| Author | Message | ||
     Sinjhin |
Froggy, If you have the time and don't mind I would love to know some tips for getting better gas mileage. Here is what I got so far. I have done several 130 mile trips on the bike to my home town. I am running 91-93 octane (mostly 93). I reset the average MPG before every trip. On the few occasions that I try to get good mileage I average 38 MPG for the entire trip according to the cluster. This is about 1/3 interstate at a very steady 70-71 mph and a transition to highway for the remaining 2/3rd of the way at a steady 60-61 mph. The specs from the website say the epa tested this bike on the highway for 47mpg. I would LOVE to get that kind of mileage and I know you have mentioned getting upwards of 54. Why am I not getting these numbers? tips plaez! P.S. I am well versed in Mathematics/Physics so feel free to go willy-nilly on the technical terms. | ||
| Sinjhin |
Just to add some more info, when trying to ride for good mileage I will accelerate pretty easy and usually shift at a fairly low rpm (low as I can get away with without lugging the engine). I will usually get up to whatever speed I want shortly after hitting fifth and then shift to 6th gear. Also, steady throttle is not a problem for me, I can zone out and keep within the exact same mph for hours. Also, I only weigh 170 lbs. so that shouldn't be an adverse factor. (Message edited by Sinjhin on April 26, 2010) | ||
| Speedy818 |
Are you riding full tuck? | ||
| Redbuell1203 |
I have found that I get better gas mileage in 5th gear on the highway. I have seen 47 on the instant mpg. Just what I have experienced. I usually run about 60 to 65. | ||
| Sinjhin |
Yes, riding full tuck probably 80-90% of the time. Oh and my bike is an '09 1125cr with almost 4k miles on it, Mobil1 v-twin... I have noticed full-tuck nets me about 2mpg more on the instant mpg readout. | ||
| Froggy |
(I'm not ignoring you, big post coming) | ||
| Leechykyle |
I found that riding tucked gives me slightly worse mileage. But.. that could also be due to the brand of gasoline. I'm also kinda tall, and it's hard for me to get behind the windscreen.. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
As MPGs go down, smiles go up. | ||
| Froggy |
Ok there is many factors at play, including altitude, tire pressure, aerodynamics, speed, smoothness, braking, accelerating, road conditions, weather, route you take, idle time, and so on. I will give some tips off the top of my head, this isn't everything. Also, what the website says is based on emissions testing, not actual road time like the car fuel economy tests. If I recall right, they call 45mph "highway".
There you have it. You can read many more tips and tricks from another site I post on, Ecomodder http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving- tips-ecodriving.php They also have a list of 65 mods you can do to help improve fuel economy. http://ecomodder.com/forum/fuel-economy-mpg-modifi cations.php All in all, with some minor adjustments to your riding habits (you don't need to be a full blown hyper miler) you can make a noticeable positive impact on your fuel economy. | ||
| Afhans |
Well I guess I am going to go get that newest flash for my '08R. | ||
| Sinjhin |
Froggy, thanks so much. "Wind resistance increases exponentially" -I knew this, but hadn't really put much thought into it. "you will need 4 times as much power to maintain 80mph than 60mph" -Makes sense, but HOLY CRAP... Thanks for the websites too, this should be some interesting reading for work tomorrow  | ||
| Syonyk |
I was wondering if you were doing the "coast with the engine off" thing... I've not actually cut the motor on hills, but there's a long hill between Santa Fe and Albuquerque that, late at night, I can pretty much coast down at 55-60mph (if there's no traffic). MUCH better fuel economy than staying in gear with engine braking or having to burn fuel to hold speed - I was seeing 99 for a good chunk of it (with the engine idling). I should try bumping up the tire pressure. I thought that would flatspot the center of the tire faster, though. | ||
| Froggy |
I haven't noticed any adverse wear patters running the high pressure, but my understanding is that it will reduce the contact patch a little. | ||
| Ron_luning |
Actually....you'll need 2.37 times the power at 80mph vs 60mph based on overcoming aerodynamic drag. I hate it when people correct minor errors on here, but that is a pretty big difference. Sorry. That whole business of shutting down the engine on hills is pretty extreme. Good on you if you can keep that up for more than one ride. If fuel mileage was the main concern, a scooter or a Blast! would be a great choice instead of a higher performance bike like the 1125 series. | ||
