Do You Really Care About Fuel Economy?
I'd love to profess a deep preoccupation with MPG, but every time I climb aboard a motorcycle it seems a few extra thousand revs become a lot more appealing than a few extra miles per gallon.* I know I'm not a good example, but I've always guessed I wasn't alone.
The LA Times recently ran a story mentioning the lack of public information about motorcycle fuel economy figures, and cites a 2003 Motorcycle Industry Council study which ranked "practicality" sixth out of eleven possible "reasons for riding a motorcycle"-- though higher fuel prices might produce a different result in 2008.
Where do you stand? Are fuel prices encouraging you to hypermile like our friends Christine and Scott Gable at About's Hybrid Cars & Alt Fuels site, or is motorcycling a strictly visceral experience, MPG be damned? Go ahead: share your reasons for riding, and don't be shy.
* No, my fuel expenses are not reimbursed.
Photo © Photo © Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images News
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Comments
Spend some time on a big carbureted sport V-twin…if you’re gonna sweat over gas mileage, that’ll do it.
The 1st time I rode one on some really good roads, the fuel warning light came on at 150km’s…that’s just shy of a 100 miles. I pulled over and starting checking for a leak. AWFUL consumption rates (sewer pipes for main jets) along with a small tank make for not passing up too many gas stations. I emphasize GOOD roads…normal riding and the mileage increase to an almost reasonable level
However, if the big stupid grin on your face is any indication, the fun factor far outweighs gas mileage. A good green attitude…sure…that’s what my Civic is for.
If I still lived in Dallas I’d be on a bike almost every day more for the fun than about MPG. No bike right now, but when we moved to NYC we kept the F-150 Supercrew because it meets our needs when we get out of the city. Since we average less than 400 miles a month the cost of parking makes gas prices seem irrelevant.
The adrenaline rush. I am a very timid driver in my car, but on the bike i open up andl et loose and i love it. nothing is more soothing after a hard day of work than doin 150 home on the highway ya know?
Johnny,
Kilometers per hour, right?
Basem
Is the MPG worth the worry of getting run over by a cell phone using driver? MPG may take a step up in the eleven reasons to ride list. The price of gas may put some of these inattenative drivers on two wheels for the greater economy. Maybe then they will have to pay attention to the task of driving. Bikes and scooters if respected can help solve our energy crunch and they are fun. DC
The writer of comment #1 was clearly talking about my Honda Superhawk (ha ha). 28 mpg was the usual. It started to bug me so I sold it. Maybe it’s an unreasonable assumption, but I really feel like a motorcycle should get at least in the mid-40’s mpg-wise. Personal preference. Maybe at heart I still want motorcycles to be practical as well as stylish and emotionally involving. Just me. I find myself also looking at the grade of fuel required in a bike motor. Kudos to Suzuki and Kawasaki (and others?) for designing their non race replica motors to run on regular grade gas (87 octane). Premium’s expensive and occasionally in short supply. Rumor has it that premium goes stale in the underground tank as it’s not pumped as much. I don’t know about that but I know I will always check the required octane before I buy a new bike.
CP
Both my wife and I ride identical Kawasaki Vulcan 750’s…she always gets better gas milage than I do! I ride for fun, relaxation, pleasure…and it’s a nice side benefit to get better MPG than in the car. Sure not the number one reason to ride.
Of course you don’t give a crap about mileage or you’d be in a EV. But, having said that, what other vehicle can get upwards of 50mpg and get your ashes hauled too?
OK, it’s 2008. Gas is over $4.00/gal and I’ve got to go to work every day, 23 miles each way. My car gets 27/highway and 23/city. My bike gets 35mpg/average and gets noticed in the parking lot by the ladies (who seem to always ask for a ride), your call.
Being 48 years old, I still ride for some enjoyment but find myself concerned about fuel mileage as well. I’ve always considered bikes a great fuel saver with the benefits of power, appearance, and fun-factor. My solution to this question…an ‘03 ninja 250(commuter which gets 65 to 82 mpg) & my ‘04 CBR1000RR (peaks the thrill meter). I’m not as hard core as I used to be but I still like my bikes. And spending about $10 a stop for fuel (obviously the ninja) isn’t too bad either.
Hi from the UK.
‘Gas’ or petrol as it is here is £1.12 per gallon. Think yourselves lucky Yanks! Fuel consumption is something m/c manufacturers have never given a damn about since we, the riders, don’t either. I ride a VFR800F. That’s the model which superseded the VFR750 and my consumption is around the 40MPG level IF I take things steady. If I up the pace the consumption drops to compare a seventies model car. (That’s an automobile to you lot!) Shocking isn’t it? Disgraceful more like!!
Chuck….Gee, I thought the vague description would cleverly hide the fact that I ride a VTR.
It is probably (after various mods) as ‘un-green’ a vehicle as you’ll find these days. My Civic get’s better milage and pollutes far less…however the fun factor is off the scale. It’s staying until I scrape up enough loot for a 1098S.
Cheers!
Basem…so where’s the test on 848 awready??? Hmmmm???
I tell you what. I grew up in Buffalo, NY and back then riding was nothing but passion and pleasure. Now I live in Los Angeles and riding has become almost mandatory for me. Gas prices, traffic and parking are the main reasons for me to ride EVERYWHERE!! rain or shine. Of course I still love every minute of riding and still find time to be the president of an official motorcycle club. I ride so much I just turned over 40,000 miles on my 2003 honda 954. I will ride till I die no matter what. To all my fellow riders, keep the rubber down and I will see you on the streets.
Pete,
It’s cookin’… Hayabusa does nothing for ya?
