Motorcycle fuel economy, anyone invited to answer!?

go to www.fuelly.com > browse vehicles and click the tab for motorcycles.

there you can browse the mileage figures for hundreds of motorcycles by year, make, model.

the reason for the downward trend of mileage in motorcycles is due entirely to the industry producing larger and larger engines. Many motorcycles now come with larger engines than cars & TRUCKS that I've owned. 750cc was considered a very large bike not so long ago. Now they get a reputation as a "girls bike" or beginner bike!!

I posted this on somebody else's question but it also applies here: If you're doing highway driving, then drive at a lower speed and use cruise control. The power required to drive at a given speed increases exponentially. A difference of 10mph will significantly improve your mileage. Pick a moderate speed you're comfortable with. You won't get run over, just settle into the right line and turn on the cruise. Before long you'll find yourself in line with other like minded people. Whether city or highway, don't leave at the last minute, leave enough time so you can drive calmly. Gentle driving saves fuel. Avoid heavy throttle - this puts the car's computer into "enrichment" mode, where it deliberately runs extra rich to protect the engine. It does not run a well calibrated fuel mixture in this mode. Don't use AC if you don't need it. Some people run it constantly. Windows down is more efficient than AC. Maintenance - if you have a check engine light on, try to find out what it's complaining about and fix it. Some issues affect mileage. Pay attention to all the typical tune up stuff, especially ignition. Fuel injectors are another biggie but that's normally not an easy part to service. If you do your own car work, consider replacing the upstream O2 sensor(s). The upstream is before the catalyst - the ECM uses it to keep it's fuel mixture in calibration. They lose accuracy as they age and cause the engine to run slightly rich. The ECM can't notice this unless it completely fails. On some cars these sensors are cheap, but on newer cars they get expensive. Mine was cheap and I tracked a mileage improvement of 10%, so it paid me back fast. They should probably be replaced every 50-100k or so, but yours might be expensive on a 98 model so it's not always an easy decision. No guarantee this would help, but often it does. Make sure tire pressure isn't low. Make sure your coolant temperature is getting up to a normal level. If you notice it's running colder than it should, find out why. Running cold hurts the mileage. Of course running too hot is a more common problem and you *really* don't want that either as it can easily cause serious engine damage, especially with aluminum heads. Basic engine health is a big factor as well. Don't let it run low on oil or fall behind on oil changes. An engine that runs but is unhealthy will get worse mileage.

I think it really matters how much you twist the throttle... i can ride my bike hard and get 40 mpg, or go easy and get closer to 60.

for an 'official' stat:

1997 Kawasaki EX-500 (stock gearing), 75mph average on the highway - 55-58 mpg. bumps over 60mpg if i stay under 70 instead of shooting up to 85 whenever a fast car or another bike comes by :-P

1993 CBR 600 F2 (-1/+1 gearing) - running HARD at the track. constantly between 8,000 and 12,500 RPM hard. I still get better than 35 mpg unless the track has really long straights.

1994 Yamaha XJ600S (stock gearing) just under 60mpg on the highway.

I think the biggest difference you'll find behind old bikes and new bikes is that new bikes are either significantly MORE or significantly LESS aerodynamic than their older brothers. Plus modern sportbikes require a contortionist to really utilize the fairing...

'84 Kawasaki Voyager (6 cylinder model, not known for good mileage), last year I averaged 37.1 mpg on a 3,600 mile trip and this year 35.8 on a 3,500 mile trip. At 70 mph I usually average 33-35 mpg and at 60, around 42-44 mpg. With it's billboard sized fairing, strong headwinds really hurt the fuel economy.

As far as the Harley guy's results, it's either an exceptional bike or he is remembering the best times. My buddies all ride Ultra and Road Glide Harleys and the two guys with the 88ci engines consistantly get 3-5 mpg better than me and the guy with the bigger engine consistantly gets maybe 1 or sometimes 2 mpg better.

My KZ1000 will get 42-45 at 55-60 mph and 38-40 at 70 mph. Year before last it averaged 42.1 mpg on a 2,500 mile trip.

I have a 1994 Suzuki Intruder 800. Mostly stock except for some Jardine mufflers.

I average right about 50 MPG. Most of the riding is on short trips back and forth to work, about a 50/50 split of city and highway.

I get better mileage when I do more highway miles, but never really figured it out.

I have two.....

My 07 HD Road King Custom, w/ leather bags, V&H duals, and the V&H Fuelpak get's around 50-55MPG riding on the highway at 60-70MPH

I also ride a chopper I built based on a 98 Sportster Sport motor, rigid frame and am running a 230 rear tire, the motor has been tweaked a bit to average arounf 100HP, I still get 50-55MPG at highway speeds.

Jim...I have a 1999 Honda Shadow Aero (1100cc) and a 2003 Honda Gold Wing(1800cc). On a day without much wind and temperatures in the 70's, my Aero will get about 48 mpg at 55 mph and about 42 mpg at 70 mph; my Gold Wing will get about 42 at 55 and about 39 at 70. However, on one trip when I had to stretch my gas (I really needed a gas station!) I slowed the Aero and was as careful as possible resulting in almost 70 mpg. I hope this helps with you analysis.

I rode my 2000 Savage 650cc Single from Los Angeles to OKC and back. Held 65-70 on the superslab most of the way out, 60 mpg. Took the roads less used coming back, crossed the Mojave on CA-62 doing 50-55 and nailed 70 mpg.

I have 3 bikes

1) FZR600 It gets an even60mpg hwy

2) Ducati 750 Paso.Heavily modified.Cams Duel carbs.Hi out put exaust It gets 35-45 mpg depending how hard I'm pulling the throttle.

3)1980 Suzuki 850L dragbike Nothing stock It burns 1.5 liters/ 1/4mi but a hell of a ride.

Mad Jack's highway speeds must be like our school zone speeds :-)

I weigh 255# & ride a VX800, which is the Intruder 800 engine in a standard, including the same gearing. This bugger screams at freeway speeds, where at least half of my riding is, turning maybe 6500 revs @ 75 mph (just going with the flow, ya know!). Its redline speed is only 105 mph.

I get38-40 mpg overall despite-or because of-this. I'm sure if it were geared taller I'd do much better. If it gets <36 mpg it's telling me it's tune up time.