Awful Fuel Mileage on '08 Nomad

[Nimbo]

I've been searching this forum for answers as to why my Nomad gets only 27-28 mpg. I bought it about a year ago with 15K miles. No special work done on it as far as I can tell (other than K&N filter replacement).

Previous owner told me he was getting 40-45 and even 50+ at one point. I've put about 3k miles on it and haven't seen it over 30mpg.

When I asked the dealer about the mileage they mentioned cleaning air filter, etc. I cleaned out the filter areas (which looked clean to begin with) and then I cleaned and recharged the K&N, but no difference.

I just got the 15k tuneup. The dealer didn't find anything that would cause the mpg to be so low. Btw, the list of items done in the 15k tuneup didn't look that thorough, but at least nothing was found when the hooked up the ECU.

Anyway, the mileage is a bit of a deal breaker for me. If I can't find a way to improve it then I'm putting it up for sale this spring. Otherwise I like the bike and it works well for my wife and I.

Any ideas, thoughts, experiences and advice are welcome.

Thanks,
Jim

[trosco]

Nim, the Nomads are not particularly "good" mileage bikes but....I'd bet if you poled owners more would report (if they are honest and have a correct speedo) 36-40 mpg as their norm. I'd bet the prev owner was exagerating just a bit but if you ride the Nomad like the "easy go'in cruiser" that it is you should get what the rest of us get.
The way it works for me is if I happen to catch some "pure" gas (no alcohol) and it is all back roads at 50-65mph I can get 45mpg. If it is Gasohol and I have some 65-70 mph and a stop or two in there then it's the 36-40mpg.
But If I am being semi stupid and running 80+ on the interstate with some WOT getting around traffic I can drive my milleage under 30mpg. You can ride a Nomad hard all day long and it will come back for more the next day with no complaint but they are a very very thirsty beast when you do that.

[cactusjack]

Make sure that a fuel processor hasn't been installed and isn't causing it to run rich. As Trosco said, 36-40 is more normal "real world" mileage for the 1600 Nomad. Over the 3.5 years I owned mine, my overall MPG was in the 37-38 range.

[redjay]

If you fill the bike and run it until the low fuel level light comes on how many miles/kilometres do you get ? I used to get around 240 kms on my 05. TFI and Caddman mod.

[Nimbo]

@Trostco... I always take whatever a previous owner says with a grain of salt (anybody who buys something from me should ) and admittedly I'm still learning how to ride this bike (throttle governor and all) but you'd think I would see some variation in mileage having ridden under various conditions and distances.
@CactusJack... forgive my ignorance but what's a fuel processor? Some kind of after market gizmo? I've heard names like powercommander bandied about from my HD buddies.

Thanks for replies and how does a guy change his signature to list his bikes, etc. in his posts?

[Nimbo]

@RedJay... Light usually comes on around 105 miles and my knees begin to knock around 118. I would be happy to get to 150 miles (thanks for using an east to convert km value btw) before the light comes on. As it is long rides are a real drag because I have to be overly concerned about where the next gas station is at.

I was in genuine danger of running out of gas last summer when the Oregon forest service turned us around after a 60 mile ride down a stretch of highway that had no service stations. In fact my low gas mileage impacted the whole weekend's ride.

[redjay]

Low fuel light on at 105 miles does seem kinda low. A fuel processor is an aftermarket gizmo used to enrich or lean out the fuel mixture. Setting one overly rich could be your problem. A heavy throttle hand could be the another reason. If one is installed most people place it behind the left hand cover (gear shift side) near the battery. Take a look.

[coacha]

That seems mighty low for any Nomad, unless you are towing a trailer. My '99 carbed gets 32-38 most of the time, unless towing the Clampett Mobile, then it goes into the 20's. At slab speeds, it is around 32-34.

[ToeJam]

Nimbo - I just purchased a 2010 Nomad 1700 new, last November. I have @ 1200 miles on it now and am only getting an average of 25 MPG. I realize the engine is still loosening up but I am a bit disappointed too, having read what others are getting. I keep an MPG spreadsheet and fill it out religiously. My best tank was 27.28 MPG and the worst was 23.26 MPG...all city driving. I haven't done a road trip yet so I cannot report on all HWY mileage. I still love her, though.

I don't know if the Batwing I have lessens or improves the MPG - anyone have any MPG+Batwing experience?

[ringadingh]

Make sure the throttle body is clean, a dirty throttle body will lower your mileage drastically. You should do it ideally at least once a season.

[ndbigfish]

I'm betting the previous owner was keeping the speed under 60 mph and possibly closer to 45 mph. My injected 1500 got 43 mpg yesterday, riding two up with 390 lbs of live load and gear, with minimal time above 70 mph and across hilly terrain. Dropping the speed to a maximum of 45 mph will yield closer to 50 mpg.

It helps to get a fuel processor, open the intake and install an aftermarket exhaust. Fuel without ethanol helps too. On the slab, at 70+ MPH the same bike with only me onboard gets 36 to 38 mpg. Riding aggressively on the throttle and lugging the motor drops the mileage too.

[redjay]

Toejam. My 2010 Voyager gets way better mileage than your Nomad, around 40mpg give or take.

[ToeJam]

Originally Posted by redjay

Toejam. My 2010 Voyager gets way better mileage than your Nomad, around 40mpg give or take.

Yeah, me and Nimbo got the two gas guzzlers!

[jp58]

My 2011 Nomad gets at worse 36 and at best got 44. Like redjay i average 40.

[deacon]

Nimbo, have you tried adding some "seafoam" to your fuel? Most of us run some through ours a couple times (or more) through the season.