RK1

160 before the light equals 45-46 mpg. That's as good as you can do at 70 mph, but plenty of people do it or close to it.

Scoutpilot

Figured i'd give myself a mileage test today. Just got my '03 Superhawk a few weeks ago. As with most, I noticed my mileage wasn't that great so I took a run today and came up with about 31.25 MPG. That was a mix of cruising on the freeway and in town for about 100 miles. I ended up putting in about 3.2 gallons of gas when the tank gauge started blinking black and red. I have no clue how much further I could have gone. My bikes jetted, stock air filter, with high mounted Jardines.
Does anyone have any idea if a K and N or BMC air filter will make anymore of a difference?

superhawk81

wow how do u get that good? i get like 25 mpg

Scoutpilot

Beats me. I still wish that I was better. My other bike gets around 50 mpg but I totally dig the Hawk. So I'll have to deal. I was actually surprised that I got 100 miles before hitting the reserve.

RK1

That's pretty low mpg especially for an '03 which for whatever reason seem to get better mileage than early year VTRs. The low fuel light is supposed to come on with 7/10 of a gallon left, meaning you've used 3.5 gallons of the 4.2 gallon capacity. If you only got 3.2 gal. in, either the light comes on early or maybe you're not filling up all the way?

I've never heard of anyone getting better mpg because of an after market air filter, but if the stock one is dirty it would hurt mpg.

Other factors could be rich jetting, larger than stock rear sprocket, smaller than stock front sprocket.

Scoutpilot

RK1, is there actually a low fuel light? Or is the blinking black/red on the fuel qauge it?

RK1

I call it the low fuel light. Same thing. It's the red blinky at the bottom of the fuel level display.

drew_c14

That's crazy, I'm in the 28-31 range depending how hard I'm riding. 31 is superslab cruising at 65-75mph.

Scoutpilot

Maybe I'll give it another run again next weekend. See what I come up with.

jserio

WOW! I'm at 34 - 35 mpg's at 70 - 80 mph. And I'm a big boy too.

PUSHrod

Steady 38-41, but it got to that after installing a TPS that actually worked and was dialed in correctly. Other mods are Moriwaki pistons & cams, TBR exhaust and a dynoed jet kit.

Oh yeah, dropping my rear tire pressure from 41 to thirty six got me a mile or two and they last longer besides. (The slippage on pavement stopped.)

ssbraun

Just returned from a 2500 km trip to interior B.C. twisties. Spirited riding the whole trip mostly on backroads with some high speed highway stuff. My RLOD came on at 210 km (131 miles)...took 12.5L to fill (3.3 US gal.) for approx 40 mpg while driving hard most of the time. In the city, the light comes on at 160 km (100 miles) for 30 mpg. All stock '98 with Yosh slip-ons. Much better on the highway than I expected considering that I usually go pretty easy around the city...

BensonTweed

I rode from L.A. to Phoenix and then tore up Arizona for a few hours to rack up over 700 miles in one day on my 98 Hawk. My knees were a little achy but beat the hell out of being on horseback for 10 hours..........which I've done. My 98 seemed to get way better gas mileage than my 2005 but exhaust and jet kits make a world of difference. If you fill the tank to the brim and then let the pressure out so it doesnt vapor lock, you can get close to 200 miles out of a tank if your riding her pretty easy. I've gotten 191 on an overfilled tank.

little squirt

How many gallons does the 2001 model hold? i have a digital fuel gauge with little bars, do i still have a low fuel light? usually when it gets down to the last bar i look for fuel, havent seen any low fuel lights yet

Tweety

On the digital fuel gauge the last bar starts blinking... no separate RLOD...

ALL US models holds 4.2 gallons... 01> European models holds 5 gallons...

little squirt

sweet, thanks buddy. when my fuel gets down to the last bar i filled it up and it only took 2.5 gallons......i guess i can run alot longer than i think before refueling.

Letsrideinsc

From what I read...I understand My 99 has a 3.7 gal tank including at .7 reserve, that's 3 gallons of fuel, I just rode 130miles and the light is not on yet. I have -1 +3 gearing. In 2001 it up'd the tank size to 4+ gallons or increased it by 3 liters, that is where these 200 mi/tank are coming from. We chicken riders have to fill up daily if we commute 100mi....

Tweety

Ok??? so 16 liters isn't 4.2 gallons??? According to spec a US 99 should have 4.23 gal or 3.52 Imperial gallons... but your not in UK are you?

That's 16 liters including 3 liters reserve (0.79 gallons?) and as far as I know that size was the same in US and Europe...

And that's the sixe of ALL US tank's as far as I know...

In Europe it then grew as you said 3 liters to 19 liters...

haknslash

I keep hearing (or reading) conflicting reports about the gas tank changing in size on the 2001+ Superhawks. One person or site says one thing then another says something else. Who knows.

Remember though that your gearing has changed therefore your odometer and speedometer aren't going to read correctly.

RK1

We know. Some other countries got VTRs with a 19 litre tank. Every VTR ever shipped for sale in the U.S., regardless of model year, came with the 16 litre (4.2 gallon) tank.

Kieran

I got 360KM (223miles) out of the tank once. Filled it in Christchurch, ran out at the top of the hill coming into Dunedin,just kept rolling it on down to the BP petrol station.
Someone watching over me that day

Some more details: My partner and I were travelling 2up, and loaded for touring (Saddlebags-tent, sleeping bags clothes; topbox- cooking gear, food, kitchen sink etc etc) I weigh 90kg, my partner 47kg.
She's an 02, with DJ kit, DNA airfilter and custom pipes. We tootled home at about 100-110km/hr (60-70ish miles/hr)

Happier than dad is with his NEW Aprilia Pegaso Strada.
It is a fuel HOG. I'm turning consistant 19's, best ever 21km/L. His normal mileage is 17 km/L, his best, with NO air filter and the pipes off my VTR (he's an engineer, he built the link pipes himself, my cans were the only 4stroke pipes we had avaliable) was 19km/L (Man it looked funny. Staggered oval cans sticking out the back, like a 250GP bike with elephantisis. He liked it better tho. Put your gloves on them to warm up when you stop.)
So my litre twin is more economical than a 650 INJECTED single.
Mums BMW 650 blows it into the weeds, tho. Turns in better than 60mpg(UK gallons)