RE: Improving mileage on an R1100RT

[scott Baxter <rg500g@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I think I'm going to lift my seat and peer into
my electronics box today!  I never bothered to look
under the seat in the breaker/relay box.  That will be
addressed forthwith.

--- "James H. Nazarian, Ph.D."
<microdoc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Scott:
> 
> The fuel mileage you have reported for your R1100RT
> sounds suspiciously like
> what has been reported after an owner "pulls the Cat
> Code Plug". At least
> one of the so-called remedies for what some people
> refer to as "s*rging"
> involved disabling the ECU's lean running control,
> which causes the engine
> to run "full rich" all the time. This was done by
> disconnecting a device
> found in the fuse/relay box under your seat. When
> this is done, the bike
> will then run at a maximum rich mixture, guzzle
> fuel, cause premature death
> to the catalytic converter ($$$), and various and
> sundry other things it
> isn't supposed to do. The bike will deliver poor
> mileage right in the
> neighborhood of what you have reported, albeit
> running a tad smoother. If
> your bike "s*rges", have it properly and correctly
> tuned up by a competent
> BMW MC tech and keep it stock; my three oilheads
> are, and they all run
> great.  BTW, my '99 R1100RT has been averaging 44-48
> mpg since new. At high
> altitudes it does a little better, and is a little
> more thirsty when I
> really twist the right grip near sea level. I don't
> think it has ever hit a
> low of even 40 mpg. For comparison, my 2001 R1150GS
> betters those figures by
> 5-10% on secondary roads, but it delivers just about
> the same mileage as the
> RT at constant highway speeds (~75 mph); I attribute
> this to the RT's
> excellent aerodynamics & the substantial wind
> resistance of the GS's big
> Touratech side cases. Hope this helps
> 
> Jim
> microdoc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-oilheads@xxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-oilheads@xxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
> Of scott Baxter
> Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 10:56 PM
> To: oilheads@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Improving mileage on an R1100RT
> 
> I've googled "+R1100RT +MPG" and found a number of
> sites that reference gas mileage to one extent or
> another.  Presently I'm getting 36.5 MPG on the two
> tank refills I've made after purchasing the bike. 
> About the same MPG each tank.  From what I'm seeing
> this is on the low end, but not low enough to put
> the
> bike in the shop.
> 
> What can be done to maximize mileage?  If it's a
> choice between MPG or surge, right now I"ll take
> MPG. 
> The bike is to my knowledge bone stock, new stock
> air
> filter I put in, valve adj today, fresh engine,
> trans,
> and final drive oil, I don't whack open the throttle
> to revel in the intake honk, no lugging, no 'sporty'
> riding, simple use of the bike as transportation. 
> Air
> temps 30F in morning, driving 40% city, 60% beltway
> cruising at 70 or so.