Correct MPG ???

[doctorgski]

This is interesting... We ride in Florida with mostly Harley's. All these guys say that they are getting from 44 mpg to 52mpg. I get about 34 to 38mpg on the average. What I noticed is that when we would fill up, we would take about the same gals of fuel. How could this be??? I then took my GPS one day on a 350 mile trip, and at the first fill up, they said they had gone 116 miles... my odometer said 100 and the GPS said 101 miles, but we took about the same amount of fuel. The same thing happened yesterday here in Colorado while riding with a friend with a 2003 ultra. He was w/o wife, I was with. We took within 2 tenths of a gal every fill up and again, he went about 15 miles farther each fill up... What's up with this. Could their great gas mileage be just artificial due to a poor odometer? ???

Most definitely! When I ride with my harley friends their odometers always read a little more than mine

100 miles divided by 2.75 gallons = 36 mpg

116 miles divided by 2.75 gallons = 42 mpg

At our first fill up on the way to the rally I thought it was crazy, Idaho and I both pumped exactly 3.469 gallons

One time on a stretch I rode with one of my harley buddies I pumped a whole gallon more than he did. We had a nasty head wind and I was open full throttle for most the way doing about 75. He said he wasn't open full throttle.

[cactusjack]

Do these Harleys have 6-speed transmissions? Their engines aren't working as hard as yours. Also, everybody I know with a Harley has a much more accurate speedometer/odometer than the Nomad.

If harleys odometers are more accurate than I guess that means that t we are actually getting better mileage than we think

[doctorgski]

Remember I had the GPS and it was only 1 mile off what my odometer said. The Harley's were 15 miles to the plus side!

Remember I had the GPS and it was only 1 mile off what my odometer said. The Harley's were 15 miles to the plus side!

Just curious, are you running a stock tire or a metzeler?

From what I've heard Nomad odometers are right on and the speedometers are higly optimistic.

Harley speedometers are right on and the odometers are highly optimistic.

[ringadingh]

My neighbours HD and the guy I ride to work with both get slightly better mileage than I do.

[ells]

My odo is dead on (within 0.2% to be more quantitative) with the GPS, running a Metz 160/80. However, the speedo is about eight percent off, fast of course. Obviously the odo and speedo are calibrated different from each other on the Nomad but if HD goes as high on the odo as Nomads do on their speedo, that would explain a lot of it. DoctorG's data are pretty good evidence that that is the case, HD's gas mileage is artificially high. Where is Old biker??

[ronnie]

I ride with a friend most of the time...... many times, and at different places, we have past the check your speed safty signs.. we have a habit of when we see one, we lock our bikes on 60 mph.... and every time the sign says we are doing 55.... so at 60, on my speedometer, it appears, I'm only doing 55.... by the way, my friend rides a yahama royal star...and his regesters the same as mine...... ronnie

[dogdoc]

harleys do get quite a bit better mpg, Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Top Cat]

I rode the other day with my buddy who has a 1200 BMW LT. At the end of the ride he had gone 165 miles and I had gone 154.
I have the bigger Metz on the rear if that makes a difference.

[naugaman]

When riding with my uncle, his Heritage Softail always took 1/2 to 3/4 gal less than my Nomad. His HD has a 5 speed transmission.

[skeeter]

My Nomad gets better gas mileage than my Dodge diesel.

[samkjr]

I think it also dich measuring competetion for some guys. I bet many of them are padding the truth and upping the numbers to try and make their more expensive ride seem worthwhile.

[mrbill69]

The week of the eastern rally One of our group(4) was on an Ultra FI with 6 speed . We filled up at the same place and time every time. Our fillups were always within 1/10th of a gal. , sometimes he took more, somes I did. I averaged 47+( figuring in 3% odo error) for the 1200 mile trip (04 1500). I think I'm running lean as it was gagging on take offs off idle. I since have tweaked my tps up a little bit but haven't checked the mileage yet.

[doctorgski]

I run the Metzler 180 on the rear.

If the Nomad only got 20 MPG I'd still ride it. I'd just stop for gas more often.

[doctorgski]

Perhaps one could say that the Japanese exaggerate their speed, and the Americans exaggerate their length... http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[beezer]

42-43 with mixed conditions here

[hub]

I was battling the milage problem caomparing a friends Vulcan to my Nomad. Both have the exhaust/Intake and Electric Fuel control package. He was getting 47 - 48 MPG and I was getting 37 -38 MPG. After many checks and all the rest i ended up changing Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) positon I was at 0.62 V output when Factory range ends at 0.58Volts at idle. As it turns out i did not need to buy the Electric Fuel control package because I was mayorly rich to start. Anyways I now am at 42-43 MPG and with a little tweak should get 47 range soon.
I had always noticed that my bike was thirsty right from new and stock, but after comparing to a couple of other vulcans over a few thousand miles I realize not all nomads are put together equaly.
I do not know of how many people have had something like this, but any changes I have made (and some back) I have always logged the before and after reading just incase. Best of Luck