How to improve MPG. Best mpg on st1300. Commuting

Nm767

Nm767

Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
33
Location
Lathrop, CA
Bike
2008 ST 1300
(UPDATED WITH RESULTS) How to improve MPG. Best mpg on st1300. Commuting

I've decided I'm tired of my commuting in my dodge ram hemi averaging 13 MPG at $4.20 a gallon, so to save money I'm now commuting on the ST.

This got me to thinking how can you maximize fuel efficiency on the st and what should I expect? Now I realize there are a lot of variables in this so I'll give my commute details.

My commute is 78 miles a day round trip. 20 miles on the freeway and about 58 on rolling foothill type roads. Speeds usually dictated by my throttle and not traffic as my commute is opposite of heavy traffic times. I go to work at about 8 pm and return at about 7 am.

I ride a 2008 st1300 that's pretty much stock. Only add on I can think that might affect mpg is the electric throttle stabilizer thing (can't remember name just smoothes acceleration). I have newer Michelin PR3s with plenty of life left. I ride with a hondaline topbox, and carry about 30 pounds of work gear with me. I'm about 6'4" and now weigh about 230 pounds.

I've been trying to maximize mpg and am getting 45.2 MPG based on display indication.

I ride with the shield all the way down as even up a little seems to drop mpg.

I've experimented different speeds and find I get best doing 65 on road and I do 70 on freeway. I'm sure it get better doing 65 on freeway but up here I'd get run over, 70 is terrifying. Traveling slower than 65 also seems to drop mpg for me.

I'm curious is this about the best the ST can do given my circumstances or is their ways of improving it? Also what do others get commuting and being fuel efficient observant?
 
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Jeez.... These mpg numbers are incredible! I ride urban and the occasional 250 mile mountain ride... BTW in upstate SC.... Anyways I get like 32-38 mpg. Then again, I do enjoy cracking that throttle. ;)
 
Oh I do to and normal riding without trying to save fuel I'll only get about 32 mpg. But I trying to see what the best mpg is I can possibly get.
 
Do not trust your gauge. Calculating MPG at fill ups is most accurate method.

My gauge is 10% off.If it says 40 I am really getting 44.

Iridium plugs, clean air filter and running Seafoam every 3,000 miles has helped me keep MPG up.
 
Nm767 said:
Oh I do to and normal riding without trying to save fuel I'll only get about 32 mpg. But I trying to see what the best mpg is I can possibly get.
Click to expand...

Oh now with that being said... I get about 50mpg on the highway. I think I did some drafting to get that number too.
 
It isn't often I can restrain my right hand. When I do, I can get 55 mpg instant on a level highway for miles. Usually average 42 to 45 a tank.

Most important: TB sync.
44 psi in tires.
windshield all the way down.
no brake drag.
no ethanol gas.
10-30 or 10-40 oil.
 
Pete in PA said:
Most important: TB sync.
44 psi in tires.
windshield all the way down.
no brake drag.
no ethanol gas.
10-30 or 10-40 oil.
Click to expand...

The only thing I might consider is taking the topbox off, unless you need it for a bulky item.
My ST doesn't seem to care whether it uses ethanol or not.
Non-E costs enough that the tiny mileage difference doesn't seem to save much.
 
Unless you've a major fuel system failure (such as an O2 sensor failure, injector failure, coolant temperature sensor failure, or ECU limp-home mode is enabled), the bike will get better economy at 55 than 60, better at 60 than 65, better at 65 than 70, etc.--more power is required at higher speeds (you can't trust the dash display on instant mpg).

A few things you can do ... use "grandma's right wrist" to accelerate more sedately, short shift (use lower RPM, but don't lug it), drive slower, keep windshield full down, remove anything that sticks out into the airstream (like extra driving lights or topbox), and slow down sooner (use your brakes less).

You can also move to higher elevations and mileage can easily average 50 mpg. :D
 
Reduce your wind resistance - lower windshield, tuck as much as possible, remove any objects like trunks, etc. This is the biggest lever you have.
Try to ride at steady state speeds
Do not accelerate quickly.

These in total may gain you 3 mpg in savings - not a lot.

With your mixed drive, the best you can probably obtain is between 43-46 mpg. I have hit 52 mpg on the highway at steady state speeds 70 mph over several hundred miles. Wind was at my back and the highway was fairly level.

Truck versus ST1300 - last time I did the math, the gas savings on the motorcycle will be used for ST1300 maintenance and ownership costs - mostly tires but also valve checks, insurance, registration, etc. In the end, the total cost of using the ST1300 will be similar to the Truck with the exception that unexpected repairs on the truck will be costly, the ST1300 not. The truck provides better shelter from weather.
 
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I'd say that you are doing about as well as you can. You can view what I typically get right here.

Unless you have an aftermarket shield that's much larger than the original or if you run the shield all the way up, I don't think it matters all that much running the shield up halfway or so. If the airstream isn't hitting the windshield it's going to hit you instead and that's a higher drag than hitting a sloped windshield. Crouching down below the windshield isn't an answer either. You would have bought a sportbike if you wanted to do that all day long.

