Them are some good numbers.... my stepdads 900 gets 54mpg but its still new so im sure it'll go up yet. My 800 i got 60 once for a trip all highway, but usually i get mid 40's is all, but i get on it pretty good every now and then. I think i lost mpg with the pipes i put on.

 

I think this last time I fueled and checked it I was just lucky. All the other times I've avg. 53-56. Except for Highway bars and air horn everything is stock. I don't ride two up (sigh maybe wife will change mind someday). I'm 6' and 220 lbs. Maybe it's cuz I drive a 10 speed truck around 400 miles all day. Shifting is second nature to me. Be interesting to see what she gets next time. Heck Maybe she like the colder air up in the north. Probably wont be on it for awhile. Major snow storm moving in again.

 

I've never had number that high!
On the interstates, doing about 75-80 mph (as indicated), I get 42-44 mpg.
On the two lanes, doing about 55-60 mph, I get 52-53 mpg.

That has been very consistant for me. And, I have checked it over many, many gastank-fuls for accuracy. One tank might show to be 56 while the next shows 50. Big difference, one tank to the next. But, I get above 50 mpg consistantly.

 

My wife's 900LT has ~800 miles on it and she is getting lower 50s for MPG. I don't know how much that will change as the bike gets a few more miles on it. I think that anytime you are running in the 50+ MPG range, you are doing great. I don't get that on my Nomad!

 

Like I said though all the other times have been low of 53 to high of 56. This was the first time 59. I think it was more of a fluke than anything else. Prior I have been as happy as pigs in shi# with the lower 50's results. I would love to say it's my great driving and handling abilities but ain't no way that's a fact. LMAO. I once got 32mpg in my 2000 Bonneville on a trip. Rarely see that happen anymore either. Probably just a fluke it happened.
Still the mpg we're all getting on our bike ain't nothin to sneeze at.

 

my 900LT..... is not such a light drinker.... I get about 49 and my wife gets 52 on hers.... guess we have more hills

 

Since there seems to be issues with the stock speedometer/odometer (often 'fixed' with a scootsworks front pulley), it would be interesting to conpare mileage of those with a pulley vs those without. The most accurate miles traveled may well be determined with a GPS - but that would be a pain to track - forget to power-up the GPS once and blow the comparison.

Just a thought....

 

With the pulley I've been getting 40-45 after I put the chaps on my Engine Gaurds. Before the chaps and pulley I was getting 49-55 mpg. I put the chaps on and it dropped to 43 -47. Pulley on it dropped a bit more, plus I'm warming the engine a bit while riding. I also don't spend much time on the 55mph roads or less. Rather the majority of my time is spent 70-80 mph with some brief periods over that. Gotta follow the flow or get run over by it you know. If I mind my maners, NEVER break the speed limit, I get in the upper 40's after the pulley, I've done that several times. In the spring, when I take the chaps off (lows that don't go under 35) I expect an increase just like the decrease I had.

I have an LT also. I know that big, almost flat, piece of glass out in front decreases performance as well. But those engine gaurd chaps are basically 18 or so inches wide and 2 feet tall. That's almost 9 sqaure feet of flat frontal area. That is gonna suck up some horsepower at 80 mph I tell ya.

I'm gonna run it without the windshield a little this summer and see what the difference between is.

 

Since there seems to be issues with the stock speedometer/odometer (often 'fixed' with a scootsworks front pulley), it would be interesting to conpare mileage of those with a pulley vs those without. The most accurate miles traveled may well be determined with a GPS - but that would be a pain to track - forget to power-up the GPS once and blow the comparison.

Just a thought....

Not necessary once you have the established the % off the speedo to actual it just a numbers game.

I don't know any thing about GPS but unless they adjust for hills, changes in elevation, over level travel you'll still be off depending on terrain.

 

I have an LT also. I know that big, almost flat, piece of glass out in front decreases performance as well. But those engine gaurd chaps are basically 18 or so inches wide and 2 feet tall. That's almost 9 sqaure feet of flat frontal area. That is gonna suck up some horsepower at 80 mph I tell ya.

I'm gonna run it without the windshield a little this summer and see what the difference between is.

You nailed it, MrClean...
Consider this equation.

F * S = Energy (F is force, S is distance, Energy is Fuel)

If we assume that all other conditions are constant (of course not, but helps comparison), the amount of fuel consumption for the same distance will go up as the wind resistance increases. There are many things that force the bike back, all the friction like chain, tire, bearing, and wind. But the wind must be the major one. So, the highway run at 80 mph is better than many stop-and-go type riding, but the same highway run at 55 mph will give better mpg than 80 mph run. Add the engine guard chaps that is not aero dynamic will make it worse.
My 800A makes around 50 mpg with the cobra engine guard chaps. The chaps keep my legs warm and take all the dirt and salt during winter time, so I do not mind sacrificing the mpg little bit. I envy 900 owners for the efficient FI....

