gas milage

[carvinman3]

hi 2 weeks ago i had a motortrike adventure kit installed on my 2005 gl 1800 my mpg went from 41 to 26 anyone have any tips to gain some mpg back? i changed my plugs no help talked to motortrike they said its normal having trouble chokeing that down.open for sugestions.

 

[rhino 2]

I don't know if this helps, But i had a VTX1800 [03] It would get 40/41 highway MPGs Then i added a ''large'' Memphis Shade Windshield and Leather Like bags and my highway mileage dropped to 35/36 So i can just imagine how much more it would have gone down if i triked it.

 

[Gorilla]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>carvinman3</strong>
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<div class="message">hi 2 weeks ago i had a motortrike adventure kit installed on my 2005 gl 1800 my mpg went from 41 to 26 anyone have any tips to gain some mpg back? i changed my plugs no help talked to motortrike they said its normal having trouble chokeing that down.open for sugestions.</div>

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</div>welcome aboard I'm sorry but removeing the conversion is the only solution. You added weight and drag. Price MPG

 

[Calman]

You have to remember that you added several hundred pounds with the addition of the trike kit. Then, too, you got to remember that you have two auto-type wheels sticking out on each side of your ride. Both add up to a lot of wind resistance and that means lower MPG.<br />
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One of my trikes gets 40-42 MPG but it's a 750 Shadow. The other, an 82 GL-1100, gets 30-34 MPG when I run around 55 MPH. However, if I get "in the gas" (above 60 MPH) the MPG drops to 24-26 MPG.

 

[bumlbe]

Hi, I have a 2010 GW that I had converted to a Motor Trike IRS one year ago this month. I now have 12,000 miles on it. <br />
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I was also getting a little over 40 mpg before I triked it. What I have learned is the colder it is, the worst the mileage is. On a 85+ degree day I will get 37mpg if I don't exceed 3000 RPM.

 

[Marty]

The only thing other than the extra weight and wind drag I can think of is wheel alignment. you should make sure the back wheels are aligned (zero toe in) and check to make sure they are both the same measurement from the center of your triple tree's center bolt. Also on the rear wheels they should be straight up.

 

[Bikerbozo]

Any change in rear pulley size from original? Maybe to give it extra RPM's for more power to pull all thaty extra weight? Wind resistance and speed do make some big differences. At 80 MPH into wind I got 22 MPG. Averaging 36 MPH recently in slow moving rush hour NYC traffic, with a good wing to my back, I got 40 MPG (all on a TG). big difference.

 

[rmrc51]

At 80 MPH into wind I got 22 MPG.

I just had to chime in here,,,,. 80 MPH??? On a trike?? Maybe I 'am' the real old man of this forum but I can't imagine going that fast. I don't even like driving my truck that fast!

I've seen many posts where people say that they've hit all these high speeds on motorcycles and trikes. For the life of me,, I'd be scared out of my wits! I don't think I've ever seen 60 on my trike.

My hat is off to you Biker Bozo and all others who, "ride the wind". ThumbUp

 

[rhino 2]

I just had to chime in here,,,,. 80 MPH??? On a trike?? Maybe I 'am' the real old man of this forum but I can't imagine going that fast. I don't even like driving my truck that fast!

I've seen many posts where people say that they've hit all these high speeds on motorcycles and trikes. For the life of me,, I'd be scared out of my wits! I don't think I've ever seen 60 on my trike.

My hat is off to you Biker Bozo and all others who, "ride the wind". ThumbUp

I understand how you feel, But here in North Jersey riding on any of the major highways at 60 mph you better be in the extreme right lane, Even the 18 wheelers are doing 75/80 mph.

 

[rmrc51]

I understand how you feel, But here in North Jersey riding on any of the major highways at 60 mph you better be in the extreme right lane, Even the 18 wheelers are doing 75/80 mph.

I completely understand that and fully agree that if you can't at least match the flow of traffic, you don't belong on that road!! That's the main reason why I stay clear of all interstates and/or highways. I mainly ride the local roads. Maybe, with time, I might feel comfortable enough to at least reach 65 mph. We'll see.

