My new little Sporster 48 ("Spinner") got some minor changes for this year. I converted to Screaming Beagle mufflers, a more free-flowing air filtration system and a download. I picked up some horsepower, but now premium fuel is up in cost. Last year, even after break-in and using the fuel cuff, the farthest I could get before the fuel warning light came on was 57.3 miles.

When Betty was rebuilt, I did get a slight drop in milege, but yikes, the motor was completely rebuilt. I could problably go +130 miles before I started looking for gas. However, during break-in on the Sportster I once got the light at 40 miles.

Has anyone done similar mods to a new Sportster? Did you get a noticeable drop in mileage? I am/did toy with the idea of putting a Nightster tank on Spinner (painted up to mimic the original paint scheme) but for +500 bucks I can buy a lot of fuel. Who knows though, I might get only +40 miles nursing a tank, which is no gain considering.

I can't believe that you are only getting around 50 miles to a tank. The MoCo website states 42 city 57 hw fuel capacity 2.1 gallons. I would think that with the new mods you would at least get min 40 mpg. When you go to full up when your low fuel light comes on how much are you putting in? Could it be that the reserve light comes on early when you still have maybe 1 gallon in the tank.

I would check to see how much you are filling up when you hit 53 miles. If you have no gas left then you need to talk to the dealer about that.

Anyway I think that the 48 is the nicest sporty that they make.

No, no, I'm getting 50 miles until the warning light comes on. The problem here is that I like to ride up on the slab a lot of the time, or in Madison's nearby country side.

Figure it this way, you pass an off-ramp, and the light goes on. It could be ten miles until the next off-ramp, and perhaps a little double back to an open station. I've cut it pretty close.

Most times I like to get off and stretch my legs at about 75 to 100 miles. On Betty I have +one third of a tank left. But on Spinner I hit 50 miles and I have to start thinking about gasoline.

BTW, with EFI bikes like a 48 there is no reserve. Harley just had an article on how and when the light comes on, and it sounded like time/distance mumbo-jumbo to me. Give me 'old biker' news I can use. Like, how far do I have push this dead iron beast until I throttle someone on the design team?

just me thinking outside the box....
how about a nice chrome or maybe blacked out? aux tank... I don't know where you'd be able to mount it but it doesn't have to be bigger than a half gal or 3 qts... just enough to not have to push it home...
done right it'd make that bike yours, and serve a real purpose.

Way ahead of you. Right now my mechanic Ryan is checking into how a Nightster tank can be made to fit a 48, still utilize 'under mirrors' and get a 'faux' paint job identical to the original 48.

The only difference in the 48's mirrors is the location. They can be easily turned around and become standard mirrors, and in a pinch, that's okay. I would prefer the original look and profile.

Hey, who's leg do I have to hump to get someone to rig posting bigger pictures? There's details on my bike--and no doubt on other people's--where a bigger view would be helpful.

How many gallons of gas does it take to fill the tank when the light goes on and you have 53 miles on your odometer?

That's the quandry. "YMMV."

If I'm in town, or downshifting a lot on the Beltline I might get a warning light with the odometer reading 45 miles. If I go up on the slab, granny shift her, and sit in the right hand lane I've gone 57.3 miles until the light.

Gas was 3.07 (premium) for most of the last summer. My average fill cost anywhere from 2.50 to 3.25. One night I even paid 4 bucks. But I did it all with loose change from the bottom of my wife's purse. I don't complain, it's just a hassle to stop all of the time. I've hit my local station three times in one afternoon. If I would have topped off when returning home it would have been four times.

OKay lets say it a different way. How many miles per gallon are you getting?

I cannot honestly say, I never figured it out with a calculator. My guess would be +/-45 when the engine was tight, and +/-52 towards the end of the season. I finished with a little over 6,000 on the odometer, so I guess it's as good as it's going to get.

You bring up a good point. I'll start computing city miles to slab miles and see what the actual mileage is.

You only have a 2.1 gal tank. If you only get 45 mpg and the light goes on at 53 miles then you have aprox. 35 miles plus .1 of the 2.1 left in the tank and .1 is 4.5 miles if my math is right. The tank isn't that big, so I would think that the most usable arena for this bike is city where there is plenty of fuel all over. Again Hot Bike but not for the long haul.