Squeezing out more mpg from the suzuki
 

Hello, I have a 2000 sv650 that I commute on daily 20 miles each way through some of the worst traffic in America (101 and 405).

I absolutely love my bike, it's faster than a Ferrari but gets better mpg than a Prius. And I do ride my honda elite 80 around town for groceries etc.

But I want more mpgs... I'm averaging about 47ish mpg right now (not sure if my fuely is linked to this account?) which is great, because I don't even try really, but the funny thing is, when I do actually try it's never any better and sometimes even worse than average. My hypermiling works fine in my car but not so much on the bike. I'm wondering if it's possible I'm shifting too early?

Also, I was thinking about aero modding the bike with a big sell, but decided it's just too much work and trouble, plus I wouldn't be able to split lanes as well. So instead I'm thinking I'll aero mod all the components individually. Maybe even a stream lined helmet/jacket/outfit. And isn't it aero to coil something around a column like if I wrapped a wire around the rods holdin my mirrors etc. and I'm thinking I'll remove the mudguard on the back.

I already have a smaller drive sprocket to change the gearing. Any other ideas for squeezing out a couple more mpgs?

Personally I think you deserve some kind of award in recognition of the fact that you can even get that kind of MPG in those conditions. I know what kind of traffic you deal with.

Houston Texas, 1982, it regularly took 2 hours for my brother to drive less than 10 miles to work, from I 15 north into the city. Fortunately for me, I could walk to work in 10 minutes, drive to my apartment and back at lunch while the ads were on television and not miss any of the show.

His solution was to leave 2 hours earlier and get home two hours later, which cut his commute time by 75%. Might as well get paid to work longer hours instead of sitting in traffic half the time you get paid for work.

You don't need to win any contests here and with the pitiful average speeds in that kind of traffic, I doubt my GZ 250 would do much better than your 650. Lane splitting is your only salvation, but here it's a potential wreckless driving ticket.

regards
mech

The simplest, most effective aero mod is a tapered tail box behind the rider. If traffic is 20 mph bumper to bumper then an electric bike is viable.

Had you had an injected SV (from 2004 ?) I would have suggested to run it on a single cylinder with the deactivated cylinder forced at WOT to reduce pumping losses.

Even better, to Atkinson it by delaying intake cams two tooth (involved quite a lot ...).

But since it is not injected, it is much more hassle and expense ...

Using the Elite to work is not an option, is it ?

lol thanks for nominating me for a traffic mpg award. Yea traffic is ridiculous, luckily I'm able to make my own hours for the most part so I usually get there at 11am and leave around 7pm which does help with traffic.


I have a garage full of ebikes and escooters, but I rarely use them. I think 40mph is like my magical number that I need to go. The Elite will do 45mph, which is not enough for me to get on the 405 or 101. I used to commute with a 1970 honda cb100 which topped out at 70mph and definitely wasnt freeway legal, but at least I could kind of go with traffic if it happened to free up for a stretch.

I could take side roads with the Elite but that would put the commute at over an hour. In a car it's 40minutes - 1.5 hours depending on traffic. On the motorcycle its 25-45 minutes.

I'm thinking I may do a tapered tail box, anyone have any inspiration for me?

Is it a N (naked) or S (fairing) model?

47 mpg for a 20 mi ride in heavy traffic isn't bad. If it's slow-going and start and stop, any aero aids aren't going to show big improvements.

I have 2 SV650s - a 1st gen ('00 - carbed) and 2nd gen ('06 - F.I.) - both nakeds. The 2nd gen will get about 55 mpg at 75 mph on ethanol-free 87 (about 5% better than gas with ethanol). I have also geared it up 1T on the countershaft sprocket, which smoothed the cruise significantly but didn't give a significant increase in mpg. Best I've got is 62 during some moderate backroad riding.

I haven't ridden the 1st gen enough to get any numbers (I bought it as a non-running and partially disassembled project bike), but generally they don't do quite as well as the 2nd gen in mpg.

For your situation, I would concentrate on throttle-opening. Try to reduce the amount of throttle-opening as much as possible. When you have the chance, try to get into as high of gear as possible - then cruise with as small of throttle opening as possible. Less RPMs are good, but I feel that less throttle opening is more important.

Run regular (87 octane) gas, without ethanol is best - but I bet it's not available for you. A non-O-ring chain would reduce drag but give you less lifespan.

I am not sure low throttle opening is the key.
At least it is the opposite of the pull & glide concept wich tries to use the engine at its best efficiency : with throttle at 75%.

Is pull and glide at your average 40 mph in top gear doable ?

A locking, solo trunk box bolted to the passenger seat is convenient for carrying stuff even if your 40mph average won't allow any aero mods to help the fuel economy much. A solo box can be long and skinny for an aero improvement instead of the cube shape of most normal moto trunks. You could make something out of plywood with a taper or just buy a large tool box. Anything long and narrow you put behind will be an aero inprovement
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Shop Centrex Plastics, LLC Commander 25-Gallon Tote with Latching Lid at Lowes.com
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How often do you have to exceed 65mph to keep up? A Honda PCX150 is the ideal stop and go commuter. No shifting. No chain to lube. 300 pounds and ultra low cg is easy to handle in and out of parking spots that no other vehicle can use. And the best part, 100 mpgUS at 40 mph. You can buy a hardly used one right now for $2,000 and it will last forever. I have 17,000 on mine and with electric heated gear, I ride it 75 miles every day there is no ice.
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http://powersports.honda.com/2013/pcx.aspx
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The new Yamaha Smax will be a little faster on top speed and a little less fuel efficient if anyone needs a 70 mph cruise capability.
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http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/spo...20/0/home.aspx
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In his situation with unpredictable stop-and-go traffic it's going to be difficult to use the engine in it's most efficient range. That's why I suggested just keeping the throttle-opening at a minimum.

Even in wide-open riding conditions, I find pulse and glide not very effective on a cycle - especially with a SV650 which has an enormous amount of engine braking when you close the throttle. I've found it best to just keep the throttle opening as small as possible while cruising. When accelerating go for strong but brief spurts of acceleration - then the highest gear you can smoothly cruise at (without bogging) when you have reached your desired speed.

There are better options than a SV for commuting in those conditions (as sendler noted), and a CBR250R would be a good choice if you didn't want to go the scooter-ish route. I still wouldn't expect amazing numbers, even from the CBR, in those conditions.

Other minor improvements that could be made to the SV to increase MPG in those conditions would be a thinner oil (30-grade synthetic instead of 40) and a hotter-range spark plug.

Of course the closed throttle gliding is done with the clutch in.:) Unless you don't have a clutch. The freedom of which in stop and go traffic is impossible to relate until you try it. You can wear any boots and snowmobile mitts you like since you never have to shift.