Fuel economy is terrible!!

[Igofar]

A few Minutes on the and he would have a whole bunch of stuff to inspect and check.

 

[Chris09]

I often wonder how the displayed fuel economy is calculated; it's all IOs to an ECU; I think there's a lot of assumptions used in that spit out. But to Honda's credit, it's not bad or too far off.

 

[Da Bear]

I've no idea if my bike has been "Whispered" or not; my friend Charlie knew I wanted one, and he left me his when he died, and he spent money on this bike... As for mileage, the best I've gotten was freeway, 56 mpg, doing the speed limit. The worst, was the "Chili Dog Run" earlier this year 19 mpg going speeds that we won't talk about, at times... Average around town is high 20's low 30's, but that's because I'm 300 yards or so from the highway and pretty much anything I need is on that highway (99E).

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I often wonder how the displayed fuel economy is calculated; it's all IOs to an ECU; I think there's a lot of assumptions used in that spit out. But to Honda's credit, it's not bad or too far off.

The ECM always knows how much fuel is being consumed because it controls that. It also know how much distance has been traveled. Simple math after that.
The instantaneous read-out is calculated over a very, very short time-frame/distance, which is why it continuously fluctuates. The average is the average fuel consumption since the last time that it was reset.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I don't know if the OP came back to say whether or not there's any evidence of rolling resistance; in some form of heat. It's difficult to crack a problem in half without any feedback sometimes.

See post # 156 above.

Coasted and listened for brakes. Whether they were doing this before or not I'm not sure but definitely now are dragging. Back one hot. Front left warm. Front right fine.

 

[wizel]

Fortunately, you can turn off the consumption display, it does not interest me.
Riding a motorcycle is my favorite hobby and when the tank is empty, it is filled.
If possible with Shell V-Power 100 octane, the liter is about 2 dollars.
greetings from germany
holm

 

[MidLife]

Fortunately, you can turn off the consumption display, it does not interest me.

holm

Ja, aber...

Still good to keep an eye on, because if it goes south, there maybe things going on with the bike that could soon deprive you of your favorite hobby.

 

[Igofar]

I keep my idiot gauges turned off.
One less failure point being used.
If you can’t tell that something is amiss with the way the bike is running, i question whether or not you should be on a motorcycle

 

[The Dark Shadow]

The following comments and/or suggestions, are made in an attempt to help the OP with his fuel issues, and are in no way meant to insult or offend ANYONE who commented on this post.
With that said, I will try to explain, and suggest what I think may be causing some, if not all of his issues.
Everyone will get different MPG depending on several variables, in altitude, how the bike is ridden, shield position, state of tune, brake issues etc.
MY personal bike gets 56-58 MPG (US) ridden on the roads I ride on, in the manner that I ride it, and the state of tune I keep it in.
Several folks who keep detailed records, and record every fill up, or use apps will point out that THEIR stats prove that its not possible, or that their bike(s) don't get that.
Perhaps, but my bike does, and several of the bikes I've worked on now also do etc.
So it is what it is, these are just my comments and opinions, again not meant to piss anyone off or offend them.
I've see the OP comment several times that the brakes were checked by pro's, and a guy who knew his stuff etc.
I've personally repaired so many bikes that Pro's have screwed up, or thought they knew what they were doing, that I've lost count.
My comment to this would be DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK.
Maybe your putting too much trust in the shop's, or your friends ST knowledge?
The OP keeps saying he was TOLD things were cleaned and checked etc.
I would question was it checked correctly?
Did someone really pull off the vacuum lines and check the tee? Then did they just push the old dried out lines back on, possibly causing vacuum leaks?
I've see several dealership hand customers back parts that didn't even belong on the model or brand bike that they worked on
I would love to see a picture of the T-stat that they gave back to him posted just to see what it really looks like.
The OP said these folks informed him that the brakes were in good working condition, and not the problem.
I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard that one.
The owner should try and find a forum member near him to assist him in checking his brake system, to just really rule that out.
I personally suspect that ONE of the contributing factors of his issues are probably in fact, brake issues, only because I find so many of them failed, and folks have no idea how bad it is when they ride in.
I don't care how anyone rides, or what position his shield is at, NO ST should get that kind of fuel mileage.
Running out of time here today, so I'll cut to the chase....
The four plugs I posted were two different brands (NGK & ND DENSO), and two different styles (STANDARD & IRIDIUM).
One plug was used I pulled from a bike on the lift, and the other three are new stock.
Anyone notice anything different from HIS picture and Mine?
Perhaps he should check the NGK website on how to spot knock off plugs etc.
Most, if not all of the INCORRECT fitment plugs, whether knock off or not, should be similar.
Look at the shoulder(s) on the correct fitment plugs, then look at the threads on the plug the OP is holding!
No shoulder, and way too many threads.
I'm guessing he has a few things going on, which may include brakes, T-stat, but absolutely those are not the correct plugs for that engine!
Borrow a bore scope and inspect the top of the pistons.

