tear drop air cleaner?

[DKtime]

Well It looks like I'm getting just under 40mpg around town, so I'm pleased with that. Hopefully I'll get somewhere around 45+ highway. I'll soon see as the wife and I are heading back to Robinsville, NC next weekend.

thanks for all the replies everyone.

[chief]

Good for you!  Now you should be riding !!!

[DKtime]

Chief,
It's got a PCIII. I went ahead and bit the bullet, It's sitting in my garage right now.

[Troll]

It's really easy to do, and if you have a machine shop that will work with you, the whole thing, including the K&N air filter cost me less than $100. I would imagine that one for a carbed engine would be even easier to fab, and might yield even better results.

[DKtime]

Thanks guys,

Chief, I'll check on the FI and my riding terrain here in north Alabama is mostly small mountains to the north and east and flat to the south and west. I do almost no Interstate riding

[49Reo]

Since I made my new air cleaner backing plate and removed the restricted  intake the factory installs, I have a net gain of about 5 mpg average over all, and under specific conditions, as much as a 10 mpg improvement.  If my riding is all interstate type, with no cold starts within the fill up period, I have improved the economy by about 7-8 mpg.  Case in point: my low fuel light used to come on at almost exactly 140 miles every time, now it comes on between 175 and 180...My only issue with your air cleaner (it's pretty) is that the open element allows water intrusion, whereas the way I did it keeps the water out. I ride in all weather, so to me, this is a major concern. There is one more thing that you will notice with the open air cleaner, or any that removes the stock intake tract...intake noise. The original design did a wonderful job of muffling the intake honk, where as this will let it all be heard. I took an instructor update school a couple of weeks ago, and I used my bike in the range exercises. I filled up before I left home, rode 135 miles to the school on Friday night. Cold start Sat. morning (it makes a difference) Classroom for 2 hours Sat morning, another cold start, and then 5 hours of exercises, mostly in 1st and 2nd gear. I left the school and then road another 60 miles before filling up again, averaged 46 mpg on that tank....

That is an impressive improvement; it's amazing what a little ingenuity and tinkering can do. This mod would likely work on the Classics and Nomads as well; you should go into business, might make some serious coin...

Regards, and such,
49Reo

[Troll]

    Since I made my new air cleaner backing plate and removed the restricted  intake the factory installs, I have a net gain of about 5 mpg average over all, and under specific conditions, as much as a 10 mpg improvement.  If my riding is all interstate type, with no cold starts within the fill up period, I have improved the economy by about 7-8 mpg.  Case in point: my low fuel light used to come on at almost exactly 140 miles every time, now it comes on between 175 and 180...My only issue with your air cleaner (it's pretty) is that the open element allows water intrusion, whereas the way I did it keeps the water out. I ride in all weather, so to me, this is a major concern. There is one more thing that you will notice with the open air cleaner, or any that removes the stock intake tract...intake noise. The original design did a wonderful job of muffling the intake honk, where as this will let it all be heard. I took an instructor update school a couple of weeks ago, and I used my bike in the range exercises. I filled up before I left home, rode 135 miles to the school on Friday night. Cold start Sat. morning (it makes a difference) Classroom for 2 hours Sat morning, another cold start, and then 5 hours of exercises, mostly in 1st and 2nd gear. I left the school and then road another 60 miles before filling up again, averaged 46 mpg on that tank....

[chief]

MPG is really, really dependent upon terrain and riding style. 1500's run from around 35 to 40... some better some worse.

With the exhaust changed and the air kit, the bike should also have an additional FI box... like a PCIII, Cobra FI2000, or the like. These are supposed to be tuned for your situation. check that out as well.
You can also ask the current owner... about the above.

[DKtime]

here's a pic of the bike...

[DKtime]

I am thinking about buying a 2002, 1500 drifter with 25000 miles. It has long shot exhaust and a teardrop air kit installed on it something like this one...
http://www.thundermfg.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=251

I'm sure this will effect fuel usage but I have no idea how much. Does anyone have or have had one of these installed? What kind of MPG could I expect?

Thanks in advance,
DKT