Know anyone who's bought a motorcycle/scooter for MPG reasons?

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted by bryn

thanks IndyIan, still haven't decided wether i will fix the bike and ride again, or not. the dualsport does sound like a safer ride.

Bryn,
Well, you've learned a lesson the hard way, I've got some scars from doing that too! I don't even have an animal to blame for my worst crash which was on the road, just me being really really dumb all by myself!

I forgot to add that with a dual sport you can play in the dirt too! Fun but also good training, and a better place to get an appreciation for what laying down a bike is about at 20 mph, instead of 50 or 60 or 70 mph.
It also shows you how fast 60 mph really is, and how far ahead you have to look, and what situations that are no problem at 30 mph can ruin your day at 60. 60 mph offroad feels very very fast and not so much fun if you come off the bike! Tall grass will rip your feet off the pegs, and twig on the knuckles will make you bleed without gloves... It makes you appreciate the amount of energy you are dealing with and how you'd rather dissipate that energy using the brakes instead of a road sign.

[metromizer]

Check out what Craig Vetter is doing these days! He's trying to design an aerodynamic shell for a 250cc Honda Helix scooter with the goal of at least 120mpg riding across country at hiway speeds. Check out the designing oft he project and the recent instalments, it's a great read from someone who is a proven 'doer'

Craig Vetter, designer and inventor of the Windjammer fairing and Triumph Hurricane Motorcycle

[MetroMPG]

Just to update this thread: I saw my friend's Honda 175 for the first time on Tuesday. It rocks! Old school cool. The Piaggio, not quite so much.

[MetroMPG]

metromizer - that Vetter story is fantastic! All the detail of his construction methods too... thanks for posting.

It's been a while since I've been back to his site. Lots to read up on.

[dann_04]

My gf and i bought scooters april of last year. We are big environmentalists and energy conservers so it made sense. Mine is a 93 honda elite 80, and hers is a 2005 honda metropolitan(50cc. I see~75-80 mpg in mine and she sees a consistant 100mpg on hers. As for emissions, the epa actually tested my model and year scooter and here are the figs:

g/km

Nox .72
Hc .72
Co 7
Co2 32.2

And here is prius:
Co2 104

and hummer h2:
Co2 432
(all shown in g/km)

So don't tell me my scooter puts out more CO2 than driving a car because it doesn't, and normally scooters are kind of bad on acid rain emissions, and mine is slightly higher than new cars(lower than 80's cars that are still on the road) and my hydrocarbon emissions are actually lower than those shown as i have the california model(in illinois lol) with the carbon canister for the vapors and recirculation system to burn them off. As for 2 stroke scooters i won't touch them, they are horrible for the environment(save a few i have seen with very complex emissions systems that get comperable to 4 strok but they are expensive). Plus who wants to add oil to the gas or a seperate tank for that matter. I say for anyone who can use a scooter in their area safely and practically, go for it they are fun. You just have to see all the idiots that don't see you, and wear a helmet!!!!!! Ok I'm done lol.

[metromizer]

preface: I used to ride street motorcycles back in the late 70's when I was a teen, worked at three MC dealerships while in high school. I had two riding buddies get KIA, and myself had a VERY close encounter with a within a couple months. I swore them off at that time, and have only riden half-dozen times since.

I am noticing a lot of new riders on the road these days, and seeing and hearing about a lot of motorcycle accidents. I am not going to climb up on a soapbox here, just know the risk before you jump on one of those things. Know you are almost naked in safety terms. Know that the risk of serious injury goes way up, a car fender bender type accident becomes almost life-threatening if you are on a bike.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by metromizer

I am noticing a lot of new riders on the road these days, and seeing and hearing about a lot of motorcycle accidents.

The noon news today reported that 7 motorcyclists in Ontario were killed over a 72 hour period on the weekend.

One of the biggest reasons I got a motorcycle (since sold it) was for the challenge of learning how to ride - safely.

[metromizer]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

The noon news today reported that 7 motorcyclists in Ontario were killed over a 72 hour period on the weekend.

One of the biggest reasons I got a motorcycle (since sold it) was for the challenge of learning how to ride - safely.

The last thing I want to do is sound like a reformed smoker... I absolutely LOVE to go fast, and love being out in the open air while traveling from A to B, and love that we all have that freedom to choose. Seems like 9 out of 10 a mc accident is the fault of the car driver, not the mc rider... a small consulation if you are the one layed up with injuries.

I was just reading about a colleague of mine who recently won an award, which in turn jogged my memory about my old honda cb125, that I sold to his brother 20-some years ago. I was remembering how (the brother who bough my bike) had a serious crash in the first three months of owning it. A Brain surgery, a skull patch-plate and months of hospital and home sheet-time later, he was good as new. Well, sort of What did he do with the lawsuit money? Bought a Harley...

The thing that intrigues me about what Vetter wrote, is his observation regarding poor FE of today's motorcycles (dispite advances in tecnology) after factoring in weight to displacement to frontal area and cd. Seems to him (and now me) there is a lot of 'low hanging fruit' in terms of improvements that yeild a very fuel efficient bike. It seems to me many of the same 'tricks' could be applied to 4-wheeled transportation as well.

[truckncycle]

I bought a motorcycle about three years ago to get better gas mileage and it does. In the summer I get about 40mpg on the bike compared to 18 for the truck. That being said, if I could do it over again I would buy a 250 (Ninja 250) instead of a 600 since the 250s get about 65mpg and are still freeway legal. Out of the bigger displacement bikes, the BMWs with boxer engines seem to get the best mpg.

As for motorcycle safety, my recommendation would be to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) safety course in the US or a Canada's Safety Council course (Welcome - Canada Safety Council's Gearing Up - Canada's National Motorcycle Training Program) in Canada and wear the proper gear (helmet, leathers, boots, gloves). There are definitely some scary drivers to avoid. I saw someone texting while driving a couple of weeks ago. Other drivers often misjudge the speed of motorcyclists and they will turn left in front them. Other drivers can't be blamed all the time though. According to msf approximately 50 percent of motorcycle fatalities only involve the motorcyclist.

I am sure that my motorcycle is fairly environmentally dirty. Even though it is the California version it has carbs and does not have a catalytic converter. When I stop, I can almost always smell exhaust and some fuel. Many of the new motorcycles (CA model) are fuel injected, liquid cooled, have cats, and meet both CARB and Euro III requirements.

[dcb]

It sure would be nice to have a discussion about bikes without the concern trolls though. 4 wheelers do a lot more damage in an accident (that's why my liability on the bike is like $60/year). 4 wheelers have more frontal area, that's why the bike IS low hanging fruit.

nanny forum