Low & Slow's Ninja 250 project

[Grant-53]

As for fairings catching on, there will be opinion leaders among the older riders who will gain converts. Safety and comfort will be selling points as much as fuel savings. The percentage of people using faired bicycles and motorcycles will then increase more quickly among young singles as a cost effective substitute for that first used car. This will not happen overnight but may evolve as did the mountain bike segment. It is moving from a technical concept to a marketing strategy first as kits then to after market products and finally as OEM packages. Kids loved the bike fairings we did for their after school technology program.

[low&slow]

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I've been away from home a lot the last 3 weeks with more work travel scheduled just before the 5/4 Carmel Vetter Challenge.

I have my bike running better after cleaning and adjusting the carbs and installing the 15/33 gearing. The last tankfills have been 90mpg, 92 mpg and 76 mpg. The 76 mpg tankfill involved a lot of hard, fast running over 70mph playing with throttle response in top gear. My bike is now pretty susceptable to lugging in top gear at the low end of the power band so I need to downshift a lot more than previously. This week will be my last opportunity to work on the Ninja before I compete in the 5/4 Carmel Vetter Challenge so I will be doing some testing and refining it to get ready. I was hoping to do some riding with Alan Smith and see his new Vetter front end but he is going dirtbiking in Utah next week. The new front end looks great and I'm curious about how much of an improvement it will be over his previous one. I will probably go this route if it shows a signnificant improvement oveer the faired front fender/frame fairing combo.
I plan to seal up some opening in my front fairing, change to new spark plugs. Alan is leaving me a 37 tooth rear sprocket to try out, which I may do if testing indicates a problem with the current 33 tooth rear sprocket. I'm very pleased with the new tail and have worked on the interior to improve its cargo carrying capabilities ( over 4 paper grocery bags ) . We'll see how it goes.

[low&slow]

Filled up the bike today after running errands this past week. 168.6 miles / 1.75 gal.= 96.3 mpg. The more I ride around with the 15/33 gearing, the better I like it. I sealed up some SIDE vents on the front fairing and lubed and checked the chain. I plan to install some plugs , other than that I'm pretty much ready for the Vetter Challenge on May 4. Hopefully I can breaK 100mpg in the event.

[jkv357]

Have you read the color of the plugs you are running now?

Can you go up 1 heat range?

I've seen a good guide to reading plug mixture and heat range, and can try to find it again if you'd like to see it.

EDIT: This is a link to a good article about reading plugs for mixture and heat range - http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/pontiac...Readplugs.html It gives you some idea of what to look for, but to really get an accurate reading you need to have fresh plugs and do a "plug chop" where you run the engine at its operating RPM (usually WOT for racing) and then shut it off immediately - not really the same type of situation you have. It still may give you some indication if you can make a plug change to increase efficiency. I would expect that you could go 1 range hotter because of your consistent low RPM running.


Jay

[low&slow]

HI Jay, thanks for the suggestin. I'll check the plug color when I replace the plugs and see what's up particularly after cleaning the carbs and raising the gearing a lot.

[low&slow]

I did some more running around during this warm spell we are having and filled up today; 138.2 miles/1.08 gal.=127.96 mpg!!!
The main things I attribute the improvement to is the taller gearing, the warm weather , that I'm rode slower , and included fewer short trips. It may be a fluke but the next tank will be a good indicator. My last tank was 96 mpg. things are looking good for Carmel.

[Electictracer]

Congratulations! That is amazing. Hopefully with warmer weather and summer fuel blends you will continue to see this fantastic performance.

[alvaro84]

That's really something! I'm waiting for your next tank too!

[redyaris]

I'm going to have to see this for myself...

[low&slow]

Thanks! I knew things were working well but the 128 mpg tank suprised me. My recent tankfills have been 90mpg, 92 mpg, 77 mpg, 96 mpg and now 128 mpg. Hopefully I can stay close to this level of performance. The Carmel Vetter Challenge will be a great test , though the conditions are not ideal for producing the highest FE ( fast pace, hilly and windy) . Time will tell.