What's your best motorcycle MPG?

[alvaro84]

Originally Posted by AMDparts

hi, i'm new here. i've changed a 150cc fourstroke liquidcooled variomatic 16" scooter to a recumbent sittingposition. this with some gear- and epoxifiberchanges gives a nice mpg-number. my last tank was 109.5mpg at about 65 miles an hour.

kind regards,

abel
heerhugowaard
the netherlands

What kind of FE does the 150cc pull off without the streamlining? Now it seems you can exceed 100mpgUS regularly when everything's at its right place. It's great, especially at 65mph! At those speeds both of our bikes start to lose FE to the aero drag, though to a different extent.

[AMDparts]

i don't know for sure. i think when you make more then 50mpg with a standard 150cc carb. scooter you should be very lucky.

[alvaro84]

I'm sure it would be out of its efficient range at 65mph, so that 50mph may be true. At lower speeds a 4-stroke 150cc should be much better IMHO.

[AMDparts]

maybe that's true , but travelling at this speed is normal overhere. 100km/hour that is. the bigger roads are 120km/hour, wich is about 75mph........

the main thing to get it more efficient is the gearing i can't change. it's doing too much revs at this moment wich takes some efficiency away. i'm travveling at 1/4 or 1/3 throttle !

abel

[alvaro84]

Hm, then there's room for improvement
SOmeone said here before that changing weights on the CVT transmission can help to keep revs lower.

Anyway, I like to travel under PSLs where they're over 90km/h [56mph]
If the traffic is light I even like to go under that 90 And I almost never make use of the 130km/h limit of Hungarian freeways [~82mph], except for a few moments of a minority of overtakings.

Have you tried Puls&Glide at the speeds you run at 1/4 throttle? You'd get load when accelerating and low revs when giding I do it pretty much, especially around town (50km/h limit, ~31mph) where my 650 needs a tiny little bit of throttle, just a tad over throttle play...

[AMDparts]

spanks but that's no use. gliding with a variomatic is not possible while the centrifugal stuff of the clutch only loses it's grip at slightly more revs then stationary.

the weights are not standard, i have added a bit.
the steering for the variomatic; for the 125 they are 12+ a bit grammes , for the 150cc they are 11.7 grammes each. mine are 15 grammes ( 3pcs ) and 31 grammes ( also 3pcs )

( if HONDA reads this they come over and shoot me, japanese style )

the weights of the centrifugal thing are so heavy that the clutch will gripp when the throttle is touched, not when he's making lots of revs..... ( 3 - 4000 rpm ??? )

so my recumbent bike is so slow when i pull away from a traffic light , i'm just outrunning the normal cars !!!! when i reach 80km/hour the vario is done at about 4500rpm and only then i'm getting higher in rpm.

i think i'm driving my 100km/hour at 6000rpm or slightly higher, i still havn't found a cheap or free electronic rev. counter for up to 8000rpm. ( anyone can send me one !!! )

[DieselDan]

Hello

Well I get 135mpg US for my Diesel powered Enfield.

This is cruising at around 55mph.

[AMDparts]

ok, that's not bad. that's a 300 something cc ? and when you drive it long trips at 65 ?

[DieselDan]

Hey AMD

Its a 418cc single. I can gear it to run probably indicated 60mph

But then again these bikes are all about touring along nice and easy while using little fuel. Overtaking others at gas stations while they're busy filling up their inefficient machines.

IMO Diesel power is superior to gas in many many ways.

[alvaro84]

A Diesel MC with 1000km+ range, that would be totally cool to ride
Sad that electrics are very, very far from this, because the thing I'd really like to have is an electric with similar range and a battery (capacitor?) that doesn't deteriorate with age...