[Smiley]

The price dropped here today. Unheard of: lowering the price of fuel on a long weekend? The price fixers at the Petroleum Club in Calgary must be smoking some primo with a side dish of high-class hookers and magnums of Bollinger.

 

[Smiley]

Bought gas the day BEFORE yesterday in Vernon, BC, at $2.089/L.

Vernon is not far from #31A, Kaslo to New Denver, one of the best rides I enjoyed in BC.

 

[JT in GA]

Filled up my cans today - "no ethanol" 100% gas @ 4.409/ us gal. $68

44 gal of diesel (topped off my aux tank for 75 extra gallons for upcoming summer trips) ... $220

Rode about 2hrs on the Versys with my wife today... relatively cheap entertainment 😉

 

[kardan]

Croatia:
95 octan - 7.11 USD per gallon
95+ octan (same fule but with more additive ) - 7.62 USD per gallon
and 100 octan are 7.90-7.97 USD per gallon

Fuel prices are high, and would have been much higher if the government had not intervened and removed some fuel taxes.

Luckily I travel by train to work, otherwise if I used a motorbike to travel to work I would spend at least 20% of my salary on fuel (with car 30-35%).
I hope prices start to fall soon. But as the tourist season approaches, the fuel will be the same price.

What worries me more is that food has become more expensive and is slowly becoming more expensive.

 

[Fly-Sig]

What worries me more is that food has become more expensive and is slowly becoming more expensive.

We are actively stocking up on food and other supplies. We already were prepared for short term emergencies such as a power outage or storm. Now we are anticipating food shortages and very significant price increases. Buying food now will save money.

We have given up eating some of the luxury items we enjoyed once per week such as steak or scallops because the prices have gone up so much. More than 100% compared to a year ago. Many food items are up 25-50% already.

 

[fasteddiecopeman]

Vernon is not far from #31A, Kaslo to New Denver, one of the best rides I enjoyed in BC.

Smiley - I've ridden BC 31A several times, but it is not on my list of great BC rides - several of which are VERY close to my house here. One issue w/ 31A is that the people who live along there are becoming ANTI-MOTORCYCLES, because of the number of idiots running w/ VERY noisy pipes.

 

[Thesurferbum]

I ride my Versys 650 year around, and I've always been pretty diligent with maintaining it. Cleaning the front of the drive, making sure the chain is oiled and lined up, tightening the chain, replacing it when needed, oil changes, keeping the tires filled up, etc. But my gas mileage has been getting worse, and worse. When I first got my 2016 Versys 650 a couple years ago, the mileage was pretty reasonable. I was getting around 42mpg average? I was also still learning the bike a bit and was still a pretty new rider.

I have gone back through and checked that the clutch cable is adjusted to the proper setting, and adjusted the lever positions to be more suited to me. Just lubed the clutch not long ago as well. It has close to 12000 miles on it (had 2800 when I bought it).

The mileage has dropped to 32mpg. It gets ridden mainly in city, but even going across state the gas was eaten up really fast. I always, except when in six gear, keep it under 5k RPMs and above 4k RPMs since it seems happiest in that range, and the economy icon is on normally in that range. I hard accelerate when getting on the freeway but overall tend to keep it within reason on city roads. Only other thing that may contribute to the cruddy fuel economy might be that because I have to scoot my bum off the seat to get a foot down, I will sometimes balance on it and creep if the light looks like it's going to be turning green momentarily. But I don't think that'd do a lot? I've gotten pretty good about balancing the clutch, throttle, and rear brake when doing that.

Any idea what could be causing it?

I should note that I've added a bit to the bike since I got it. Crash cage, center stand, risers, heated grips, aftermarket levers, luggage racks, top case rack.. Probably other stuff I'm not immediately thinking about. I do tend to use the top case, and the waterproof saddlebags on it pretty regularly. Here's a picture:

View attachment 187899

Thanks for the help!

I was getting around 35mpg and wasn't happy so I took it in and had them do full service, all filters, all fluid changes, plugs and valves, I now get 45-50 depending on how much I dick around. Maybe it's time to do full service.

 

[Smiley]

Smiley - I've ridden BC 31A several times, but it is not on my list of great BC rides - several of which are VERY close to my house here. One issue w/ 31A is that the people who live along there are becoming ANTI-MOTORCYCLES, because of the number of idiots running w/ VERY noisy pipes.

