Just thought I'd share a little fuel economy experiment with you chaps. In one of our UK bike mags, the journos got their daily rides and tried to get as many MPG as they could. The improvement was quite startling- I think the Fireblade got something like 72MPG on their test route. This got me thinking... 
As part of a cost cutting exercise, I wondered how much difference there would be between driving properly vs like a limp wristed Prius owner? My commute is 25 miles each way, small half on twisties, the rest on fast A roads. So, 250 miles per week- last bar starts flashing around 240. 25 litre fill up, costing around £32.
So, what does super eco riding look like to me? Well... shifting up at the lowest possible revs without bogging down- so just over 2,000. Takes twice as long to get to 40. No bursts of power, save a couple of times, when I had to go for a gap. I did 40 vs 50 on the lanes and went from 90 to 60 on the A road. Had my screen up and heated grips on, because if wind blast and cold hands are necessary for good economy, then it's not going to work out for me. I put about 5 - 8 minutes on my usually 20 minute commute. It saps the fun out of the ride, but it becomes very relaxing. More hassle mingling with lorries and slow coaches/ Harley riders, compared to just walloping past them in the fast lane :biker:
I found I was able to do 350 miles between fill ups, with the reserve kicking in at about 330, so about 90 miles further for the same amount of fuel. Since I'm looking to fund a reduction from a 5 day week to a 4, this is a useful cost saving of about £13-15 per week ($20). Just in case you're wondering, most of the rest of the savings came from things like budget supermarket shopping, LED home lighting and looking at every spend and cutting out the waste. I believe I can actually get an extra day off, have a few quid to spend on it and still be a bit better off.
I have previously owned an ST1100 (couple actually- great bikes), commuting at my 'normal' pace. That used about 1 - 1.5 litres more fuel than the 1300 for the same 250 miles. Thought you might like to know
I am considering a fuel vapours experiment, which if it works, I would also use in my car. Welcome any thoughts, suggestions, comments, etc :chatter:
As part of a cost cutting exercise, I wondered how much difference there would be between driving properly vs like a limp wristed Prius owner? My commute is 25 miles each way, small half on twisties, the rest on fast A roads. So, 250 miles per week- last bar starts flashing around 240. 25 litre fill up, costing around £32.
So, what does super eco riding look like to me? Well... shifting up at the lowest possible revs without bogging down- so just over 2,000. Takes twice as long to get to 40. No bursts of power, save a couple of times, when I had to go for a gap. I did 40 vs 50 on the lanes and went from 90 to 60 on the A road. Had my screen up and heated grips on, because if wind blast and cold hands are necessary for good economy, then it's not going to work out for me. I put about 5 - 8 minutes on my usually 20 minute commute. It saps the fun out of the ride, but it becomes very relaxing. More hassle mingling with lorries and slow coaches/ Harley riders
, compared to just walloping past them in the fast lane :biker:I found I was able to do 350 miles between fill ups, with the reserve kicking in at about 330, so about 90 miles further for the same amount of fuel. Since I'm looking to fund a reduction from a 5 day week to a 4, this is a useful cost saving of about £13-15 per week ($20). Just in case you're wondering, most of the rest of the savings came from things like budget supermarket shopping, LED home lighting and looking at every spend and cutting out the waste. I believe I can actually get an extra day off, have a few quid to spend on it and still be a bit better off.
I have previously owned an ST1100 (couple actually- great bikes), commuting at my 'normal' pace. That used about 1 - 1.5 litres more fuel than the 1300 for the same 250 miles. Thought you might like to know
I am considering a fuel vapours experiment, which if it works, I would also use in my car. Welcome any thoughts, suggestions, comments, etc :chatter:
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