 

[John Luciano]

Unfortunately you can't easily change the. Rear. Gears easily on a shaft drive. Goldwing. Stay off the interstate, keep it under 3,000 RPM and you should see about 34 to 36 MPG . Forget. 40 MPG that is history. As for the. 85 mph I did that last year and ran out of gas on a trip I take every year and never did . I attribute it to trying to catch up to Honey in her car after I made an error on the interstate.

Pulling a loaded trailer at 85 + MPH I dropped to est 25 MPG. fom 34 .gas mileage is all in the wrist.

 

[cmore]

Mine has averaged 31.4 since being triked. Some of that is pulling a trailer. The right wrist is a lot of the problem.

 

[Rex Slye]

Don't know about my Hannigan yet since I just got it on 1/16/2012 but on the '02 Wing with '09 Motor Trike Fastback the last 1400 mile trip we took I averaged right at 34.5 to 35 mpg. When we ran the super slabs we ran right at 70 mph most of the time. Used the cruise most of the time too.

 

[Lunchbox1983]

Big thing is keep it under 3000 rpm the drop you are seeing is normal. This is why an extended tank or Aux tank on a trike is critical. IMHO<br />
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Edit to add: Corn in your gas will also hurt, try to find the pure gas. My brother had some 10% tested the other day because his logging saws were dying turned out to be 30% ethanol not 10% as stated on the pump.

 

[don graham]

We've got a 2007 GW with the CSC kit and get 33mpg. Used to get between 40&41. Our freeway speed limit around here is 75. We try to keep about 77.:GL1800:

 

[Blondie Gal]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>don graham</strong>
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<div class="message">We've got a 2007 GW with the CSC kit and get 33mpg. Used to get between 40&41. Our freeway speed limit around here is 75. We try to keep about 77.<img src="images/smilies/GL1800smilie.gif" border="0" alt="" title="GL1800" class="inlineimg" /></div>

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</div>Sounds about right for a big GW 1800 CSC - ours is an 08 and we run anywhere from 22 to 34mpg when pulling a loaded trailer. In Central Texas, if you're not doing 75 -80 on the highways, you're gonna get run over - and we usually keep pace with the middle lane traffic. Back roads' speed depends on the condition of the roads. <br />
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On our big trips, we can just about count on 50 miles for each hour of riding, which includes gas stops, mealtimes, any traffic congestion, etc. - Lubbock is almost 400 miles from here, and it's a solid 8 hour ride. Dallas, 100 miles from here, takes us two hours (one rest stop). Works out pretty close if you figure it that way.

 

[mhgoldwing]

Disagree that this is normal. My '06 Wing with '011 Roadsmith trike conversion averaged 37 mpg on two week trip to Smokies including riding The Dragon, Blue Ridge Parkway, etc., Interstate run from Arkansas there and back riding two-up and loaded to the gills. Locally, around town and riding the North Arkansas twisties all the time I still average around 35 mpg.<br />
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There is, IMHO, no way a Wing drops to 26 mpg under normal circumstances. There is a problem somewhere and your installer is BS'ing you that this is normal.

 

[donjack]

I just had to chime in here,,,,. 80 MPH??? On a trike?? Maybe I 'am' the real old man of this forum but I can't imagine going that fast. I don't even like driving my truck that fast!

I've seen many posts where people say that they've hit all these high speeds on motorcycles and trikes. For the life of me,, I'd be scared out of my wits! I don't think I've ever seen 60 on my trike.

My hat is off to you Biker Bozo and all others who, "ride the wind". ThumbUp

I ride the big roads on my 2011 Ultra Trike at 75 / 80 all the time. Trike is stable and handles great.

 

[Konrad]

I must be one of the lucky ones! 2006 GL1800 with Roadsmith conversion, the "WingSmith". Maybe our interstates here are slick or else it's the Titanium color, but at legal speeds I get an even 35 mpg. Someone else pointed out that mpg is in the wrist - and I agree. And to prevent a lot of "wristing" I habitually use my cruise control.<br />
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And no jack-rabbit starts. My WingSmith doesn't need to prove anything to a Harley or a crotch-rocket. And neither do I.

