MPG 3500 miles on 2009 Road Glide Lehman

[1852cc]

Ok here goes:

This trip was from Arizona to South Dakota.

Mountain roads and a little interstate, two up, full trunk, full tour-pack and big
T-bag on top of tour-pack.
Elevations from 2500 to 12,000 feet above sea level. One day in Colorado was pouring rain, hail, and snow all day, from Ft. Collins to Gunnison.

ThunderMax was installed and tunned by Trask Performance in Phoenix, they have been tunning my bikes for 12 years. The ThunderMax was setup without a dyno.

Engine mods before trip were: ThunderMax tunner for throttle by wire
Screamin Eagle 4 inch touring slip on mufflers
SE-255 cams
Big Sucker air cleaner
10 row Jegg oil cooler
The ThunderMax was flawless at all elevations and conditions.


Interstate at 80 mph 39 mpg, best mileage was just short of 46, trip average was just short of 42mpg.

Was traveling with a 2003 Ultra 88ci two wheeler and a 1500 Goldwing trike, both two up and fully load down. The Ultra used 1 to 3 tenths less fuel at each stop, and the Goldwing used as much as a gallon more fuel than my trike at each stop.

Needless to say I was suprised and pleased with the fuel mileage, as well as the performance of this combination!

 

[1550vt]

That is exceptional fuel mileage....especially in the wind at 80MPH. The Road Glide is known for good MPG, but I would have thought the kit would have pulled that down much farther. Not running too lean are you?

I have a 95" stage II early model Ultra with a Renegade kit and 2-up at 80...'bout all I can do is 31MPG. Back roads....close to 35-36 on the 2-lanes closer to 55-60MPH.

DON'T TOUCH A THING!

 

[1852cc]

No, not lean at all!
The heat from the stock bike is way down, as well!
It is all the they guy that knows what he is doing, it is set up for best mileage 55 to 75mph!
I put 70,000 miles on my 2002 Ultra with a stump puller 113ci motor, 108hp and 135 foot pounds of torque that would get 40 plus mpg all the time, built and tunned buy the same guys.
They are the finest tunners I have seen in 45 years of riding, HD'S.
They also work with Zippers on their hardware and software.
Going down next week so they can check it all out and send the map to Zippers.

 

[Bikerbozo]

With 1400 miles on my new Tri-Glide, I have noticed that the mileage is even worse than I expected. Of course I didn't believe the 48 MPG that it is rated at. But I figured I would at least get in the upper 30's. With and without my wife and gear load I can't break out of the 20's. 24-27 MPG no matter how I drive. The dealer says the oxygen sensor is not broken in yet. any comments on that? I only know older vehicles that didn't believe in oxygen.
On the plus side, they have the gas gauge reading pretty good. Even the mileage left on the odometer is pretty accurate (Filled up 6 gallon tank in Dover, DE with 5.91g. The wife almost had to push).

 

[Gorilla]

With 1400 miles on my new Tri-Glide, I have noticed that the mileage is even worse than I expected. Of course I didn't believe the 48 MPG that it is rated at. But I figured I would at least get in the upper 30's. With and without my wife and gear load I can't break out of the 20's. 24-27 MPG no matter how I drive. The dealer says the oxygen sensor is not broken in yet. any comments on that? I only know older vehicles that didn't believe in oxygen.
On the plus side, they have the gas gauge reading pretty good. Even the mileage left on the odometer is pretty accurate (Filled up 6 gallon tank in Dover, DE with 5.91g. The wife almost had to push).

You are in serious need of someone that knows how to tune HD's. There is no reason to settle for that poor mileage.

 

[sprt220]

I have a Roadstar 1700 with a Champion kit and I get 34-38 almost all the time.I don't baby it and I ride around 70-75 on the hwy. Ken

 

[njtrike]

I have a 2010 hd triglide and my mileage runs between 25 to 32. average is 30. The dealer wants me to put on different exhausts. air cleaner, a power commander module. This they say will give me better mileage and better top end power. I am new to this forum and I am finding it to be interesting and helpful. I live in the windy state of Kansas.

 

[Nana]

Welcome to TrikeTalk, njtrike . Hope you'll join in often......the more the merrier!

 

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard njtrike. Your dealer is on the correct trail to wakeup your trike. If done correctly, it will run cooler and have more usable power. Advise him if you are looking for low end torque or high end hp. You should be looking for the most torque at the lowest RPM to give you that seat of pants power feel.

 

[Bikerbozo]

At least it's not just my Tri-Glide that has sucky mileage. I also reported to my dealer sometimes smelling gas. I am wondering if it is running rich. That would certainly cause low MPG. It's in the shop getting the 1000 mile (actually 1400 mile) servicing and switch to synthetic oil. They also replaced my Reverse motor that had crapped out at 248 miles.

 

[sarge7882]

I also have a 2010 Triglide that I am thinking about having different exhaust and air filter put on. I am hoping it will help reduce the heat, a little more power at the low end and give it better sound. Anyone have any suggestions on which direction I need to go before I go to my dealer?

 

[Nana]

I also have a 2010 Triglide that I am thinking about having different exhaust and air filter put on. I am hoping it will help reduce the heat, a little more power at the low end and give it better sound. Anyone have any suggestions on which direction I need to go before I go to my dealer?

Sarge, go over to the following thread for some further information. It includes a link to ultraboy's article/post about modifying your HD in some of these areas.

http://www.triketalk.com/forum/general-forum/3446-heat-exhaust-causing-burns.html

 

[Gorilla]

Just remeber your tring to make it breath better. If you want more low end torque a cam change will be necessary.

 

[Bikerbozo]

I have been trying some stuff my H-D dealer has started selling. It's called Startron (or maybe Starbrite). Add a ".com" to both to check it out. It cures Ethanol problems. Since the dealer is selling it, if I have any future engine problems, the warranty will cover it.
I notice I am getting around 30 mpg now, at least. This is a vast improvement over the low 20's I was getting. No long interstate tests yet. I just tried stopping using it to see if mileage drops down again.
And on to next problem. I believe the Neutral Safety Switch is defective (don't ask how I know). I think this has been the cause of a couple of issues. Trike goes in for 5000 mile service this weekend. I suspect they will hold it hostage again for a couple of days.

 

[Casper]

I also have a 2010 Triglide that I am thinking about having different exhaust and air filter put on. I am hoping it will help reduce the heat, a little more power at the low end and give it better sound. Anyone have any suggestions on which direction I need to go before I go to my dealer?

Check out the "sticky" at the top of the page from Wizard...all the info you need.