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[sadunbar]

With a 120r in my SEUC (T Man 662-1 cams, 55mm HPI) riding 1 up at Interstate speeds, I get 42 mpg.  Towing the Bushtec & riding two up is 36 mpg...   

[Rooster]

With a Jim's 131, 58mmTB and Boarzilla was 32mpg. Had it retuned by Mike Stegman now 36-37 most of the time 2up.

[Midnight Rider]

The biggest thing on the newer bikes with closed loop, is actually letting the bike run in closed loop when at normal cruising/touring speeds.  You can still have it however you want it at WOT.

I recently learned that lesson....

[grc]

My 2010 ultra with stage 3 head work, Rinehart true duals, Doherty intake, PC5 and tuned.  ( Stock cam, pistons ) Making 100/117  Is now getting 30 MPG.  I am shocked at the millage drop!! From a $30 dollar 5 gallon fill up I am lucky if I get 160 miles!!!  I mean the bike RIPS and if supper fun to ride, but is this normal? What are the rest of you folks getting?  And were you mentally ready for the millage drop? I am in shock over here  Cheers.

Should we assume by your "the bike RIPS" comment that your right wrist is getting a lot more exercise these days?

Seriously, if you are riding it really hard then 30 mpg isn't terribly unusual.  But if you only get 30 mpg while cruising down the highway at 60 mph, you have something wrong and the most likely culprit is the tune.  I notice you have a PCV, which is an add-on device that eliminates the closed loop operation of the stock engine management system.  If the person doing your tune jacked up the fuel in the cruise range, that would explain a significant increase in fuel consumption.  If it were me, I'd get a second opinion on the tune.


Jerry

[CVO2FIXUP]

  I am getting on it a bit more than before just to check it out.  I will talk to the tuner to see if he can adjusted it so that things go full boogie after half throttle. If that is poss.  He already told me he can make 5th and 6th gear the fuel economy gears. So that means no fun rollons in 6th up to 120 mph. ( I love that ) Will have to talk to him about that.  At least with future engine mods the millage can't get any worse right!!!???

[timo482]

the point is:

the tuners that dont use closed loop for cruising - no matter why they dont - will either use more gas or be very fuel picky. you simply cannot run a open loop engine that is tuned for straight gas on a alcohol blend and have it run right.

so back to the original question - can the type of tuner matter - the answer is an emphatic yes. the BRAND of the tuner and how it works MATTERS to how much fuel is used, and how much mpg you will get.

old bikes that are carbed or run open loop ecm will tune ok with a open loop tuner, however to be safe to operate they need to be rich enough on straight gas that they will run safely on a blend - or dont ever ride where blends are the norm. and expect them to use more gas.

newer bikes using open loop tuners where the o2 is unplugged - have to be tuned the same as if they were a 05 bike - not a 11 bike. a 11 bike will run perfect on any blend of fuel on any given day - thats the point of closed loop. the heat issue revolves around efficiency, the hotter they run the more efficient they run, the less unburned fuel there is, running them a tad richer, but still closed loop will make them a bit cooler but use a bit more gas. vw ran into this in the late 70's and eventually gave up and went water cooled - hence why i think that eventually hd will too.

if premium 93 octane pure gas cost 75cents a gallon and all other costs and wages were the same - then nobody would care at all, but i find myself riding the back roads driving 55 taking a few mins longer, but driving a shorter route and getting 10mpg better milage, less stress, fewer bux.

if you dont care at all how much gas it uses, then a pc tuned to 13 to one will work just fine and still not be too lean with a blend. any tuner device, or tuner person who disables the closed loop at legal speed steady driving will have to lower the mpg to make it run right on blends.

to

[Deep Blue Dives]

I don't have all the cam/head work on my bike.  

Just had it tuned after new heads/pipes.  I get less mileage than when the dealer loaded a canned map, and in the opinion of my tuner was so lean that it was simply going to be scary when the temperatures starting hitting 100 here.

I get 32-35mpg city driving, with a lot of quick starts (hard not to roll on the little lady) and short highway riding.

41-43mpg two up riding 2 lane roads with twisties.  The throttle gets rolled on and off a lot smoother.  Less stops, and lower top speeds.

About the same if I am cruising speed limit on the highways (60-70MPH), and back down to 34-37mpg if all highway driving 75-85MPH.

[glens]

My 2010 ultra with stage 3 head work, Rinehart true duals, Doherty intake, PC5 and tuned.  ( Stock cam, pistons ) Making 100/117  Is now getting 30 MPG.

It's already been covered in spades, so I'll not go into the "why would you tune a '10 open-loop?" bit.

I think where your problem lies is two-fold.  First you're using a piggyback controller which can't hold a candle to the stock ECM.  Second is that it may have been adjusted ("tuned") so that you get good made-up numbers on the dyno (yes, they're made up) but it was not tuned at all, or at least very poorly, anywhere/everywhere else.  Therefore, your bike really is not tuned in the best most proper sense of the word.  You should be getting better mileage than you were.