What's your best motorcycle MPG?

[cvetter]

If you can carry the groceries you might want to challenge us from Las Vegas to Barstow.

Craig Vetter Fuel Economy better mileage

Craig

[cvetter]

Are you streamlined?

[sendler]

Air cooled Harleys are surprisingly fuel efficient for such big motors. I have talked to a few different people on 883's and Buell's that can approach 60 mpgUS.

[thomason2wheels]

Originally Posted by boxchain

High 50's in my CB350 Four. Which was much like this one: Honda CB350 Four - 1973 - Classic Motorcycle Review - RealClassic.co.uk

Except I got mine for $150. Replaced battery, contacts, and started riding. Within a few blocks the muffler fell off , and Honda wanted $450 for a set of those fancy quad pipes. I opted instead for the $20 yeah-theres-baffles-in-their-officer straight pipe. Rode it like I was trying to earn WDC points and would get low 40's, which is what I'm shooting for driving like a pawpaw.

Note that this was a 400#+ bike. I can't find specs right now, but the p/w was pretty low.

I think I need to get another bike now D:

I always really liked the idea of the small displacement 4 cyl engines of which the honda was first i believe. Had a friend in college that got one new and i so envied him. Probably never go there now, but the ninja 300 is really tempting. It even has 2 cylinders like a proper street bike should....hehe

[k-vette]

Been working on the mpg in the car for awhile, just started on the motorcycle. After realizing that even on the motorcycle I spend more than $3 a day on gas, I decided I should try harder. 8mpg with mild changes. (up to 58mpg)

Despite the fact that the nighthawk 700s is not bred for fuel economy, I think it can do it just fine.

My Kawasaki 750 turbo project will probably get traded for a cbr250 when it's complete...

[Christ]

Even at speeds approaching 3 digits, I'm still pulling 50+MPG on my '01 Katana 750 with V&H SS2R slip-on. The key is to not speed up and slow down. Once you get up to that speed, nothing's gonna chase you anyway.

That bike also has no fairings, not even a windshield, except the plastic tail section because I haven't gotten around to cutting off the subframe and adding a new one yet.

[thomason2wheels]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

For those of you who own/have owned bikes, what's the best MPG you saw, and under what kind of conditions & driving style?

I had a Ninja 250 for a couple of years, just like this one:



26 rear wheel horsepower (close to that); carbureted.

The best I saw on a tank was 85 mpg (imperial) which works out to 70.8 mpg (US) or 3.3 L/100 km.

This was on a relaxed highway round trip in summer weather (let's say 25C) @ about 80 km/h (50 mph) with a little bit of city driving at each end.

Driving style was: short shift (which on this bike was around 4-5000 RPM - 14000 RPM limit), & "driving without brakes" in the city portions.

I'd say, based on my own limited experience with my 09 ninja, that 70 mpg is pretty dang good and way better than my best of 67 under my typical use....mostlt highwayat 60, with some city use thrown into thfe mix. I typically shift at 4 to 4500 in town, just barely keeping up with traffic and on the highway, try to hold as close to a reasonably constant load as traffic and terrain will allow. Already bumped the gearing once with 15 tooth countershaft sprocket, next step is a 4 tooth reduction in the rear sprocket which i hope will get me down to right at 1000 rpm per 10 mph. I would go taller, but my weight, size and hilly terrain preclude going much lower than i already have. I'd love to get my average up to 70 mpg or better.

[ciderbarrel]

I have a 2000 Honda Valkyrie I just got in mid-May. 1520cc Flat 6 with 6-into-6 pipes.

On 6/26/12 I went 135.9 miles and used 3.44 gallons (US) for 39.6 MPG. It was about 50/50 driving on that tank. Almost 90 miles of it was non-stop on the Capital Beltway/I-270 and then the rural back roads in my county.

[cvetter]

A call for Challengers: We will be riding from Las Vegas to Barstow (173 miles) in the next Vetter Challenge. We all ride together. No "pulse and coast" We ride with traffic. We'd love to have you. Anybody have a Honda NC700? Lets see what it does. I'll buy you lunch in Barstow. 9 AM, November 18, 2012, Las Vegas Red Rock Hotel. Craig Vetter, designer and inventor of the Windjammer fairing,Triumph Hurricane Motorcycle and fuel economy motorcycles

[offalot]

Best Mileage on my KLR650 is just about 74mpg (US). I have an opened up exhaust and jetted carb but mostly this was achieved by driving methods. Not too bad for a big upright bike on knobby tires.