Dutch efficiency enthusiast Allert Jacobs has converted his new Honda motorbike into a streamliner capable of getting over 200 mpg (US) cruising at 55 mph.

The Honda ANF125i Innova was pretty efficient right out of the box, since it followed the basic formula for low fuel consumption: small size + light weight + modest engine power.

The bike tips the scales at just 231 lbs (105 kg) and features an efficient, fuel injected, four stroke 125cc single, producing 9 hp (6.85 kW).

With those specs, the Honda already offered great fuel economy:  Allert’s first five fill-ups delivered 133 mpg (US) (1.8 L/100 km) over 638 miles (1027 km).

(With a disclaimer: he figures that’s better than “normal” because he was babying the bike while breaking it in.  He says a more realistic figure for his driving is 114 mpg (US) – that’s what he got from the last two fill-ups before he started modifying it.)

Q: How do you get from 114 mpg to over 200 mpg?
A: aerodynamics first (and gearing second)

Being a long time cyclist, motorcyclist and velomobile enthusiast, Allert intuitively understands what many people either don’t know or greatly underestimate: the enormous impact of aerodynamics on fuel consumption.

Unlike the average person, he is not surprised by the fact that a typical car burns 50% of its fuel overcoming air resistance at just 40 mph (64 km/h).  Or that the higher drag of a typical motorbike means half of its fuel is used to overcome air drag at just 15 – 20 mph (24 – 32 km/h)!

Custom aerodynamic fairing:  velomobile influence (version 1)

Allert knew he could significantly reduce the amount of power required to go down the road by lowering the rider’s position (reducing exposure to the oncoming air) and then reducing turbulence by adding smooth fairings.

His extensive experience designing and producing recumbent bicycles and fully enclosed recumbent velomobiles obviously prepared him for this project.  (Above photo: Allert’s commercially produced Quest velomobile, a pedal-powered trike)

Diving in feet first

Reducing frontal area showed immediate results.  To get a feet-forward position on the Honda, a new seat was mounted in the bike’s step-through area, and the foot pegs and controls were moved to just above the front wheel.  The front wheel itself was enclosed, and another fairing was added ahead of the rider.

(Most motorcycle owners have probably experienced the benefit of reducing frontal area and drag, simply by tucking down at higher speeds and feeling the bike speed up without moving the throttle.  It’s a good demonstration that shows  aerodynamics isn’t only about fuel economy!)

On his first test drive, the drag reduction was obvious.  Even lacking critical bodywork needed to smooth airflow at the rear of the bike, the little Honda’s top speed went up from 90 km/h (56mph) to 110 km/h (69mph).

Taller gearing

Because the modifed bike now required less energy to go down the road than the stock version, its gear ratios could be optimized: engine RPM could be lowered for a given speed that would have lugged the engine before the aero mods.  Reducing engine speed normally improves fuel economy.

With the new sprockets in place, fuel economy was now up to 152 mpg (1.55 L/100 km) over 1901 miles of riding (3059 km).

But Allert wasn’t happy!  He wanted more…

Lessons learned from version 1

• Stability issues with the front wheel fairing: side winds were affecting stability, because steering force was being transmitted to the forks.  “It turned out to be very scary to ride even with as little as 3 Beaufort (about 10mph) side wind.  I did not dare to go over 35mph.”  That would have to change.

• Manual clutch conversion: with the taller gearing, Allert wasn’t happy with the Honda’s stock semi-automatic shifting.  He added a clutch lever & cable and converted to a full manual transmission so he could control the amount of slip needed for a smooth start, since “the first gear is now almost as long as the second gear used to be”.

• Revised aerodynamic fairings: to reach his efficiency goals, the aerodynamics of version 2 would have to be better.

Version 2: best tank = 214 mpg (US); average = 199 mpg

The photos below speak for themselves (click to zoom).  Allart spent months crafting full length bodywork, divided in two sections.  The front half slides forward in a clever setup that allows the rider to get “in” and “out” of the bike fairly easily.

The windshield is less for forward vision than a place to locate the LED turn signals to keep them out of the wind.  Allert added signals on the side mirrors as well.

He’s happy with the stability of the full length fairing compared to the first version: “A 40mph (65 km/h) side wind is no problem,” though more than that he hasn’t experienced yet.

And it works: in cool, windy weather, he managed 214 mpg (US) or 1.1 L / 100 km on a 160 mile (km) round trip.   His goal is 235 mpg on a trip cruising at 55 mph (90 km/h).  Why 235 mpg?  Because its metric equivalent (as is used in the Netherlands) would be a very impressive 1 liter per 100 kilometers.

He expects that’s possible in ideal conditions (warm & calm), though he’s not simply waiting for better weather to accomplish this feat.  He notes that the fairing isn’t entirely optimized from an aerodynamic perspective, and is also investigating potential improvements in rolling resistance (by methodologically testing different brands of tires on a custom made test rig).

When spring & summer roll around this year, I have little doubt that 1L / 100 km is in the cards for Allert Jacobs.

We’re looking forward to seeing more from this man!

