Fuel mileage

[Brad Laurier]

What kind of range (fuel mileage ) can I expect from a 1979 Golwing?

[virgilmobile]

32-48 .mileage will vary due to fuel,driving habits,road conditions etc.
My 78 would hold 36 in town and near 40 cruising on the interstate.
I twist the throttle hard every chance I get.

[Brad Laurier]

Thanks for the reply. What does that translate into for miles per tank & miles to reserve?

[Placerville]

Agree with Virgil. On average, a well-tuned vintage GL will not get any better than 35 to 40 MPG on the highway. Claims of mileage in excess of 40 are usually, well, products of human behavior and the anonymity of the internet. Your '78 has a 5 gallon tank. 4 gallons are accessible to the 'main' and 1 to the 'reserve' line. So, at best, you could get 160 miles from your 'main' before switching to your 'reserve'. At that point, you better be looking for a gas station.

[spookytooth]

I guess I'm an anomaly of the internet.. Cruising at 55 - 60 on the highway I get 54 mpg. In town, when I'm having "fun", I get less than 30 mpg...

[Brad Laurier]

I just switch on to reserve at 225 miles, if the main tank capacity is 4 gallons that means I just got 56 mpg on this tank (combination city & highway).

Any suggestions on where to get a reasonable priced air filter? Our Honda dealer wants $50!

[Placerville]

I don't know what Honda dealer quoted you a price like that but, they shouldn't be in business. You'll find very competitive pricing at Western Honda of Phoenix. At their on-line store, filters for your '79 are $16. (Note that I've selected the parts page for your '79 in the embedded link.) Once there, select 'Fuel Tank' to view/order your filter. Before ordering, keep in mind that 'minimum' shipping is always $13. So, while there, I'm sure you can use some plugs (only $1.50 each), some fuel lines, clamps and other items to make that $13 shipping worth while.

[dwight007fchr]

I guess I am a MPG freak, just experimenting to see how many miles per gallon I can squeeze out of my 83 GL1100. Last year I would accelerate slowly, and only get up to around 55, and pull in the clutch and coast down hills with the engine idling. The best I could get was around 50mpg, which was 90% highway. On the negative side, I think that driving so "Mr McGooish" and not driving the spurs into the ass of my Wing caused my carb jets to clog up. I just finally cured a "miss" due to apparently getting gas-starved in one or two carbs........had to spray a ton of carb-cleaner spray into the box while reving the rpms up and down.

So, now I will try to twist that throttle and drive the spurs in her hind quarters every so often......to hell with the gas mileage!

Getty Up, Hi Ho Silver, AWAY!

[greganderson]

I filled up my tank when the gauge is at the red line of reserve. At that point I can only squeeze 3 gallons into the tank.
I am guessing that the float/gauge my be off and that my tank is not down to the last 1 gallon?
I recently changed my plugs and new air filter and only got about 25-30 mpg.

[Fred Camper]

At 70 mph per GPS I get 36 ish, off highway at less than 60 mph more like 50 ish as I can get 160 miles and only squeeze in 3 gallons.

[dwight007fchr]

It would be a fascinating experiment to mount a small sail to the rear luggage rack and take a long trip during a very strong tail wind event......say a good 50 mph winds buffering the Wing's rear quarters. I would say the miles per gallon would be off the charts.........but me and the Wing may be off the road if that wind changes and hits us from the side.

Another experiment would be to install small metal rods along the Wing's leading edges and send a high voltage current to these rods, which will cause ionization of those electrons, which results in an anti-gravity affect, which actually creates zero forward resistance and actually a forward pull on the Wing. Some of Tesla's work incorporated into the B1 Bomber leading wing edges. Those with curious minds can replicate this in their garage by building a small "lifter" rig and applying high voltage current from and old PC monitor......quite amazing to see the purplish ionization paticles around the lifter and cool air under it and the rig to lift upwards. And you dont need a DeLorean or flux capacitors either.

