Milage?

[Don O]

How many miles can you go on a gallon of gas trail riding? Engine size or # of carbs a noticable difference? I had gas in tank on my 440 Cyclone (eight gallon tank)after a 55 mile ride but i don't know how much. Doing 10 miles or so more tomorrow.
A lot of variables I know but just wondering.

Don

[harleysportster]

Riding at a constant speed makes all the difference and the faster you can go, the better. You get the best mileage when you can get you secondary clutch to up-shift and mph picks up. The mileage you achieved is about average for your Cyclone.

[lwb140]

I've gotten as good as 15 mph on my 78 lf on the vintage challenge but my kids can run through 5 gallon in a short afternoon poking around the yard on it pats right if you get the speed up and the clutching to up shift mileage will get much better

[DeereKid9]

Right around 10mpg on my 82 liquifire.

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[400brian]

It appears that my '74 JDX8 is getting a bit better than 15 mpg. On the Vintage Challenge I did the 75 - 80 miles up to Fishtails on 5 gals. Thats a 440/22, but with a points ignition, Walbro carb, and no tuned exhaust. I think that is pretty decent. We've seen some real big mpg results between Cyclones on the RWTC rides.

[JDT]

Cyclones do very well in my opinion too.

Sprintfire is a sipper also.

[jdsledsrgr8]

I put a good number of miles on my cyclone before I sold it. One of which was the vintage challenge. I felt very confident going 70 miles a tank, groomed trails.

[Liquifire 4/6]

My 1980 and 1981 Liquifires usually ran about 11-14 mpg but after I installed the TR800 clutch upgrade on the 1981 Liq, it would get 16 mpg or slightly more. If you want a Deere sled that gets awesome fuel mileage, then you need to look at the Trailfires. I will swear to 30+ mpg with my old 79 Trailfire 440. I now have a 1981 Trailfire 340 and it runs about 27 mpg on groomed trails. Mind you, I am talking Imperial Gallons so US mpg would be maybe 15% lower than my figures. One would think that the little Spitfire would be the most miserly on gas however, I had a 79 Spit back in the day and it was considerably harder on fuel than my 79 Trailfire. I think it got around 22-24 mpg on average. Some people have told me that the Sprintfires got fantastic fuel mileage but I never had one so I don't know how they would stack up economy wise.

[DeereKid9]

My 77 Cyclone couldn't/wouldn't pass a fuel stop.

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[JoeRainville]

Both my 80 and 84 Liquifires and 83 Sprintfire could have made the 75 mile ride from the Whitetrail to Fishtails on one tank. My 78 Cross Country or my Liquidator would not have. But the first year after I mixed fuel for JRC's Dator, I topped up Todd "Stymie" Myer's 76 Cyclone at Cisco Lake, and it only took about 2 gallons. He could have made to up on one tank.

-Joe

[JDT]

Back in the late 70's there was a competition to find the sled with the best MPG.
Most all manufactors participated in the trial.

The top honors went to Cat's JAG with the small twin/single carb at 42 MPG.

Muscle sleds will never get that high with twin carbs and larger displacement engines.
But 20's are doable if all is in order and you still have the snort when needed.

On the other hand some of the late model 600 lb beheimiths cant get to 10 MPG.

[Horicon Joe]

Some place I read that the Sprintfires would get around 35mpg. Maybe in Deere brochure?
Joe

[ammon]

I have a 1984 John Deere snowmobile brochure if front of my face right now. Here is what it says.

Liquifire: 15 MPG/7.75 gallon tank
Sprintfire: 28 MPG/5.50 gallon tank
Snowfire: 22 MPG/5.50 gallon tank
Trailfire LX: 24.4 MPG/7.75 gallon tank
Sportfire: 20.5 MPG/7.75 gallon tank

I still have the 1979,80,81,82,83, and 84 brochures.
I have very nice 8x10, 1982 Liquifire Kodak print in a frame on the wall that the Horicon Works mailed to me way back then.
It is the same photo that was used in the 1982 brochure.

[lwb140]

put 400 miles on my 78 in the yupper last weekend , It was realitively warm , the trails were heavt and I was riding with 3 modern sleds and was getting about 8 mpg I was sadly disappointed but was still doing better than the modern sleds which made my fuel range better than my guide on his thundercat ,always important !!!