Whoops- you already commented on the ‘Busa… Sorry, man. Tired.
litres per 100km in aussie. but who cares. My Harley gives about 4.5litres per 100km and thats just fine by me at $1.50/litre for PULP.
Forget the economy and just enjoy the experience.
Basem…it’s absolutely a great bike, although not exactly a styling coup. I have a soft spot for Suzuki…I put almost 100,000km’s on a GS850 and it was stone axe reliable and great bike.
I think (I’m sure lots will disagree with me) what Kawasaki and Suzuki started with the ZX12-13-14 and GSXR13/1400 represents a diection I’m not sure we want the industry to go. With police forces, legislators and insurance companies putting our sport under a microscope, the ‘magic’ 300 KPH mark on street legal bikes is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. They simply don’t understand bikes like this…all they see is the ridiculous top speeds in magazines. The comfort, smoothness, and everything else good that goes along with that technology is lost on them.
That, in combination with the Kawasaki commercials & the asinine licensing laws in the U.S. & Canada that will let anyone, regardless of experience ride them, make both those bikes more of a detriment than an asset.
I don’t find any particular allure to the whole top speed thing…dangerous as hell and get’s boring real quick too. I’m not sure either of those 2 bikes have anything ‘special’ to offer beyond that.
‘Sides..Again…the dreadfully slow Blackbird is a much nicer bike.
I only worry about MPG/KPL when doing cross country rides in Austalia it can be a long way betwwen refills.
But now that gas is around 150 a litre I try to ride a bit more sedate.
As much as it looks to me the SCOOTERS are going to enter our lives. The oil companys and the Green peaple are killing us. I guess we will have to bend over and take.
Ride a Suzuki gs 500 short trips work and pleasure. 55 to 60 miles a gallon, fun to ride and cheaper than the car. Why have a bigger bike ,there’s no where you can ride legally on any roads.
The only reason I have a mc is because 3 years ago my wife (in a moment of weakness) said (after lamenting about the high cost of fuel and the low mpg of our truck, “maybe we should get you a motorcycle to save on gas.” 3 days later I was the proud owner of a klr250, which got 60mpg. Less than a year later, I talked my wife into letting me buy a suzuki dl650 v-strom, which gets about 48mpg on average, but it a lot more fun to ride. I absolutely ride a mc because of the mileage factor.
I ride to enjoy. That’s why I built my bike … to ride it! So, whatever it takes to keep it on the road, is my philosophy. And I don’t ride any different because of fuel concerns. I’m pretty conditioned to stopping for gas about every 80 miles anyway. It’s all about the ride.
Yes I care about fuel mileage. I’ve ridden continuously since 1978 because it satisfies two key criteria, fun and practical. I’d fly an airplane because it’s fun but it’s not practical (for me). I daily commute on a Concours, 52mpg repeatedly, good weather protection for year-round riding, and as fast as I want to go. I don’t drive a full size truck because it’s niether fun nor practical.
Motorcycles generally suck at good mileage, about time someone made a ‘cycle that was optimized for good fuel mileage. 90mpg at freeway speeds is not an unreasonable expectation.
Main use of my motorcycle is commuting, so yes, fuel efficiency *is* a big deal for me.
As another poster said, we need more *practical* motorcycles, and motorcyclists who use their bikes for transport, not for posing at the week-ends.
I am testing a 2.75:1 drive ratio on a Suzuki sv650s and may realize 70-75mpg.Here’s how, regular upright riding is 50mpg. No wheelies and keep hwy speed around 80mph. This is getting way easier since the I15 is slowing more each day. Stay in a tuck and rest on the tank, keep knees, elbows and head in for 65mpg. Lower the drive ratio, I dropped a tooth in back and one in front for a 9% drop in rpm for the same speed. This is the lowest ratio I could find gears for, this should yield 70 to 75 mpg and more as the ave hwy speed drops. I rode for a year in fast mode but the real bikes costing over $10k keep dusting me, I ride 115mi. day so mpg is my biggest concern.
I stopped driving my Dodge Ram Truck (15 mpg city and about 21 on highway) and started driving my CBR600RR as soon as the weather was reasonable. The fuel mileage of the bike is so good that the mileage I get from the bike compared to my truck is the same as paying $1.69/gallon (with gas currently at $3.89/gallon). Beat that with any automobile. With a bike that gets +50 mpg in the city, you would be hard pressed to find many vehicles under what I paid for this bike with that kind of fuel mpg.
I ride a 2007 Yamaha Star Roadliner which gets pretty good mpg for being 1885cc. I usually get between 40 and 45 mpg and have gotten 50 occasionally. I dressed it out with Corbin saddlebags & trunk as well as a big Rifle windshield, so it isn’t very aerodynamic. I put 12,000 miles on it in 16 months, avoiding driving my truck as much as possible.
I keep tabs on my miles/gallon periodically, just to be sure it’s staying somewhat consistent. The more I fill it up, the more miles I’ve ridden, the happier I am.
Not really, to be honest!Even here in South Africa with the fuel prices as high as it is… Mostly prefers the the two wheels to avoid traffic jams in Gauteng, and do not forget that it is the only way (for me at least) to relax and get rid of stress after work (like Johnny in the other forum with his 150 on the highway (hope it was mph…)
Out of habit I do monitor it, but more as an indication of the bike’s wellbeing than anything else.
I ride my DR650, commuting, adventure and fun for anything but mileage. But I don’t mind the better mileage than my car. I get 45-50mpg riding it as hard as I want.
I live to ride, and ride to live, however cheap gas is always a plus when you have to buy fuel for an SUV, a car and a HD