I forgot to mention a few facts for KLR riders.
My bike is a 2017 with the usual modification (crash, suspension, lights, etc.) I ride 14/43 gearing all the time. OEM gearing is too tall for easy slow work, and I have found little change in mileage. On this trip I got 43-50 mpg on highway, fully loaded. The difference is due to wind. I rode through three desert wind advisories. I could have made 80 mpg with a spinnaker.
Off-highway mileage shocked me. It was only 32 mpg, and I was rarely over 30 mph, often much slower. Altitude was generally 4000-5000 ft. Churning sand must have been a workout; it was cool and windy, but my temp gage was often at halfway in sand (on highway it's usually near the bottom, 180).
