Author Topic: front sprocket question  (Read 3973 times)

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Nickolouse

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on: February 05, 2012, 06:14:55 am
I have a 2009 Electra I am currently getting about 52 mpg. This is a little less than I expected but it may go up some as I get the idle adjusted to the right spot and I get more familiar and smooth on the bike. My question is could/would the fact that I have a 17 sprocket in the front instead of the 18 cause this change in mileage? It sounds to me like 60+ is reasonable for this bike. I am fairly small and so is my passenger.
1973 MG Midget
2009 Royal Enfield


TWinOKC

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Reply #1 on: February 05, 2012, 02:52:36 pm
I don't own an Electra but the mileage on my UCE varies depending on the type of riding I am doing.  Riding at higher speeds results in lower gas mileage.  I get the best mileage by riding at a steady speed (around 60 mph).  The 17 tooth sprocket probably doesn't help the mileage.  Type of gas can effect mileage also, I use regular gas whenever possible (alcohol free).  My average mileage is a little more than 60 miles per gallon.

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Nickolouse

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Reply #2 on: February 05, 2012, 10:13:50 pm
I will try some different fuel specifically ethanol free. What octane fuel do you use? I think that I can only get ethanol free gas at one octane. Thanks  :D
1973 MG Midget
2009 Royal Enfield


barenekd

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Reply #3 on: February 05, 2012, 11:50:02 pm
Does the Electra have a 19" rear wheel? The 17 tooth sprocket is stock for the 19", the 18T is stock with the 18" wheel.
My G-5 averages around 72 mpg. You say you ride two up, that will definitely affect your mileage. My riding buddy weighs about 50 pounds more than I and he averages out in about the mid 60's. How hard you ride it can also make considerable. I don't ride very hard and short shift a lot, but manage to generally go fairly fast in the fun stuff. I out accelerate most traffic, but stop at the speed limit. At 62-65 on the freeway, my mileage drops to about 68 mpg.
I just use regular ethanol-containing gas as much as it sucks. It's the lowest octane on the pump, (76 or 78). Theoretically, pure gas should get better mileage. It's just a bother to chase down, and think it only comes in the higher octane modes.
Ah, just thought about it, you have a carb, they don't get as good of mileage as the EFI ones, but around 60 mpg should be in the cards. You have a lot more adjustments that can be off than are available on the later bikes.
Bare
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Nickolouse

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Reply #4 on: February 07, 2012, 01:08:00 am
Thanks that's really helpful. I do have a 19 inch rear wheel. So i do have the proper sprocket going on. So i will just keep an eye on the mpg's and keep trying things. So I was figuring the sprocket explained the fact that my speedometer is off is it normal for them to be quite a bit off. any common causes of the speedometer problem? I'll do a more thorough search before making a thread on this question. Thanks a bunch!
1973 MG Midget
2009 Royal Enfield


Arizoni

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Reply #5 on: February 07, 2012, 01:45:27 am
On the Enfields the speedometer drive is off of the front wheel.
Even though the three older Triumph's I was looking at last weekend are using the rear wheel to drive the speedometer cable it was measuring the wheel speed, not the engine speed.

In other words, the size of the drive sprocket or the rear wheels sprocket doesn't effect the speedometer.

Although I've heard that there is a DOT requirement saying that a vehicles speedometer must never indicate a speed that is slower then the vehicle is traveling I don't know if that's true.
I do know that almost ALL speedometers in all vehicles read either right on or they say your going faster than you actually are.

There are speedometer shops in some large towns that will calibrate and adjust speedometers so they indicate the true speed of the vehicle but the service can be fairly expensive.
I also don't know if they would work on a Royal Enfields speedometer or not.
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Nickolouse

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Reply #6 on: February 08, 2012, 07:05:10 am
Thanks for the response I will have to look into this much further sense mine seems to be reading quite a bit faster than I am actually going.
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2009 Royal Enfield


blueberry

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Reply #7 on: February 08, 2012, 12:10:03 pm
I am getting 75 mpg on my 08 Electra on prem. gas. I don't ride over 55 mph on it.
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Nickolouse

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Reply #8 on: February 09, 2012, 06:31:24 pm
I am getting 75 mpg on my 08 Electra on prem. gas. I don't ride over 55 mph on it.

have you done anything to your bike or is it still basically stock?
1973 MG Midget
2009 Royal Enfield


barenekd

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Reply #9 on: February 11, 2012, 05:57:36 pm
I just put an 18T on my G5. It improved my cruising speed on the freeway by about 5 MPH and and the mileage went from 68 to 75 MPG.
Bare
« Last Edit: February 11, 2012, 06:02:12 pm by barenekd »
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blueberry

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Reply #10 on: February 12, 2012, 01:30:47 pm
have you done anything to your bike or is it still basically stock?
The only thing I have done is remove the hot pipe and adjust the carb. I don't ride over 55mph and most of my riding is 35-50 mph. I use premium gas and an iridium (spelling?) spark plug. It has the stock 18 tooth sprocket and 19 in. Avon tires.
Ride Safe, Blueberry
2008 Electra
1985 Honda 250 Rebel
1970 Honda SL90


Nickolouse

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Reply #11 on: February 13, 2012, 07:29:00 am
Thanks for the response I am doing everything about the same except I'm trying to be extra smooth with the throttle and a little less quick on the take offs. Also I am getting much more used to the bike. Still riding on occasion with a passenger 2-3 times a week. I am also still riding on the short stretches of freeway to get across town 55-60 mph. Today my MPG's were closer to 55 I was happy to see this. If I can be patient enough to ride a tank of gas only around town and with no passenger I think that I would see a major difference as well. Tomorrow I may be going on a longer freeway ride with my bike (70 miles and my longest ride yet) and am curious as to what kind of mileage I will get on that trip.
1973 MG Midget
2009 Royal Enfield


blueberry

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Reply #12 on: February 13, 2012, 01:56:12 pm
Is your motorcycle fully broken in yet? It gets better with over 1,000 miles on it. I'm easy on the gas. I don't short shift it but I don't wind it out either. I don't carry any passengers. and my wife rides her own motorcycle. I use my scooter for short runs and usually ride my RE just for pleasure on roads with 40-45 mph speed limits and fewer traffic lights than a down town situation.
Ride Safe, Blueberry
2008 Electra
1985 Honda 250 Rebel
1970 Honda SL90


barenekd

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Reply #13 on: February 13, 2012, 05:40:00 pm
I just did 260 mile ride yesterday with about 150 of it on the freeway at 70 mph. The rest was ripping thro9ugh, pushing much harder than usual. My mileage dropped to 61 mpg. I have an 18 Tooth sprocket on a G5. I'm not going to cruise at 70 again! Keeping it down in the low sixties works far better. But, on the other hand the bike felt great at 70, so if I'm in a hurry, I wouldn't worry about having to go 70.
Bare
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Nickolouse

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Reply #14 on: February 15, 2012, 06:35:40 pm
So my first freeway ride was a success I got there fairly dry and not too cold. The ride home was a different story the weather took a turn for the worst so it was quite rainy and quite a bit of wind more than I had ridden in anyway. But back on topic I was really excited to see what my millage would be on this trip. I sat the reciept on the table at my house to dry and while i was at work it was thrown away never to be seen again so no millage info for for those two rides.
1973 MG Midget
2009 Royal Enfield