Anyone else found their newer Wings to get less gas mileage? My 07 always got better than 40 mpg under normal spirited riding here in the mountains, sometimes much better is I was in no hurry. The last tank on the day it was totaled it got over 46 mpg. The only time it ever dropped below 40 mpg was on the interstate running 80 or better into a headwind. My new Wing, checked at every fill up so far, is only getting 37 mpg. riding hard or riding easy.
If it is brand new, give it more time to "break in". I have a 2012 that just did slightly more than 46 mpg over the course of a 246-mile ride (120 of that was a group ride that incuded some stops and some idling). This was riding with a passenger and not a lot of time spent over 65 MPH (OK... I "goosed it" a few times ).
While fuel conomy is a consideration, I never owned a motorcycle solely to "save money"... it is for fun and relaxation. The first three years of ownership, I mostly rode it to and from work and achieved upper-30's and occasionally 40 MPG, but that was a lot of sitting in traffic or waiting for traffic lights to change.
Yes the new odometers are more accurate but I think your 7% is high, on my 02 it's more like 5% . The generation 2 wings that I have rode with have always used considerably more gas at fill up time, I thought it was mostly their driving habits but maybe there's more to it.
My 2014 couldn't get above 36mpg with my normal being about 32mpg. That is one of the reasons I got rid of it, but not the only one. I think that was a symptom of the overall issues that bike had. My 2016 achieved 36mpg on the first tank, 40 mpg on the second tank, and the last tank of in-town, formation riding, and commuting to and from work, I was just over 40mpg. I've seen as high as 44mpg on this bike. I'm a spirited driver and weigh 250 lbs.
I mention all of this because I think there can be a large variance in the mileage these bikes achieve and for many reasons.
As Overland1 mentioned, I'm not that concerned with mileage myself. The only time I was concerned was when my bike was having major issues and that was just one aspect of the overall malaise.
Well to be a little more accurate my 08 used less gas at each fill up while on my trip to colorado than my buddies 09. We rode the same roads same speeds he needed almost a half gallon more everytime we filled up.
Albeit, mostly slab and rolling no less than 80mph, lots of 90s and several 100-110 passing the 18wheeler-caravans.
Soon, I will pick up my bike from the shipper and I 'll be commuting with it. I expect the usual 37-38.
Sure, I did not buy this bike for its mileage. I am still gonna complain about its lousy gas mileage. I don't like visiting gas station often. And I visit gas station more often with a Wing than any other bike I ever had/or toured with.
Which takes us back to the conversation: Why in the flock does a motorcycle need 6 cylinders considering today's combustion engine technology. Please don't give me any Honda Corp excuses...there are only two reasons why Honda has not upgraded the Wing's engine: One, they don't give a sheet, two, lazy bassturds...and BTW, its YOU they don't give a sheet about.
Come on Nando, you're admitting that you always go at least 80 mph and occasionally up to 110 mph yet complain about an average of 35 mpg???? It is true that bikes that are more streamlined, have small fairings and very little in the way of weather protection may get better mileage at high speeds, Even the Hayabusa and ZX-14 will get better mileage at 90 mph than will the Wing. However, these bikes don't offer the comfort and weather protection like the Wing.
Many people buy a Wing, install the biggest windshield and every Baker wind-wing made, and then wonder why they don't get 40 mpg like their buddie's FJR. It because we are pushing a barn door! It has nothing to do with having too many cylinders. The GL1800 engine may be technologically dated, but it is still one of the best (maybe THE best IMHO) touring engines made.
When we lived in town I bought my wife a 50 CC Honda scooter. Great economy, but it would have been a poor choice for a long-distance ride.