My memories of 31A are from a trip exactly 20 years ago. It was nearly deserted in both vehicles and dwellings, the surface was good, the curves were fun and the scenery was good too. What scenery I saw, that is, I rode it fast and was watching the road.

 

[Lunar Firefly]

HOKAY so -

Just did the filter and spark plug change. Realized I need to do a flush of my radiator. The antifreeze is looking a bit old, and I'll be replacing that with the Ice coolant. Just need to pick up more distilled water.

Picked up the Laser Iridium plugs for the Versys (NGK) and a new Hi-Flow disposable air filter.

Here's some pictures of the old plugs and air filter -

I did find something peculiar though. Inside the spark plug boots, it looked rusty? The very back of the boot was clear, but the tube leading to it seemed dusted with rust which I found super bizarre. Is that normal?

Thoughts? I tried to blow it out a bit but didn't want to mess with it since I'd not seen that before. And to be honest I've only changed the spark plugs on two bikes and they were from 2003 and 1980. Both needed the boots and wires replaced.

Anyway I haven't taken it out yet. Started it up a couple times, and it started up beautifully. Sounds a bit happier, but I won't know for sure how it's running until I get it out and about.

On another note - I cleaned up the brakes. The rubber in the calipers seemed fine so I left it. No signs of leaks or anything. Changed the fluid in both the front and back. Zip tied the pedal to the center stand to keep it tight, and the lever to the grip and left it overnight. Did a bit more bleeding and got a few extra bubbles out. Everything feels better for sure. There's enough meat on the brakes to last until the end of the summer at least.

So that's my update thus far. I'll be throwing some ethanol free fuel into the tank probably Friday and riding down to see a friend out of town. Should be a good run to estimate how my bike is doing now.

Will update once I know. Thank you again everyone for all the help!

 

[Slower and Slower]

HOKAY so -

Just did the filter and spark plug change. Realized I need to do a flush of my radiator. The antifreeze is looking a bit old, and I'll be replacing that with the Ice coolant. Just need to pick up more distilled water.

Picked up the Laser Iridium plugs for the Versys (NGK) and a new Hi-Flow disposable air filter.

Here's some pictures of the old plugs and air filter -

View attachment 188142 View attachment 188143 View attachment 188144

I did find something peculiar though. Inside the spark plug boots, it looked rusty? The very back of the boot was clear, but the tube leading to it seemed dusted with rust which I found super bizarre. Is that normal?

View attachment 188145 View attachment 188146

Thoughts? I tried to blow it out a bit but didn't want to mess with it since I'd not seen that before. And to be honest I've only changed the spark plugs on two bikes and they were from 2003 and 1980. Both needed the boots and wires replaced.

Anyway I haven't taken it out yet. Started it up a couple times, and it started up beautifully. Sounds a bit happier, but I won't know for sure how it's running until I get it out and about.

On another note - I cleaned up the brakes. The rubber in the calipers seemed fine so I left it. No signs of leaks or anything. Changed the fluid in both the front and back. Zip tied the pedal to the center stand to keep it tight, and the lever to the grip and left it overnight. Did a bit more bleeding and got a few extra bubbles out. Everything feels better for sure. There's enough meat on the brakes to last until the end of the summer at least.

So that's my update thus far. I'll be throwing some ethanol free fuel into the tank probably Friday and riding down to see a friend out of town. Should be a good run to estimate how my bike is doing now.

Will update once I know. Thank you again everyone for all the help!

Hi LF,
To my eyes, the gap on the spark plug looks way too large. I'd have half that distance.
What is the correct gap, that you set for the new plugs and how that that compare to the old and sooty one ?

Rob.

 

[Lunar Firefly]

Hi LF,
To my eyes, the gap on the spark plug looks way too large. I'd have half that distance.
What is the correct gap, that you set for the new plugs and how that that compare to the old and sooty one ?

Rob.

Hey Rob,

New plugs came pre-gapped at .035" (0.9mm). These are the ones I bought:
NGK 6289 (CR9EIA) Laser Iridium Spark Plugs.
Also the ones I just pulled out (in the picture) were the ones that came with the bike. This is its 12k mile spark plug swap. Factory plugs wouldn't be too wide, would they?

