Fuel Economy - 2000 st1100

tigerknight

tigerknight

Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Messages
33
Location
Austin
STOC #
6452
What mileage do other riders experience?
(I'm seeing about 35 mpg city/street)

What is your average tachometer activity like?
(I usually go between 3/4k rpm when keeping a constant speed)

What are your acceleration habits like?
(I tend to ease up in speed, is it better to push through 1st/2nd quickly?)


I'd love to get the most out of my ST, just wondering if my driving habits are the best for the machinery or if I should modify it.
 
you ride similaly to me in town but 45mpg is nearer the mark for me 2001STabs cbs tcs
 
I have owned two ST1100's a 1991 and 1998 non abs models and once I get above 65 mph mpg goes down.
I get mid 30's to low 40's, have gotten low 20's at times too.
 
Any particular checks or tests I can do on my own to see if it's running in normal shape or if it's got a problem?

There are no fluid leaks or bad exhaust (smelly/smokey) that I have detected over the past month.
 
I get lower 40s (30mpg when I'm really having fun) in mixed riding.

If you really want to know if it is you or your bike... trade bikes with another ST owner for day of riding... :)

Mark
 
It sounds like you are within normal parameters. I get 16kpl in town riding, 18 to 20kpl on trips, depending on wheter it is constant speed cruising, average speed, twisties etc etc. The more you are braking and accelerating, the more weight of the ST works against fuel economy.
 
My 91 gets right at 50 most of the time, it has hit 60 on one tank. My 97 usually is around 53. It has hit 60 a few times. I seldom ride in town. Mileage will vary as they say so it is hard to say what you should be getting out of yours.:03biker:
 
My 1100 gets between 43-48 mpg on my commute and any kind of city riding. Out on the highway it will be in the lower 40's and can drop into the
30's when triple digits are hit. Around town rpms are in the 3-3800 range.
 
I'm right in there with Trekker.

Same mileage, same riding approach.

My max was 48MPG, traveling straight highway for a whole tank at 70-80MPH [indicated speed, but we all know better...].
 
I have an '01 ST1100 ... Average mpg is 49 or so on a riding day, so slab, twisties and so on. If I'm doing a slab run, so speed is 75-85 mph the entire way, mpg drops down to 45-47 assuming no strong headwind. If I'm playing in the mountains and not pushing it, mpg hits 49-51. If I'm hard in the twisties, so down in the gear and keeping the RPMs higher, I'm back to 46-48.

Thus, I'm consistently around 48 mpg +/- 3 mpg.

Lowest mpg was 43 doing a 350 slab ride at 85 mph with headwind. highest was 52 mpg crusing the mountain twisties behaving myself.

I run OEM plugs, air filter, K&N oil filter, Laminar Lip windshield and weigh 175# or so.
 
On my recent 6500 mile ride, I got in the low 30s most of the time. I did get about 40 one day, when I behaved myself. The other 95% of the time I crank it up and high tail it.
 
I must ride funny. I know it is me because I always get the lower range of MPG with my 91 ST being my 3rd bike. My Ninja 250 was stated to be anywhere from 50-70. I got 50. I hear what you guys are saying about the ST and I have gotten a half dozen tanks at 37+/-1 MPG on my commute. And that's even with me spending a lot of time in 5th gear going 45-50 MPH.

Oh well...

G
 
Trip last weekend... 240 miles on the slab with 45 minutes of traffic jam due to an accident. 48 mpg... most of it was at 70 mph. Trip home had no sitting and idling. I will update when I check it but am guessing around 54 or so.
 
Unbelievable!

tigerknight, when was the last time your bike had a major tune up (including carb clean and sync)? Major tune up can make a huge difference! I'm averaging 45 mpg +/- 2 on my 1998. Bear w/me as I ask a few more q's and I apologize if they seem stupid. I'm just covering all the bases.

Variables that can effect mpg: Are your tires properly inflated? Tire inflation is a biggy! The fuel that you use the proper octain? (I've been using 87. Just noticed the 91 requirement on the sticker last night!:roll: ) Are you riding in cold or cooler temps? The colder the less mpg. Um...clogged air filter? (part of the tune up question). Dragging brakes or other unusual friction? (bearings all ok?)

Try running the proper measure of Seafoam thru her and see if that helps! If there's a lot of varnish in your carbs that will help!

Anybody else??? I'll add more later as I think of it!

Oh! How about timing? (Not sure if that's adjustable on the ST1100 or not. Havent had mine long enough to look into that!)

Hope this helps!
 
Brake drag will contribute to low MPG with no other indications (except maybe hard to push around the parking lot and excess heat. Ya won't notice that, tho, cause even when operating properly, the discs get real hot!) Sounds like yur on the low end of normal.

ReSTored was getting high 30s until mid April then jumped to low/mid 40s. STick got high 30s last month over 2 tanks. She's getting either zero or infinite right now as she's layed up again the paint job is finished.
 
I did get 50mpg in Oregon (low speed limit and I was told they enforce it) and one other time when a friend had a ticket on his record (I followed him and let him set the pace for the day).
The ride through Oregon was painfully boring; the ride with my friend was okay as I had had the ST1100 and my MC license less than 30 days.

But I've attained my goal of getting 30mpg many times in the Sierra passes and other mountains in California...
I just *love* getting 30mpg!!! :D

Mark
 
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