What's your best motorcycle MPG?
 

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:

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photo...50Rb-small.jpghttp://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1349877496

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.

Hmm... I think the best I've gotten on my 83 CM400 is right around 40 mpg. It obviously needs some carb tuning lol.

Post up a pic! I'm only marginally familiar with the wider world of motorcycles.

http://www.sierranet.net/~deckerts/m...cle/ascot2.jpg

84 MPG Imp. / 70 MPG / 3.4 LHK tooling around @ 50 MPH in New York State

it also got

29 MPG Imp. / 24 MPG / 9.7 LHK on Highway 401 @ 85 MPH

Which gave it the distinction if being the best and worst of my motorcycles.

The Best on my DR650 was 60mpg (US). Driving it fast gets around 48-50mpg. My normal commute was right in the middle at 55mpg normal.

The Hyosung GV250 I reviewed before the best she has gotten that she has tracked was 75mpg. It normally gets a bit over 60mpg driving it like a nut.

The Lifan 200cc bike I reviewed a while ago I have no idea because he doesn't track his mileage at all. But I bet it is probably over 80mpg from as little as he fills that thing up.

'70 something Honda CB650 4cyl with plexi-fairing: Filled up, got on highway, emptied tank, got off and filled again. got 65mpg. I think it got around 40mpg mixed driving.

Finally remembered to get a picture. :) Shes in pretty good shape. Chrome could be a little better, but its not bad for being 25 years old. Unfortunately, I rarely get a chance to ride anymore.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1...ture266my1.jpg

I was really disappointed to find out that my Honda CBR1100XX gets a consistent 36mpg despite attempts to drive slower, carry less luggage, and lube the chain. I am wondering what the hell is up with the mileage.

http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~dtlee/cbr1100xx.jpg

That does seem kind of low. 36 mpg at what kind of speeds?

30% city driving
70% freeway @ 75-80 mph

Unfortunately I cannot ride at 55 mph on the bike as I would get put into a defensive situation.

Ah, well there's your answer.

Bikes have horrid aerodynamic properties, so there's no escaping bad fuel economy at high speeds.

I'd try to find a route that will let you ride at a more relaxed pace.

Or re-gear the thing to reduce engine RPM.

Or visit craigvetter.com and get inspired :)

Ok, my turn! (all photos are of the actual bike I road)
http://community.nbtsc.org/%7Eryland...ondaCL160.jpeg

My first motorcycle, a 1967 Honda CL160, paid $100 for it with a seized engine, few weeks later had it on the road, used it for about 4 years, I always got above 70mpg, often 72-74mpg, never up to 80, altho I didn't try, had plenty of power for in town, and to take passengers, but it wouldn't go much over 65mph (Wisconsin's highest speed limit)

Next!

http://community.nbtsc.org/%7Eryland...mahaRD350.jpeg

1975 Yamaha RD350, poor gas mileage! 42-54mpg, had to fill it up every 120-150 miles or risk hitting reserve, the shop manual claimed that at 35mph it would get 75mpg with a 140lb rider, but the engine wanted to go faster all the time.

http://community.nbtsc.org/%7Eryland...ondaCM400.jpeg

After burning up the engine on my RD350... twice, I borrowed a 1980 Honda CM400 (night hawk?) it was sluggish, and heavy, but ran really smooth, never managed to get up to 50mpg with it before returning it, was expecting more for a 4 stroke.

http://community.nbtsc.org/%7Eryland...ondaCB100.jpeg

I then got a 1972 Honda CB100... or part of one, no title, no gas tank, bent valve, didn't shift correctly, by the time I sold it a few years later it was fully leagel, and ran perfectly, getting no less then 65mpg, and in to the low 70's, partly because I road it with the throttle wide open (60mph top speed), I sold it, when I got my CB125 and also kept a '71 CL100 (scrambler) that is restored aside from needing carb work.

http://community.nbtsc.org/%7Eryland...HondaCB125.JPG

Current ride is a CB125, still ride it with wide open throttle alot, always gets about 65mpg as well, and comes close to 70mpg at times, top speed closer to 65mph if I tuck in.

