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[fxsbsefox]

'15 CVORGU. Why am I getting less than 200 mi/tank? Anyone else experiencing this? Got a buddy with a '15 RG Special getting the same crappy mileage. All the bikes I've owned and it's never been this bad.

[GregKhougaz]

The short answer is you are riding a 943 pound motorcycle with lower fairings that are aerodinamic bricks. 

How many miles?  How much fuel are you adding each tankful?   My milage got better until about 3K miles.  A Stage 1 kit from Fullsac helped.  There are a plethora of other factors: Your weight, riding style, tire pressure, trip distance, etc.  I get just over 40 mpg but it varies.     

[fxsbsefox]

Thanks for the input, Greg. I'm not riding it hard. I came from a '12 CVOSG which had lowers & I was getting 40mpg. I first figured the weight diff had something to do with it, but my bud's '15 RG (no tour pak, lowers) has to compare in weight to my '12 SG, if not less, and he's getting the same bad mpg. I'm a little over 1K mi & he's close to 2K. None of my bikes have had this bad mpg - even out of the box. Could it be a bad dyno-tune by the dealer?

[GregKhougaz]

200 miles / tank but how many gallons?  5 or 5.5? That would be a 10% difference.  Did the dealer put it on the dyno?  Since you didn't say, I assumed your bike was stock. Modifications can make great differences in milage as can the subsequent tune. 

[RGKen]

It's mostly due to the tuning.  My buddy's 2011 FLTRUSE gets 240mi per tank almost every time and he weighs 280lbs and carries a bunch of junk in his bags and TP.   That is even with the occasional fun twist of the throttle when we get bored.  If he runs hard for most of the tank it does go down but I don't think he has been at less than 200mi per tank much at all.  No the bike is not running lean either.   I can get 230mi per tank on my 120" but if I ride hard it goes to about 180mi.  If you have not had a good Dyno tune on the bike you will be amazed at how much better your bike will run if do.

[fxsbsefox]

I'm usually putting ~5-1/2 gallons in at 180 mi. That gives me a little over 32mpg. The dealer did the dyno, but after another dealer saw the printout, he was less than impressed with the results. I'm going to have it redone by a different dealer over the winter.

[fxsbsefox]

Thanks, RGKen. Gonna have it re-dyno'd over the winter. I'm hoping that does the trick. I appreciate all the replies.

[grc]

For the life of me I don't understand why so many people still go to their Harley dealer for tuning.  The vast majority of H-D dealerships DO NOT have a fully competent tuner on staff.  Most truly good tuners wouldn't work for the typical dealership.  What most people get from their dealer is a canned map with a few runs on the dyno to make them believe they got a "dyno tune".

Do yourself a favor and do some research on full time professional tuners.  Even if the closest one with a great reputation is a hundred miles away, the trip will be well worth it versus another lousy "tune" from the dealership.  Ask some of the pro's on this site for recommendations for people in your geographical area.

Jerry

[RGKen]

^^^Completely concur.   Luckily we have a local dealership that has 2 really good tuners.   With all this being said though; the only thing I care about is that the bike is tuned right and runs like it is supposed to.  If that means it gets 25mpg I could care less about that.  I didn't buy a 900lb touring bike to get good gas mileage.   Everyone is different in what they look for.

[ultrarider123]

No tune, right out of the box/crate, my '15 has been averaging 240 to 260 miles on the range to empty computer and has been fairly accurate after 6,000 miles.  Over the almost 6,000 miles, I've calculated an average of 40.8 MPG which takes into account a bit better on highway/slab trips and a bit less for around town/work to home/curvy road trips.

[grc]

^^^Completely concur.   Luckily we have a local dealership that has 2 really good tuners.   With all this being said though; the only thing I care about is that the bike is tuned right and runs like it is supposed to.  If that means it gets 25mpg I could care less about that.  I didn't buy a 900lb touring bike to get good gas mileage.   Everyone is different in what they look for.

