53 Mpg! - Ducati.ms

HyperToad · Jun 10th, 2008, 9:47 am

Well, I was initially reluctant to purchase a Hyper due to all the reports of poor fuel economy and even the dealer I purchased from told me the mileage was "sometimes down in the 30's." That being said, during the break-in I saw my mileage climb into the high 40's on mixed riding conditions. At the first service oil was swapped over to silkolene 15W-50, I noticed about the same mileage, maybe a couple more miles per tank - however, I also began experiencing some intermittent stalling and occasional rough idle. I began to wonder if the weight of the thicker oil had dropped the idle below an ideal level.

I decided to check my battery connections to see if they worked loose due to vibration. Everything checked out there, so then I began to wonder if when my dealer removed my emissions canister during the first service it could have contributed to the problem. I did a walk around the bike to see if anything was out of place, tugged on wires and hoses, spark plug wires and voila!! Low and behold my right rear plug wire was not connected, it was sitting in the hole, but just resting on the plug most likely causing an intermittent connection! I reconnected the plug, fired her up and bamm - nice solid idle, no more stalling!

This is the real interesting part, took off for the afternoon with a buddy and ran down the tank from a top-off, clocking 124.6 miles just as I rolled into a gas station (suspecting my fuel trip may have malfunctioned), but to my surprise the bike only took 2.35 gallons of fuel! That's 53 MPG!!

Has anyone else clocked over 50? I wasn't expecting this bike to be better on fuel than my R1!

flying_hun · Jun 10th, 2008, 10:58 am

Not only have I not gotten 50, I can't even conceive of how to get that much. This past Saturday I rode a long route with some friends. Lowest mileage re-fill was 32mpg, and highest was 42mpg, my personal best for this bike. That last one was primarily at high relatively high altitude (6500' to 4500') and mostly downhill.

What sort of revs are you turning? What sort of speeds and conditions are you riding in? For reference, I rarely find that I'm under 4K rpm due to the fact the engine runs smoother at a somewhat higher rpm. That 32mpg tank was at low altitude, high wind, indicated speeds between 70 and 80 mph. The wind was 30+, and for about half the distance it was a headwind.

In short, what is your secret?

HYPERR · Jun 10th, 2008, 11:16 am

I have never gotten 50+ but usually in the mid 40s. As low as 42 and as high as 48. And I go 90+ on the highway and ride pretty agressively.

zekiel · Jun 10th, 2008, 11:17 am

were you travelling no faster than 55 mph in top on a slight downhill with a tailwind and wearing a low drag outfit, freshly waxed helmet and you weigh under 150lbs...?

HyperToad · Jun 10th, 2008, 12:19 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by flying_hun

What sort of revs are you turning? What sort of speeds and conditions are you riding in? For reference, I rarely find that I'm under 4K rpm due to the fact the engine runs smoother at a somewhat higher rpm. That 32mpg tank was at low altitude, high wind, indicated speeds between 70 and 80 mph. The wind was 30+, and for about half the distance it was a headwind.

In short, what is your secret?

That is actually part of the reason I started the thread, thought maybe the ECU may have adjusted to a weaker spark on the rear cylinder and trimmed back on the fuel delivery? Power seems fine though (after the fix). I usually ride in the 4-8K range, try to keep it in the gear thats just above 4K so it has that nice snappy torque ready to go entering and exiting the turns. I honestly thought the fuel trip had failed when I posted 125 miles, but it came on literally as I was circling the pumps. I have stock exhaust, haven't touched the intake and am now reluctant to change anything as I've heard of big MPG drops after exhaust/ecu mods...

flying_hun · Jun 10th, 2008, 12:25 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperToad

I usually ride in the 4-8K range, try to keep it in the gear thats just above 4K so it has that nice snappy torque ready to go entering and exiting the turns.

Hmmmm? Me too. That leaves the issue that I'm 6'3" and 250#'s, and that I'm a lot for the bike to haul.....

HyperToad · Jun 10th, 2008, 12:28 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by zekiel

were you travelling no faster than 55 mph in top on a slight downhill with a tailwind and wearing a low drag outfit, freshly waxed helmet and you weigh under 150lbs...?

Haha, actually I'm a big guy @ 230 lbs (have a comfort seat on order) so I can't claim any aerodynamic advantages. We were hitting high 80's on the quieter backroads, but existing around 60-75 mph in the tighter turns. Not hard riding, but a little more aggressive than when I was on the break-in oil. Air temps were 80-90 degrees, elevation ran approx 200-2000 ft.

RMZ290 · Jun 10th, 2008, 4:44 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperToad

Haha, actually I'm a big guy @ 230 lbs (have a comfort seat on order) so I can't claim any aerodynamic advantages. We were hitting high 80's on the quieter backroads, but existing around 60-75 mph in the tighter turns. Not hard riding, but a little more aggressive than when I was on the break-in oil. Air temps were 80-90 degrees, elevation ran approx 200-2000 ft.

yeah, I get around the same in the same conditions and I'm about 230 too. Last few tanks I have gotten between 48 and 62.

johnchypermotard · Jun 10th, 2008, 4:58 pm

perhaps some dyslexia is at play here? i seem to always get about 35mpg ... not 53mpg.

lelenb · Jun 10th, 2008, 4:59 pm

I have been averaging 42 mpg with lots of hills and corners. It is a bit less now that I installed the air filter and the DP ECU. One thing to factor in if you live in California is our reformulated gas. We get slightly less mileage out of a gallon of gas due to the oxygenate compounds compared to there states with real gas. Lucky us!