Well, when you're good, you're good. But when you're good and lucky, well, lets just say it can go to your head. My 2005 Yamaha TW200 is getting good mileage using the following techniques: I was getting mid 80s. 84, 85, 86, 87 mpg. My high this year was 89.27mpg. Not bad but last summer I managed mid 90s all the time. So, this tank I changed my strategy to maximize fuel use. 1. No warmups. If it was running, I was rolling. Previously, I'd let the engine get warmed up a little before I took off. Now, I start it and immediately get underway. Gently of course. I don't like to pull a cold engine. 2. Not idle choking. It was cold enough that I had to use the choke some but I avoided it when possible. When I was ready to roll I would turn on the fuel valve, hit the choke, hit the starter and roll. As soon as I ran it for 30 seconds or so while rolling, I'd turn off the choke. (...its not really a traditional choke, is an "enrichening valve"...) 3. Manually position the bike. No use of power or idling the bike while parking or turning around. 4. Slow down. Most of my commute is 45mph. I usually stay between 40 and 45. This time, I stayed below 40. Bikers: #4 is the biggie. Bikes are very none aerodynamic. I've seen statistics that say you get 10% less fuel usage on a vehicle for each 5mph you slow down. I'm thinking its more like 15% with a bike because of the drag. This last tank: 97.78 mpg. Wow. Slow down a little and do a little more thinking before you hit the gas/choke, etc and it makes a big difference! I even was railroaded a couple times and, if you check my blog at http://pocketchangeexpress.blogspot.com you'll see that one day I did a ton of idling and fooling around because of blocked streets, railroads and traffic. So, I think the elusive 100mpg is within my grasp. Next wednesday, maybe. -George
That is AWESOME! I'm going to try some of your tips, particularly with the choke. I have a 2006 Vulcan 500. It won't get close to yours but I hope to nudge it from 55 up to 65-70 mpg. I avoided a 3-4 minute idle today by killing the engine while a train crossed. the cagers all around me sat idling with the a/c blasting. Couple of questions: ANy mods to the bike? how far is your commute? How many stoplights do you see and how do you handle those?
TRun10 and Vooch, I'll bet that Vulcan 500 will do better than you think. I commute 13 miles one way. 10 of it is "intermediate highway". Its not really city driving but its not like the freeway. I've got 2 miles on a secondary road to reach the 4 lane. I've got 8 miles of intermediate highway with 5 lights in the last half. I've got 3 miles of just plain city driving. Depending how I go 8 to 12 stoplights/signs. The bike is rated at 20hp. I regeared the ratio. I went from a 52T factory rear to a 45T custom. Dropped the engine speed. I don't really know what it did with the old sprocket but I did it mainly to keep the engine from winding so hard at 50 or 60mph. (Redline is listed at 55mph). Thanks for asking! -George
Hi George. Great tips! I used to do the "press start and go and take it easy" method on my previous ZX6R all the time. It's easy down here in FL to do that pretty much any time of the year. I haven't tried that with the XT225 yet. But if you could do it in yours, I should be able to do it on mine too! If you really want to conquer the aerodynamic hurdle and possibly get a few hundred MPG or so, fit one of these streamlined fairing kits by Craig Vetter: http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/470MPG/high mileage fairing.html In the past there was one superimposed on an XT225. There are some amusing things on that site. Phil
Lugnuts, I'm going 1+ on the front too. I've already done -7 on the rear. Gonna get my engine speed down more and see if that helps. The torque barrier might be too much for it. In that case, I'll put the stock rear back on. Its practically new. Only put about 800 miles on the bike before I switched out to the -7 rear. We'll see. Catch my blog at http://PocketChangeExpress.blogspot.com I detail everything I do.
