drop in mpg

[bpdchief]

Did anyone notice a drop in mpg after doing the needle lift on the carb. While it has been windy here for the last two weeks I was surprised that my mileage dropped from 70 mpg to 60 mpg. Engine runs much better, no "dead" spot in acceleration - maybe it's my driving that has changed and is causing this. :retard:

[blaine]

Originally Posted by bpdchief

Did anyone notice a drop in mpg after doing the needle lift on the carb. While it has been windy here for the last two weeks I was surprised that my mileage dropped from 70 mpg to 60 mpg. Engine runs much better, no "dead" spot in acceleration - maybe it's my driving that has changed and is causing this. :retard:

I noticed a little,but not that much,& a lot of it was in my riding harder.After the first couple of weeks,I noticed very little if any difference.
:cool:

[Water Warrior 2]

You can expect a change but likely not that much. Sounds like a 15% drop with the needle adjusted. Might be a combo of the wind and the needle. Don't have any actual personal experience with the carb as Lynda wouldn't let me touch her bike.

[jonathan180iq]

You're allowing more gas to flow into the mix, which is going to reduce your overall mileage.
As mentioned, you may not notice it, but you're going to drive slightly more aggressively as well. It's human nature If we have more power, or sound, or whatever, we are going to use it.

Run a couple more tanks before you've determined how much mileage has dropped. Averages are what count with things like fuel economy. There can be so much variance from one tank to the next.

[bpdchief]

Yes I agree... For the next couple of tanks I'm going to faithfully stick to 55 mph instead of trying to keep up with traffic (they can pass me) I'm sure going 60-65 has had a major effect and I'm going to make sure I accelerate smoothly.

How often do you guys pack your front wheel bearings? I haven't seen anything about that.

[Water Warrior 2]

I think the bearings will have a seal on one side and don't lend themselves well to cleaning and repacking. I just replaced them with new bearings. Bearings are also pretty cheap for the miles you get from them. When you remove the front wheel be careful with the speedo drive in the front hub. It is usually a plastic affair and prone to breakage. Clean it up and relube the parts. It only goes together one way and that is very important. While you are at it clean and lube the speedo drive inner cable too.
Undo the cable on both ends and remove the inner drive, soak it in kerosene and dry it. Drip a bit of kero into the outer housing to flush out any mung. When you are ready to button things up just slide the inner drive in from the top and give it a few short blasts of chain lube while doing so. This worked great on cages years ago when the speedo would hang up.

[bpdchief]

Thanks I'll do the exploded view of the speedo mechanism and take it outside with me.

[raul10141964]

I have
needle mode
140 main jet
air filter mode
16T sprocket
90% sity drive
63 MPG average

[bpdchief]

It beats the hell out of the 11 mpg my pickup was getting so I'll shut-up about the mileage :whistle:

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by bpdchief

It beats the hell out of the 11 mpg my pickup was getting so I'll shut-up about the mileage :whistle:

Is it safe to assume the pickup went bye bye instead of buy buy?