Milage Checkup

[ka5ysy]

Judy and I took a ride today to Global Wildlife Center and several other places then ran down to Middendorff's for some catfish.

Results:

Total run on tank = 257 miles.
Computer showing 40 miles to empty, no fuel light on.

Refill = 5.150 gallons on center stand.
Computed tank average - 49.9mpg including about 100 miles of city stop and go on the tank earlier this week.

Computer was showing 58-60mpg today a lot of the time running 55-60mph.

This is a FINE bike

Except the seat, which sucks after one hour

Alaska Leather butt pad on order

so how is everybody else doing?


Doug

[deilenberger]

Mileage has been discussed in an extensive thread on ADV-Rider.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthre ... ght=R1200R

Seems most people are doing between 45-56 MPG. My lowest tank was 44 MPG, done at an average speed of 31 MPH. My best - 56 MPG, done at an average speed of 70 MPH.

And I've put about the same amount in the tank - just over 5 gallons. Supposedly a 4.8 gallon tank with 3 quarts in reserve. I've never gone below 40 miles remaining, and have never had the low fuel light come on.

Strangely - I'm the exception in this case - the stock low seat isn't awful for me.. it's comfortable enough for 4-5 hours of riding. With a FreedomAir cushion - 8-10 hours. I do find my legs a bit cramped, so I may be looking at foot-peg lowering for it.

[hirsty]

Is 257 miles a typical range on a tank? Fabulous - my best on the 850R is 175, and sometimes I'd like a bit more on a long days ride.

Interested to hear what you guys are getting from your 1200R's.

[deilenberger]

Is 257 miles a typical range on a tank? Fabulous - my best on the 850R is 175, and sometimes I'd like a bit more on a long days ride.

Interested to hear what you guys are getting from your 1200R's.

See the link I posted above.

Lots of it depends on your riding speed/style. If you're doing around-town hot-dogging, mileage will suffer. If you're doing highway miles and can stay out of statospheric speeds - 250 miles is pretty easily achievable. When I put 5 gallons in - the OBC thinks I have 50 more miles left.. so multiply 5 x MPG at various speeds and you're in the ballpark for tank range.

[vielzebub]

This is a fine bike.

Just brought it down from VT to Boston today. Its going to be my daily commuter for a bit....so far I'm getting about 47MPG which I expect to go up as the bike breaks in more. We'll see...

I daydream about four farklizing opportunities for the bike:

1. Sargent seat. One hour on the stock seat is plenty, thank you.
2. Wunderlich engine guards. Good for the inevitable tip over while parked from a gentle nudge by a not so courteous Massachusetts driver. Happens every year.
3. Tankbag that sits on the gas cap instead of the tank. I'm hating my stock tankbag. It'll be for sale soon if'n one of you guys wants it.
4. Wudo fairing. Maybe. I'm waiting for someone else to lead this charge, take multiple pictures and describe a fantastic new driving experience.

[mogu83]

Just back from a Guzzi Rally on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Used mostly back roads and the mileage on the computer was always in the mid fifties and when I filled up this seemed to be about right. On the way home (grandchilds birthday, I had to make time) I used the super-slab (Rt81) and was above 80 MPH for 200 miles, the mileage dropped to the mid to low 40s ( averaged about 43) and this was confirmed when I filled up when I went back on the secondary roads. This is my first fuel injected bike, I've never seen that big a drop on my carburetor equipped bikes.

BTW: I have a light (don't read that as slow, just smooth) hand on the throttle and usually get good mileage. 50ish MPG on the rack roads will keep me very satisfied.

[NeilS]

I don't have a lot of miles on mine yet, but I must say that the fuel economy is one of my few disappointments with the bike. I'm used to about 60 mpg on my other bike, and the R12R's running mid-40s.

Now before anyone says, "But that's only a 500," the R12R's dry weight is only 30 pounds more, so that shouldn't explain it. I don't THINK my riding style has changed much--same mix of roads, same speeds, etc. The small windscreen shouldn't add that much air resistance either.

I can't believe it's fuel injection vs. carburetion--all that computing power should improve efficiency, not reduce it. So are the losses in the big boxer that much more? Or am I unconsciously riding with a much heavier right hand?

