I top up Teresa's tire pressure to sidewall max instead of BMW recommended. It feels that it improves her coasting ability (and I'm so much used to the harder ride that I miss it if the pressure gets lower...). The same holds for tucking, though I only tuck for glides (only for glides) on my commute and seldom on my longer trips. It would really be tiring and (if it would be that comfortable I could have even bought a crotch rocket
) I did not necessarily tuck for many of my best tanks (and clearly not in Austria, where I got very good ones lately).
I don't have any specific aero mods though, so I'm curious how much they could help. Teresa has only partial fairing, but equipped with a very small windshield that looks pretty aerodynamic
wide handlebar is a different matter... but handles very well (NOT tucked). I was briefly experimenting with the windshied angle, but it wasn't a success. Anything I should do to aero shouldn't spoil her slim figure though
Electro mods: I replaced the back parking/brake, license plate and instrument panel lights with LEDs. Not much, but these are the most used ones (except the lowbeam, but I don't see any real LED alternative for a 55W halogene H3)
As for changing gear ratios: that's often a very efficient way to improve FE. We'll may do it with Ciliegia, may not (she's a bit offtopic here being a 250
). Teresa's toothed belt drive is another question, and the ratios are pretty good as they are already (can't even use 5th under 70km/h - the only place I'd need longer is the freeway, but we don't plan to use them too frequently anymore
).
The most improvement I could get is through hypermiling, it was a blast to learn how coasting and Pulse&Glide works. I could reach several tanks around 2.6l/100km (~90mpgUS) this summer by trying to coast everywhere I had to slow down (and downhills!) on longer trips (works GREAT in Austria where there are thousands of villages and PSL changes in every km
) and outright P&G when commuting.