Glad to report the new Wing must be loosening up a little, my gas mileage is getting up to what the old one normally got. The wife and I decided to do an overnighter in Pigeon Forge in the Smokies. I filled the Wing up before heading out and was supprised when the mileage had climbed to a little over 40 mpg for the previous tank. Next tank was 40.5 mpg. It's around 150 miles straight down I81 to Pigeon forge, 180 if we go down 321 and though Gatlinburg. We got all the way to Greenville, Tenn and I couldn't stand looking at the mountains to our left. We backtracked across country to Spruce Pine, fill up, then hit the BRP, rode to Cherokee and over to Smokies to Pigeon Forge. Our 180 ride had turned into a 400 mile ride. When I filled up this morning, the mileage was 42.5. I chalked that up to the slow ride down the Parkway. We rode 25E and 119 up through the hills of Kentucky, averaging 60 mph or better. When we filled up again outside Jenkins, Ky, I figured the mileage would be down again but low and behold, I got a little over 42.5. I'm now happy. Our 300 mile straight there and back trip turned into a 700 mile trip and the new Wing now has almost 2100 on it. Not bad for less than a month of ownership. If I could keep that up, I'd have over 24000 this time next year. Nah, too much hunting, fishing and model airplane flying to accomplish that, but it's nice to dream about. Should be an easy ten to twelve thousand by December though.
Originally Posted by Art H. View Post
The older Wings had a 7% speedo/odo error. 40X .07=2.8 So your 40 mpg was really 37.
Yes the new odometers are more accurate but I think your 7% is high, on my 02 it's more like 5% . The generation 2 wings that I have rode with have always used considerably more gas at fill up time, I thought it was mostly their driving habits but maybe there's more to it.
How do you guys come up with the actual speed reading? Percentages?
Yes, it is always percentage. As your speed drops, the spread between actual speed and indicated speed is less. At indicated about 65mph, and I am actually doing 61, but at indicated 35, my actual is about 33mph.
My 02 odometer, with new tires, is off by 2 to 2.5%, verified with GPS. The variance is because GPS is not 100% accurate unless all of your test mileage is done in a straight line.
I've been tracking my fuel economy on an excel spreadsheet since the day I bought it. Also installed a SpeedoHealer and calibrated it to my handheld GPS. Yea, I know, OCD issues . . . LOL.
Anyhow; with 28,654 miles on the bike and 765.289 Gallons of fuel poured into the tank . . . . that comes to 37.44 MPG. This includes every sort of riding that one might imagine. From splitting lanes in L.A. traffic jams to long distance cross country trips, runs to the local super market and carving canyons around southern California, this bike has seen almost everything.
In all those miles (and gallons of gas), I'd guess than only 10 or 20 gallons, at the most, have been anything other than the absolute cheapest gas I could find!
The early Wings were all 2008 CARB emissions certified. Emissions regs for bikes have gotten stricter, and since it is still the same engine, I imagine the loss of mileage, not to mention the drop in horsepower, is probably due to ECM recalibration due to newer EPA regs.
That's just a guess, but its probably as good as any.
FWIW, Honda advertises the newer Wings as getting 35 mpg, so there should be no surprise there. They did not advertise a mileage for the early Wings.
My 07 Wings odometer was off 3%, according to the mile markers on the BRP, which are quite accurate. Anywhere on the Parkway, if I traveled 100 miles, my odometer would show 103. Seeing as I'm on the Parkway a few times a month every month during the summer, I did that a lot when I got my first Wing. That Wings speedometer was 4 mph high at sixty, checked in a completely straight line, by my Garman 660 (Harley version) GPS, again checked several times. When I installed a Michelin Commander II rear tire, that corrected the speedo to 1mph fast and the odo to almost dead on. I always factored in the 3% high odo when I checked my gas milage and got on the average 42 mpg, more in high elevations, less at 80 on the interstate.
As I stated, my 2017 has picked up to 42 mpg or better running 60 to 65 on the mountain roads around here, according to its odometer and speedometer, which I haven't checked for accuracy yet. I'll try to check them sometime next week.