I was surprised because my VFR800 (1999) got about 45MPG and I drove the same way. I have gotten 36MPG on the last 3 tanks I've filled. On this next tank I'm going to try to remove all the luggage that I'm towing as it creates a larger aerodynamic drag on the bike. Additionally, I've read that gearing down does help things quite a bit. Unfortunately the bike is geared so tall in 1st gear, I think it would hamper my urban riding.

Funny thing is that my motorcycle's engine is larger than my Insight's !

Nice fleet!

I'm betting you notice a difference at the pump by doing that.

That is funny. My buddy has an SV1000 - likes to remind me his motor is the same size as my car's, and about twice as powerful.

I just sold a 89cc Jialing Passport that averaged 100mpg around town. Pretty much full throttle all the time unless cruising at 35mph or so. If I rode it every day mileage would improve to 105mpg for some reason. I average about 50mpg with my DR650 and I'm hoping my soon to be finish CB125 will get somewhere around 75mpg if I use it around town only.

Sweet rides guys!

To think my cycle only gets 321 eMPG....

Would be nice to have something with better range on it though.

Anybody ever hear of a biodiesel or veggie oil cycle conversion? Bet that would get some good mileage!

EDIT:
Found one! Gets 200 MPG.
http://www.realclassic.co.uk/diesel05112800.html

I seem to recall my naked gs1000 getting 54mpg (us) on the hiway.

So 74mpg is the number to beat so far, too easy ;) (just kidding, looks to be something of a wall at 70mpg ish for bikes that can use the hiway) I just filled up the 250 this morning and have to approximate (switched tanks), but it is looking like 62mpg with learning how to ride again, and the stock sprocket.

That diesel cycle really looks like it has possibilities.

Long range, highway speed, AND good fuel economy!

Why is it though that gas cycles can't seem to get past about 70 mpg? Is it just the terrible aerodynamics? Everything else is better; lighter weight, simpler design, etc.

I suppose part of it is that cycles tend to be targeted to the "more speed and power" crowd.

The 50cc scooters are marketed to the economy-conscious. They can get 100 mpg, but I guess they get less wind drag when they are only going 35 mph.

I borrowed my friend's 82 honda 450 nighthawk for a ride, and averaged about 45mph for a couple hours, most of the time in top gear and got 67 mpg. this bike has an overdrive 6th gear which is nice for fe, though i think the aerodynamics keep you in this range unless you drive slower than 40.

Ben: motorcycles tend to have alot more power per pound then cars, an exception of this is my cb125, with it's 12hp engine, of course it gets about 65-70mpg, but it's air drag that keeps it's top speed at 55-60mph, to reach that 60mph I have to duck down, and tuck my knees in, but alot of motorcycles have ungodly amounts of power for their size, and engines that rev to 10,000-15,000rpm, and even crotch rockets aren't very aerodynamic.

i wish the war would end so they would start building these for sale.
http://www.hdtusa.com/

but when the war ends fuel is going to go down and then they might not build them.

Oh, two wheelers, how did I miss this thread!

I've got a couple of bikes:

2005 Suzuki DL650 V-strom: 55 MPG (never tried to hypermile, but we shall see this summer)

1987 Honda CN250 Helix: 72 MPG, but getting better with every ride. Soon to be sporting fuller tires and some aero bits. I just have to figure out a way to start it without having the read brake depressed; it has a CVT, so I figure I could do some EOC and get the FE way up!

I was anxious to get a feel where the bike is at on consumption, so I took a fillup at 100 miles. Very rough first indication is ~88MPG :) I'm in the hunt!!

I like Craig Vetter's webpages about the motorcycle mileage contests of some years ago:
http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/470...PG%20Main.html

Aerodynamics seem to be the biggest factor in motorcycle mileage.

Best I ever got on my RC-51 was 42 mph. My '68 airhead BMW R-60 gets about 45 mpg.

