Questions for the members out there. I'm on a road trip across the country. I'm riding my 2012 ultra limited. When I got into the mid west I started to see a big drop in my gas mileage. I usually get between 41 and 42. But at one point I was dropping down as low as 35. Is this because of some of the gas blends they use in the gas back here. I only use premimum gas. I'm from Utah and never have these issues out west. My bike is loaded as usual when I travel on trips. The bike is performing great and I have no issues there. Any input would be great. Thanks.

 

On my trip to Sturgis from middle Georgia last August I noticed the same thing, and almost the same numbers. Some of mine was caused by setting the cruise on 84 but not all of it....93 octane is everywhere down here but I found that's not so everywhere....

 

headwinds, heavier load, more wind resistance if you have stuff tied on your bike etc. etc.

if applicable, the mods and tuning parameters done to the bike...or even a screwy MAF sensor misreading air density

10% ethanol pump gas usually provides about 4% less MPG if your area doesn't have ethanol in the gas

Octane- lower than specified octane will result in the ECM retarding spark timing which gives less fuel economy and under most conditions less power

and road speed...
careful testing on my evo showed me;

65 MPH 45 MPG
75 MPH 38 MPG
80 MPH 32 MPG

the faster you try to go the more energy it takes to push through the air.

on the Evo, a trip from PHX to LA takes 1 fuel stop riding at the speed limit ( 75/70).
Riding at 80 requires an extra fuel stop...which chews up all the time gained.
So I ride slower and get there sooner.

crazy huh?

mike

 

The faster you go, wind resistance increases exponentially. ive had similar results on my 06 street glide. if i stick to doing the posted speed limit on the highway (60-65) i get around 42mpg, if i start going 70+ it drops to 39 or lower

 

Great plains = great wind. My MPG will vary up to 10mpg depending on if I am going with or against the wind.

 

In addition to octane/speed/weight/headwind/ethanol blend you also have to consider elevation. The higher elevation the "thinner" the air is, thin air requires less fuel to reach the same air/fuel mixture. Lower elevation results in lower mileage.

You can also look at RVP by state as different states have different Reid Vapor Pressure at different times of the year which will impact mileage.

 

I have a CVO Ultra 110 with the cat removed with true dual exhausts and a dyno tune and my friend has an Ultra 103 with the same exhaust etc.

Running on two lane country roads we normally get 42+MPG's, and on the interstate running at 70 MPH +/-, we get 40 MPG's.
At higher speeds (75-80 MPH) the MPG's drop to 38 or so.

 

This all pertains to it all but just go get gas @ the station of your choice & run it till it's near gone & buy some-more isn't that the way it works?

 

Wow....I really feel good....got back from a week long ride of over1800 miles. I keep track of my fuel and I have been getting 38-40 mpg. On this trip, first with this bike, I figured it out and I averaged 48.6 with one tank over 50! No high speeds,ran 65-69 a lot and cruise helped tremendously. Probably 50-60% were nice two lane roads. 2013 FLHX, vance & hines, heavy breather, and SE tune. I'm impressed for this bike.

 

The ethanol blends may be more than the 10% that is the standard. Some stations may be slipping in the 15%.