Author Topic: What's Your longest freeway run?  (Read 11608 times)

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Elliotthd

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Reply #30 on: June 21, 2013, 02:34:03 pm
I ran my C5 down I95 from Philadelphia to Savannah the day after I finished breaking the motor in. That's 700 miles even. Did it in a day at an average of 70+ mph. Who says this bike wasn't built for the freeway? I did run RT17 to RT13 to come home though. I've also used 95 to get to Baltimore once and to DC once from Philly.
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Bulletman

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Reply #31 on: June 21, 2013, 10:25:17 pm
I usually ride to Murphy's, CA which is a 65 mile OW trip.. 2 days ago June 19, for the first time on my C5,  I rode to Lake Tahoe which was a 150 mile one way trip, I took the back roads HWY 88 all the way, and took a break every 45 to 50 miles, stayed the night and returned the next day, It was a really awesome journey, looking forward to doing it again very soon...
Below is a picture of Silver Lake, the one close to Lake Tahoe...
« Last Edit: June 22, 2013, 05:45:17 am by Bulletman »
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barenekd

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Reply #32 on: June 21, 2013, 11:53:07 pm
Flying inverted nowadays, huh? Tough to do with no inverted fuel system!
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D the D

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Reply #33 on: June 22, 2013, 03:10:30 am
Fuel injection shouldn't care but the tank pickup may be a problem.
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Bulletman

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Reply #34 on: June 22, 2013, 05:36:24 am
Flying inverted nowadays, huh? Tough to do with no inverted fuel system!
Bare
Lol, damn that looks scary....gotta straighten things up I guess
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gashousegorilla

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Reply #35 on: June 22, 2013, 04:15:41 pm
I usually ride to Murphy's, CA which is a 65 mile OW trip.. 2 days ago June 19, for the first time on my C5,  I rode to Lake Tahoe which was a 150 mile one way trip, I took the back roads HWY 88 all the way, and took a break every 45 to 50 miles, stayed the night and returned the next day, It was a really awesome journey, looking forward to doing it again very soon...
Below is a picture of Silver Lake, the one close to Lake Tahoe...

   Nice..... I hope you packed the pocket fisherman ! I hear there's gold eating Steel-head up in them there hills !!  ;D ;)
An thaibhsí atá rattling ag an doras agus tá sé an diabhal sa chathaoir.


Bulletman

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Reply #36 on: June 22, 2013, 06:02:09 pm
   Nice..... I hope you packed the pocket fisherman ! I hear there's gold eating Steel-head up in them there hills !!  ;D ;)
Yah know...the next time I will, thars some good eatin steelhead up in them hills.. :D  ;)
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REdmonton

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Reply #37 on: June 24, 2013, 04:18:14 am
I did a 200 km trip one way this weekend. The bike held up great. I was cruising at 110 to 120 kmh (68 to 75 mph) the whole way. I  even passed cars and a couple of hardleys.


Supesguy

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Reply #38 on: June 24, 2013, 02:22:26 pm
Well, had a mostly successful freeway run on Saturday.  Went from Indianapolis to Columbus, OH and back.  175 miles one-way via I-70.  So, 350 miles total. It went pretty well short of shedding my toolbox cover and toolkit unbeknownst to me. I had removed it and replaced it the night before, but had locked it and tugged on it to ensure it was snug.  The locking mechanism and everything obviously vibrated loose.  All I was left with was a shell of a toolbox. Frustratingly, my registration and insurance card were also in the toolbox.  I have an extra insurance card, registration can be replaced, and fortunately new parts are cheap.  I just feel a little sheepish that, at some point, the dang thing rattled off onto the highway and I didn't even know.

Other than that, the bike handled pretty good.  I had to ask my fellow riders to slow down a bit.  Also, my speedo needle started bouncing +/- 5 mph.  I'm hoping the cleaning/lubing of the speedo cable and retightening is all that is needed.  I am feeling like I'm having some clutch issues, which I'll post separately in another thread. 

As a summary, this bike (C5) is freeway capable.  It may not be without quirks and maintenance issues, but it'll do the requisite speed and distance.  I got good mileage for this bike at 70 mph.  Averaged about 67 mpg.  Really, the only uncomfortable part was my butt. 


Rich Mintz

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Reply #39 on: June 24, 2013, 04:04:31 pm
A couple comments on Supesguy:

(1) I lost my metal battery cover on the highway, and my airbox has popped open, and I lost all 3 headlight cover screws at highway speed, and I lost both heat shield screws at highway speed. I've since Loctited everything that can be Loctited, and just did a 500 mile round trip without anything falling off.

(2) How the h*ll do you get 67 MPG at 70mph? The best I can do cruising at 65-70mph is about 50 MPG. I've only gotten above 70 MPG on one tank in 4,000 miles, and that was cruising at a deliberately steady 30-35 for 70 miles (because of a disabled sprocket assembly). More typically in ordinary highway driving I get around 48-53 MPG.