Bob's right about the cost of operating the bike. Not sure how much mileage you get on a set of tires but you could consider going darkside if that was an issue. I'd just go out and enjoy the ride. Got to be better that sitting in the truck all of the time...
 
If you're out to save money, consider the cost of the whole package, not just fuel economy. My car gets 19 in the city and still costs less per mile to operate than my bike.

That said, if you're averaging 45, you're doing fine. I get 36 doing suburban, in-town commuting 50 miles daily. This thing eats fuel at idle.

--Mark
 
A few answers.

My truck is American so maintenance is pretty high. In my two weeks working it costs about $200 in gas. About $25 per day in gas. On the bike it's about $7 per day and 58 over the 2 weeks if my maths correct. Again this is off the guage as I forget to reset instruments on last tank to get actual pump figures.

With the cost of truck oil changes and truck tires maintenance is a lot. Oh did I mention it's american? Plus the nearest shop for truck work is an hour drive and my truck has lifetime warranty (it's American) so I choose to have all work done and documented at a shop.

We do all the maintenance possible on the bike ourselves.

As far as the bike I do need the top box to transport my gear to work. Windscreen is stock. And traveling 55 does seem to drop mpg. I thought it was maybe because of my weight. Maybe my weight just caused the bike to lug at 55 vs a normal size guy where the bike might have more power at that gear.

Sounds like 45 is about the best I can get. I appreciate the feedback.
 
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Nm767 said:
My commute is 78 miles a day round trip. 20 miles on the freeway and about 58 on rolling foothill type roads.
Click to expand...

Definitely consider the :ds1:

Going to a GYTT will save me about 4 or 5 tire change fees.
I do 45 miles each way to work. I enjoy the ride much more then being in the cage.
Cost is definitely a plus side on the bike over the car. Cheaper insurance, better mpg. It does cost me in time on the ATGATT side, and the cost of the gear itself.
But I'm good with that.
 
T_C said:
Definitely consider the :ds1:

Going to a GYTT will save me about 4 or 5 tire change fees.
I do 45 miles each way to work. I enjoy the ride much more then being in the cage.
Cost is definitely a plus side on the bike over the car. Cheaper insurance, better mpg. It does cost me in time on the ATGATT side, and the cost of the gear itself.
But I'm good with that.
Click to expand...
I'm really not sure what your referring to. I guess I'm not up to date on the Star Wars reference or your abbreviations lol
 
Took the top box off for a day and slower to 55ish in foothills and 65ish on freeway. Guage indicater rose to 46.2 MPG average over the tank. I'll get an accurate mpg next week when I refuel. About a half tank left and I believe 180ish miles driven so far.
 
Nm767 said:
I'm really not sure what your referring to. I guess I'm not up to date on the Star Wars reference or your abbreviations lol
Click to expand...

Sorry...

:ds1: = DarkSide
Using a car tire on the back of the bike.

Double Dark is then also using a motorcycle rear on the front of the bike. (Should get 20k miles)
GYTT = GoodYear Triple Tred = a potential 50k mile tire with some really good traction.

If you are using the bike for a lot of miles and want some economy. The way to go.
 
I commute 125 to 130 miles (depending if I go out for lunch or not.) a day and I'm getting around 40mpg (probably a little less).

There are a lot of other things to worry about than gas mileage. When you throw in tire wear, gear wear (how many years do you get out of your gear when you wear it day in and day out), etc, The few bucks you save in gas getting eaten up pretty quickly.

If you are so worried about your gas mileage, you could lose your consentration on the ride, road and the vehicles around you.

The two reasons I commute on my bike(s) is to save the gas money up front and the fact that I can get through traffic when it is crawling my normal commute home includes 20 miles of lane splitting.

Besaides all of that, your odometer is off and trying to figure out how many miles you really have gone is difficult at best. Even your GPS isn't 100% accurate, since you could be 5 miles down the road before it catches up with you. :eek::
 
Scooter said:
I'd say that you are doing about as well as you can. You can view what I typically get right here.
Click to expand...

+1 I just did a 700 mile run from NC to NJ the trip computer said I was getting 45 MPG calculation using miles and gallons used came out to 44.8 that was averaging about 70-72 MPH all slab.
 
Maybe I don't commute far enough, but I just cant see how driving the truck would break even with riding the bike for cost. Over the winter I drove the Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel to work at the cost of $260 a month for fuel. With nicer weather and riding the Goldwing it costs me about $50 a month for fuel. How are you people wasing $210 a month on bike maintenance? Now if I didn't already have a bike and wanted to add one to the garage just for mileage savings, then I would have to account for the extra insurance, added maintenance and the cost of the bike. But if I am already paying all those costs on the bike and the truck, the bike wins easily in money savings.
 
.02 you're doing pretty well already.
You can knock the total cost to operate down by doing your own basic maintenance oil tire air filter brakes etc.
Look at the cost as it is what it is and enjoy the ride.

It helps if you look at purchase price, reg, insurance as a sunk cost for having a toy LOL.
 
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