 

With the Scootworks pulley I'm dragin down 49-53mpg depending on how I ride & the weather. 49 if I hit the interstate, 50-53 if I travel my normal route.


Aif

 

With the Scootworks pulley I'm dragin down 49-53mpg depending on how I ride & the weather. 49 if I hit the interstate, 51-53 if I travel my normal route.


Aif

What is Scootworks pulley, and why to replace the stock one?

 

These are pretty good numbers. I haven't checked mine for a while but i think i'm just a little under that.

 

My 900LT is getting low to mid 50's similar to others here.The most pleasant surprise is I got the same mileage on my last bike that had a little more than half of the displacement(vulcan 500).Mine is stock except for debaffled pipes.


mike

 

At the time I got my bike in Aug of '06, my mpg was between 44 to 48. As soon as I reached the 3K mile mark on the odo, I started tearing the interstates and I was consistently around 44 mpg. My bike was recently serviced and had the 15K maintenance done (valve adjustment and spark plugs replaced of all things) and from my last tank I calculated 51 mpg. This is the highest so far for my 900LT.

 

How you 900 guys are getting close to 60 mpg on a cruiser in the winter I'd love to know. I can hardly do that on a good day with a fairing.

I'm gonna run it without the windshield a little this summer and see what the difference between is.

You'll probably notice worse mileage without the windshield. A windshield is going to deflect wind better than the parachute your body becomes at speed. I noticed quite an improvement on my vulcan after I had installed a generic windshield, both at the pumps and the way my back and shoulders felt after a long ride.

 

I consistently get 54-56 mpg on my 900.
However, with the pulley I would expect the mpg (reading) to go down as the pulley change would alter the odometer reading. ?

 

Very interesting. With just over 3k on my LT, I have never had a tank calculate at over 50mpg.Some tanks when the bike was new were closer to 40mpg. I gotta find out what you guys are doing!

 

im very happy with my 900lt,i get between 50 to the mid 50s on mine also, even 2 up, depending on how hard i push it,

 

You guys are doing well. I haven't calculated anymore than 45 mpg, but my fat rear end weighs 330lbs, so that's a lot o' fat to move up and down East Texas hills. But, boy how well she can move!

 

I've been kind of anal about keeping track of my mpg. since I got the bike. My all around avg. has been about 54 mpg if I were to nail it down to one number using all the others as a basis. I think because the majority of my riding is in the 40-50 mph range that helps a lot. I don't use the highway bar chaps just my regular chaps. Once in awhile I'll get on the throttle gunning it from a stop and tearing thru the gears but mostly I'm just cruising laid back and mellow. If I continue in the 50-56 mpg range I'll be wicked happy. Nothing wrong with that. Even if the speedo and milage is off a little the mpg's still can't be all that bad. I'm interested to see how it changes come spring and I run the highways a little more and the hills more on longer trips.

 

speedo meter could be off by 10% (like my 800A and car), but the ODO meter should be almost accurate. So, the MPG is good reading, I think. Since I got GPS recently, I am going to check the ODO meter of my 800A against it today.

 

Must be 2 threads on this...I posted last night?

 

Must be 2 threads on this...I posted last night?

Yeah, the other one is here
http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/main-lobby/63820-900lt-mpg.html#post950284
Your post is just above mine!

 

Some of the variation in MPG reported by various owners is due to the inaccurate and varying methods of measuring it. If you want an accurate number, rather than calculating each tank, start with a full tank, note your odometer reading, and keep track of your fuel at each fill-up over the next 10 or 20 (or more) tanks.

I have recorded every liter of gas since I bought my car new in 2003, so I know exactly what the mileage is. I simply write the odometer reading on each receipt while at the gas station, and enter it into Excel when I get home. A notepad and pencil would work just as well. I watch my fuel economy improve as the weather warms each spring & summer, and deteriorate as we move through fall and into winter.

I also record every service, with odometer reading, description, invoice numbers, etc. And I record the odo reading when I swap summer for winter tires, so I can track how many miles on them.

Tracking this stuff gets to be fun, and pays off when you sell your car or bike. Potential purchasers have a detailed service record, and know you are a detail-oriented owner who takes car of your stuff. We turned in a leased vehicle a few years ago - the dealer took one look at the clean car and the printed service history, and just passed me the clipboard for signature. We weren't there 10 minutes.

I have already created a worksheet for the motorcycle, and come spring will start logging gas and service for it. If anyone wants a copy, PM me.