 

[invader]

Hey Rob,

New plugs came pre-gapped at .035" (0.9mm). These are the ones I bought:
NGK 6289 (CR9EIA) Laser Iridium Spark Plugs.
Also the ones I just pulled out (in the picture) were the ones that came with the bike. This is its 12k mile spark plug swap. Factory plugs wouldn't be too wide, would they?

The ground electrode wore down, increasing the gap. They started at 0.9mm when new... Here are 52,000 mile plugs from 52,000 miles plugs? | Kawasaki Versys Forum

 

[Surfersami]

I had fuel mileage drop on a vehicle before, turned out to be low compression. But it happened slowly over time.

 

[dandan]

Maybe 30 cc of this in a full tank of gas

Amazon.com: Royal Purple 11722 - Max-Clean Fuel System 20 Oz Cleaner & Stabilizer Bottle : Automotive

Buy Royal Purple 11722 - Max-Clean Fuel System 20 Oz Cleaner & Stabilizer Bottle: Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[ParallelTwinz]

I tend to bounce between different gas stations especially given the spike in cost of gas over the past month or two. But as far as I know, the places I go are at the base 10% ethanol mix. I'd try ethanol free if I could find a gas station that sold it. Closest one I know of is south of here about 20 minutes on the interstate.

DPO's (Darned previous owners) can cause more problems by what they DON'T do than what they do sometimes. I learned as a young wrencher to always try the simple stuff first. If you haven't already, I'd fill a near-empty gas tank with 93 octane (and non-ethanol if you can find it) and pour in a half-can of Seafoam. If you suspect you got the bike with ethanol gas older than 30 days from the DPO, I'd use 3-4 ounces of StarTron in addition to Seafoam.

I know that people scoff at "miracles in a can" but using the right one can make a gnarly problem like low MPG go away. I have first hand experience of StarTron allowing five year old gas to burn flawlessly in an 250HP outboard motor and I've unstopped a lot of carbs and injectors with Seafoam. Both are cheap and if it doesn't work, you can be pretty sure that dirty injector or bad fuel are not your problem. The simple stuff first....

 

[invader]

For ultimate cleaning as well as protection, while substantially improving fuel efficiency, why not try the highly affordable TC-W3 2-stroke marine engine oil solution, mixed 640:1 (1oz TC-W3 per 5 US gallons gasoline)... It's also highly effective at preventing fuel needle from sticking in the seat of carburated outboard motors.

10ml TC-W3 per 6.4 liters of fuel (gasoline)

Been testing Oil (ls1.com)

Been testing Oil

You guys know I test constantly and oil/tribology is my thing so here goes. I know the gasoline today is shit. Very dry and poor quality. Throw in ethanol and you got crap/corrosive gasoline. I use Fuel Power/Lucas UCL with great success in my cars and other peoples cars. At the first of the year some of us "lubrication physcho's" (mainly from the aircraft industry) discussed the shit quality of gasoline and the absolute advantages of running a fuel additive with lubrication capabilities and I think the testing is now complete and the results are very good. Biggest problem we had was the proper amount but we are now satisfied this works very well and you will have a smoother running engine/more power/better MPG....so here it is.....
What we are trying to accomplish ( The deliverables)
We need to lubricate the fuel pump/seals/injectors.
We need to clean the fuel system and scavenge water that ethanol attracts.
We need a film of protection in our fuel system to stop corrosion.
We need a cleaner for our spark plugs/valves/combustion chambers.
We need to clean the ring packs
We need to leave a film on the cylinder walls to eliminate cold start metal wear.
This was my groups short list of deliverables. Of course we knew if we accomplished this list the car should A) Run Smoother B) Run more efficiently C) Parts will last longer i.e. fuel pumps/injectors etc. D) We should see more RWHP and MPG
We did it. For pennies.
2 Stroke oil. Not just any two stroke oil But we needed the detergents etc. and found the perfect oil/add packs/viscosity in a marine 2 stroke oil you can get for under $10 bucks a gallon anywhere. We used Pennzoil Marine 2 stroke for our testing.
--------------------------
Use 1oz of the two stroke oil per 5 gallons of gas ( 1oz-5 US gallons/ 2ozs - 10 US gallons etc. and that is the perfect ratio. Too much and it will make your engine run worse....too little and it wont do anything.....use the proper amount.....get a little bottle and keep it in your car.....We have seen a maximum of 5% better MPG down to a minimum of 2% better MPG. All of our test mules reported much smoother idles and cruising. No smoking or ill effects. No residue on plugs or pistons....actually the opposite....we saw "cleaning".....I am now comfortable recommending this for all. I also now run this mixture in my GTO/Mercedes/Silverado and G6 with all having smoother running motors and all gaining MPG. Give it a try and let me know your experience. Follow the mixture ratio to the letter. 1 oz per 5 US gallons of gas.