[deilenberger]

Just back from a Guzzi Rally on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Used mostly back roads and the mileage on the computer was always in the mid fifties and when I filled up this seemed to be about right. On the way home (grandchilds birthday, I had to make time) I used the super-slab (Rt81) and was above 80 MPH for 200 miles, the mileage dropped to the mid to low 40s ( averaged about 43) and this was confirmed when I filled up when I went back on the secondary roads. This is my first fuel injected bike, I've never seen that big a drop on my carburetor equipped bikes.

Harry - you added a fairing sort of shield recently if I remember correctly.

My R1200R - on the same road - doing an average speed of 70MPH by the OBC (which means sometimes higher, sometimes less) did the best tank of gas I saw on my trip to RA and back.. up in the mid 50 MPG range.

Wonder if the additional wind-drag of the fairing you added is causing your loss of mileage?

BTW - indicated 80MPH on the Roadster speedo appears to be around 74-75 MPH real speed on a GPS.. about typical for BMW speedos.

[deilenberger]

I can't believe it's fuel injection vs. carburetion--all that computing power should improve efficiency, not reduce it. So are the losses in the big boxer that much more? Or am I unconsciously riding with a much heavier right hand?

The larger engine can't overcome simple laws of physics - it takes more energy to make it spin - and energy comes from the fuel it consumes.

And I'd suspect you might - if you get back on your 500cc bike - notice a difference in your riding style.. on the 500cc bike you'll be looking for the power you start to take for granted on the 1200cc bike.

[NeilS]

Actually, it's funny. I do go back and forth between the two bikes. After riding the R12R, I get on the Ascot and find I'm running at much lower rpm than before. So I have to downshift more because the low-end torque isn't there on the 500. But no drop-off of gas mileage due to that change!

And when I get back on the Honda, I can't find the turn signal switch

[mogu83]

Actually the parabellum advertises an increase in mileage, although that's not the reason I bought it.
My average speed along that section of road (NC border to Winchester,Va) was in the high 80s with a few runs over the ton. I said smooth, not slow, and I was in a hurry at 5AM on a Sunday morning. (All good Law Enforcement Officials were asleep or in church).

Averaging 70 on that road must have been an adventure, as most the 18 wheelers travel at 80+

BTW: At those speeds the fairing performs exceptionally well.

[deilenberger]

Actually the parabellum advertises an increase in mileage, although that's not the reason I bought it.
My average speed along that section of road (NC border to Winchester,Va) was in the high 80s with a few runs over the ton. I said smooth, not slow, and I was in a hurry at 5AM on a Sunday morning. (All good Law Enforcement Officials were asleep or in church).

Averaging 70 on that road must have been an adventure, as most the 18 wheelers travel at 80+

That's indicated *BMW* speed - not real speed. Most of the trucks run at 70-75MPH - the fines are high enough they don't speed a lot on I81 in VA. The BMW speedo said 80MPH pretty much all the time (and I was passing the trucks) - but the GPS - which can't lie - said 74-76MPH.. and the OBC average speed includes times when I pulled off into rest areas to grab a drink of water or just stretch. It keeps averaging as long as the ignition is on - which tends to skew the average downwards.

Did you happen to notice your OBC average?

I did exactly the same run on my way up from RA on a Sunday - albeit somewhat later than you did (got to the VA border about noonish..) also didn't see any LEOs, which surprised me. Mebbe they take Sunday off.

Harry - you're used to Guzzi speedos which might actually be semi-accurate.. I only believe the GPS now (after about 10-12 BMW speedos in their cars and on the bikes which all lied..) If your speedo was showing high 80's - my WAG - you were in reality doing somewhere between the upper 70's and lower 80's.

BTW: At those speeds the fairing performs exceptionally well.

I'm sure it does - but that's a big difference in fuel mileage between my identical in every respect run, except for prolly 5MPH and the fairing. I will admit to no 100 MPH bursts. Mebbe at 100MPH it just drinks the fuel down.

[ka5ysy]

I don't have a lot of miles on mine yet, but I must say that the fuel economy is one of my few disappointments with the bike. I'm used to about 60 mpg on my other bike, and the R12R's running mid-40s.