A good tune, as opposed to someone just running it open loop and rich enough to pass raw gas out the pipes, wouldn't result in 25 mpg or even 30 mpg.  Contrary to popular opinion, a truly good tune doesn't mean living with an inefficient engine.

Jerry

[Opossum]

A good tune isn't a Harley dealer loadin' a canned H-D "map" and then makin' a run on the dyno and here's your printout.  You should have been asked stuff like what RPM range you want the power, what cruisin speed you run etc., etc.  The he'll make a map that fits your profile, my bike had fifteen runs on the dyno to perfect the SWEET outcome of peak torque at 2800 RPM's 40 MPG at 79 miles per hour, not to mention the burning of thighs gone.  All my "mods" were a Fulsac DX and 2.5 Fulsac baffles, oh yea changed out the Screamin Eagle spark plugs for stock one.

[skycat]

My 15 Street Glide does 370km from full to the light on, that's 229 miles for you imperial guys. it doesn't see more than 4500rpm very often and i don't chug it around.
It has slipon's only.

[ACfixer]

Slower riding under 60 mph I get close to 46. On the freeways when the wind resistance kicks in I get about 38. Now also keep in mind I had my speedometer calibrated as Harley has a habit of letting them read too fast by a few percent. I think Steve (Fullsac) told me mine was 5% high so whatever gas mileage you think you are getting you can probably reduce it by about 2 mpg or so.

I think most of us are about ready to stretch the legs a bit after 200 miles so it works out okay for me.

[RGKen]

A good tune, as opposed to someone just running it open loop and rich enough to pass raw gas out the pipes, wouldn't result in 25 mpg or even 30 mpg.  Contrary to popular opinion, a truly good tune doesn't mean living with an inefficient engine.

Jerry

You completely misunderstood what I was saying.  I meant if that were the norm I would still have what I have.   If I wanted a bike that gets great gas mileage I would shop around for that.  It was just an example. 

[Firewalker]

A number of people ask me what I get for mileage and while I understand and appreciate the importance of good mileage and a good tuning, I explain to them, 'I did not buy the bike for the mileage'.

[grc]

A number of people ask me what I get for mileage and while I understand and appreciate the importance of good mileage and a good tuning, I explain to them, 'I did not buy the bike for the mileage'.

I'm pretty sure none of us were fixated on fuel economy when we bought any of the bikes we've owned.  It is somewhat telling though that a much larger 4 wheeled vehicle with all the comforts of home can often do better than a Harley.  Hmmmm.

The only reason I monitor fuel mileage is because it's a good indicator of how well the engine is running.  If you average 40 mpg in your normal riding for instance, and suddenly you only get 32 mpg, the bike is telling you something and you might want to do a little checking.  For long distance riders, it's also nice to have enough fuel mileage to give a decent range.  Personally I tend to look for any excuse to pull over after a hundred miles, but many hard core types try to maximize miles between stops.  The difference between 40 mpg and 32 mpg would be significant to someone like that I would imagine.

Jerry

[SDCVO]

I'm pretty sure none of us were fixated on fuel economy when we bought any of the bikes we've owned.  It is somewhat telling though that a much larger 4 wheeled vehicle with all the comforts of home can often do better than a Harley.  Hmmmm.

The only reason I monitor fuel mileage is because it's a good indicator of how well the engine is running.  If you average 40 mpg in your normal riding for instance, and suddenly you only get 32 mpg, the bike is telling you something and you might want to do a little checking.  For long distance riders, it's also nice to have enough fuel mileage to give a decent range.  Personally I tend to look for any excuse to pull over after a hundred miles, but many hard core types try to maximize miles between stops.  The difference between 40 mpg and 32 mpg would be significant to someone like that I would imagine.

