Gas mileage

[KA1J]

Just curious what people are getting for mileage with their XS11 / XJ11.

It would be interesting to find out what carb/exhaust setups you have to get the numbers you get. Of course terrain, driver weight, windscreens & personal driving habits all filter into the equation. Lets assume for this that your driving habits are respectful cruising

My first poll & I hope the poll attaches to this thread.

Gary

XJ11 - stock carb, paper filter & Jardine Spaghetti. 250 miles into breaking period for rings

[mharrington]

I weigh 240lbs. Im getting about 35mpg. Must go into reserve around 133-138 miles.

[crazy steve]

Gary, this has been done numerous times before (as recently as last month). You'll see results all over the map in terms of mpg figures, so trying to get a feel for what sort of mileage a given combo should give is tough. Typically, mid-to-high thirties is what most get, although a lucky few get into the forties.

A case where the phrase 'YMMV' is entirely accurate...

[fredintoon]

Hi Gary,
28mpg highway, same as our 3.8 litre Buick LeSabre.
It's the weight & drag of the sidecar what does it.

[bikerphil]

79 Special: 4-1 Mac/Supertrapp, K+N filter with factory airbox, 42.5 pilot jet, 145 main, side gapped plugs and ignition relay mod, small windscreen, 40+ MPG

79 Standard: 4-1 Kerker, K+N filter with factory airbox, 45 pilot jet, 145 main, side gapped plugs and ignition relay mod, quarter fairing, 38+ MPG

Rider weight: 200 lbs
Terrain: Flat
Riding habits: Fast takeoffs then cruising

[trdriver71]

'79 special stock air box and filter 4-1 exhaust. 41 mpg.
240 lbs rider mostly highway riding

[ManagerMike]

Not exactly sure what the number is,....say, 10 MPD? (miles per dollar)

[ShootersHoliday]

Not exactly sure what the number is,....say, 10 MPD? (miles per dollar)

yep, I'm used to measuring my vehicles in DPM (dollars per mile). My dodge literrally costed 60cents per mile when it was over $4.

[xsroadrunner]

removed the windjammer and found ethanol free gas and mileage is up over 40 mpg.

[KA1J]

Not to hijack a thread I started but...

Yeah... Ethanol free gas for better mileage & carb issues: Give me the free Ethanol & give me the Ethanol free gas.

I've looked around CT but as in anything started by the Puritans, there's just too many laws in this state. Apparently there's no Ethanol free gas here. There is in RI next door & in MA but I read there was some EPA issue that was stopping the supply in 2010.

Here's some links to websites that help you find it:

http://pure-gas.org

http://www.historicvehicle.org/Commi...e/Pure-Gas-Map

Here's a 2010 webpage devoted to the problems getting pure gas, I have read others as in one for VT that said the same thing...
http://lancasteronline.com/article/l...-on-fumes.html

Seeing as we're forced to use blended gas I guess we have to run with that. AvGas has a bit of lead still in it so I'm guessing it's also pure gas & I'll see what I can do about getting some to fill my tank over the winter.

[Flyman32]

Avgas

Well...I don't use it in my bike but I had a plane for many years. Aviation fuel is ethenol free and leaded. 100 LL. (100 octane Low Lead) Easy access at small airports. Not that I'm suggesting it, just sayin.
OH..I get 32mpg

[CaptonZap]

Well...I don't use it in my bike but I had a plane for many years. Aviation fuel is ethenol free and leaded. 100 LL. (100 octane Low Lead) Easy access at small airports. Not that I'm suggesting it, just sayin.
OH..I get 32mpg

It helps if you have the N number of a homebuilt airplane, and you are putting the gas into gas cans. You then explain to the gas pump Nazi that you are getting gas for the homebuilt, so you can do fuel flow measurements, which are being done in the neighbors yard, and you need a full tank to accurately test real life conditions at max angle of attack. CZ


p.s. 100 LL has about 4 times the lead that car gas had, so you will have lead deposits on the spark plugs, and they will need attention more frequently than plugs run on unleaded gas.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Mpg

100% stock 79 xs1100 Special on prem gas (oem req. was reg. 91 oct, so today prem. is close) 41 HWY, in town, all about the way I ride it, poor to real bad

[3Phase]

p.s. 100 LL has about 4 times the lead that car gas had, so you will have lead deposits on the spark plugs, and they will need attention more frequently than plugs run on unleaded gas.

You know, you really shouldn't raid the local airport or marina for fuel and oil for your motorcycle....

I don't want to hijack a perfectly good gas mileage poll but the modern SAE oils just don't have the additives any more for working with leaded fuel like the oils made for marine and aircraft gasoline engines. Aside from being generally more expensive, some of the aircraft oil formulations can generally mess up a motorcycle engine if you use the wrong oil.

Marine diesel and locomotive diesel oils are probably not a good idea, either, even if you can get them cheaper by the pallet in 50 gallon drums.

[DGXSER]

Interestingly enough, I took a longer (for me) ride yesterday. 120 round trip, all back roads, going through towns and such, plenty of turns, plenty of speed changes. I made several stops along the way for different things on this trip.

Before I left, I had 102 on the clock and filled up, calculated 35.4 MPG. Those 102 were put on over several days of shorter rides. At 98 miles into the trip I stopped to refuel, calculated 43 MPG. The only thing I can think of being to much different is number of times I had to warm the engine up.