Mystery MPG

[Skydrol]

I bought my 95 Magna in October and since then have been consistently averaging 42-45 MPG.  Two fill ups ago when I filled up I averaged 50. Hmmmm....well, I figured I just screwed up somewhere.  Last fill up I averaged 52 MPG !?  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just wondering where the extra mpg came from.  Any ideas?  oh, and yes, all the same gas from the same station and the same riding habits.

[guywheatley]

~~~Static ~~~~  crackle ~~~ Alpha 1, Alpha 1. We've located that misdirected, top secret super fuel to a gas station in North Richland Hills Texas. Dispatching two black helicopters!  

[Skydrol]

LOL...if you ask real nice I'll tell you where I bought the gas 

[L J VFR]

When I had my 2001 magna, I OFTEN got 50 mpg.  I just quit wondering and rode.  It usually happened on a full day ride with little to no stopping.

[ttooee]

It the high temperature. It take less energy to heat the engine and maintaining the normal engine temperature. However the engine is not as peppy as it is in the cold temperature.

[Magnum Magna]

Your riding mood will effect your milage also.
It does not take much of a change in riding behavior to go from 50 to 40 miles per gallon.

[drkngas]

I never saw 50mpg on my Magna.... actually, I dont think I saw 40 very often either.   

[Magnum Magna]

You are right I never got 50. The best I guess was 45 and I was keeping the RPM's very low.
My normal is between 35 - 40

[hootmon]

When I got my Magna it got a consistent 40-42 mpg unless I was running hard on the hwy, then it would drop into the high 30's.
After shimming the carbs I went to a fairly consistent 45 mpg. Then all of a sudden, I was mostly getting 48-50 for several months..
Mostly doing day rides running 45-55 MPH with few stops..
I then put in my 105 mains and I now bounce between 40-45 mpg and on the hwy (75-80mph) I drop into the mid to upper 30's.
Part of the drop in MPG is the bike launches SO much better now, so it's hard not to grab a little extra throttle..

I still want to drop in the 42 low speed jets I have and then I really need to balance the carbs..

[Skydrol]

Well this was my third fill up in a row that averaged 50+ mpg, so I guess that is what I'll figure on from now on.  The only thing that confuses me is why the big jump after averaging 43 for so long?  Guess it's just one of life's mysteries.

[lragan]

There are a lot of factors. I believe the Ethanol content will reduce your gas mileage a bit, so if you have started filling from a station that does not have ethanol in the gas, that could make a difference.

I got much better mileage in Colorado on our week long ride there in 2009 than here in Texas.  On one leg, I got 65 mpg!!  A friend who lives in Estes Park explained it this way:

Consider going up and down a mountain.  While it takes more fuel to climb than it would on the level, it doesn't require twice as much, and it takes none at all to coast down.  Makes sense to me. 

Here at home I average 40-45 mpg in most riding.  Occasionally I will get 50 if I am riding the back roads at 35-40 mph.

[ttooee]

What is the outside temperature where you are riding? Report the mpg again when the outside temperature is around 50 degree. 

[TheGreek]

When I first got my magna, I was getting 50+ mpg, but I was babying it quite a bit, lugging around in low revs. Once I got familiar with the bike and it's happy revving ways, the mileage dropped, but I still get at least 45mpg.

[ryjb]

I am usually around 45 MPG.  I once was able to get 52.

[L J VFR]

I always fill up at the same ma and pop station up the road from the house.  He is always about $.03 more expensive a gallon, but he knows me by my first name and only buys non-ethanol fuel to put in his tanks.