Jerry

Jerry, I agree with you. When i first got my bike I immediately put on pipes and a tune. I was only getting mid to high 20's for mpg and when I went back to the tuner he convinced me it was my riding style which admittedly is very aggressive. about 2 months later my brother in law bought the exact same bike but different tuner and when we rode together he was getting low 30's and we were never a half a mile away from each other. It was time for a new tuner for me..

[Royalroadie]

I have always gotten around 35mpg when riding around town with some highway.  Not as good as others but ok.  I did not buy this bike for mpg.  On the highway it might hit 39-40 if I don't ride too fast.  I found out it was me and not the bike. When I was riding at one off the CVO GTG my mileage went up to 44-45.  The riding in a group kept me from hitting it hard so my mileage really shot up.  I just can't get away from trying to stretch my arms.

[Jbbrown73]

'15 SERGU, 24D cams, fullsac head pipe, 1.75" fullsac cores, tuned by one of the best, loaded with gear and my 230 pound butt I get right at 38. It doesn't seem to matter how hard I run, or if I'm 2-up, poking around town or 80+ on the interstate I always average right at 38.

[r0de_runr]

As an indicator of state of tune, I track my mileage.  My '12 CVO SG with 57H cams gets about 40-42 on 10% ethanol 91, but on 93 octane pure gas I get about 46.  My hp is about 101 and tq is about 113.  TTS tuner by GMR.

[Rooster]

A few years back coming back from the Pala GTG I started getting terrible fuel mileage like down in the 20's. The next day closer to home the motor blew up. My problem was the crappy cam bearings let go.

[FLSTFI Dave]

When I first got my SEGRU I did not get good milage.  It was around 180 miles and would take 5.4 to 5.6 gallons.  Much worse than the other CVO's I have had.  As the miles got put on the milage went up, around 200 miles a tank and the same amount of gas.

With about 3500 miles on the bike Doc in FL tuned it, with my fullsac 2.25 baffles and fullsac head pipe and the TTS Tuner.

I avergage 220 miles per tank now at 5.2 gallons.

Trip I just did to FL and back with very little interstate but good 4 lane at 65 mph average I was getting 230 miles per tank and 5.1 gallons.  So right at 45 mpg.  Out west running 80mph I would get 200 miles per tank and 5.2 gallons about 38.5 mpg.

Much over 70 mph the gas milage goes away fast.

That said my CVO King with the built motor, head work, pistons, injectors, throttle body and cams and so on, gets much better mpg.   Running 60 to 65 I average 49 mpg and a few times over 51 mpg.  I have gone 270 on a tank in that bike.  Again tuned by Doc.

[georgw221]

'15 SERGU, 24D cams, fullsac head pipe, 1.75" fullsac cores, tuned by one of the best, loaded with gear and my 230 pound butt I get right at 38. It doesn't seem to matter how hard I run, or if I'm 2-up, poking around town or 80+ on the interstate I always average right at 38.

Can you please tell me who tuned your bike..

[Jbbrown73]

Can you please tell me who tuned your bike..

Jason at C&S Speed Shop in Metro East St. Louis. He did the build and the tune. I have had 4 bikes tuned by him and all have turned out fantastic! He's a member here also.

[Flatvalley]

Not the same bike and this is probably like snake oil but when I first had my 14 CVO ultra the milage was around 38 mpg.  I am a conservative driver but that mileage actually went down to about 31 mpg.  The bike is stock and though it ran fine, the power didn't seem as robust as when I first got it.  I put in a full can of Tehran entire fuel system cleaner into the tank and now the snake oil.  Seat of the pants dyne improved and my mileage actually increased to around 42 mpg.  Now what was probably the real reason for the change, in the spring around here, we are still using winter blend fuel and then suddenly we get summer blend.  Maybe the cleaner made a difference as the fuel obtained in the spring probably was,t the best. Anyway, no science but just my experience. 

[tharris811]

I have v&h power duals 2in full sac a super pro  tuner (that I did the tune) I get 40mpg about every time.Might get better with a real good tuner that knew what he was doing but I am happy no dead spots plenty of power..