I'm not buying a motorcycle this weekend and probably will be months at the earliest. I'm definitely in the 125-250cc market for a street cruiser. If it can do 55-60 mph, that's fast enough for me and just fast enough for the freeway. I'm thinking a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 would be good. A new one gets an estimated 95 mpg, but ballpark what would that be at 60 mph? 75? Other "dummies" questions: What model year did motorcycles clean up their emissions? Or should I just avoid 2-cycle engines instead? Other motorcycles that get excellent FE that can go 55?
Re: Looking for a Motorcycle - buy no hurry Chuck- Most bikes under 200cc will not go 65+mph. As far as specific bikes, the Eliminator is a decent town bike that can be had cheap from people upsizing from learner bikes. Pegs on the BN125 are up fairly high- I tried one during MSF but found it rather uncomfortable for a 32" inseam. Expect a well-maintained specimen to hit 60-65mph tucked. As far as other bikes go, I just rented a Honda Nighthawk 250, which is very similar to the Rebel cruiser. 130mi/1.78g = 73mpg @ 55mph. Pegs on the Honda 250s are comfortable but slightly high due to the small size of the bike. Will hold 65mph upright, will flirt with mid 70s flat-out (tucked). There is also the Virago line from Yahama and the Boulevard line from Suzuki, but I have no personal experience with them.
Re: Looking for a Motorcycle - buy no hurry I like this suzuki for the money. Nice styling and functionability. Fuel injection and catalytic converter. http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product Lines/Cycles/Products/TU250/2009/TU250.aspx?category=standard
If you want to spend a few more bucks,consider a Honda SH150I. It has 16 inch wheels and rides like a motorcycle, albeit, a motrcycle with an automatic tranny. I get over 90 MPG.
Chuck, I'm assuming you have very little experience with riding motorcycles. If I'm mistaken then please accept the following comments in the spirit intended. In my personal experience there is a very important need to match the machine with the rider and the type of riding intended. Motorcycles are not "one-size-fits-all". First, the physical size and riding position needs to be comfortable. The relationship of your inseam, handle bar reach, and knee-bend angle, can make a huge difference to your comfort and control. Personally, I like a standard, somewhat upright riding position, with my feet straight down, and arms easily reaching the handlebars so I'm not supporting my upper body with my arms and wrists. If you're planning on doing much riding at highway speeds then some wind protection is needed. The buffeting will otherwise be tiring and distracting. The bike needs enough weight (say 300# or so) to be stable at these speeds too, so a 250cc or larger machine is typically needed. Some jurisdictions actually restrict smaller bikes and scooters from using their freeways. I think that you will find that all later-model 4-stroke bikes will be fairly clean running and economical on gas. Speed really affects your mpg. Typically, unless a rider is tucked behind a fairing, bikes are not very aerodynamic. This is also a very tiring and uncomfortable riding position for all but very short intervals. Surprisingly, a small windshield can actually improve the airflow on most bikes. Beside the smaller "cruiser" style bikes that most Japanese firms sell, there are also the "dual-sport" style bikes that can be very versatile. Seat height can be an issue for some of these but if that's not a problem you may wish to try one for size. You can easily switch the tires to a more street-oriented tread design for a smoother ride. The gearing can also be easily be switched for better mpg and lower rpm for on-road riding. I've ridden these type of bikes for years but never very much on the highway because of the vibration and wind, however, with different tires and a small windscreen they hold real potential. They're also a lot of fun to use exploring back-roads and forest service roads, etc. It sounds like you're doing your homework first which is certainly the right thing to do. If you are not yet licensed for motorcycles, take an approved training course and invest in some good riding gear and helmet. Bikes can be a lot of fun but you really need to do everything you can to limit the risks involved. Cheers, Roger
Roger, You are correct about my very light experience - don't have my licence yet. Need work on shifting and counterturning. It would be quite awhile before I even considered taking a freeway and don't think it would ever be on Saturday night! I do have a scooter (with a dead battery ). The freeway wind thing is something I better ask friends about.
I agree with Dream'R - find the right bike for your dimensions and preferred sitting position. For example, we have 2 motorcycles with different riding position. None of them is a speed bike, though Teresa (my BMW F650CS) has pretty much the 'standard' riding position of naked bikes and Ciliegia (my girlfriend's Hyosung GV250) is a cruiser where your legs are in a much different position. The two are pretty similar in regards of fuel economy, but the technics to improve it are quite different because of their different gearing and power. You can see Teresa's mileage log in my sig I have logs about both of them at gassavers.net: ->Ciliegia's log<- Anyway, if you're looking for a light but freeway-capable bike, you can have a look at the Hyosung GV250 too, or, if you prefer, its naked (GT250) or speed (GT250R) incarnations (same engine but different shapes and flavors). It's light (but not too light), quite easy to handle, has good enough FE, and stronger than many other 250s out there. In town it's probably more efficient than the F650: its smaller engine warms up quickly, and because of its shorter gears you can shift to 5th under 50km/h (actually you can cruise in 5th at ~40km/h, which is ~25mph). We're going to try Ciliegia with taller gears, though: it can surely improve highway FE and increase her most efficient speed.
