gas mileage

[OLDSHOVEL80]

i now that this has been talked about befor  But i checked my mpg and only getting 35 mpg. running a stock road king, plugs are light tan and it seems to run fine. ive seen where others are getting in the mid to high 40s. any ideas ? thanks for any input.

[Riverside Joe]

Dirty air cleaner, low tire preasure, jack the bike and spin the wheels for bearing or brake friction. Just a few things that hit me first. Road kings are heavy bikes but you should be upper 30's low 40's if its stock and your not heavy on the throttle I would think at least. Hope this helps to start with-----RJ

[92Fatty]

What type of air cleaner do you have. The place to start is pull your carb bowl off and see what jets are in there and see if there are any mods in it. My 92 gets low 40's for mileage.

[JohnS_Rosamond]

The stock 80 inch Evo RK doesn't make much power.  So, a bike that weighs like 750 pounds (dry with no rider) that only makes 55 Hp may not get very good mileage.  My FLHS didn't get very good mileage when it was stock.  Performance cam, changed to a CV carb, good selection of jets, high flow air filter and Supertrapps - gas mileage went up.  Now that I have an 89 inch S&S engine in it, I get even better mileage.  The engine doesn't have to work so hard.  Gearing is also a factor.  My stock gearing was "short" - first gear was almost a granny gear.  Switched to the 34 tooth front pulley and that helped my mileage too.  Many factors to consider.  My current mixed mileage is 38 - 40, highway only is in the very high 40's.

[flhs90]

For What It's Worth:

I estimate my gas mileage to be 40mpg +/- on a stock evo 1990 bagger with Supertrapp slipons, CV carb unknown jetting, K & N air filter.
I too would like to improve gas mileage. I know keeping from twisting the throttle is part of the formula. I was told not to lug the bike going up hills especially so downshift to keep the rpms between 2200 and 3000.
I'll clean the air filter and track the mileage then add to this post for consideration and advice on how I too can get maximum mpg without "lugging" the evo.

[Norton Commando]

My '90 FLHS gets about 35mpg in town and about 40 or so on the highway (Screamin Eagle exhaust and K & N air filter with required carburetor settings and needle). The type of riding you do has a huge effect on gas mileage.

Higher compression = better gas mileage, but at the risk of detonation/pinging. Also, people often quote gas mileage like the length of the fish they caught, but got away. 

[OLDSHOVEL80]

sorry its taking me so long to reply,thanks for all the input,i'll check my air filter and jets.alot of my riding is mixed town and country. tire pressure ok brakes ok. thanks again for the replys