Thanks for sharing all your knowledge and advice.

Here's some thoughts and an update...

1) Spark plugs... Other than the one where the threads look dirty (but even that one is similar) in the photo you posted, the end of the threaded portion looks "dry" to me in your photo, whereas all of my plugs looked "wet". The plugs I got were from my local shop (yeah, the same shop that told me brakes are fine). From point of seating to the end of the threads, both standard plugs and the iridium one's I have are the same length, so they will (presumably should) be in the same position in the cylinder. I noticed no difference in performance before and after these plugs. I still have the originals (about 27,000km on them, presumably from when the bike was new to the single owner before me).

So, I still wonder why my plugs look so "wet". Could it have been the "Lucas Fuel Treatment" that I used...?? I dunno...

Now, could a vacuum leak in the hoses affect the engine in such a way as to impair a fuel fuel burn...?? Seems all cylinders are similar.

Another sage fellow on a FB forum stated (or it might have been you, FAIK) that he likes to change the vacuum hoses when he works on a bike. I mentioned this to my local tech when I scheduled them to do a valve clearance and intake vacuum check, but he said that the honda vacuum lines were very robust and wouldn't need changing. So I didn't have them changed...

I must say, I understand a lot of (most) engine mechanical parts, but I have no idea what (how) the vacuum tubes do to affect the oxygen going into the engine... I dunno...

Update:

So, I'm heading out of country for 2 weeks start of August. I scheduled a different fellow (custom bikes only, he's scheduled me in because he has a good heart and wants to get me running properly since I don't just "hobby ride" motorcycles - it is my way of getting around in the city for work and shopping and other appointments). So Aug.21st I'm gonna have him work on the brakes. He said he's familiar with the honda LBS (linked braking system) from working on Goldwings, and he said stuff that was very consistent with what is said by the sage members of the clan here and on the FB groups... He too talked about secondary master cylinders "seizing" (my word, not his... he might have said "freezing up" or "locking up") and the need to purge and refill brake fluid at least every second year.

So, for now, I'm gonna only do inner city trips I need to do, and try to ride slow...

The brakes are too much for me to handle... I can do an oil change... Change spark plugs... Change air filter... That kind of stuff... But brakes and secondary master cylinders are beyond my pay grade. I just need to ride my bike...

Thanks Igofar, Andrew Shadow, and everyone else who has been putting in a few words here and there to try to get this sorted.

Cheers! Blessed!

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I keep my idiot gauges turned off.
One less failure point being used.
If you can’t tell that something is amiss with the way the bike is running, i question whether or not you should be on a motorcycle

How do you turn the idiot lights off?

If you are referring to the the fuel consumption meter, it doesn't fit the normal description of an idiot light to most people I would think.

 

[Jethro]

Hope this mechanic works out for you.

 

[The Dark Shadow]

Hope this mechanic works out for you.

Thanks mate!! Fingers crossed!

 

[Igofar]

If you don’t have an st1300 service manual (factory) perhaps you can download one of the free versions on line and provide it to this guy who is trying to help you.

 

[Igofar]

Also print out John heaths article on avoiding the pitfalls and give that to your mechanic.
Good luck, wish there was more that we could do for you.

 

[The Dark Shadow]

Also print out John heaths article on avoiding the pitfalls and give that to your mechanic.
Good luck, wish there was more that we could do for you.

Thanks Igofar. I'll look for John's article as well. You guys have helped well. I'll keep you all posted on the results.

PS - Just read John's article. I'm happy to be bringing this to someone who knows brakes. My chosen (and available) mechanic said the same thing as John about brake fluid... That it should be flushed every 2 years. It's all looking promising!

It seems as though overheating brakes could heat the brake fluid, causing expansion, causing further activation of the SMC, causing rear-brake lock-up.

So, best not to ride the bike is my guess, yes...??

 

[Igofar]

That would be the safest thing for you to do.
When the brakes lock up without warning, it could toss you off and cause a serious accident or worse.
There is a very high likelihood that just bleeding the brakes will not fix your issues, and that your going to have to replace the complete SMC unit, and possibly the rear caliper brake mounting bracket, then bleed the entire system correctly.

 

[The Dark Shadow]

That would be the safest thing for you to do.
When the brakes lock up without warning, it could toss you off and cause a serious accident or worse.
There is a very high likelihood that just bleeding the brakes will not fix your issues, and that your going to have to replace the complete SMC unit, and possibly the rear caliper brake mounting bracket, then bleed the entire system correctly.

Thanks for this. It's a bummer if I've gotta replace all those parts... It's out of my hands, though... I gotta do what gotta be done. I'll have the fellow check out the SMC and rear caliper bracket and re-condition or replace as necessary.