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JVS

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Reply #40 on: June 24, 2013, 04:39:30 pm
(2) How the h*ll do you get 67 MPG at 70mph? The best I can do cruising at 65-70mph is about 50 MPG. I've only gotten above 70 MPG on one tank in 4,000 miles, and that was cruising at a deliberately steady 30-35 for 70 miles (because of a disabled sprocket assembly). More typically in ordinary highway driving I get around 48-53 MPG.

Seeing that you travel a lot in suburban NYC and wait at lights for longer periods of time, it can consume quite a bit of fuel. Repetitive starting of the engine within short periods of time can also lead to that. Another thing I have noticed from your videos is your idle RPM speed. It seems quite high from what I can hear. You want to keep it between 850~1250 RPM using the brass idle adjustment screw on the throttle body. Another point to consider is that you may not want to rev the engine quite high in each gear before up-shifting. (Haven't noticed this type of gear-changing in your videos, but just saying) Also, if you have an aftermarket air-filter such as the K&N, that also brings down the mileage as noted by several other members.

I have been riding my B5 for a year and a half. I also keep records of my fuel ups in an Excel spreadsheet. In about 8000 miles, I have consistently got an average of 72MPG of all the fuel-ups till date. The lowest has been 59.92MPG and the highest has been 78MPG. This has involved speeds up to 65-70mph. The lowest value of 59.92 was achieved due to the fact that I had to turn the engine on and off several times, including keeping it on for extended periods of time for my motorcycle licence testing. I don't bash this engine, nor I over-rev it. Yes, I do give it some throttle once in a while at the lights and of course on the twisties where it is deserved, but never over the top.

Your bike should be capable of at least 55-60MPG with the way you ride even in NYC. The stock Bosch POS plug is a no-go. The best spark plug for the engine is the NGK BPR6ES plug. Considering the very cold climate of NYC in winter, maybe members can suggest another plug, however the BPR6ES should still be fine for all year round. Stock air filter is the best choice for economy. I am also surprised at your fuel economy. It can be a hidden reason too..considering the jungle of wires in that place, leaks, air plenum, fuel pump..
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Supesguy

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Reply #41 on: June 24, 2013, 04:47:33 pm
Rich -
That's a bit reassuring about your experience with lost bits and pieces.  I have some fun maintenance to perform on the bike following the ride.  Some of that will include blue loctite application over a lot of things.  Do you recommend backing out lots of nuts/bolt to apply Loctite, even if they haven't loosened yet?

And my mpg calculations could be off, but not by too much.  I went about 95-100 miles between fuel stops bc my buddy could only manage 45 mpg or worse on his 800cc Vulcan classic.  Each time I filled, I only put 1.4-1.5 gallons in.  So, at worst...I was getting 63 mpg.  At best, 67 mpg.  I did stay drafted behind a Harley with some pretty big windscreen. Now, I wasn't THAT close to him, but maybe it helped? We averaged 65-70 mph.  I also got tucked low on the bars a large part of the time.  It's amazing, I wore my half-helmet.  The buffetting on my head was soooo much less than my full-face helmet. With some ear plugs and good goggles, it was not bad at all.  I also used a bandana tied around my lower face for some bug protection.  I looked pretty outlaw. 

I am all-stock (filter, exhaust).  I am running the NGK plug. I just got shipped the D&D exhaust today.  I may hold on putting on the K&N filter.  I cringed during the ride, because to maintain those speeds, I was almost wide-open throttle much of the way.  I had very little throttle left for passing/catching up with my larger cc buddies. 


JVS

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Reply #42 on: June 24, 2013, 05:00:50 pm
Just regarding the idle RPM.

I just did a rough estimate based on Mattsz's method. I used your video to record an audio sample of approx 5 seconds when you were in neutral from here http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sJ9VQjfKV3Q#t=104s

I used the recorded audio sample and put it in my audio software and counted the pulses (thumps) in 1 second. Yours had 13, which is 780 per-minute. To get the rpm, 780*2 = 1560.

So approximately, your idle is around 1560RPM, which is 310RPM over the maximum spec of 1250. The factory idle RPM spec is given at 1050 +/- 200. So you are safe between 950 and 1250. Try reducing your idle. Hopefully it will reduce some fuel consumption at least  ;)
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Rich Mintz

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Reply #43 on: June 24, 2013, 05:05:50 pm
Thanks to all -- I will try reducing my idle. Actually I brought this up when I took the bike in for the 600 mi service but the dealer told me my idle was "fine." At that time I wasn't a competent enough mechanic to fiddle with it, but now I am.
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Rich Mintz

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Reply #44 on: June 24, 2013, 06:31:47 pm
Oh, and incidentally, since I've trashed my rear sprocket, this week I'm riding my SYM Symba. That thing gets upwards of 100 MPG, so I'm feeling very gas-thrifty at the moment!
Rich Mintz - New York City
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