Alan, I wasn't questioning the numbers you got on your bike. I was just answering the question, and just used my bike as an example. Every bike can vary slightly.
Absolutely, and how every rider rides their bike can vary gas mileage even more. Where you ride changed things a lot too. I'm just tickled that my new Wing is starting to match my old ones gas mileage with me riding it.
I'm the 2nd owner of the GL18 that I own, having bought it from the original owner lat last year (2016). When I queried him about fuel economy he said "it will average around 40 mpg."
So far I averaged 38.14 mpg over 11 tanks full. I split saddle time time between the GL and the VStrom which means I'm not racking up many miles on either bike.
The best mpg's I've gotten on the GL is 43.41 mpg during a 50 to 55 mph day in the mountains and on older two lane highways. Actually, I left Cornelia, GA on a morning and rode over to Helen, crossed the mountain outside Helen on the Russell Highway over to ... whatever highway it was down to Dahlonega, and then turned west towards Alabama. So it was almost all 2-lane or older divided highways at less than freeway speeds.
I'm not particularly thrilled with the numbers, but it could be worse. Later this year my wife and I will ride the Natchez Trace Parkway from around Tupelo up to Nashville. I'll be curious to see how it fares on that excursion.
Yes the new odometers are more accurate but I think your 7% is high, on my 02 it's more like 5% . The generation 2 wings that I have rode with have always used considerably more gas at fill up time, I thought it was mostly their driving habits but maybe there's more to it.
Cycledude, my 2002 is corrected with the SpeedoHealer and the correction factor is set at negative 8.5% and is dead nuts on the speed reading from my GPS on a straight stretch. With my current kartar, I would need to reprogram to 9% negative if I really cared about a half percent.
Glad to report the new Wing must be loosening up a little, my gas mileage is getting up to what the old one normally got. The wife and I decided to do an overnighter in Pigeon Forge in the Smokies. I filled the Wing up before heading out and was supprised when the mileage had climbed to a little over 40 mpg for the previous tank. Next tank was 40.5 mpg. It's around 150 miles straight down I81 to Pigeon forge, 180 if we go down 321 and though Gatlinburg. We got all the way to Greenville, Tenn and I couldn't stand looking at the mountains to our left. We backtracked across country to Spruce Pine, fill up, then hit the BRP, rode to Cherokee and over to Smokies to Pigeon Forge. Our 180 ride had turned into a 400 mile ride. When I filled up this morning, the mileage was 42.5. I chalked that up to the slow ride down the Parkway. We rode 25E and 119 up through the hills of Kentucky, averaging 60 mph or better. When we filled up again outside Jenkins, Ky, I figured the mileage would be down again but low and behold, I got a little over 42.5. I'm now happy. Our 300 mile straight there and back trip turned into a 700 mile trip and the new Wing now has almost 2100 on it. Not bad for less than a month of ownership. If I could keep that up, I'd have over 24000 this time next year. Nah, too much hunting, fishing and model airplane flying to accomplish that, but it's nice to dream about. Should be an easy ten to twelve thousand by December though.
That is way better than typical for me. I get 40mpg when I behave, less if I get frisky. I may need new O2 sensors, my originals are long in the tooth.
Pigeon, something weird happening with my computer, tried twice to reply to your post, I'll try one more time.
That 47 mpg wasn't typical, we were puttering around because my wife doesn't like curves when on one of her bike.
The old Wing averaged 42 riding the roads around here and southern West Virginia and east Tenn. A little more if we were going slower, 38-39 at 75-80 mph on the Interstate, though it surprised me a few time heading out west and got 41-42 on the Interstate.
On the last tank on the new Wing, up 25E and 119 through Kentucky, running 60 or better, with occasional bursts up to 80 to pass slower traffic, it got 42.6. That's with the new Wings unverified odometer, I need to hit the BRP and do a check on it's accuracy.
BTW, how many miles on you Wing now? My ole one was still doing great at 128K.
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