Triumphrat

pm1apj · 08-28-2009, 01:14 PM

I'm looking to buy a new t-bird, but I would like to know what kind of fuel economy/ range-per-tankfull I should expect from the big twin. The bike would be used mostly for touring purposes, so you can understand why this is important to me. I realize the bikes are hardly broken-in yet, but any info from the folks who have been out and about would be greatly appreciated.

Thatch · 08-28-2009, 04:31 PM

I typically average a very consistent 40 mpg. I'm a big guy though and don't help things with my lack of aerodynamics and weight (6'6' 245). Others tend to average higher than me, more in the 43-45 range. If you are less of a circus freak than I am I would expect that sort of mileage.

Good luck on the purchase

dazco · 08-28-2009, 04:42 PM

Mine is weird. I can ride in town and get 35-38. But on the highway or in the twisties even riding pretty hard, i seem to always get 45-46 ! Yeah, i know thats a huge jump from as little as 35 to as high as 46, and i'm still trying to figure out whats going on. But even at high speeds on the freeway like 80 MPH i seem to still get 45. Like i said in another thread about this just today, it seems like the bike's Achilles's heel when it comes to gas mileage is acceleration from a stop like you do constantly riding in big cities like L.A. where i am. Those darn red lights seem to be what kills it's MPG. Then again, thats what i'm finding but others seem to range no more than 2-3 MPG difference between their high and low figures.

pm1apj · 08-28-2009, 07:51 PM

That's great info....thanks very much. Those highway numbers are impressive. My experience has been that mileage tends to improve on brand new bikes after the first 4 or 5,000 miles when the bike settles in (rider too) and the engine wears away some of it's out-of-the-box tightness....maybe the around-town numbers will pick up then also.

Again, thanks for the information.....

DOUBLEL · 08-28-2009, 09:23 PM

I have just under 1,200 miles on the bike and I am consistently averaging 46-47 mpg. I am riding about 20% city and the remainder on rural highways and Interstate. Since I am Louisiana, there are no hills so it is all flat. And, I am 5'7'' 140lbs if that helps you compare anything!

dazco · 08-28-2009, 09:33 PM

DOUBLEL, can you tell me what your riding style is and the amount of stop lights in the cities where you typically ride? I really want to see if i can understand why i'm getting such low numbers in the city. I ride fairly hard i must admit, tho not a lot of redlining or such. But i do pull away very briskly at times and often up to 55-60 briefly if the moment seems safe. And in L.A. its quite jammed with traffic lights, often just a few hundred yards apart or much less in some places. I guess i should take it real easy for a tank and see whether it's my jackrabbit starts that account for about 10 MPG difference.

engage · 08-29-2009, 09:59 AM

I am consistently getting low to mid-forties. On trips, I tend to get 44-45 MPG. A bit over 2,000 miles on the bike now.

DOUBLEL · 08-31-2009, 04:59 PM

Dazco, the difference in mpg sounds like a lot to be just from city driving. I'm in a suburban area so I'm not dealing with too many lights. I don't "ride it like I stole it", but I hit it pretty good. You also have more twistys than I have here. My Daughter is in Santa Monica and I would love to ride some of those canyon roads. It is about as flat as you get here so maybe it is just the combination of more highways, flat roads, less stop lights, and a little less jack rabbit that is making the difference. What did you get on the Speedy? To compare, my America avg was about 43 consistently.

dazco · 08-31-2009, 05:52 PM

Thats what i was figuring. We all chime in with our mileage and you wonder why one guy gets very little and another a lot more. Different areas, riding styles etc. I just checked again the other day and this time got 43 with a combination of city and some rural riding. So it's not bad. I supposed once i average all my talleys up i'd be doing as good as my speedmaster, and that ain't bad for a bike thats almost double the engine and 200 Lbs more.

Trapper · 08-31-2009, 07:47 PM

Last weekend the low fuel light came on and I kept going until the miles left B/4 you run out of gas said 22. I stopped and only could put in 4.4 gal and the tank should hold about 5.5. At the time I was on the HWY and was avg. 43 MPG so the numbers don't add up. Has anyone else had the same experience or is it just a bad adjustment on my bike? I guess it would be nice if it was a little closer.

Trapper