Now before anyone says, "But that's only a 500," the R12R's dry weight is only 30 pounds more, so that shouldn't explain it. I don't THINK my riding style has changed much--same mix of roads, same speeds, etc. The small windscreen shouldn't add that much air resistance either.

I can't believe it's fuel injection vs. carburetion--all that computing power should improve efficiency, not reduce it. So are the losses in the big boxer that much more? Or am I unconsciously riding with a much heavier right hand?

Neil: Im not sure how much milage your have on your bike, but it improves after about 1500 miles. Mine started in the 43mpg range and has steadily improved with 4200 miles presently.

The sweetspot for cruise on my bike is 60mph which shows 56-60 mpg on the computer. I have the 20" CeeBailey screen on my bike, and run with the cases on most of the time.

I agree with the others here... the speedometer reads about 6-5mph low compared with the GPS readings.


Doug

[mogu83]

OBC I assume is On Board Computer.
I have one, but only because it was on the bike. I usually check my tires and oil in the morning and that's it for the day. A quick glance at miles traveled (odometer) tells me if I need gas.
IMHO I believe all the other information devices are a determent when riding a motorcycle in heavy traffic or on a motorcycle type road (ie:twisty). We (euro bike crowd) knock the Harley crowd for their fringe, conchos and unrideable suspensions and then load up our bikes with a bunch of electronic stuff (dare I say garbage) that does nothing to enhance the basic joy of riding a motorcycle.
In Vietnam many F-4 pilots turned off everything except the on-board ECM devices when they crossed into enemy territory. They found that every thing else was just a distraction and hindered the primary purpose for the pilot - flying the aircraft. The last thing they needed was someone 500 miles away on a carrier screaming in their ear about something that was happening 200 miles away.
In the past month I've had two people (no names) confide in me that they were fooling with their GPS right before one ran off the road and another had a vehicle accident, both experienced riders with many miles. I was also riding with a newbie that was having a hard time with the turns on the Blue Ridge. At a stop I tried to give him a few hints and he told me he looks at his GPS to see what the road ahead looks like when he goes into a turn. I suggested he turn the damm thing off -- he didn't, I believe I was talking to a man that will soon be seriously injured.
It amazes me when people load up their machine with AM/FM/XM CD-player Bike to Bike radio, CB radio, GPS, Intercom and God only knows what other electronic toys and then never take the time to learn how to get their bike through a turn in a timely manner.
I bought the R1200R because it was as close to two wheels, a gas tank, a set of handlebars, and an engine as I could get in a dependable yet modern motorcycle.

Regarding the speedometer issue. Most are aware, I assume, that in the mid 70s one on the Federal mandates to the automotive (motorcycle) industry was that a speedometer couldn't show less than the actual mileage but they were given a 10% error zone. Most error on the high side to be safe. On the older bikes I found that if you increased the tire size one size it usually put the speedo right on the money, but I don't think I'd fool around with tire size on these new bikes.

Please excuse the rant, but if it was up to me motorcycles would be limited to 500cc kick start singles with reverse cone megaphones and only enough electric to run the plug,headlight and tail light. I guess I'm showing my age.

[ka5ysy]

Please excuse the rant, but if it was up to me motorcycles would be limited to 500cc kick start singles with reverse cone megaphones and only enough electric to run the plug,headlight and tail light. I guess I'm showing my age.

That puts me back to the old Hodaka Super Rat ! I had a lot of fun running around the desert south of Albuquerque on that thing in 1969 getting about a zillion miles per gallon and terrorizing desert critters while trying to not kill myself

[deilenberger]

Harry -

Your rant is just fine... no argument on it. Anything except riding is a distraction. Unfortunately - the distractions - if you're actually going somewhere aren't limited to the electronic gizmo's the bikes come with.

A GPS is a tool - it can be used or misused.

Mine is a useful tool that keeps me from being distracted when used correctly. Mine has text to speech - meaning it talks me through a route, I don't have to look at it to navigate. MUCH safer than the map in a tankbag, or on the sleeve of my 'stitch, which is a major distraction.. since I have to LOOK at it, then focus on it and find where I'm at and then find where I'm looking to go.

