Hi I joined cause im having trouble with my 1994 sportster 1200. Bike only has 12400 miles on it.The problem im having is it seems to have terrible gas mileage. I seem to only get 17 to 18 miles a gallon. And when I switch to reserve it seems to go through all the reserve gas in a matter of minutes. I have checked the petcock, airfilter, and carb. All seems fine with those three things. What could be causeing this issue????
New here need help with bike
- Thread starter grendal
- Start date
1994 sportster 1200 poor fuel time
I have a 1994 sportster 1200 with 12400 miles on it. It is getting the worst mileage. It seems to get 17-18 miles agallon. I have checked the petcock, air filter, and carb. All seem to be in good working order and clean. What could be causeing this issue????
I have a 1994 sportster 1200 with 12400 miles on it. It is getting the worst mileage. It seems to get 17-18 miles agallon. I have checked the petcock, air filter, and carb. All seem to be in good working order and clean. What could be causeing this issue????
BUBBIE
Well-Known Member
Re: 1994 sportster 1200 poor fuel time
DID it get better mileage BEFORE and "IF" YOU know it did?
My guess would be the jetting too FAT. Have they been Fiddled with and changed?
Now The "IF's" need to be answered first, then we can go from there.
signed....BUBBIE
DID it get better mileage BEFORE and "IF" YOU know it did?
My guess would be the jetting too FAT. Have they been Fiddled with and changed?
Now The "IF's" need to be answered first, then we can go from there.
signed....BUBBIE
BUBBIE
Well-Known Member
Re: 1994 sportster 1200 poor fuel time
I would think the Float Might be set too high. Allowing excessive fuel to get burnt.
Is the enricher working good and not sticking open? IF it has the internal one?
That's about ALL I have/ fin_676 (moderator from Scotland) May give a few more as he is a good carb man.
signed....BUBBIE
I would think the Float Might be set too high. Allowing excessive fuel to get burnt.
Is the enricher working good and not sticking open? IF it has the internal one?
That's about ALL I have/ fin_676 (moderator from Scotland) May give a few more as he is a good carb man.
signed....BUBBIE
Jennmarr
Junior Member
Let's start with some additional basic information. What cams do you have? What type of exhaust? Is it still running stock pistons? Has it always performed like this for you or is this a new problem? What does your exhaust look like? Black? Blue? Is there heavy soot at the end of the exhaust pipe? What color is the electrode on the plugs? When you say it "seems" like it is getting 17-18mpg does that mean you are recording the miles traveled and documenting the amount of gas you put in, or are you guessing at your fuel consumption? Properly tuned and ridden conservatively, that bike should get over 50mpg.
Re: 1994 sportster 1200 poor fuel time
At the mileage you are getting i would tend to think that you are losing some fuel someplace or the plugs would get so badly fouled that the bike would not run
I think this may be a good time to pull the carb and get a rebuild kit and rebuild it modern fuels are not good on the plastic and rubber parts in the carb
the rubber tip on the float needle can become hard and develop a wee groove that fails to seal the float bowl then fills up and the fuel runs down the overflow pipe to under the bike
another area to look at is the fuel inlet in the carb it is a plastic elbow that can crack and allow fuel to leak on to the top of the gearbox
I hope this helps a wee bit but a thorough inspection is required and some more info on what your findings are it is also good to know the jet sizes
Brian
At the mileage you are getting i would tend to think that you are losing some fuel someplace or the plugs would get so badly fouled that the bike would not run
I think this may be a good time to pull the carb and get a rebuild kit and rebuild it modern fuels are not good on the plastic and rubber parts in the carb
the rubber tip on the float needle can become hard and develop a wee groove that fails to seal the float bowl then fills up and the fuel runs down the overflow pipe to under the bike
another area to look at is the fuel inlet in the carb it is a plastic elbow that can crack and allow fuel to leak on to the top of the gearbox
I hope this helps a wee bit but a thorough inspection is required and some more info on what your findings are it is also good to know the jet sizes
Brian
SirDimsdale
Active Member
I would start by replacing the plugs (use only H-D) and check to see if the carb was re-jetted and get it back in spec.
Also, pull each of the fuses one at a time and buff the legs up.
Also, pull each of the fuses one at a time and buff the legs up.
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Its all stock engine except the pipes. Stock cams and stock pistons. Pipes are chrome not blue or black. There is slight black soot at exhust exit. Plugs are good and clean. I checked the petcock and air filter both are clean. Just two weeks ago i drove almost 80 miles on a tank of gas. This problem just started. I have been keeping track of the milage to fuel ratio and yes im getting about 18 mpg. There is no fuel getting in crank case, no fuel on the ground i havent found any fuel leaks of any kind. There is no smell of gas in the oil and no smoke coming out the pipes. Dont know if the carbs were ever rejetted before i got it but they havent been since I got it. Every thing is just as it was when I bought the bike.