Yep,
We have an '08 with about 40K on the clock and, it hovers around 35-39 or 40. I don't keep too much track of it anymore because all it will do is depress me if I see a lower figure. So, I just fill it and ride. I don't like to bring up the word "Harley" in the Wing forums but, of the boys that ride near me that own Harleys, most of them claim upwards of 45 and even some say close to 50 on their full dressers. I mean, yeah, I know it's only two cylinders vs our 6 but, the weight is the same on them, about 900 lbs. So, it is what it is. My '03 and '04 VW Beetles with the TDI diesels in them NEVER went below 42 mpg, no matter how many people we had in the car and A/C on or not.
Scott

 

No running issues that I am aware of. A very slight pulse of the idle not even enough to register on the tach. Pulls strong to a hundred. No missing or any other bad behavior.

The bike previously lived in the Williamsport Pa area so had some elevation ( about 500 I think) and I am in Norfolk at sea Level.

I did the ECM reset thing today. But it was so cool the fans never came on. let it idle for close to 30 minutes after I put the plugs back in.

Still no ETA for the O2 sensors but hopefully by the end of next week.

 

congrs on the new to you wing you will not be disappointed or let down by the wing.
32 to 35 mph is all i have ever gotten @82k or so. Remember you are sitting on a super smooth super powerful {electric feeling} 6 cylinder motor. It will not give you what you will get on a big V twin. If you read post of 38 to 40 mpg those members have a 03 or so wing which the speedo reads 3 to 5mph faster that you are moving.
Any way did you check with Honda dealer that the 2 recalls were performed on your bike?????? This is a important item to address.
congrds again

 

Yes the recalls have been verified. Yes I did the ECM reset.

 

Sooo if you are somehow able to squeeze a consistent MPG over 40, please come back here and share how you did it. (Other than tailwind, downhill, or 40-60 speed with RPM below 3000.) I'd certainly like better than 30s' MPG, but it seems common with 2001-2017 GWs. I have only ridden this 2008 about 35,000 miles now, but probably over 34,500 of that, the MPG has been somewhere in the 30s; none in the 20s, but very few in the 40s either.

Good luck!

 

Welcome to the board. The fans not coming on in 30 minutes of idling has me concerned unless it was 32F°.

 

Yes I checked the drain line when I did the plugs, it was empty. The Fans work. I have heard them on several occasions. When I did the ECM reset it was about 38F and even after 30 minutes it was still below the middle of the temp gauge. In the past they have come on about one needles width shy of the middle line but she did not get that hot. I will do it again when it warms up some.

 

Several factors affect fuel mileage on a gas engine. Winter riding, higher RPM, riding habits, geographical elevationand running non-ethanol gas will have an impact on mileage. Since you mentioned that the bike has had less than lots of lovin' prior to your purchase, one easy trick I would try is to give a double dose of techron fuel system cleaner for a couple of tanks full and see what effect that has.


While riding around home in central Tennessee with elevation of around 400 feet above sea level, my old 1500 would get around 40MPG while using ethanol gas. The summer of 2012, I spent 8 months in Yellowstone with an elevation of around 7350 feet above sea level and while using ethanol gas would get around 45MPG and if using non ethanol gas under same circumstances, the mileage would increase to around 52MPG. and that was riding 2 up. Sometimes while riding 2 up and pulling the trailer at higher elevations (beartooth hwy at upwards of 11,000 feet) the 1500 really struggled with the loss of power.

 

Once this crazy weather settles I will be running some cleaner through it. The Air filter had a mouse nest in it and after I cleaned that out and put in a new filter I really expected to see some improvement but did not. The O2 sensors (still on order) and some fuel system cleaner then get some miles and re-evaluate.

 

Did you order the correct sensors for your model? There’s two different sets of part numbers. That’s why I questioned your model level.

 

About normal. MPG will be lower this time of year.
If not mentioned prior, two more maintenance issues I suggest are the final drive fluid and a coolant change.

 

It's all about wind resistance.. That's why car companies try to make their cars aerodynamic. That tall windshield and the wind wings are what is keeping your mileage lower than you expect. If mileage is important, address those items. And keep your feet behind the faring, not out on highway pegs.

 

Yea mine is the base model. Premium audio only. The IIIA reference is out of the Maintenance book.



36531-MBT-D21
36531-MCA-A61
is what I ordered

 

You’re good. Those are the correct ones.

