Has anybody seen my missing 10mpg?

Oh wait... never mind. I think I found it!


Some of you guys know that I just bought my '03 SWing with 20,000 miles a couple of weeks ago. Well, the first couple of tankfuls only netted me about 40mpg, and probably the 3rd one as well, since I'm due for a fill up. I was disappointed with this, as I don't ride hard and I see other people on here getting 50+ mpg. I'm working my way through the maintenance items that need attention, and decided it was time to check the air filter. I knew it wasn't going to be good when the air box was covered in dust, with not a single hand print on it anywhere. So I open it up and yep, there's my 10mpg. Maybe more...



I'm guessing that's the original factory filter, 8 years old and 20k miles later. I'm happy to report that everything has been cleaned up, and a shiny new K&N filter installed. Will be filling up later today, and hopefully will get much better results on both economy and performance. Although coming off of smaller scooters, I hadn't noticed any performance deficiencies. I've also done spark plugs and oil & filter, and installed the Givi AirFlow. It's all coming along very nicely.

So, here's my Tip and Hint- when you buy a used one from a dealership, don't assume that they give a crap about the bike... just the sale. (I would've been content to install an OEM filter, but alas, nobody in town has any in stock. They'd have to order one. My question is, how do they service anything if they don't even stock one air filter?

Hey Lab Rat,

Sure looks like some of that Tulsa road garbage I found in my filter. When I changed out my filter I found the same thing. What a mess.

Having worked as a Honda parts manager in a past life, I can tell you exactly what they do. They assume you have a car or truck and your bike is a toy. They take your money, order the part, and make you wait. Then you pray it isn't on backorder.

It seems no one around here uses a bike/scooter of any kind for primary transportation (sorry, John Grinsel, but it's true). Have to admit, I'm guilty of having four-wheeled conveyances. But it wasn't always so; for several years I had three bikes and no car or truck. Then again, i was much younger.

It seems simple and I'm sure you've checked but the air in your tires needs checking.

Air in the tires! Excellent point. From the looks of that filter, I wouldn't assume the oil is fresh either. Worn out oil won't help your mileage...

Roadrunner, our Honda dealer has promised 3 days and taken three weeks. When I checked in they seemed annoyed that I should be following up. Then when it came in no one seemed to have the time to call. I ordered a part from bike bandit and the posted to my email every step in the shipping process so I knew where my part was. They promised 10 days from across the country. And I had it in 6 days.
I don't know how Honda dealers can keep in business when I prefer to order online?
It seemed to me that my order may have been on hold in the dealership till the reached some magic $ # to get a bulk order, is that what happens?

Thanks for the heads up, guys. I am monitoring the tires, and they seem to be stable. I changed the oil and replaced spark plugs last week, so I've got those bases covered.

Next up is final drive oil, and CVT inspection and maintenance. At the very least, I plan on getting some DR. Pulley sliders. It does have some chatter from worn rollers.

Check your belt too! I bought my '04 Swing with 6k miles last June and the belt snapped on me at 12k miles in July. If yours was sitting for a while at the dealer's, I'd just assume almost everything should be changed or at the very least inspected. In a happy circumstance, my drive belt snapping and stranding me in IN was how I found the wonderful people on this here site.

Papa johns,

I think you've hit on one of the biggest problems we have today -- whatever happened to customer SERVICE?

I'm not positive how things work today; my stint as a Honda parts manager was 30 years ago. But I can tell you how it worked back then. It isn't a question of minimum order but of logistics. We would place our orders with American Honda each Tuesday, Honda would ship by truck from their Atlanta area warehouse, we would receive it Thursday or Friday, and you would have your parts for the weekend. In a perfect world.

Here's the problem with that. I you ordered a part on Wednesday, your order wouldn't be placed for nearly a week. And if Honda had the part stateside but not in the nearest warehouse, that would add time as well. Anything not stateside received the dreaded backordered status. Even American Honda couldn't guarantee when the next ship from Japan would have it.

Aftermarket parts are a whole different animal...