[wjnfirearms]

Fuel mileage isn't as simple an equation as a particular vehicle and how well tuned it is or driving habits. Windshields, fairings, and weight affect it as well. The harder an engine has to work to cut through the wind makes a noticeable difference. Tires can affect it as well. Some tires roll easier with less friction. Tire pressure makes a difference. There are occasions that a particular brand of gas can make a difference. For example, there are three stations near me, a Pilot, Citgo and Marathon. I noticed when I drove 40 some miles each way to work that I consistently got less mileage at the Marathon than the others. Can't explain exactly why, but it was happening. I've heard similar stories over the years about the same thing, not necessarily about the same station I've used, but it happens elsewhere.

[SteveB123]

I filled up my tank when the gauge is at the red line of reserve. At that point I can only squeeze 3 gallons into the tank.
I am guessing that the float/gauge my be off and that my tank is not down to the last 1 gallon?
I recently changed my plugs and new air filter and only got about 25-30 mpg.

Reserve is when main goes out, not when you hit red.
Try measuring when you actually hit reserve.

[spookytooth]

I'm sure it's my number plate, slicing through the air that gives me a mileage edge.

[greganderson]

great topic and great answers. I do have a fairing and luggage trunks, so it would definitely add weight, I also am a heavy guy at 220 lbs.
I guess the I can be happy with 30 mpg, realizing these bikes are heavier than most. If gasoline was back to under $2 a gallon, I wouldnt even care....
Ride safe my brothers!

[portugeezer]

I noticed that the odometer on my Goldwing says the same trips I take on my Silverwing are longer. If I set the the odometer and ride to one of my good friends house the Goldwing says it's 19 miles the Silverwing says 17. That being said using the odometer on the bike I figure out every tank full of gas. I get 36-43. I suspect the speedometer and odometer on the Gl1000's at least the early ones are very inaccurate! If I use the speedo on my GPS the speedo on the bike always says I'm going about 5mph faster or even more if I'm going faster like if my speedo says 65 the GPS will say 57. I think there is no way to accurately figure gas mileage because of this.

[Fred Camper]

exactly Geezer. I have never calculated GPS mpg, but since GPS speed is 4 mph off at 70 mph, then the odo is off by the same ratio. So we all should discount our FE numbers at bit unless we correct the mileage.

[dwight007fchr]

I wonder if anyone has done any articles showing in detail all the many tricks you can do on a Wing to increase fuel mileage.......like maybe a vacuum line going to a water jug that draws moisture up and into the carbs, adding a 6th "overdrive" gear, mostly for flat or downgrading highways, maybe a taller rear tire, etc. Theres bound to be some pretty neat tricks to get us up into the 60-70mpg range.

[Fred Camper]

To get into the 60-70 range, certainly aerodynamics needs to improve. I see no way there on the highway without a nice upper and lower narrow fairing.

[dwight007fchr]

To get into the 60-70 range, certainly aerodynamics needs to improve. I see no way there on the highway without a nice upper and lower narrow fairing.

Well, maybe riding 10 feet behind a big rig would do the same thing?

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.......thats crazy talk! Drafting behind a tractor trailer.......not!

[sfruechte]

I've averaged almost 45 mpg for 220,000 miles over the last 36 years on my 77. If I get stuck buying an ethanol blended gasoline (10%) I struggle to get upper 30's.

[Fred Camper]

Sfruechte,
Wow, that is some serious riding. You need a very reliable bike to do that and a early GL is just that bike. Your mileage average is good, a bit better than mine but I know mine improves lots if I avoid the super slab. 220K makes you da man.

[dwight007fchr]

I agree with Fred Camper.......Sfruecette is da man! Shows some serious dedication with his Wing, and I bet he has all the tricks on getting great gas mileage and taking extreme care of his Wing. Would be great if Sfruecette did a new thread showing pics of his bike way back when, over the years, and present......and with tons of stories, as I am sure he has some great ones.

[portugeezer]

All gasoline in Illinois is 10% ethanol. You can't get pure gas here.

[SteveB123]

All gasoline in Illinois is 10% ethanol. You can't get pure gas here.

Do you have a state law on gasoline?

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=IL