None of these steps are necessary with a modern route planning GPS. The GPS also allows me to plan my route ahead of time and download it to the GPS - just like marking up a map the night before a trip.

Your friend found an interesting use of the GPS - I spotted it and used it a bit on Rt 33 and 66 in West Virginia.

Zoomed in to the highest zoom level, a good modern GPS is remarkably accurate about the road twists and turns. This is good info - and info that can be captured at a glance if your GPS is located so it's in your field of sight - when doing the extreme twisties like 33 and 66 have.

You know if there is a straight section coming up around the corner or more twisties - helped me to decide between 2nd and 3rd gear. If I was heading to a straight, upshift to 3rd and power out of the corner. If there were more sharp twisties - stay in 2nd and throttle up/down to take the corners. Good info - can be used with safety - it shouldn't overrule your primary sources of info, but as supplementary info - it's useful.

You seem to dislike the OBC (On-Board-Computer) - I'd question why - but then I know what your other bike is.. It's also a tool. Just like the tripmeter on your airhead. You don't *have* to look at it while riding - but having the distance to empty displayed where you can easily see it keeps you from being distracted trying to interpret what the fuel gage is telling you and doing the mental calculations you do looking at how many bars are showing.

You can easily toggle between the different functions - moving - or better yet - when stopped. If you wanted to know your average speed for your ride up Rt 81 - it would have required two steps:

At the beginning of the ride - you reset the average speed reading. You do that with the INFO button. Press it until the average speed is showing and hold it down. It resets. That's it..

At the end of the ride - you read out the average speed. That's the second step.

Not too distracting actually - and useful info. Ditto on MPG.

I reset each of these, and Tripmeter #1 whenever I get fuel. Then I can keep track of average speed per tank of fuel, average MPG for the tank and how far I went. Write the numbers on the receipt from the gas pump and you have the info you need to accurately calculate MPG vs speed.

We used to do this by keeping a bike log - remember those? The little spiral notebook and the pen?

I can understand your rant - but - used wisely - modern technology adds to the safety and the bike experience and isn't something to run away from. It's tools - that must be used wisely. A fool can kill someone with a screwdriver - but it's a useful tool in most of our hands.

[NeilS]

Yeah, right. Two wheels, a gas tank, a set of handlebars, and an engine. And enough computing power to land the Apollo lunar module.

I don't mind the concept of the OBC, and it actually has a fairly decent human interface. But everyone's saying the reported speed is 10% off. Garbage in, garbage out, so why bother?

I'm assuming (don't know for sure because there are no schematics in the service "manual") that the speed signal comes from one of the ABS wheel sensors. Why not give us (or at least the dealer) the ability to correct the system by applying a signal of the right frequency to the sensor circuit and pushing a "calibrate" button?

Ka5ysy, I'll be very happy if my gas mileage moves into the mid 50s as the engine fully breaks in. But that would mean that around 20% of the energy in the fuel is being spent breaking in the engine. That seems like a lot, or have I been spoiled by Japanese engines where the final machining is done at the factory?

[mogu83]

Harry -



Your friend found an interesting use of the GPS - I spotted it and used it a bit on Rt 33 and 66 in West Virginia.

You seem to dislike the OBC (On-Board-Computer) - I'd question why - but then I know what your other bike is.. ride up Rt 81 - it would have required two steps:

At the beginning of the ride - At the end of the ride - you read out the average speed. That's the second step.

.

Don ,
I don't dislike the OBC, I save dislike for more important things, I just find it superfluous and a distraction to what I believe riding a motorcycle is all about, which would be operating a two wheeled vehicle in a proficient manner.
Also thanks for the info about the info button, I made my living for 35 years as an electronic technician (Started on computers in 1966, and for a while working on electronic locator devices) and I've been wondering what would happen if I hit that info button
The Guy with the GPS, if he doesn't kill himself, will surely miss out on IMHO one of motorcycling greatest rewards, feeling the rhythm that every twisty road has to offer. Once you feel the rhythm you can hear the music and just dance your machine through the corners. No GPS or electronic enhancement required. I would suggest filling your tank, turning everything off and taking a ride, route 97 North out of Port Jervis,NJ will do, hit the sweepers and listen for the music.