KZ's and Fuel Mileage.

I ride my 77 KZ 750 EVERYWHERE in NYC. Fuel consumption in the city is awful.

Tomorrow Im doing a 70 mile trip each way for a total of 140 miles. All is well with the bike, fine tuned, good oil carbs etc. How many times might you think i have to fill up ONE WAY on this 70 trip (70 miles to and 70 miles back for a total 0f 140. But Im only interested in how far I may get on a full tank).

Im only into this biking thing a year, though I now have 4 vintage bikes. Any thoughts on the above questions would be great.

Thanks!



UPDATE
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So the bike was AMAZING on the road. NYC is a competitive city and if there are no cops around, its impossible to drive slow. Added to the fact there were two old-timers racing me on modern bikes, and I was doing about 95-100 much of the way, the fuel economy was FANTASTIC! 70 miles only used up 1.25 gallons! What a bike this is!

Before the trip, I never really got this bike above 5k rpms. Its seems the twin LOVES the 5k - 7k range and REALLY comes alive closer to 7. I know its not a KZ900 or KZ1000 but MAN this bike MOVES! Below is a photo of the beach and my bike parked near the beach.

When getting a proper jetting combination, some compromises have to be made. So if the exhaust or the intake has been altered, it may have been rejetted. Sometimes when rejetting, the part throttle range may be richer than desired, but still within a range where it runs fine. This may be to compensate for a lean position at a slightly higher throttle opening. So this can result in poor mileage while cruising.

The opposite can also happen. If the mid throttle is a bit rich, someone may lean out the part throttle position (using needle position or idle/intermediate jets). In that case, the mileage may be really good, but the bike will be very cold blooded (long time to come off choke).

I have jetted my 550's in various combinations and could get anywhere from 50 to 70 mpg while cruising at about 65 mph or so. To get the 70 mpg, the choke gets used a lot more, and on super cold days, it can take a half hour to really get warm enough to run nicely.

loudhvx wrote: When getting a proper jetting combination, some compromises have to be made. So if the exhaust or the intake has been altered, it may have been rejetted. Sometimes when rejetting, the part throttle range may be richer than desired, but still within a range where it runs fine. This may be to compensate for a lean position at a slightly higher throttle opening. So this can result in poor mileage while cruising.

The opposite can also happen. If the mid throttle is a bit rich, someone may lean out the part throttle position (using needle position or idle/intermediate jets). In that case, the mileage may be really good, but the bike will be very cold blooded (long time to come off choke).

I have jetted my 550's in various combinations and could get anywhere from 50 to 70 mpg while cruising at about 65 mph or so. To get the 70 mpg, the choke gets used a lot more, and on super cold days, it can take a half hour to really get warm enough to run nicely.

It has a 2 into 1 on it and runs pretty well. My problem is I like to go 70-85 most of the time. And Im sure the stop start of city traffic eats away at my mileage as well. Here is my bike:

Smart money would be to fill up at start of trip and when you get to the destination of your 70 mile trip.
This will take the guess work out of your bikes range.
Dave

Street Fighter LTD wrote: Smart money would be to fill up at start of trip and when you get to the destination of your 70 mile trip.
This will take the guess work out of your bikes range.
Dave

Yeah i just hope I make it the first 70 lol!!!

If that is the case stop at 35 miles and add half to one and a half gallons. Then do the math on MPG
Dave

Street Fighter LTD wrote: If that is the case stop at 35 miles and add half to one and a half gallons. Then do the math on MPG
Dave

Problem is, I dont know where there are gas stations along the route. I want to drive straight with no detours. We shall see. I will post an update tomorrow evening when the trip is all said and done.

Do you still have reserve?
Steve

SWest wrote: Do you still have reserve?
Steve

Yep. As a rule though, I ALWAYS run my bikes on reserve. Perhaps tomorrow I will just leave the petcock in the ON position to I know when I hit reserve

I never run on reserve. Out here it's a choice of losing the bike or losing the bike.
Steve

SWest wrote: I never run on reserve. Out here it's a choice of losing the bike or losing the bike.
Steve

out here?

The desert or any rural area. Someone will take it.
Steve