Yea, I have owned three of them...

You can look at my sig pic and see the bags I have and all the extra accessory weight I have on my bike. (Factory tall sissy bar and factory tall windshield added since pic was taken.) Then add well over 300 lbs for me plus my petite wife's weight and my bike is hauling just over 500 lbs above it's stripped weight.
We have gotten 47 mpg on a leisurely 150 mile, 55 mph ride up and down the Natchez trace around Tupelo, MS behind someone that kept a steady speed. That includes about 20 miles of twisty backroads and in-town riding, too.
Last weekend, on a 200 mile ride, we got 38 mpg on a cool, gusty day running 65-75 mph behind an inexperienced rider that couldn't keep a steady speed. About half of this was interstate and the rest was county roads and state highways.
And I'll normally get high 20's - low 30's going to work and back. (Work is 2.8 miles from home through 11 stop signs/lights and I usually twist it pretty good from a stop.)

Just said all that to say that the little bit of resistance from the bags probably makes less difference than any of the other factors that affect fuel mileage. And, if I'm able to get 47 mpg without trying very hard, it seems to me that weight has less to do with mileage than speed and other factors.

JMHO

I have a fairing and bags but the times i see the BIG Difference is in how you RIDE !!!

I admit I like to twist the throttle and my mileage sucks... but then I take a ride with my buddy

Ray and he like to ride EASY and this is the ONLY time I hit 50 mpg . I'm a firm believer in it's

how you ride ....easy or hard !!! Secondly I don't give a SH*% about my mileage I like the feel of
the torque this machine puts out

Iv'e got leather saddel bags and a wind shield on my 03' ,with out the wind shield the wind would just about beat me to death at high speeds,and it depends on how many bricks I stack in the bags,they want to sag if I load them down,I entend to buy hard bags and a trunk box some day,I agree it depends on how agresive you ride,30 if I hammer it all the time at starts and stops.45 if I take it kinda easy.but you gotta love the kick at take off.

the only reason i watch my mpg's it to know when there is a problem with the bike . alot of times if something major is wrong with my cars there will be a noticable drop in the mpg. but since my bike is there to be loud, burst off the line and just to have and enjoy, most of the time it is my right wrist that gets me at the pump . so i tend not to worry too much about milage.

I get a solid 42 MPG with my bags & shield & the same without. Makes no difference to my bike. If I run premium in it, mileage drops to about 32 - my bike likes regular. It's been dyno-tuned so I'm getting every pony out of it & it runs flawlessly. Idles low but crack the throttle and it flies with no hesitation.

I doubt bags alone will ruin your mileage much unless you don't have legs. Your legs are close to a direct line in front of any bags you'd put on & they'll take the first hit in the wind. Just thinking out loud - or on the keyboard.

- JJ

The bags are behind my legs, and don't really catch much air. I usually get 42-45 mpg. When I load bike down for a trip, and am on highway, I get 40 mpg. I've tried to get camping gear that doesn't stick out much past my body, so it doesn't catch much air either.

I now pull a camper, instead of tent camping. Thought it would really affect my fuel mileage, but pulling camper weighing around 450-500 lbs loaded, I still get 40 mpg. Guess it has to do with rolling resistance, instead of carrying it.

That is one big trailer for a motorcycle.

texasscott1 wrote:
That is one big trailer for a motorcycle.

I was thinking the same thing...that is quite the rig.

Coachdan, are you using a Barnett spring kit to help out or have you not noticed any slipping?