Cagiva Alazzurra FE.

[D.O.G.]

Hi folks,
I'm starting (slowly) to rebuild my 1985 Cagiva Alazzurra 650, after being off the road since 1996.

Three different period bike magazine roadtests give me three different average FE figures, 38, 41 and 43 MPG.
Are there any "official" EPA FE figures for motorcycles?

I don't remember what fuel economy I was getting from this when it was new, but I'm not expecting it to be a top ten contender in the FE stakes.

[Michael Moore]

I can't help you with FE numbers as I never checked them on my Ally. You might find interesting this article on the chassis modifications I did to the bike to make it handle better:

Euro Spares - The 650 Alazzurra article

cheers,
Michael

[D.O.G.]

Thanks Michael.
Although I never felt the need to change more than the fork oil for my riding style, I'm always interested to read of modifications and their effect on overall performance.

Because my bike's been unregistered, I have to get it through a strict "blue slip" inspection.
They'll be looking for everything to be safe (factory specs) and compliant with the relevant Australian Design Rules as they applied in 1985, so I can only plan what aero modifications I want to make "some day".

The only FE mod I made in the past was to raise the final gearing from 15/41 to 15/38 (factory option).

[Michael Moore]

Raised gearing and a slow turn throttle (or a more controlled right wrist) are probably about all you can hope to do with/to the stock engine.

Aerodynamics are probably the best place to spend money on a motorcycle if you want to increase FE/speed for a given HP. Aero are largely bolt on/bolt off and doesn't involve the inside of the engine. Plus, unless you are a porting/engine guru with an extensive workshopyou probably aren't going to be able to improve the FE of many engines.

What you can do is reduce the demands on the engine power.

I can't think of many Ducati engines that have been designed for FE, and I've owned and raced a variety of (older) Duc singles and twins.

cheers,
Michael