Gas Mileage Drop After Stage One Upgrade:

[dfpk]

Just wondering if everyone else is experiencing the same drop in MPG I am getting on my 13 Tri-Glide after the stage one upgrade that included VH power duals, WH trike slip-on's, air cleaner, & SE super tuner. As I have complained about before, no one in the Houston area to dyno the bike, so all adjustments were done by the mechanic using a generic map for the 103 and his experience. I am now averaging between 26 to 29 MPG which is a substantial drop from what I was getting prior to the upgrade.

[403calgary]

I have an 09 have have experienced same - curious to see what others say

[lboos]

No upgrade here, all stock, 34-35 MPG every tank, Happy, Happy, Happy, .
with the upgrade do you feel it has a lot more power ?

[JJHog]

It is not surprising that you are using more gas. The Upgrades that you did along with the remapping allow more gas/air to flow into the motor thus producing more torque/hp.

[Papa Ed]

Same result here; I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone....

[GoSlo]

I have a 2013 also, with the mods shown at the bottom. The "donor" tune they put on your trike is going to work OK, but since it's not really for your trike, the engine won't run as efficiently as it could. I had the same thing done when I did the Stage 1 and other upgrades. They put a "close as possible" download in and it ran "sorta OK" for a while. My mileage did drop until I got it dyno'd and now I'm back up to getting 33-35 (or better sometimes) miles per gallon. It took me a while to find a dyno tuner in the Colorado that knew what he was doing, but once I did, I'm happy with the way the trike runs and the mileage now.

[suvcw04]

Pretty simple, really.
There is a saying in racing: "Horsepower costs money, how fast can you afford to go?"
Substitute "gas" for "money", and you have your answer.

[saab9k]

Pretty simple, really.
There is a saying in racing: "Horsepower costs money, how fast can you afford to go?"
Substitute "gas" for "money", and you have your answer.

Yes that the way it is.

[geezerglide11441]

I have a 2013 TriGlide with a 120r crate motor (with a few mild upgrades) and get a consistent 33 to 35 mpg solo. The motor was dynoed when in my 2008 Ultra and I installed in the Trike upon purchase.

I also have a Dynojet Power Vision w/Auto Tune module that I run as a tuner. Originally the motor was Dynoed with a SEPST that was running in my Ultra. Trike runs really strong and the acceleration is intoxicating!!

pepper

Roger

[captdanwh]

i do not think your mechanic has it tuned right and you cannot do it by just guessing, it has to be dead on for you to get the results you are looking for. your bike should be getting 32 to 36 miles per gallon.

[Mr.Wizard]

Actually...... it's not supposed to be that way at all. It's the tune that is causing your poor mileage. Sounds like someone slammed a library calibration into your ECM and patted you on the back when they took your cash.

A decent tune will not always add fuel. A proper tune adjusts the air fuel. Again, it doesn't always add. The majority actually remove Volumetric Efficiency %'s not increase them. When you reduce your VE's to match the bike you remove fuel to have a more efficient burn.

To the OP. You have the SEPro tuner. You don't need a Dyno. The SE software is free now so you can tune the trike yourself. In doing so you will set the sensor tables to match your motor and you will enjoy two things... more power and better fuel economy. It's well known that I don't appreciate the SEPro but it will tune your bike better than what you have now. Become a street tuner warrior and tune it yourself.

That's the way it really is....

[nevtat]

I have a '12 TriGlide, 255 cams, Fullsac x-pipe, Screamin' Chicken Burst air cleaner, Screamin' Chicken street performance tuner, and Screamin' Chicken Fatshotz slip-ons. Engine have 11K miles and I'm getting 28 to 31 MPG depending on my right wrist. (Stock I was getting 32 to 35 MPG.)

[Mr.Wizard]

I have 2102 TG. Ness AC, Fullsac Xpipe, 254E cams and V&H twin ovals and the TTS tuner.

My average mileage is 37 up to 39 just riding around with a group. Most I've gotten was over 40.

Hwy at 80 MPH or above I get 27 with a head wind of about 20 MPH. Did that last weekend.

[Lizard]

Wiz, sounds like my normal mileage (the 27) so far ;-)

[Mr.Wizard]

Wiz, sounds like my normal mileage (the 27) so far ;-)

You haven't been around much to work on your tune, have ya?

...and, you need to keep >>your<< wrist still.

[Lizard]

Only done one one run of about 35 miles. Depending on weather, I hope to be able to ride more this upcoming weekend. Dongle is installed, turned on, and ready to go.

[FLTR2008TRIKE]

Dont forget fuel quality, total trike weight, the terrain you ride around in and how you accelerate your trike also play into your fuel mileage along with the tune. I have a 124" "mildly built" in my trike and can get from 30-34 mpg consistently on both highway and stop n go riding

[dfpk]

No upgrade here, all stock, 34-35 MPG every tank, Happy, Happy, Happy, .
with the upgrade do you feel it has a lot more power ?

Definitely has more power, sounds better and runs a lot cooler.

[Sloufoot]

I have 2102 TG. Ness AC, Fullsac Xpipe, 254E cams and V&H twin ovals and the TTS tuner.

My average mileage is 37 up to 39 just riding around with a group. Most I've gotten was over 40.

Hwy at 80 MPH or above I get 27 with a head wind of about 20 MPH. Did that last weekend.

Do we still have wheels on that 2102 model ??? Just curious.......

[DK Custom Products]

Actually...... it's not supposed to be that way at all. It's the tune that is causing your poor mileage. Sounds like someone slammed a library calibration into your ECM and patted you on the back when they took your cash.

A decent tune will not always add fuel. A proper tune adjusts the air fuel. Again, it doesn't always add. The majority actually remove Volumetric Efficiency %'s not increase them. When you reduce your VE's to match the bike you remove fuel to have a more efficient burn.

To the OP. You have the SEPro tuner. You don't need a Dyno. The SE software is free now so you can tune the trike yourself. In doing so you will set the sensor tables to match your motor and you will enjoy two things... more power and better fuel economy. It's well known that I don't appreciate the SEPro but it will tune your bike better than what you have now. Become a street tuner warrior and tune it yourself.

That's the way it really is....

A Stage I, or for that matter, a Stage II also, when it is properly tuned will get the same, or, more likely, BETTER mpg than it did stock....IF you ride it the same.

If you are playing with the extra power, it is the wrist, not the Stage I upgrade causing the drop in the MPG.

With a proper tune, the engine will run stronger AND more efficiently, resulting in less gas needed to get the bike down the road.

One Caveat- There is a possibility (I don't believe this is the OP case) that a less than optimum exhaust system can cause a drop in MPG, even with the best tune possible.

Kevin