Ok when i first got my bike, i was shifting like it said to in the owners manual. Getting about 47 miles to the gallon in city driving. Aint gonna lie that a couple of times i lugged the motor cuz my speed dropped off in 4th till i downshifted to 3rd. Then i read a lot of posts here about winding out the gears more before shifting cuz its better for the motor and tranny, so i changed my riding style. Have noticed my mpg has dropped, now its about 37 mpg cuz i dont shift into 4th until about 50 mph. Is this normal?

 

yes' the more the throttle the less the mpg.will drop off for sure

 

LOL but i do love the sound of being in 3rd doing 45

 

oh i know i do as well, but you just have to lose a few mpg to get that lol

 

nothing sounds as good as a harley. Why would anyone want to ride a rice burner? sounds like a damn sewing machine

 

As the gas mileage goes down, your pleasure goes up. It is normal.

 

Yep, for every positive action, there is always a negative action.

 

Your new riding style will certainly be better for the bike. Anytime you twist your wrist the Sportster will take a big gulp of gas. Especially with a lot of stop and go riding. Around 40 mpg seems to be about right, except you will get considerably more on trips.