gobs of torque in your right hand.

I only measured one tank in my K6 just after I bought it in a situation very similar to yours -- practically no miles, secondary plates removed, Yosh box'd, etc. -- and that tank was 41+, almost 42. That was good enough for me -- three times better than my 6-liter GMC pickup and twice my 2.2-liter S2K.

If it worries you, check it again every once in a while. Or you could search the forum for the phrase "spreadsheet". There are a few people who keep really good records!

 

[JRWalker]

Increase MPG

http://www.stromtrooper.com/746492-post1.html

 

[Strange Dog]

I measured the MPG of my first tank of fuel last week to see what kind of mileage I could expect from my 2008 Vee. Keeping the RPM between 3K and 4K and commuting gently I ended up with 41 MPG. My Vee is completely stock, I weigh around 250 lbs. I think this is the best mileage I will get from this bike as I will not normally ride so conservatively.
Perhaps with the mods you have made, the higher RPM and more aggressive riding style your mileage is to be expected ?

 

[Mudbutt]

I think you went too rich, I get 45-50 mpg on long rides. Pull your plugs and see what they look like. The bike only stumbles during low rpms and you added +5 in mid

 

[mongoslow]

i have had mine since friday and im working my way through the bottom half of my second tank mpg mph :thumbup:, what going to suck is rear tire mileage :mrgreen:

 

[XR1200]

Yeah, sure it is; it has to be.

At first glance I'd say your bike had the ECM controlled butterflies removed and the fuel mapping messed with.

Oh wait... Never mind. There's no way I could explain this to someone in Alabama; someone else is going to have to try.

It's ok, save your breath. I'd never pay attention to a Canadian anyway, eh?




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[SittingDuck]

I think you went too rich, I get 45-50 mpg on long rides. Pull your plugs and see what they look like. The bike only stumbles during low rpms and you added +5 in mid

Yes, definitely do a plug chop.
Don't pull the plugs after idling though, hit the kill switch and the clutch together at the same time when you're at the throttle opening you want to read the plug for. I also think you went way too rich on your mixture.
The good news is you're about to find some more power in that engine once you stop running so rich.

 

[Iride]

On the VEE I think 2004 and up you can get a Power commander V and install a easy switch one for power and the other for fuel mileage,,,
You need to have have it tuned on a Dyno,,,
.I got one on my 2008 Hayabusa and I switch from factory tune to a H/P tune with a handle bar switch, Its about a 10 MPG differance... I bet on the Vee it would be more like 15 MPG difference,,,,
I been thinking about doing it myself..
Mike

 

[banditrider]

Standard as far as I know K8: V-Strom (Suzuki DL1000) | Fuelly

Just added Remus mufflers (no tuning or mapping upgrade) and while I haven't put a lot of miles on after the install I think I may have had a slight increase in economy - time will tell...

 

[richw]

Stock tuned was 42

Teka and tre down to 39-40

Too rich somewhere, but tbs, 2ndaries for base line

 

[LoneStrom]

You did measure your milage with a GPS right ???.The speedos are WAY off.!!!


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[BlueLghtning]

The speedo's are way off, especially if re-geared since the 1000 measures speed at the front sprocket, but usually the odometer isn't off as bad. They are not off the same amount.

And besides, if the bike does have lower gearing or is reading "high" which most do, the fuel mileage should actually look better then it really is, so that makes it even worse.

To the OP, I feel your pain. I had a 1000 and used a home made yosh box to smooth everything out and everytime my butt dyno said it felt good, my mpg was in the tank. 32-35mpg.

It was either have the bike feel good and get crappy mileage or go back to a stock tune and have the studders and get better mileage. I was so frustrated with it, I finally gave up on the 1000 and went back to the 650. I would agree that you are probably running rich, but I know where you are coming from as it feels better running rich.

 

[marshallnoise]

I am in the exact same position as the OP. I yoshed my bike, but hardly could tell exactly what mixture I was working with on the idle side. The knob was broken off. Bike is very smooth and makes good power, but my mileage blows.

I need to get back on my DIY Yoshbox project...

 

[richw]

Because I did not have the TEKA box for long I just slapped in the recommended idle and like 1st part.

There was referrences to actual TEKA dyno runs where the Idle jetting was raised and maybe the next but after that it was actually leaned compared to stock

So if she was used it could have been severly screwed with via teka or yosh box . It doesn,t have to be stock even without a PC3 etc.

Find a dyno shopo with a teka or yosh box and see if you can get a proper map

 

[Jeff Kushner]

That's low for sure. Most seem to run in the low 40's and while nearly all my riding is 50 miles or more, the very lowest I ever got was 39 with generally it being right at 42mpg.

If it were me, I'd strip the plastic and the air box and check and adjust the primaries first, then either reinstall the secondaries or leave them out, won't make a hill of beans either way. Drill 4-1-1/2" holes in the air box or remove the snorkle at the least. Be absolutely sure that your TB's are fully seated. While you have it apart, may as well check the valves. Chances are they will be tight. There used to be a really good pictorial write up in the stickys so look around for it. Then finally, balance the throttles to within a nats ass and you should be good to go. Don't forget to be sure that your chain is properly adjusted and there isn't any drag at the front wheel.

good luck,
jeff

jeff

 

[XR1200]

As an update I think I've got my Vee sorted and I'm digging it the most.

Mileage is now pretty close to 40 all the time, I'm happy with that.

It runs great! Pulls hard from idle to redline, no stumbles or stalling.

Installed a Madstad bracket, love it. Was getting horrible buffeting at high speeds, especially around semi's. Adjusted the Madstad to max angle (top of the windshield pulled back toward the rider) and problem solved. it was great.

Was having some handling issues, aggressive corner required much attention and never felt confident....and I complained in a different thread about the front wheel wanting to "flop" to one side when stopped. Problem solved! I replaced the 8 year old Trailwings with new Michelin Anakees and, as you would expect, they made a tremendous difference. My Vee now corners like a Sportbike and is confidence inspiring.

I'm glad I took the time to sort it out and this forum was a great tool. Thanks.

Yesterday I rode 605 miles and the Vee never missed a step.


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[Mudbutt]

Good to hear you worked out your problems. I suspect with some more mapping you can still improve your mileage. I have all country riding and I get 45-50 on long rides with all 5th and 6th gear cruising.

 

[XR1200]

Good to hear you worked out your problems. I suspect with some more mapping you can still improve your mileage. I have all country riding and I get 45-50 on long rides with all 5th and 6th gear cruising.

Thanks, I agree.

I did my current tune with a Yosh box, apparently the TEKA allows more specific settings. I could only make changes in 5% increments with the Yosh.

Are the airbox mods something everyone does? Will it help with that loud knocking noise I hear (mostly at idle)....it sounds like air popping in a plastic box, just figured it was the airbox.

Lolololol...I was shocked at how far off the speedo was...I have to laugh.