| Sinjhin |
Ron, thanks for the correction. That is quite a difference. Fuel consumption is not normally my concern, I love the power of the 1125, however I am a poor college kid and sometimes my bike turns from a toy, into a pure commuter. It is during these times of ramen and cans of tuna that I want to know how to squeeze more mpg out of my bike. | ||
| Chessm |
ha i got 32mpg on my last ride and i think thats the highest ive ever seen from my CR | ||
| Chevycummins |
Riding down a long hill with the engine off does bother me. Doesn't the engine oil pump supply oil to the moving parts in the trans? Without the engine running could you be doing damage to the parts in the trans that are still moving? | ||
| Froggy |
Sorry Ron, I meant to type in 40mph, not 60. Also, I do have a Blast that I mainly use for commuting, and I can easily get 85mpg on it without much effort. My goal is to break 100mpg on it this summer, but that is going to take some work and possibly modifications. | ||
| Ron_luning |
If you can do the bodywork to make one of these it shouldn't be too difficult: http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/470MPG/Vetter%20F uel%20Economy%20Contests.html Hell, that was 30 years ago...you'd think we'd all be getting 100 mpg on commuter bikes today. | ||
| Froggy |
Yea my plan was to get some kind of half assed fiberglass aerodynamic fairing and do something like that. I just lack the skills and materials, so that will be later in the pipeline. I plan on putting the XBRR bodywork on my Uly and seeing how good I can do with that. | ||
| 46champ |
Froggy has anyone ever compared the XBRR fairing to the RR1000 or RR1200 fairings from a purely aerodynamic standpoint. | ||
| Froggy |
Honestly I don't know, I have never seen any numbers. From my understanding Buell worked hard to make those bikes as aerodynamic as possible. I'd kill to get an RR1000, but thats for another thread  | ||
| Tpoppa |
Riding down a long hill with the engine off does bother me. Doesn't the engine oil pump supply oil to the moving parts in the trans? Without the engine running could you be doing damage to the parts in the trans that are still moving? I would not do it for that reason. | ||
| Bob_saggot |
Ever hear of common sense? And who gives a shit. Go buy a Blast and use it for millage and to wear out if your so worried. I'm gonna go buy a corvette now and hyper millage it. (Message edited by Bob_Saggot on April 28, 2010) | ||
| Leechykyle |
Corvettes can get better mileage than a lot of vehicles. But obviously if you drive them the fun way, they can get a lot worse. I use my 1125R for mileage, but I don't expect to get over 35. But that's better than my truck, which gets about 18 or 19. Too bad I can't take the bike to work next week... id save a bundle driving 560 miles on it, but I don't think my body would like me much when I got there. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
something that has helped me on smoothness and way much on comfort was wrapping the grips with tennis racket tape(the cushy kind) im used to big grips like the kuryakyn iso grips from my cruiser and those things were killing me but as mentioned an unplanned but much loved side effect was helping me smooth my roll.... | ||
| Christaylor |
Coasting down a long hill, with the engine off, can be a lot of fun. Get a couple of friends together at the top of a long, steep downhill. Put the bikes in neutral, engine off, everyone gets one good foot shove. The rider that uses the smoothest cornering techniques and stays of the brakes will gain the most momentum. Really, this is fun!  | ||
| Alchemy |
With the engine off the lights are off including the brake lights. Be careful those around you are aware of this difference. If you idle then at least the lights are working from a safety standpoint. Thanks for the tips. | ||
| 46champ |
The lights stay on if you kill it with the kill switch and not the key. | ||
| Froggy |
Last time I checked, every vehicle I owned, all the lights still work with the engine off. |
) and turn it into heat. You should avoid braking as much as possible. If you have to use your brakes above 30mph, it probably means you were going too fast. Not only did you waste energy by accelerating to that too fast speed, now you got to burn it off to slow down again. Learn to better predict how fast you need to go, learn to let off the gas and coast as much as possible down hills and too stop signs/lights.