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I don't want to poo on theycallmeebryan as he has done an excellent job of demonstrating what can be done with some minor optimization and some basic good driving (riding) skills. I would like to put this in perspective though with a different measuring stick.
Say I hypermile my truck to a 29mpg average, that works out to:
3.45 gallons per 100 miles.
I ride a 1400cc sport touring bike like the average Joe and get 45mpg:
2.22 gallons per 100 miles.
I ride a Ninja 250 like the average Joe and get 61mpg:
1.63 gallons per 100 miles.
I ride like theycallmeebryan on the same Ninja and get 92mpg:
1.08 gallons per 100 miles.
The decrease in fuel use from 29mpg to 45mpg, a 16mpg increase is 1.23 gallons per 100 miles, or about 36% improvement.
The same 16 mpg increase from 45mpg to 61mpg is a difference of just .59 gallons per 100 miles, or about 27% improvement.
A whopping 31 mpg increase from 61mpg to 92mpg is a difference of just .55 gallons per 100 miles or about 33%.
See what's going on here? Once you get out of the low numbers like say 60mpg, the decrease in fuel use gets smaller and smaller for a given increase in mpg. With the relatively small but significant difference in fuel use between 61mpg and 92mpg it partially explains why these great numbers can be reached. It's still an outstanding 33% decrease as it would look like at first glance, it's just not as many gallons saved at a similar percent improvement vs. lower mpg starting point because of the lower fuel use baseline.
It also illustrates why getting the lowest mpg cars off the road is the "low hanging fruit" addressed in the cash for clunkers program. And why hypermiling a FSP is a really great idea.
Feel free to correct my math in case I goofed.
Keep up the good work!
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