Poor Fuel Mileage

[Capt.Bob]

"B" and "C" ECM Tunes

Jerry,

I stopped by a Harley dealer out of town yesterday on a 325 trip through some beautiful countryside. I had them look up the VIN of my 2017 M8 TGU and they said that there were no ECM updates. I guess that the low idle update was for some 2017 M8 engines and some 2018 engines apparently including the Tri Glide?

The only outstanding Service Bulletin relates to the inability to start a TGU when you have the brake depressed and the clutch pulled in. Harley has come up with a remedy for this fault if people are experiencing that. Other than that, they had no information that they could share with me about any ECM updates for my 2017. I wonder what is up with all of this?

I did, however, run the tank down to only having .3 gallons left when I went to fill the tank. There were some pretty lonely roads I was on in Southern Alabama yesterday. I did get a great meal of Poblano Chilies at the El Jalisco restaurant in Eufala, Alabama which is situated on the shores of large Lake Eufala. What a fun riding day!

 

[rchays57]

On my 2015 if I ride in a lower gear the mileage can be up to 4 mpg worse than If I go up a gear. Hills and downshifting the factor here. Stay in one gear or up and down shifting. Just a thought.

 

[Burnerboy]

I'm a Honda Goldwing guy, (so I can't help with Harleys) but I'm interested on how you made out with your problem?? I wonder if the same problem could happen to Honda's also??

I have never compared mileage with another Goldwing, BUT I ride quite often with another Honda Valkyrie, that gets much worse gas mileage then I do.... BUT he has six carborators where I have fuel injection., and he rides much faster then I do for sure..(I like to take my time and enjoy the ride, and he's long gone, leaving me in the dusk all the time.. I have to say that he make a great police radar for me cause quite often I see blue flashing lights, (and he's pulled over) so I slow down and just ride past him and wait at the next intersection..

BUT, back to our mileage, his gas amount is always higher then mine, by approx. $1.50 - $2.00 per full up.....Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Ronnie

 

[rhino 2]

I just took a 161 mile run yesterday, With my Stock 2017 Tri...38 point something mpg..

Like i said many times before i don't ride fast and i don't ride slow i just ride and let the numbers fall where they may, :Shrug:

 

[Capt.Bob]

I too have a 2017 M8 Tri Glide and usually get about 34-35 mpg. Today, I went to a large ancient Indian settlement about 90 miles from the house and instead of running 65 plus, I just putted along at about 55. My mileage only went up to about 39-40 mpg but that is about a 10-15 percent increase in mileage. I have 6300 miles on the trike and the mileage does not seem to be improving since it was new. I was thinking about what Kevin said about those big fenders hanging out in the wind and thinking about the whole frontal area that is pushing a lot of air around. However, I did not buy the trike to get great gas mileage so don't really worry too much about it. I do find that the rising gas prices, especially for Premium have been going up rather quickly this Spring.

 

[paws]

Here in the middle of the oil patch our newspaper today said $3.00 gas is coming soon.

The article stated it will be the costliest driving season since 2014. Oh joy... oh well... you can’t take it with you.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Here in the middle of the oil patch our newspaper today said $3.00 gas is coming soon.

The article stated it will be the costliest driving season since 2014. Oh joy... oh well... you can’t take it with you.

Carla, it is SAD the oil companies have such a strangle hold on us

Never going to change I am afraid

 

[paws]

Carla, it is SAD the oil companies have such a strangle hold on us

Never going to change I am afraid

What really gets my goat is that we produce it right here in our backyard, the refinery is 40 miles away, and our gasoline cost is the highest in the state! Go figure...

 

[rhino 2]

Here in the middle of the oil patch our newspaper today said $3.00 gas is coming soon.

The article stated it will be the costliest driving season since 2014. Oh joy... oh well... you can’t take it with you.

We are at that now for 93..........And i'm sending some ahead......

 

[Jack Klarich]

What really gets my goat is that we produce it right here in our backyard, the refinery is 40 miles away, and our gasoline cost is the highest in the state! Go figure...

#1

 

[MDO]

Crude oil prices are at their highest in 3 years. I saw a notional story saying Missouri had the lowest prices in the nation.

On my trip through California last summer, we paid $4.50 a gallon at 1 place up north.

They are mandated to use a different blend of gas in the summer & it's a lot more expensive that the winter blend. :xzqxz:

 

[Capt.Bob]

M8 Makes torque at lower RPM

Fellow Harley trikers, One of the things that I just learned yesterday which I failed to share was the fact that I know the M8 makes more power/torque at lower RPM than the Twin Cams. As I was tooling down the road, I got to thinking, "Hey, this M8 makes power down lower than a Twinkie and I should not be carrying as high an RPM if I want to increase my mileage".

It is funny how we get into habits like worrying about twisting a crank like folks have done on the Twin Cams when in fact the M8 engine makes power in a significantly different way (more torque down low and less revvy than a TC). I decided that I could carry less revs up gentle slopes without fear of lugging the engine because it is of a different design. Doh!

 

[rhino 2]

Crude oil prices are at their highest in 3 years. I saw a notional story saying Missouri had the lowest prices in the nation.

On my trip through California last summer, we paid $4.50 a gallon at 1 place up north.

They are mandated to use a different blend of gas in the summer & it's a lot more expensive that the winter blend. :xzqxz:

The more Crude oil gos up the more Iran makes on selling it to our friends in Europe , Just like ISIS Was doing with the oil they stole from Iraq and Syria..

 

[Jack Klarich]

Fellow Harley trikers, One of the things that I just learned yesterday which I failed to share was the fact that I know the M8 makes more power/torque at lower RPM than the Twin Cams. As I was tooling down the road, I got to thinking, "Hey, this M8 makes power down lower than a Twinkie and I should not be carrying as high an RPM if I want to increase my mileage".

It is funny how we get into habits like worrying about twisting a crank like folks have done on the Twin Cams when in fact the M8 engine makes power in a significantly different way (more torque down low and less revvy than a TC). I decided that I could carry less revs up gentle slopes without fear of lugging the engine because it is of a different design. Doh!

IMO with the knock sensors the M8 can take lower RPM with out struggling

I have run mine as low as 1750 in 6th gear on flat roads