 

I always get my best gas milage with my wife riding on the back...I'm unsure why?:shrug::wink2:

 

Yeah, my bike develops a 100mph helmet slap only when my wife is aboard.

 

Built in rev limiter :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

Lots of great ideas here. I know with my carburetor equipped GL1500 that "winter" gas would drop my mileage by at least 10%. Very predictable. My GL1800 has not seen enough winter gas yet that I can tell you but I expect the summer gas will help you as well as the above changes.

 

Oh, I'll toss another wrinkle into this discussion - and it's one about 'elevation'.

Those of you that chimed in with elevations in the hundreds of feet above sea level ... um... :roll: :kiss:

I'm at ~2500' above sea level. My MPG's don't significantly change for the better until I'm in much higher elevations, as the air-fuel ratio gets tweaked further by the bike's ECM.

I still think the OP may end up being a bit disappointed at the end of the day, as many things will be done (granted, some did need to be done...) with no appreciable change in fuel economy. :money1:

As another poster commented, that windshield and wind wings is just adding square inches to a motorcycle that's trying to push 2/3'rds of a sheet of plywood thru the air as it comes from the factory.

 

Wait til you get the "Boys" smacked you WILL slow down!!

 

Anything above 3,000 rpm's the mileage drops off fast. 35 should be your lowest mpg. 40 if you don't abuse it or not going through mountains. 45 if its cold and your in higher elevations. Thats been my experience.

 

2008 non-ABS. Solo. 3,000 feet. F4+0. No wind-wings. 80*F. Corrected MPH.

62 mph = 42-43 miles/US Gallon.

75 mph = 38 miles/US Gallon

Going-to-the-Sun = 51 miles/US Gallon.

 

Mpg

I had an '08 that I traded in with 78K a few years ago. The worst fuel mileage I'd ever gotten was 39 MPG, and the best was 41. I had never changed plugs, and only changed the air filter once at about 50K. I believe it depends mostly on your right wrist. Whether I rode single or two up didn't seem to matter.

 

I had an '08 that I traded in with 78K a few years ago. The worst fuel mileage I'd ever gotten was 39 MPG, and the best was 41. I had never changed plugs, and only changed the air filter once at about 50K. I believe it depends mostly on your right wrist. Whether I rode single or two up didn't seem to matter.

In calculating MPG did you correct, or factor in, the odometer error rate? It is usually 6-10 percent off for GL1800s made prior to to 2011. It is most always optimistic, i.e. says you are going faster and farther than you actually are. My 2008 was optimistic by 7-8 percent, till I corrected it with a speedo healer, I believe it's called. If yours is off 7-8 percent, corrected, your MPG would be more like 36-38.

 

I don't expect much over 35 from my wing and as such, I haven't measured it in years. When measuring was important to me I found, under 65 would get 38 to 40; 75 would drop to low 30's and out in west Texas where the speed limit is 80, I could watch the fuel gauge go down. These are big heavy bikes and they carry a lot of sail. The OP may want to adjust his expectations.

 

Where can I run 80 MPH?

Here's the map.
It's interactive -- hover cursor over a state and it will give more info.

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/laws/speedlimits/mapmaxspeedonruralinterstates

 

That's about what I got on my 2012, which was purchased new.

 

Down here in Florida during the summer months of March thru November, I average 40-44mpg. Now that's using ngk bkr6egp (gapped at 1.1mm) and using non-ethanol fuel. Sometimes as high as 46mpg riding the back roads at 50-60mph, course that's 1up but being 260 lbs doesn't sound bad. Course I remember getting only 36-38 with OEM plugs and ethanol fuel and this is riding the same 2007 with 118k miles since new. But as most have said, allot is governed by your right hand. I shift at 2500-3000rpm between gears but NOT in a rush to get to the post speed limit.

 

I quit worrying about mileage years ago! It use to make me mad that I couldn’t get over 40 mpg! Truth is, my Harley Manuals said 52?.. best I’d get was 39! I finally just quit tracking mpg and miraculously my pleasure increased exponentially! SO DID MY FUN!

 

I also have an '08 from new. Now still only 21,000 miles on it. I routinely get in the low 40s. Aggressive driving and high speed (over 70) really kills the mpg. Also, I'm a small person, about 160 lbs., so that could have something to do with it. I run regular 87 octane.