my article on motorcycle hypermiling gets published

Edwin
Right-the Blast might be TOO LOW- especially with the accessory seat-which somehow drops it to 25" if my memory is right??
I eyeballed-Craigs list-MC yesterday
I had forgotten about those dual purpose Kaw 250 KLR??
They should be reasonable light-maybe 320 wet
making the taler seat height more doable
My SR500's-had 11 different SR500's(some-same bikes- more than once) had a 32" seat height- but the narrow tank engine and 378 wet weight-made that just fine
and as you say- you want to see where you are going.
Plenty of Ninja 250's for sale in NOLA- decent- $2000-prices.

Redy- yes I overstated it a bit-sorry about that. I was mainly referring to the "which wasn't unusual" part. It was EXTREMELY unusual to average 38mpg-in fact you might have been the only person in your town/city who got 38mpg tanks or even 44mpg -except with the VW diesel-which as I mentioned-was a real eyeopener-it would get 50 mpg-no effort-I was told. My sister had a AT diesel Corolla-she claimed 50 mpg- don't now if I believed her- not with that AT.
Your numbers were certainly possible-got 40 mpg hy with 1985 Corolla-spark motor MT- in a pure hy trip-
but the carbs- ATs-and old technique-meant your numbers were uncommon(except the diesels)
Buddy of mine-mpg nut even back then-got 40 mpg with his Isuzu diesel Pickup-but his commute was pure hy-and he drove 50-55 mph
Yeah-those 80's diesels- real eyeopeners- 25 mpg actual hy mpg in Suburbans back in early 80's-yeah-real eyeopeners-but diesels died in the USA when oil prices tanked in 1985-too bad-they were almost all just diesels-not turbos
Sorry I was too strong- you were well ahead of your time back then

 

He was ahead of me in 1979 , for sure. Then I was driving my Dodge pickup and getting 11-14 mpg. By 1981 I had my Mazda GLC Sport and was getting 46-49 (highway).

Charlie , the Honda CRF250L looks SO nice ! It's a bit taller than the 230 , but more capable and possibly better FE. I have not sat on one yet but I intend to.

 

And there are always adjustments that can be made via dog bones, dropping the forks, and shaving the seat. It would be a little bit of work, but in the end you would have a very capable dual sport/super moto. I have the opposite problem being tall with a 34" inseam and finding a bike that I don't feel like a circus freak on. I have the XB12X which is the taller version. My wife can't believe how comfortable the bike is for any type of trip, even if she thinks she has to climb Mt. Everest to get on.

Good luck finding the right steed. The good thing is there are a lot of great used bikes out there to try.

 

Edwin

Hey-GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE.
In 1980 I bought a D-100 LONG BED 318 V-8- just $5200 out the door. I was such a cheapskate THAT i DIDN'T EVEN GET AN ac(all/many dodge buyers were cheapskates-lotta truck for the $$).
It got 11-13 mpg city despite the MT!!
The AC cheapout-eventually bit me-windows RUSTED SHUT-froze-in 1983-could only open the tiny vent-maybe for a very uncomfortable ride home in New Orleans summers-3 years until I sold it -$800-and bought a 1986 Toyota truck-stripper model- but did get AC radio-bumper-cost wopping $6500 OTD-GOT AN HONEST 25 MPG CITY-the AT version would have gotten only 20 mpg-the ATs were sooo bad!!!
CRF250-HMMM love Honda motors-I wonder if it is a dog bone suspension-easy to drop them-tough otherwise?? Bet it has a revving Honda motor-
Bet the 450 equivalent is a running bike- but might be missing the point-catching Prozac's RIGHT WRIST disease!!

Prozac-yeah tall big-powerlifter etc- means you look like just that-BIG guy pearched on tiny tiny bike!! Never my problem-despite lots of weightlifting(college wrestler) never got over 155 until last 5 years-180 lbs(killing my knees-starting diet increasing aerobic-bicycle and walking dog-work).
Those Buells were great bikes-shame they never caught on-but they actually have a strong-almost cult like-following-meaning you'll be able to get parts-aftermarket "stuff" etc until the end of time-and even Harley is usually good about parts availabllity-even though they undersold the Buells!!
Yes-lotta used bikes-good prices-and maybe can be modified-to drop them-and make them more upright-the dual sports-are PERFECT in respect to riding posture-upright and humane for gimpy oldsters-and light enough that a bit of extra standover isnb't too big a problem-and if dog bone type suspension-easy to find aftermarket dog bones
In 5 months-5-2-2012- I'll suddenly be more flush-SS- so I'll have a bit of extra $$-still will have to work-but not as tight
Thanks
Charlie

 

Charlie ,
I ordered my D-100 longbed 318 no A/C 3-on-the tree in Sept 76 , took delivery late October, IIRC. The options were S,PB,rear bumper, tachometer. About $4600. Could it be more basic than that, lol ? I drove it for 3 years , 25K miles but had a lot of problems along the way. I don't even want to list them , but the funny thing is , I bought the truck in a kneejerk reaction to the Fiat I owned before and its horrible quality. The Fiat was MUCH more fun to drive (when it ran) and throttle response ,handling,and braking were excellent.
But good luck starting it in temps lower than 30 F.

 

Edwin-
Hey you were a high roller for a "frugal person"
Ordering a vehicle-I was too much of a cheapskate for that
Always figured to buy one off the lot
Usually the "stripper" they advertised on the bait and switch
I would throw them a bone-and buy the rear bumper-and the radio-options
iN 1986-the stripper Toyota truck was advertised $4995
but those MoFos at the dealership actually said "I'll see if the sales manager will accept the deal" after advertising it
AND after I generously let them "LOAD IT UP" with an AC-maybe $700- bumper-maybe $150-fancy am fm radio(not the am only I usually got)
With 8.75% sales tax-about $6500 OTD

My Dodge D-100 was just like yours-EXCEPT I had a 4 on the floor(much cooler)
and not sure I had power steering-did have PB
Yeah I might have had to crank that wheel-but it was fairly light-maybe just 3700 lbs
The NO AC was very bad idea
Especially with Dodge's QC back then-
WINDOW -used daily-actually rusted froze-shut!!
Yeah-took panel off-crank teeth rusted !!
Too cheap stupid to know how to fix it-so just lived with the vent!!
The only other problems
1)Off idle stumble-born with it apparently-common back then
2) Starter and alternator croaked at 25000 miles- 4 years-cheap to replace
Otherwise 6 years and 35000 mostly trouble free miles
But I had low expectations back then