How do I get better mileage with a good running bike?

[Anonymous]

Re: How do I get better mileage with a good running bike?

On my bone stock 850L. I get 50 mpg pretty consistently. But I pretty much always ride the speed limit and rarely see 5K. I am just plain slow and easy on my bikes.

That way the bikes and I both last longer. I don't do it for the milage, the real reason is I just enjoy that pace.

just my 2 cents.

Charlie

Charlie, your post tends to confirm my susp!cion that the wide fluctuation of mileage figures I see for the identical bikes is due almost entirely to riding style. I have an 850 also, a G model but exactly the same engine. I run stock exhausts, well tuned carbs, dyna ignition and still get mileage in the 35-37 mpg range. 40 tops. Our styles are somewhat similiar in that I rarely see 5k either, but in my case it is because I usually move above it very quickly after the light changes.

I get similiar mileage or worse from my GK. Last summer I rode out to Las Vegas and fried my stator in the AZ desert. Fortunately the bike has a voltmeter and after charging the battery I found I could keep a small amount of charge rate running exactly 60 miles an hour which I did steadily across the flat desert blacktop between Kingman AZ and LV. I had too much else going on to measure my mileage, but I know it was better that it had ever been. I would estimate at least 45-50 mpg.

Yea Don,
I think it mostly boils down to how far you twist the loud handle. In any case bikes get great milage compared to the 4 wheel metal box.

So enjoy the ride whatever your style is.
Charlie

[Anonymous]

Steve,

Options are:

1) Taller gearing - engines are more efficient at lower revs and bigger throttle openings. Until it can't pull the gearing and/or is shuddering under hard acceleration, your mileage is getting better.

2) Lower speeds - power required is proportional to the CUBE of the speed, so running at 80mph takes 86% more power than at 65mph. Not much fun, though.

3) Driving style - a gentle riding style with no hard acceleration will give noticeably better mileage, upwards of 25% in my experience. Also, not much fun with a bike. After all, accelerating is what bikes do best.

4) Buy a bigger bike - I'm not joking, liter bikes seem to get better mileage than a lot of the little bikes because they are not screaming along and they promote using lower revs and torque. Both of which give better mileage. I can easily get 50+mpg (Imp gallon, that is) on my ZX-9 in mixed highway and town driving while commuting.

5) Details count - as noted, higher tire pressures, tucking in if possible, clean and well adjusted chain, minimal brake drag, etc. All of these things add up if taken care of.

I doubt you will get from 42mpg to 60mpg, that is a 43% increase. But you can optimize what you have and get it as good as is reasonable.

Mark

[Anonymous]

2) Lower speeds - power required is proportional to the CUBE of the speed, so running at 80mph takes 86% more power than at 65mph. Not much fun, though.

I know for a fact that my 450 without windshield gets 52.5 MPG at 60MPH and only 44 MPG at 75 MPH. That's 20% less fuel economy.

Also, something to note is that you could look at fuel economy as an energy conservation problem. I mean that you can try to eliminate occasions where you waste energy, such as braking or downshifting to slow down. Instead, don't spend the energy in the first place. When you're coming up on a red light on the highway, let off the gas a half to quarter mile out. With luck, traffic will start flowing again so you'll also avoid the need to stop and restart. Voila! You just saved the energy it takes to accellerate you and your bike back up to highway speed (which is quite a bit, actually).

I'm a geek, I know.

Michael

[Evil Hobbit]

John, high speed bumper to bumper traffic

I've never been in a trafic jam in Canada except on the Windsor/Detroit bridge.
But seriously I think that is good for that size bike. Get that baby into 6th gear in the country and you might make 2 or 3 more mpg.
Wish my 1100 had a 6th. I'm going up one tooth on the front.

[saaz]

The fuel economy is probably about right for the speeds being ridden at. Slowing down and using the available 6th gear to lower revs would improve things.

I would try the GSX1100 if you want to go at those speeds..but may be more expensive on tyres etc....