Poor gas mileage

[AustinPCX]

After having put 700 miles on the scooter, I am consistently only averaging 80 MPG. I am 6'1" tall and 185 lbs. The only mod so far has been a Givi 322 windscreen, which hasn't affected the mileage at all. I use the scooter mainly to commute to work 4 miles each way and never have the throttle wide open for more than a few seconds. I recently changed the oil but haven't done a valve check yet. Any suggestions?

[gn2]

80 US mpg is about right, it's almost exactly what I have averaged over a few thousand miles.
Manufacturers consumption claims are never guaranteed.
To get the maximum 130 (imperial) mpg you need to use part throttle, ride slow on flat ground in still air and weigh next to nothing.

[EddieC]

Im also in the US and 6' 1" and get on average 75-80 mpg... More than twice the gas mileage of my last motorcycle, and 4 times the gas mileage of my toyota tacoma.

Thats no problem for me.

whats you're average speed limit on the way to work?

Also, I would suggest that you get that valve adjustment done. It's not dire just yet, but I would put it on your to-do list. You can pay the dealer, or save some dough and do it yourself. Heres a how-to: http://hondapcx.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24

[maddiedog]

I get about that mileage running at 60 on the highway, fully loaded with all my camping gear and dog... That's nearly 300lbs riding at the limiter for extended periods of time. I doubt my tall windshield makes that big a difference.

When I'm loaded with just me and a backpack, it's around 165lbs total, and I get nearly 100mpg in US gallons (96.4mpg exact). That figure is for normal travel in 40-50mph stop and go traffic. When I ride, I hardly ever use full throttle and am very gradual with acceleration and deceleration.

Your bike isn't fully broken in yet, so that will make some difference, but shouldn't make much. Also, like Eddie said, if the valve spacing is far enough off, it can affect efficiency and power.

Are you hard on the throttle? That would cause low mileage pretty easily...

[EddieC]

I usually ride the bike between 40 and 60 mph on my way to work and i'm not too easy on the throttle.

[rainburg]

We haven't managed to break the 100 mpg mark, but we have consistently been in the high 90's. Our most recent tank we got 98.2 mpg. The local roads we ride on have a speed limit the 35-40 mph range most of the time, so we very rarely if ever go above 50 mph and much of the time we are in the 35-40 range because of traffic flow. Like Maddiedog said we try to avoid hard acceleration or deceleration, and that may help as well. I'm not about to reveal my height or weight

[edscoot]

Have you had your 600 mile service done yet? It might improve after this. I guess if you ride in city traffic only then you may use more fuel. I've had 132mpg (imperial gallons), once - never full throttle, smooth riding on country roads (but these were quite hilly).

Spend the next week riding really smoothly and make sure you have the idle stop thing on. If you don't get an improvement then maybe you have a problem that needs your dealer looking at.

[EddieC]

we dont have the idle stop feature here in the USA. So this may contribute to our gas mileage being lower

[gn2]

The stop start only makes any difference in congested city traffic, even then it's very minimal.

[AustinPCX]

My dealer wants about $400 for the first service check, so I will wait for a nice day and do it myself using EddieC's helpful how to and save myself about $395. I don't think I'm too hard on the throttle but I'll keep an eye on it for a while.

[Esdain]

if you do it yourself then you can pretty much kiss your warranty goodbye $400 for a first service seems very steep tho

[gn2]

Consumer law is different in the USA, the caveats about warranties and servicing may not apply in the same way?

[EddieC]

exactly. We have many laws protecting the consumer in this country, and the only way this would void your warranty is if they could prove that it was a direct result of your actions that caused damage or failure of a service item. Dealerships are known to lie to your face here and tell you otherwise, but call HONDA USA and they will have your back every time.

[gn2]

Very different in the UK, to maintain a warranty the servicing must be carried out to the published servicing schedule and the work done by a VAT (tax) registered business.

[al69]

Considering im not using the stop start function and carry a heavy almax chain eveywhere im still getting 100 mpg average.Not bad considering its all stop start city commuting.

Now something worth bearing in mind is that i broke the scooter in by really giving it some for the first 20-30 miles NOT following the manufacturers recomendations.

http://www.ntnoa.org/enginebreakin.htm

[Woolley]

Considering im not using the stop start function and carry a heavy almax chain eveywhere im still getting 100 mpg average.Not bad considering its all stop start city commuting.

Now something worth bearing in mind is that i broke the scooter in by really giving it some for the first 20-30 miles NOT following the manufacturers recomendations.

http://www.ntnoa.org/enginebreakin.htm

I used the same break in method, and my mpg is shown in my sig. About a quarter to a third of my commute is done on a 60mph dual carriageway, and the rest is stop start.

[EddieC]

To the people reading this thread remember: the US gallon is smaller than the UK imperial gallon. Hence, the US gas mileage number will be lower. The consumption is about the same

[Cookie]

Don't forget also that your commute is only 4 miles each way. It takes a couple of miles for the engine to warm up properly and, until it's properly warm, the mpg will be lower.
Cookie

[maddiedog]

Don't forget also that your commute is only 4 miles each way. It takes a couple of miles for the engine to warm up properly and, until it's properly warm, the mpg will be lower.
Cookie

Hmm, good point.

AustinPCX, can you go for a long ride and see if MPG is better?

[AustinPCX]

I just got back from a 30 mile round trip tonight right through the middle of downtown Austin which I do every Sunday. That's about my limit so far.