I have an old 1975 Kawasaki F7 175cc Enduro that I've used to commute with off and on for many years now. It is a 2-stroke rotary valve single, and it usually gets between 65 and 70 under normal conditions. Recently I began riding it on a 40-mile commute on secondary country roads at about 45 mph and got as high as 77.1 for a couple of tanks, when the wind was mostly at my back. It does not like to go much faster than that under any circumstances, and neither do I, when I'm riding it... Know what I mean?

Ecomodding techniques have driven the mileage on my V-strom to 60 MPG! Would never have guessed a 650 could get that high with so little effort.

I have been doing a little "pulse-and-gliding" on the electric cycle.

As long as I am not turning the throttle, the motor isn't using any power. It is suprising how far I can just coast.

I have noticed that it takes more juice now because of the 36V contactor. I think those things were never designed to be more efficient, because the forklifts had such huge battery packs. I might eventually want to swap out for a better contactor.

Also, I would like to convert to LED lighting, it's just time and money that prevents it. Plus, the cycle works just fine the way it is, and is fairly efficient, so I find it hard to justify the expense right now.

Cb250
 

My Honda Nighthawk CB250 has similar characteristics to Ryland's CB125 but with a top speed of 75 and a rock-bottom of 70 mpg. If dcb is really up for the challenge i'll run a tank clean (~230 miles) and see what happens... :)

Sure, what's the challenge? My short term goal is 105mpg FYI (then I can claim a 500 mile range). There's a lot of variance in one tank, so we should probably go by the gas log though, averaged over many tanks. Are you up for adding a garage entry for your bike and tracking the mileage and fillups?

High 50's in my CB350 Four. Which was much like this one: http://www.realclassic.co.uk/honda05012100.html

Except I got mine for $150. Replaced battery, contacts, and started riding. Within a few blocks the muffler fell off :rolleyes:, 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. :thumbup: Rode it like I was trying to earn WDC points :D 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:

2008 Hyosung GT250
 

My first tank of gas was the worst at about 57mpg. Since then, my best was just over 90mpg and I typically get high 70s.

Well, I sold my '68 airhead to a friend who has been lusting after it for several years. He kept bugging me to name a price, so finally I did and he never batted an eye. Oops! ;)

Both bikes are now gone, and I'm on the lookout for a bike I can convert to electric.

Hi,

The best I did on my 1987 BMW K75S was 55mpg -- not bad for a 750cc. This was on a trip from Massachusetts up to Quebec -- we were in the far western part of Maine, west of the Allagash. I was one-up, but with fully loaded saddlebags and large tankbag.

HD
 

I didn't see any info posted on Harleys, so here's what I get on mine.

1998 Harley Davidson Super Glide
Vance & Hines Short Shots
80 cu in, 5 speed

It is my commuter. I don't take freeways. Round trip commute is 35 miles.
I work in a valley and live in the hills. Average 50 mph. I have gotten 50+MPG
over the past 4 or 5 years. I keep my tires at 35psi and am heavy on the
throttle.

Made in the USA.:thumbup:

Eric

my 1989 honda hurricane 600 best was 52mpg. I tend to ride it for the acceleration (not top speed) so I usually get 48mpg being hamfisted:D

When I had my crx hf I usually liked to tell people that my motorcycle got the same mpg with an engine less than half as big and it put out more power too.
On that note, I've noticed in a few futuro hybrids and gas sippers that some of them have motorcycle sized engines now...maybe even a MC motor?

I always wondered why MC engines appear to be so much more efficient than car engines when you compare size and power :confused:

KLR250 Mileage
 

The wife and I bought a brand new Kawasaki KLR250 (enduro/on/offroad) in 2004 and have put around 5000 miles on it by now. Mileage varies from 75mpg to 77mpg. I am going to replace the tires for next season with something a bit less knobby and might do a sprocket swap to lower revs a tad...the dirt style front fender catches alot of wind but I don't know what will bolt on that's more streamlined.

Solarstazz

Wow, I am impressed! I topped out at about 60 mpg on my '86, but I also think my belt needed replacement.

You can do a motard style and mount it right next to the tire but attached so it moves with the tire (mounted to the bottom of the forks) Are you forks upside down?