[Nc dan]

I've had my, new to me, 83 GL 650 on the road for about a month now. It's only got 8000 miles on it and it's running great. The bike had been sitting for 13 years so I had a old Honda mechanic go through every system from front to rear. 800 bucks later, parts and labor, she seams to be perfect. I took a short trip for the first time the other day to the mountains. Round trip of around 200 miles. After filling up with gas I checked the mileage and she turned out 48 MPG. Is this about the max irs capable of or is it capable of even better in perfect conditions.

 

[murrayf]

were you in the hills?

how fast were you going

kamn rode my wifes cx650 from lexington to durham and back for the bull city rumble

speeds were was 65-75 and he got 56 mpg i got 48.5 on my gl1100

the gl 650 should be around the same mileage but in the hills a bit less

 

[Nc dan]

Flat ground from Winston Salem them up the mt. Of course came back down the mr on the way back. I cruised between 65-70. I jetted up when I had the carbs cleaned, went up from 118 to 120 and 78 to 80. I did the research and found that this is a needed upgrade for these 83 gl650.

 

[Bluedirtrider]

48 is pretty normal for rides with climbing. I can get in the 50's on long flat rides or if I take it easy but WOT is a lot more fun

 

[murrayf]

what do your plugs look like with those needed jet upgrades?

 

[Nc dan]

Not sure what you may be implying but the bike runs great. I would know if it were being over gassed. There is a lot of mechanical opinions from Honda pros that these motors were cut back to much for pollution requirements in the 80s when these bikes came out. The bike also runs cooler sense I uped the jets a size.

 

[murrayf]

As a carb tuner without plug chops or a air fuel ratio meter you really know squat
And if you are cooling a motor with fuel to the point of a temp drop then you have lost more than some mileage
Your mileage is down and I doubt your power is up
A lot of people make a lot of claims with the 650s and not many of them have ever had one on a dyno or a track

 

[Nc dan]

I know my bike starts easy, runs clean, has great acceleration, plugs are clean and grayish and it turned out 48- 50 mpg. With that said I figure I know a little more that squat. Sometimes and old guy with a load of experience and a little common sense goes further than any want-a-be cyber mechanic. Keep your remarks respectful and helpful or keep them to yourself, Sir. My mechanic has been a certified Honda mechanic for 40 years and two local Honda dealers. When he went through my 650 after it had been sitting for 14 years, he recommended the jet changes. That 40 years experience is good enough for me.

 

[Bluedirtrider]

I know my bike starts easy, runs clean, has great acceleration, plugs are clean and grayish and it turned out 48- 50 mpg. With that said I figure I know a little more that squat. Sometimes and old guy with a load of experience and a little common sense goes further than any want-a-be cyber mechanic. Keep your remarks respectful and helpful or keep them to yourself, Sir. My mechanic has been a certified Honda mechanic for 40 years and two local Honda dealers. When he went through my 650 after it had been sitting for 14 years, he recommended the jet changes. That 40 years experience is good enough for me.

You misunderstood him. He said you can't tell anything about how the mix is with out checking a plug or the exhaust content. He wasn't saying you don't know squat. Regardless Murray has more experience with these bikes than anyone else I'm aware of he is no cyber mechanic. Respect is a 2 way street

 

[Bonz]

Murray said nothing offensive. His message, if you read again, paraphrases "you can't tell squat without a plug chop or A/F sniffer" Sounds like your bike is running fine, why question your mileage? The mechanic you used should know after 40 years if your mileage is good from his recommendation, have you asked him? I never heard of a Liquid Cooled bike running cooler from a one size jet change, ever.

 

[Nc dan]

Murray said nothing offensive. His message, if you read again, paraphrases "you can't tell squat without a plug chop or A/F sniffer" Sounds like your bike is running fine, why question your mileage? The mechanic you used should know after 40 years if your mileage is good from his recommendation, have you asked him? I never heard of a Liquid Cooled bike running cooler from a one size jet change, ever.

My original post was a simple request for information concerning the fuel mileage others got from their 650s. A response does not have to be In tthe platform of " you don't know what you are talking about " enough said about that. Thanks for all responses.

 

[smilin' brad]

Last year, Blue Ridge Parkway, my GL500I got 53 and my GL650I got 55.
Low speeds, up and down the mountains.

 

[Bonz]

I found these links, is this the Honda Pro?

http://ericpetersautos.com/2014/09/24/experiment-1983-honda-gl650/.

My question is how does ethanol fuel equate to "like running at higher elevation" so you go larger in main jet??? You go smaller in main jet as elevation increases... Even with oxygenated fuels back when most cars and bikes still had carbs, you went down a size in mains at higher elevation. I think he may be saying because of the lower energy content of ethanol, going a size larger in main jet adds fuel to compensate for the few percentage points of lower energy.

'83 Honda GL650, Post-Jetting - EPautos

Glad you have a good running bike, and overall the 650 would be my choice as I believe it is as efficient or more so than the smaller 500 which has shorter gearing.