 

[fasteddiecopeman]

Question for you invader - are you talking US gallons or Imperial...?

 

[onewizard]

For ultimate cleaning as well as protection, while substantially improving fuel efficiency, why not try the highly affordable TC-W3 2-stroke marine engine oil solution, mixed 640:1 (1oz TC-W3 per 5 US gallons gasoline)... It's also highly effective at preventing fuel needle from sticking in the seat of carburated outboard motors.

10ml TC-W3 per 6.4 liters of fuel (gasoline)

Been testing Oil (ls1.com)

Been testing Oil

You guys know I test constantly and oil/tribology is my thing so here goes. I know the gasoline today is shit. Very dry and poor quality. Throw in ethanol and you got crap/corrosive gasoline. I use Fuel Power/Lucas UCL with great success in my cars and other peoples cars. At the first of the year some of us "lubrication physcho's" (mainly from the aircraft industry) discussed the shit quality of gasoline and the absolute advantages of running a fuel additive with lubrication capabilities and I think the testing is now complete and the results are very good. Biggest problem we had was the proper amount but we are now satisfied this works very well and you will have a smoother running engine/more power/better MPG....so here it is.....
What we are trying to accomplish ( The deliverables)
We need to lubricate the fuel pump/seals/injectors.
We need to clean the fuel system and scavenge water that ethanol attracts.
We need a film of protection in our fuel system to stop corrosion.
We need a cleaner for our spark plugs/valves/combustion chambers.
We need to clean the ring packs
We need to leave a film on the cylinder walls to eliminate cold start metal wear.
This was my groups short list of deliverables. Of course we knew if we accomplished this list the car should A) Run Smoother B) Run more efficiently C) Parts will last longer i.e. fuel pumps/injectors etc. D) We should see more RWHP and MPG
We did it. For pennies.
2 Stroke oil. Not just any two stroke oil But we needed the detergents etc. and found the perfect oil/add packs/viscosity in a marine 2 stroke oil you can get for under $10 bucks a gallon anywhere. We used Pennzoil Marine 2 stroke for our testing.
--------------------------
Use 1oz of the two stroke oil per 5 gallons of gas ( 1oz-5gallons/ 2ozs - 10 gallons etc. and that is the perfect ratio. Too much and it will make your engine run worse....too little and it wont do anything.....use the proper amount.....get a little bottle and keep it in your car.....We have seen a maximum of 5% better MPG down to a minimum of 2% better MPG. All of our test mules reported much smoother idles and cruising. No smoking or ill effects. No residue on plugs or pistons....actually the opposite....we saw "cleaning".....I am now comfortable recommending this for all. I also now run this mixture in my GTO/Mercedes/Silverado and G6 with all having smoother running motors and all gaining MPG. Give it a try and let me know your experience. Follow the mixture ratio to the letter. 1 oz per 5 gallons of gas.

Sure would like to know where this $10 a gallon stuff is. My research found between $50 and $70 a gallon.
.

 

[invader]

Sure would like to know where this $10 a gallon stuff is. My research found between $50 and $70 a gallon.
.

That was nearly 14 years ago in USA... Prices on oil have recently syrocketed, as you might suspect.

$32 - 5 liter General PDP Template | Canadian Tire

$30 - 4 liter Castrol Outboard High-Performance 2-Stroke Motor Oil | Walmart Canada

Super Tech TC-W3 Outboard Motor Oil | Walmart Canada

$17.24 - US Gallon Super Tech TC-W3 Outboard 2 Cycle Engine Oil, 1 Gallon - Walmart.com

 

[invader]

Question for you invader - are you talking US gallons or Imperial...?

US gallons... LS1's Sarge is from Texas.

Been testing Oil (ls1.com)