 

[Tip Schwartzbeck]

Try a set of trike wings-worked for me
Ride safe and be happy!

 

[adaptolife]

Adding all that weight and parasitic drag kills acceleration and milage. The Ghost Wheels I use weigh 65#, and even with a race-ready motor, I still get 38mpg.

 

[berngren]

I have the 2009 RSV Hannigan conversion. When it was a two wheeler I was getting 42 - 44 mpg. Not bad for 1300cc V4 engine. These bike are made to be opened up. The 1st two gears are sleepers. So you have to whine them out. 3rd and 4th gears are the ones that pick up speed. 5th which I hardly use is the smooth gear. I can whine 3rd to 70 and 4th can hit 100 with no problem.

Since I converted the bike I get about 28 to 34 depend on how I'm riding and the conditions of the whether. (Winds, etc) If I consistently open it up the gas mileage drop tremendously. (24 mpg) If I ride normally 30 to 34. Highway and local about 30. With the added weight of about 320+ lbs that is not too bad.

The gears have dropped with the added weight. We know about the 1st 2 gears. 3rd drop to 60 and 4th to about 80 to 85. 5th gear i use if necessary between 75 - 80.

So it comes down to how the trike is maintain, riding habits, road condition, speeds, and weather. Even if you have the same trike it doesn't mean that both should get the same MPG. It depends on the person who is riding the trike. How he or she is riding and maintaining the trike among other things.

 

[glmarker]

I might add that some of it may very well be speedo error. The basic wing is know to read 5% or more fast, giving high MPH readings. So if you are getting 38 MPG untriked, the reality is 36 MPG. My 2012 MT Adventure conversion speedo read more than 5% slow, reflecting about 30MPG. After adjusting for the slow speedo, reality is about 32 MPG, which is only a 4MPG drop for the trike conversion.

What I am most unhappiest about is the slow speedo. If I set the speedo at 70MPH on the highway, I pass 3 of 4 cars. Need to set the speedo at 65 in 70 zones just to flow with traffic (and we know traffic exceeds the posted limits).

 

[EarlJr]

I haven't triked mine yet, I'm talking to the shop now get bids for CSC Cobra. So the mileage they advertise about loosing 3 to 5 mpg is a bunch of bull? I currently get anywhere from 40 to 45 now on my 02 GL1800.

 

[Blondie Gal]

. . . it comes down to how the trike is maintain, riding habits, road condition, speeds, and weather. Even if you have the same trike it doesn't mean that both should get the same MPG. It depends on the person who is riding the trike. How he or she is riding and maintaining the trike among other things.

Earl, Bernie hit it exactly right - mileage depends on many things, so you have to make your decision based on a lot of variables. We do love our CSC kit, but our experiences may be totally different from yours. We ride 2-up for long trips (and we're not skinny), carrying a fully loaded trailer. You may ride singly without a trailer . . . you'll just have to work it out to see . . .

 

[Shimpy]

I did a Champion conversion on my 2010 wing and went from 40 to 35mpg. Researching it I found that the rear ratio made my Champion driveshaft turn an extra 1/4 revolution for each tire revolution compared to factory so it's geared lower. In other words my engine needs to run faster to achieve the same speed, or using more fuel in addition to more drag due to the wider profile of a trike.
Losing some mileage in my opinion is far overcome by the advantages of riding a trike.

 

[adaptolife]

Better milage? You bought a 2-wheeler, doubled its weight getting it triked, doubled the parasitic drag, doubled the rolling resistance. Of course, now you can haul much more stuff, and pull a trailer. Why worry about milage? Now a Prius, there's some nice milage. Put a trunk on the roof, some fat performance tires, and before you know it, 26mpg.

 

[TexasGuy]

Had a 2000 GW with CSC that averaged 36 mpg (it's the trike in my pic). Have recently traded it for a 2008 GW with Motor Trike. Best I can tell with only two tanks under my belt is I"m now getting about 30 mpg. That's a mixture of city & highway driving. I did get it up to 75 one day (on a 70 mhp road) just to try it out, but I avoid freeways like the plague and run secondary roads exclusively.

One thing that helps is using cruise control as much as possible.