So what kind of mileage are you getting? I'm looking to purchase a cruser but when I look at the mileage there getting (not much more that some new cars). I wonder if it is worth the money spent? Other than the thrill of riding.
I now have a Buell XB12 lightning and get 55-60 mpg. I just read the current reveiw of the Harley FLSTC, Honda VTX1800, the Star, etc, and saw a mpg list of 32-44 mpg. I've looked at the HD's and they advertise a 54 mpg. The article stated only 44 at best. Are there any that get a 50+ at 70 mph or so?
Thanks Dave  

You're right, if the cost of gas is the biggest consideration, then it's cheaper to drive and maintain a cheap 40mpg car than a 55 mpg bike. Just keeping tires on the bike will make it more expensive to operate than the car, despite the improvement in mpg.

That said, I always kept my shovelheads running at 52-53mpg and I was still riding an AMF 80ci bike up to 1997. I think the main reason todays v-twins get such poor mpg is the rich FI settings and air injection to burn off the wasted gas in the exhaust pipes. My carbuerated Kawasaki got 55mpg and I expect this VT1100c2 will do the same, when I get around to fine tuning the carbs for my riding style. For now, I'm getting 45-48mpg on it.

I understand one of the aftermarket FI controllers allows you to lean out the mix, but I don't recall which one it is.

regards,
Joe  

Thanks Joe, I also had a AMF and on a trip I regularly got well over 55mpg on it, it just leaked on everything. Dumbass me pluged the vent tube to stop the leak. Got all new seals that way and learned a good lesson.
I wonder if putting a new Harley on a dyno would help lean the mixture?
Thanks again, Dave  

I've heard other people say that they dripped oil. None of mine ever did, but then I removed the lines for the automatic chain oilers.

I doubt if the dyno would help at all. Getting peak performance out of a V-twin means running it rich enough to use all the oxygen it can suck in. Getting high milage means running it so lean that it is bordering on fuel starvation. The problem is that as it leans out, the exhaust gasses get hotter and hotter. At some point you start to weaken the exhaust valve stem from the heat. High mpg loses it's attraction when the engine eats an exhaust valve.

The AMF valves & guides were old tech and depended on lubrication from oil flowing down the valve stem. That oil tended to carbonize noticably quicker on the exhaust valve stems when you got up around 55 mpg. Enough quicker, that you were looking at ring & valve jobs at less than 40,000 mile intervals, as the engine started firing back through the carb when the exhaust valve was slow to close.

I have no idea what the current valve technology can handle. I know with today's Kawasaki's, if you get over 55mpg, the inner exhaust pipe tends to burn through after about 12,000 miles. That's a $500 replacement part. That's a lesson I learned the hard way. I had mine set up to get 58 mpg at 80 mph, which seemed to me to be a good compromise between adequate performance and decent milage.

regards,
Joe  

Dave, the old saying that cubic inches make horsepower is true, it's also tru that for cubic inches to make HP, they have to burn fuel. Having said that, I have a 2007 Honda Shadow VLX deluxe that is a 600cc class v-twin cruiser that is a sporster clone, and with a large windshield, saddle bags, and my 150 LB butt I average 55-60 at 60 mph average, and 50-53 mpg at 70-75 MPH average. This bike is Liquid cooled, yet still has finned cylenders for looks, a monoshock hardtail looking rear suspension with 7 presets, and with the exaust pipes baffles drilled out, sounds just like a harley! Being liquid cooled I can ride it in sub-freezing temps, and she purrs like a kitten at those temps, and runs great in 100 deg plus summer temps, never overheating. I promise you I'm telling the truth when I say that EVERY day I get compliments on how great my bike looks from both guys and girls. In fact it seems that women really like it's looks. Do a Google image search for 2007 Honda VLX shadow 600, and see for your self.
if you have any more questions about this bike email me at glenn.merideth@gmail.com