Vetter Fuel Challenges

[gregsfc]

Are these events through? I'd start planning a trip to Lexington, OH in July, but no events are scheduled so far as I know.

[jjackstone]

Schultz Engineering - Custom Motorcycle Parts and Renewable Energy Products

JJ

[Grant-53]

I received an e-mail from Craig recently inviting me to attend his talk on Sunday at 11:30 am at Mid-Ohio.

[gregsfc]

Hey that's great! Thanks!

But oh no, it couldn't be on a worse day. I live half way between Nashville and Knoxville near the connecting interstate (I-40). I've committed to picking up a family member who lives in K-Town from Music City's airport and bringing her to our house where her car will be parked from the 4th; the day she's flying out. She plans on spending that morning, the 8th, at our home to catch up on sleep. She deals with anxiety and so we'll have to keep a comfortable plan for her that won't require her driving and parking at an unfamiliar airport. We're the only people she knows closer to Nashville.

Maybe there is a way out of this conflict. I'll have to look at it, but it's not looking good.

[sendler]

Here is the proposed route for the July Vetter fuel economy challenge at Vintage days.
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Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge Plans for Vintage Motorcycle Days 2017
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[gregsfc]

Thanks for that link Sendler.

I'm hoping to see you, and the other guys/gals on the 8th. I'm going to try and make it work, but it's not going to be a relaxing trip like I'd hoped. I'll ask Kraig if my plan to show up on the 8th or report after 10 pm on the 7th would be okay and still ride with the group.

Seems very organized plan(s) compared to when I went in 2014 when we sort of decided on a route the morning of the ride, but doesn't matter all that much; I'll just follow the leader(s) wherever they want to go. The wife and I are hatching a plan to drive up and arrive late on the 7th (about 10 PM local), which is about one hour after our usual bed times. We'll be ready to ride at 7 am the next morning, but am worried about registration, etc., as I can't be there any earlier due to a prior engagement.

Two questions I'll ask Kraig, but would like your opinion and/or others on this forum that are involved in this events:

Do you know of a way to reach out to riders/commuters of fuel-thrifty stock bike owners; e.g. Honda 250, 300, 500, 700, BMW 650, 800 Burgman 400, 650 to show up and ride on that morning? The only way I can think of to reach out is to either join their forums and post an announcement with a link as sort of a lurker, or ask the administrators of those forums to post it for me.

I'll ask Kraig this as well, but do you think asking stock-bike riders/owners to come and join the ride is appropriate for a ride that is focused more on modified vehicles and ecomodded vehicles with super-high mpg? In other words, if my efforts to get some stock bike riders at the event hypothetically turn out to be highly successful, which I don't expect, but lets say it works better than I expect and twenty riders with stock bikes show up; would that be something Kraig and the other organizers can handle or want?

I have only a pickup truck and a ramp and tie downs for it (wife won't let me ride up, as I crashed on the way home in Columbus last time and I can't blame her for disallowing a ride). We're considering getting a towing ball and rent, borrow, or buy a small trailer, but if that's out of our budget, do you think I'd be able to get help rolling my bike on and off my truck bed if I can't find sort of a make-shift dock area where I can handle this myself?

[sendler]

Stock bikes and cars are welcome as a control of sorts but you must agree to play by the rules. Which most importantly means that you have to keep a tight group and you have to keep up. No 50 mph hypermiling vehicles allowed. Craig requires that vehicles must be able to "Ride the way we really ride". Which includes 75mph sections of Interstate to prove worthiness for use in California commuter traffic.
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You would have to post on forums. I think the AMA has promoted the event in years past as well. But unfortunately most people in the USA consider motorcycles as big toys and only go out on one when they want to see what is the MOST rubber and gas they can burn per mile.
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There is a grassy hill behind Splash Harbor to unload with a ramp and there will be plenty of people around to help you wheel your bike off.
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Because we have expanded the event to include time for the electric vehicles to recharge 3 times it pretty much takes up all day.

[gregsfc]

Thanks for the info. Sendler. The grassy hill will make it easy. Seems like I remember it but rode up last time. I'll be getting there late and getting up early for the ride, and I'll have to get my bike off at daybreak or just after, so knowing where I can get it off easily and quickly really eases my mind. Got a reservation at a Bed and Breakfast at just about a mile away from the hotel, so at least I won't have to ride in from Mansfield like I did last time early in the morning after a long ride the day before.

In 2014 there were about four stock bike riders with small and medium displacement bikes that seemed to be serious about doing as well, but we weren't there to try and cheat the system or not ride like we were supposed to ride. Do you think that could be an issue? Have you seen it before?

I don't like to think of myself on one of these rides as sort of a "control". I'm there to compete (even if it's not official due to the bag rule); I'll be there to meet and have fun, but not as a "control" rider. In 2014, I came within a couple of mpg of besting Craig's streamlined Helix, which had a huge drag advantage and displacement advantage over me and my bike. My bike was near pure stock, and I did everything by the rules except for the 4-bag rule, but I did have plenty of luggage space on my bike on the order of 55 liters or so, and I feel like that's plenty of luggage for a bike and so I'm not going to try to put a big Rubbermaid tote or something that's not going to be what I'd use back home. Right now, I use a big milk crate. Go grocery shopping and commute and have all the space I need on my bike to carry stuff, so that's all I'm going to do.

Thanks again.

Greg

[sendler]

Originally Posted by gregsfc

but we weren't there to try and cheat the system or not ride like we were supposed to ride. Do you think that could be an issue? Have you seen it before?

Other competitions such as the Green Grand Prix are run at an average speed of 45 mph. There are competition vehicles here on Ecomodders that have a top speed of 60 mph which would generally be unsafe and cause road rage on the California highways around where Craig lives. Craig also made the bullet fairing which achieved 470 mpgUS at 55 mph in 1984 but was uncomfortable and couldn't carry anything. 470 on public highways is an incredible feat but he realized that the general public was never going to make such concessions to get it so the rules of his design challenge were changed:

Go 70 mph

Into a 30 mph headwind

With a useful load

In great comfort
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2012 Vetter Challenge rules
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[gregsfc]

Oh wow! I didn't know there were other challenges, but I don't like the 60 mph top speed idea for an FE challenge, even though along my personal commute; I only rarely exceed 62; only when I need to pass which is rare. But I have taken a few trips via interstate and I don't dare ride under 65 (sometimes faster depending on the situation), so it's not very realistic even for a slow poke like myself.

Actually, I ride in urban settings as fast as everyone else, but in order to save on fuel and make riding and driving less stressful and to save on everything from tires to paint, I like to stay at 65 or below when I can depending on the speed limit and the amount of traffic around me in rural stretches out on highways and interstates; but I don't do this slow-poke method if I'm in a hwy situation where there is alot of congestion, where I'd be holding up traffic where almost everyone is running 80; like in crazy a** metropolitan areas like Nashville and Knoxville where everyone acts as if it's a race. I live in a micropolitan area. It's a little different world when the hub city is less than 50K. In the actual city, there is still quite a bit of traffic, but once out on the highways, it's not nearly the same. Eighty mph in more rural areas on the interstates and highways around where I live, and I'd have so many tickets that they'd revoke my license in only a few months. We don't have traffic enforcement out numbered to the same degree.