[dansdad]

i get about 35 mpg on mostly short(less than 10 miles), in-town rides/commutes.

is this normal?

 

[knightslugger]

no...

What's your RPM at speed?

 

[AudrEEz]

i commute everyday little more than 10 miles, i'm a semi-agressive driver and get 190 - 200 miles per full tank, give or take 50 mpg so something is wrong with you bike

 

[knightslugger]

or with the way dansdad rides...

 

[dansdad]

i usually dont get past 3rd for the most part when in town on commutes to work...rpm around 5k to 6k.

i havent check the air filter and im sure there is no gas leak.

not sure what shape the plugs are in. i got the bike in july for less than a $1000 and it came with a minus one in front and kerker exhaust and is jetted ( previous owner siad stage two kit). also, the rear wheel is a 17 with 180/55 tires. does that also affect mileage?

it does run smooth and hard though.

 

[knightslugger]

I'll bet you could light the tail pipe on fire with that stage 2 jet kit.

WHAT THE HELL?! 180/55 tires?!! That CAN'T be right... there's something VERY wrong with your bike. The -1 will make your MPG drop for sure.


Are you SURE this is an EX500?!

 

[dansdad]

pretty sure its an ex500.. ;D.

about the tires...its using a zx6 swingarm. als, is there such a thing as a stage 2 jet kit?

im a noob who just started riding in july. dont know enough about bikes.

 

[knightslugger]

sure, there's such a thing as a Stage 7 jet kit.

Are you sure the person you bought it from knew what they were doing? Are you sure the exhaust system NEEDS the larger jet? All it's doing is making the delivery system richer... Jet kits are used to tune out problems. Go back to stock jetting and see if things improve. Tune the pilot jets as well.

 

[dansdad]

thanks knight, i'll try that when i get a chance.

it still gets better mileage than my car...so it's not big deal for now

 

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I put a stage 9 kit in my EX. It ran like crap (although it was much faster above 90mph) so I went to a stage 1.

I got 55mpg average with the stage one.

There's no telling what that kid did to your poor EX. Take it to a mechanic, or a knowledgable friend.

 

[dad]

If you take a minute to dwell on the priciples of operation of a carburetor you will see that it is functioning by the volume and velocity of the air passing through its venturi, creating a low pressure just below the restriction, delivering fuel according to that flow, regardless of how that air was brought to flow. Digesting that simple principle can take some of the confusion out of the whole pipe/jetting debate.

 

[dansdad]

so the amount of fuel required by the engine is determined by the volume of air or vacuum created by the exhaust flow?

 

[dad]

so the amount of fuel required by the engine is determined by the volume of air or vacuum created by the exhaust flow?

No, created by the intake stroke.

The exhaust flow has a secondary effect. If the exhaust is more complete then there is more volume to be filled during the intake stroke BUT, the carburetor only knows the volume of air that passed through it, delivers fuel based on that, independent of the reason for that flow.

 

[kevlarian]

I have no jet kit, and no aftermarket exhaust (yet ), however, I have done the "FOG Airbox Mod". Prior to the Airbox mod, I was averaging about 57MPG. After the Airbox mod, my MPG went down to about 53MPG (but the throttle response throughout the RPM range has smoothed out... I'll take the better responding bike for a couple MPG).

FYI - I am a pretty aggresive rider, usually running in the 6-9k RPM range... with occasional runs in the 10-11k range as well.

 

[dansdad]

nice to know im not the only aggressive rider here on commutes! ;D

i hit 10k at least once on each ride to work...drivers here are not too attentive to bikes and even though im usually in the left-most lane trying to stay ahead and clear of the pack someone is almost always trying to put me in their blind spot and putting make-up on at the same time.

 

[dansdad]

[/quote]
No, created by the intake stroke.

The exhaust flow has a secondary effect. If the exhaust is more complete then there is more volume to be BUT, the carburetor only knows the volume of air that passed through it, delivers fuel based on that, independent of the reason for that flow.
[/quote]

so if my air filter is plugged up does that make the carb suck more fuel in or less fuel?[/b]

 

[dansdad]

thanks #13...i'll have to make checking my air filter the first move in my MPG troubleshooting.

 

[dansdad]

some people have told me that the gas tank has to be removed...i hope not

 

[knightslugger]

it's far easier to just take the tank off though.

remove the two hoses from the petcock, remove the two screws from the side farings, and the one big one from under the seat. Remove the 4 screws for the tank mount, remove the 4 screws for the airbox lid and you're basicly done.

 

[deedz]

My 99 I bought for $500 has Muzzy Exhaust on it. the Pilot Screws were already removed from the carbs. I tookt eh carbs off yesterday and cleaned them but didn't think to look and confirm if it was jetted or not...what the easiest way to tell? Are there any STOCK carb photos on here or a comparison so one could tell the difference?