(Photos: Allert Jacobs. Used with permission.)

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For more information:

• For the latest information & photos, visit Allert Jacob’s web site documenting this project

• Follow the discussion about Allert’s work in the EcoModder forum

• Craig Vetter is one of the godfathers of motorcycle efficiency enthusiasts.  Read about his own on-going high mileage motorbike project, the Freedom Machine.

• EcoModder member Janvos has been working on similar aero & gearing mods to his Suzuki Burgman.  Follow his progress in this project thread.

More projects featuring aerodynamic modifications:

The Phil Knox fleet – 34 years of aeromodding	Aeromodded 1989 Geo Metro XFi Gets 75 mpg
Aero mods – 1930′s style – rebodied Ford Model T	Commercially produced aerodynamic pickup bed cap
5th generation Civic hatchback – improving aerodynamics	Project: making a permanent Metro Kammback extension
Daihatsu Mira aerodynamic modifications	Crazy aeromodded Metro – chopped & teardropped

What does a Ford Motor Company fuel economy technical expert do for fun at the end of the day?

He heads home to his own shop and custom builds an aerodynamically efficient, two-passenger, 3-wheel motorcycle capable of 125 mpg (US) at 65 mph (1.9 L/100 km @ 105 km/h) and a top speed of over 100 mph (161 km/h).  And then after using it for 3,200 miles (5,150 km), he puts it on eBay to make room in his garage for the next version which will be a plug-in hybrid.

“After working [on] improving conventional production car/truck fuel economy I wanted to try something with fewer constraints,” says EcoModder member John (HyperRocket).  Now there’s an understatement.

(It kind of makes you wonder how many house painters go home at the end of the day, budding Picassos, to toil on masterwork canvases…)

His street legal, 2-seat, tandem vehicle is registered as a motorcycle and was engineered for both high efficiency and fun:

• the drivetrain is from a Kawasaki Ninja: a 250cc liquid cooled, four stroke, DOHC 2 cylinder tuned with an exhaust gas analyzer for best efficiency & driveability

• six speed manual transmission

• weight: 505 lbs

• excellent 0.16 coefficient of drag, calculated through GPS-based coast down tests

• HID projector headlight up front, and LED’s elsewhere (front turn signals are integrated into the side mirrors for aerodynamics)

• safety features include 4 point seat belts, roll bar and front mounted IMPAXX crash foam as now used in NASCAR sides

John claims fuel efficiency of 105 mpg (US) (2.2 L/100 km) cruising on the highway at 65mph when equipped with the bling wheels and sporty gearing, and even better numbers with a couple of additional mods: “When equipped with the pictured motorcycle tires (not included) and a smaller rear sprocket it achieved 125 mpg @ 65mph.”  (1.9 L/100 km @ 105 km/h)

If you think a vehicle like this might draw attention, John confirms that with a good anecdote:  After being stopped by police and explaining the project to the curious officer, ‘back up’ was called in.  “Four squad cars showed up, several houses of neighbors came out and the whole thing turned into a spectacle. No ticket, everyone was genuinely interested in ecomodding!”

The trike’s eBay auction has a starting bid of $15,600 USD. While not questioning the design or workmanship that went into the machine, we wonder if that price will draw efficiency-minded bidders in these days of $2 per gallon gasoline.   Undoubtedly his work would have grabbed a lot of attention last summer, when fuel prices were driving people into a frenzy, paying utterly ridiculous prices for used Geo Metros to save money at the pumps.

Best of luck, John.   We’re looking forward to seeing what rolls out of your shop next!

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Follow the discussion about the HyperRocket in the EcoModder forum

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If you’ve ever been to Japan you have seen the streets and sidewalks covered with Honda Cubs. The ubiquitous little motorcycle has been around since it raised Honda from post-war obscurity and is currently the world’s best selling selling motored transport, ever.

Unfortunately Honda pulled the motorcycle from the United States a while ago, assuming that nobody wanted an underpowered, step-through motorcycle anymore. It’s also likely that they saw the Cub as competition for some of the companies cheaper motorcycles and scooters, which have higher profit margins.

Now Sym, a Taiwanese company that once produced the Cub for Honda, is bringing the Symba to the United States once more. The $2,600 motorcycle will cost a full thousand dollars more than a comparable Cub, but it also comes with more.

For the extra money you get a 100cc engine and a 4-speed semi-automatic transmission in addition to the cool styling of the Symba, which looks enough like a Cub I wouldn’t notice the difference if I saw one on the street.

The Symba is coming to 300 U.S. dealers and the company is currently shipping pre-orders, so if you want one, talk to Sym.

A few weeks ago, forum user captainslug posted great DIY instructions for LED headlights on his motorcycle. LED headlights will soon be catching on in the auto world because of their longevity and low power requirements, but they’re not quite there yet, probably because of the cost and the relatively low amount of lumens that most LEDs put out.

However, not everyone is patient enough to let technology catch up. It won’t save a noticeable amount of fuel, most likely, but the reduction in power draw and the “cool factor” is undeniable. Great job, captainslug!