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I once owned a Honda Elite 80. Could average between 90-95 mpg, but could get to 100 now and then for a tank. Learned that my commute ride was really just too rural and too highway for that bike and once got pulled over by the law for doing 43 in a 65. I had to be on the four-lane for only 1/2-mile, but still got caught; didn't even realize it was restricted access, as that stretch is legal for tractors, bicycles, etc. to be on the shoulder; but technically, in the state of TN, that scooter would be considered a mid-speed vehicle and was not allowed out in the lanes of traffic, and it was too dangerous to ride it in the shoulder on a daily basis.
The next time I dove in to riding, I now had an even longer commute; mostly highway; 28 miles each way. I still wanted to stay sort of minimalist, so I opted for a Piaggio BV350; top speed 86; very quick and efficient scooter to be a 330 cc. I think I averaged around 67 mpg and rode it for a year. Brakes were a little meek when slowing from highway speeds, but that was about the only concern with that scooter. It could really go and had really strong engine braking. Sort of sporty really.
But I had been eyeing an amazing power train from Honda with a lot of mid-range power and great mpg in an NC700X. Seemed as though commuters were getting better mpg than me and my scooter with almost double the cc's in a 670 parallel twin; the Honda MC had about 14 more horses and 24 more peak pound-foot torque; 85 more pounds of curb weight; and much more durable and cheaper-to-replace drive train systems better suited for highway use, as traditional scooter CVT components wear out quicker when used primarily for highway use, as that causes them to run hotter and burn up belts and other components more quickly.
Soon after, Honda came out with a new, affordable 250 with amazing mpg capability, but not really the riding stance I prefer, and then came out with a trio of 500s; a naked standard, a sport, and an adventure; again, all with great mpg and affordability. Lastly, Honda offered in the Spring of 2013, that same 670 cc that was in the NC700X, which was a little tall for me, in a lower-stance, forward-control, CTX700N, CTX700, CTX700D, and CTX700ND. The models designated with N were naked, and the models with the "N" omitted were touring versions with a fairing and short windshield. At that point, I was going to trade the really good scooter for some newly-designed Honda MC. I debated between the naked standard 500 at less than $6,000, the adventure 500 (with a little lower seat than the NC700X) at or about $6000, and the CTX700 that I could get below MSRP at $7200. I settled on the latter and have averaged 76 mpg and don't regret it. It is super smooth; super-low center of gravity; great torque (which is a big plus for me as a former diesel-car driver); and it doesn't give up much in mpg to anything highway capable unless that other vehicle has an electric motor.
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