I've found one thing out about my SH. When you're being a hammer head, she guzzles the fuel. When you're behaving, she drinks it moderately. It's like some of the other guys said, the SH is a liter bike - it's not going to get *** kicking mileage. Besides, recreational vehicles weren't meant to be fuel efficient...

 

My God, talk about a lame post. This is about a very high performance motorcycle. If you want gas mileage talk to your Grandmother. It ain't going to happen here. I get 87 miles to the red light of death. If I don't fuel up soon I'm dry 17 miles later. The buds that I ride with are only marginally better than me. Maybe ten miles - not much more.

Walk into the pits at your local drag strip and ask the guys about fuel consumption - they'll tell you one thing - "As much as it takes!" The Superhawk is in that group. Enjoy the ride because that's what it's about - even if you drive it to work.

 

Let me provide some additional bookends. We hauled 8 thousand pounds of rock into one of my jobs today with a 2007 Dodge Diesel equipped with the new 6.7 liter engine. It gets 14 miles to the gallon but handles the load flawlessly. On a long road trip we can nurse it up to 20.5 miles to the gallon so when I twist my wrist on the Superhawk it's all smiles. It's one of the few things that remind me that I'm not at work. I'm getting almost 30 miles to the gallon. Yippee!

 

Do the wheels spin freely? Do the brakes drag? Is the air filter clean? Is the choke operating properly? Are the tire pressures correct? These things are all easy to check and might make a difference.

 

Ok ok ok.... I get it, the Hawks get crap mileage. Still better than my pick up so I need to hush it and go apologize to her. **sorry hawk, i didnt mean to call u fat**

 

Allow me to rephrase that for you. If you put drag strip sprockets/final drive on your VTR, plop your honey on the back and tear around at 85 mph, your mpg won't be so good.

If you were to spend about $50 for stock spec sprockets, control your right hand and cruise at 65 mph without 130 extra lbs. on the rear of the seat, you'd probably get a good 45-50 mpg on the highway, better than any car i can think of, and as good as any sportbike I know of over 600cc.

 

Well, Im not gonna get 45-50. I do control my right hand, and when shes not on it i am gettin about 37-38. So with a stock sprocket I wouldnt get better than 40.

People, listen to this. Gearing doesnt screw your mpg as bad as u think. Any take off and low speed cruising u will get better mpg. I put -1/+6 on my f3 and it got SUPERB mpg in the city, it would almost always get 48-52.

 

FREEWAY SPEEDS I AVERAGE ABOUT 45 MPG IN TOWN GOOFIN PROBABLY ABOUT 36 MPG

 

I agree that while gearing is a factor, it isn't the major one. Neither is the added weight of another person. The major factor at speed is aerodynamic drag. When you power up from 60mph to 85 mph the air resistance your engine must overcome actually doubles. That means a lot more horsepower and a lot more fuel.

 

Shortlived99;

One of my first posts on the forum was about a test I did. I filled my tank, packed some extra gas in a bag and rode the freeway at 65mph, no roll ons, no passing etc. until I ran dry. Went 213+ miles, just under 51mpg. That was the first and last time I ever got that kind of mileage, 'cause I don't want to ride that way. But it's nice to know what mileage I can get if I did.

If you did a similar test you might not get 50 mpg, but I'd bet you'd get over 40 no sweat.

 

HD big twins can get 45+ mpg (I've heard 55+) cuz they're low strssed and higher geared but still pushing a barn door. Its how fast & far you twist the wrist staying under 65. I'd think have a K&N and only raising the needles with stock jets (as someone said they run) may lean you out low down but once past 2/3 your are more on the mains.

Downhill with a cool tailwind tucked-in and backed off under 60 with just raised needles, 1 or so up mains and +2 in the rear, and I can MAYBE get 36 or so. And I'm happy.

With the Irish oil workers on strike in Nigeria today a barrel is up at $120!

I've been watching how I drive my somewhat hyper 4-banger Mazda 3sGt 5-spd auto and even around town I can get 27 mpg. Big GM Northstar V-8s can get +28 on the hiway cuz they're so understressed.

Our bodies are what keep our cof so high but have a relatively good pwr2wt ratio.

 

http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/netiquette.php

"#1 Capitalizing, Punctuation, and Grammar -

Typing in all caps is considered shouting. Who wants to read a post where the person screams at you the entire time? The majority of users simply ignore those posts, and any valuable information is lost. Please do NOT use all caps, you will only be perceived as ignorant, inconsiderate, and lazy."

