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Anonymous
Anonymous asked in Cars & TransportationMotorcycles · 1 decade ago

are motorcycles more fuel efficent then cars?

17 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Some are more fuel efficient and some are not.

    A heavily modified bike with a large displacement engine may only get up to the 30 mpg range which my Ford Escort can do (30mpg around town and 38-40 on the highway).

    A stock motorcycle with a smaller displacement may get 40-60mpg depending on the riders riding style.

    Now let's go one more step-Scooters. I have a Honda Reflex and that bike will get (and has repeatedly) 70mpg, if I don't use the freeway much. Higher freeway speeds will pull my mileage into the mid 60s.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Someone brought up a good point- that pound for pound, they are NOT more fuel efficient. However, if you want to compare them to cars using miles per gallon then yes, they are.

    Sniveling about a Holier-Than-Thou hybrid car only shows that a person is willing to spend over $20,000 to get 50 mpg. You can get a NEW sportbike for under $8,000, pay lower insurance, park darn near anywhere you like and actually enjoy the trip.

    Motorcycles can be ridden in wind, cold, heat, and rain, and some with massive 'nads will even ride in the snow. I live in Colorado and ride year-round. I forgo the snow and wait till the gravel has been pushed away each time, but this keeps me off the bike for maybe 3-4 weeks out of the year.

    Did I mention that even a small sportbike can do 0-60 in under 4 seconds and top out at over 150 mph? To modify a quote I read somewhere, "Let's see a hybrid car do THAT!"

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Pound for pound, no, but if you're just going by vehicle miles, then, generally, yes.

    My motorcycles got:

    65 mpg - Honda XL350

    55 mpg - Honda Nighthawk 450

    35 mpg - Kawasaki Police Special (KZ1000P)

    45 mpg - Yamaha Virago 700

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    No, they use less fuel. They use the same amount (a measure of efficiency) for their size that cars do. Some of the bigger Harleys use more gas than some of the smaller cars do in fact. Don't believe me; check out their website and then Toyota's. They also require a trip to the filling station more often as well.

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  • 1 decade ago

    My Honda CBR1100XX gets 31 to 35 mpg. My girlfriends ninja 250 gets 75 mpg. A harley gets 45 mpg. It all depends on weight size and power. And bikes do have to be as clean as cars on pollution. I had a Kawasaki 2 stroke triple a Mach 4 750 it only got 22 to 25 but it was a 2 stroke they use more gas, but are not sold in street from in this country any more, plus they pollute.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Not necessarily. They are lighter then cars which should make them more fuel efficient but if they run bad then absolutely not. I can take my Hybrid car anywhere and get 60 miles to the gallon but my motorcycle does not come close to that and I stay cool with the A/C in my hybrid and dry when it rains and snow and sleet are no problems either. Lets see a motorcycle do that.

  • 1 decade ago

    NO

    Some cars get better fuel mileage than bikes.

    Mine gets about 63 mpg but most bikes average between 43-48 mpg.

  • 1 decade ago

    I average 46 to 47 miles to the gallon on my 2002 Harley low rider. That's with 2 people and saddlebags full. So, yes it is more fuel efficient than cars.

  • 1 decade ago

    As long as you keep your driving speed within normal bounds. If you subject the motorcycle to long periods of high speed driving (over 80 mph and fast bursts of speed (also known as exhibition of speed)---you will definitely see your fuel consumption drop from 40 to 70 miles to the gallon to 40 minutes or less of driving time on a full tank of gas.

  • 1 decade ago

    fuel efficiency is directly proportional with the weight of the vehicle you want to move hence cars this days are built with very thin sheet metal (best way to comply with goverment reulation to increase fuel efficiency was for auto makers to cut the weight)

    now transfer that to the motorcyle and you have your answer

    (other factors also play a role but the weight is a mayor one)

    to answer yuor question YES

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