101.5 MPG on my 2003 Ninja 250!!!

[theycallmeebryan]

So i was hooking up my battery tender today and i had the strangest thought. Why does the stock seat raise me up about 4-6 inches higher than i could be?
I took my bike around the block without the seat on, and it felt very comfortable. My legs are definitely bent a bit more, but since I'm sitting lower there's less wind hitting me in the chest.

So this had me thinking. I think I'm going to try to find a cheap stock seat on ebay or craigslist and cut it up. There is a plastic frame underneath the seat that id need to reference for the mounting locations of the seat. I think it would be a double positive in my case. It would relieve stress off my back and also reduce drag since less wind is hitting my upper body.

[Christ]

I think I mentioned something like this about 40 posts ago... Check out "cafe racers", they usually cut the seats down. Several people with sport bikes also cut the foam in the seats and use a thinner, more dense foam, which is more supportive and allows a better seating angle with less lean.

I think most bigger sport bikes were designed for people who would normally be dragging their knuckles while walking.

[janvos39]

I recently lowered my seat on the Burgman scooter. Took of the orininal seat started with a aluminum plate of 1.5 mm thickness modelled it to fit and made some bolt connections. Than filled up with high density foam and covered with skai lether . Gained approx 3 inches in seating height.

[MetroMPG]

FYI, theycallmebryan - Autoblog Green picked up your success story:

Kawasaki Ninja 250 rider claims 100 mpg after simple mods- Autoblog Green

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[theycallmeebryan]

Awesome!!

Thanks for the heads up.

I think they kind of missed the point of my quest here.... I haven't really done anything crazy to the bike as far as modifications go. I simply geared the bike down (which we know helps FE for the most part- think BSFC tables), combined with a step larger diameter tires.

The whole point of my quest thus far is to show people real world results on the easiest and cheapest modification.... the driver mod! Imagine if everyone in the world drove differently and acheived 25% better fuel economy....

Having said that, the future may hold some interesting modifications

[yanlapanic]

In my opinion , when its time to ride a motorcycle ( mine is a 250 -4stroke) its not time for great MPG ...

Full trottle open almost 30 % of the time ...

get 45 mpg maybe ... can get more if I go always at the same speed like 90 kmh

My best tank this summer : 185 km

[dcb]

LOL, even hypermiling my 250 bike is a lot more fun than driving a car

[theycallmeebryan]

Originally Posted by dcb

LOL, even hypermiling my 250 bike is a lot more fun than driving a car

so true

[marcexec]

Originally Posted by theycallmeebryan

Tank ending on 07-10-2009: 95.9 mpg!

It appears that 55mph is a sweet spot as far as aerodynamics go.

Funny, that is exactly the speed when the red SPEED light on my Honda goes on, and I tend to start crouching around that speed, too.

BTW, great achievement, I'll be happy if I am in the lower 60+ MPG.

[ryanjboutin]

Originally Posted by theycallmeebryan

Awesome!!

Thanks for the heads up.

I think they kind of missed the point of my quest here.... I haven't really done anything crazy to the bike as far as modifications go. I simply geared the bike down (which we know helps FE for the most part- think BSFC tables), combined with a step larger diameter tires.

The whole point of my quest thus far is to show people real world results on the easiest and cheapest modification.... the driver mod! Imagine if everyone in the world drove differently and acheived 25% better fuel economy....

Having said that, the future may hold some interesting modifications

isnt regearing illegal due to rider safety at freeway speeds? im all for it though, i like what youve done here. have you done anything to lighten the bike? not that theres much to remove...