 

I don't know inde, if you are appointing yourself keeper of the English language, spelling, usage, punctuation etc. on this forum, you've signed up for a full time job!

 

My early '98 with 31,000 miles, Factory Pro jetting, Yosh RS-3 (comp baffles) slip-ons, 36f & 42r tire pressure, 10-40 Mobil 1, clean and lubed chain, non- ethanol fuel, no riding in congested traffic or stoplights, and running in th 4-5000 rpm range delivers 35-36mpg- consistently. I wonder if later models with more advance might get better mileage than the earlier versions. Maybe a Factory Pro advancer would help those with older model years....

 

Thank you alto. Someone here understands. Doesnt that seem just a little low when people say they get 45 mpg?

 

I think most people get low to mid 30's. That's what my CBR1000RR gets. My CBR1100XX got about the same as well, so we're in good company.

 

here's the solution---- www.MyAuto.tv
That poor horse must be a lump of mush by now.But I am starting to notice that what once was the smallest part of my motorcycle budget is now a larger exspense.I ride almost every weekend and do 150-200 miles a day.Some times I ride saturday and sunday.My gawd now that I think about it am I spending more on gas than tires.

 

Gas will be $4 gal very soon. Cook Co IL has some of the highest fuel taxes in the country, so the state is making money hand over fist along with the oil companies. If the gas taxes really went to mass transit and fixing the roads, I'd have less of a beef. But they don't so as we steam in slipshod road construction traffic burning expensive dino juice dodging potholes, we can all thank every president since Ike for this but a big hand for W.

BTW, what part of the country do they NOT mix ethenol in the soup?

 

I lived in Cook County for 45 years before moving to St. Charles Co., Missouri, and then the mountains of New Mexico. Between property, state, county, local, RTA and every other entity piling taxes on Chicago area residents I'm surprised anybody stays there. Ethanol is mandated in both Illinois and Missouri as is mandatory emission testing in many non EPA attainment counties. I'm so glad to live in a sparsely populated area that hasn't had ethanol rammed down our collective throats-yet. And no tail-pipe testing either. Oh yeah, 86 octane swill just hit the $3.66 per gallon mark today. Oil has gone up 26% since 1 January 2008. It's quadrupled from about $30.00 to the $119.00 per barrel range since 43 decided to install democracy in Iraq. And now Costco and Sam's club is limiting the number of bags of rice you can purchase because of world-wide food shortages. What next? A plague of locusts?

 

We just discovered that we have to replace the oil in our main sump at work today. We use synthetic 2190TEP oil, which is a ester based oil specifically for use with steam driven turbines, reduction gears, and line shaft bearings. Total volume is 4000 gallons. Price? $17.50/gallon. That's right, folks! The most expensive oil change in the world - $70k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, no. That does not include the filter!

 

The food shortage is caused by the tree hugging liberals...

 

Well here in fresno california, reg unleaded runs between 3.85 - 3.97 a gallon that is for 87 octane, diesel is 4.57 most places here.

 

4.12 for prem at the pump. That is what your supposed to use in these things right? 91?

 

according to the book that came with mine 87 is ok ??!!!!

 

Your prolly right, i been usin 91 and adding a lil octane booster every other fill up...

 

book says 86, bike says 91 (2003) I've been running 93 until this latest hike in price; won't run less than 89 lately and still no pinging; and i lug her quite often around 3K rpm

 

wow... Im so damn confused now.

 

This has been a good thread. I guess I don't feel so bad that my stock '02 has ranged from 33 to 38 mpg in the 500 miles I've put on her since buying the SH a month ago.

The 33 mpg tank was definitely the result of high-spirited riding, but the 38 mpg tank was from mostly commuting to work, with freeway speeds averaging 75.

Guess I'll try sticking to the speed limit on my next tank to see if mpg gets any better. I'd love to get an average of 38 mpg with some spirited riding and 40+ mpg with controlled riding, but I don't think it's possible on this bike. (Possible to ride sedately on this bike, that is).

 

That could be my problem. Its hard to ride her soft. :P

 

I hate to make you feel worse but unless you used a GPS or your speedometer was recalibrated to check your traveled miles your milage with a -1/+2 gearing was even worse than you thought and you were not going as fast as you thought. The speedometer does not get it's signal from a wheel sensor--it gets it from the transmission. The Hawk has the largest carbs ever installed on a production bike so the only way you are going to get better milage is to put your right hand on a diet. You want milage? Buy a scooter---no flame intended,just the facts and yes gearing does screw with your actual MPG.