Maximizing fuel economy

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< I Fly > · #1 Post by **< I Fly >** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:49 pm

So I am considering a trip up across the northern border soon and I am trying to determine how to optimize my fuel economy.
How much weight am I shaving off by only running on half a tank (which means more frequent fill-ups) and will that make any noticeable impact in my consumption of fuel?

Stratus311 · #2 Post by **Stratus311** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:21 am

What size tank? Gas weighs 7 lbs a gallon.

Nibblet99 · #3 Post by **Nibblet99** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:48 am

stupid point i know... but if you're touring, you want as much fuel as you can get... Always assume every fuel station is closed, and its unlikely you will know where the nearest alternative is

dieziege · #4 Post by **dieziege** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:59 am

6lbs/gal is closer to right for gas (it actually ranges from ~5.8 to ~6.4...)
7lbs/gal is good for diesel/Jet A (which is actually closer to 6.7 lbs/gal...)

That said, you will burn way more fuel (and time) stopping for gas all the time than you would save by shaving 12lbs off the weight of the bike.

Keep the tires inflated properly, the speed reasonable, and avoid stopping or slowing when you don't need to.

Sev · #5 Post by **Sev** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:21 am

You need to accelerate slowly (car speed), reduce weight by carrying less stuff, and cruise at the lowest possible RPM. Other then that you're just kidding yourself.

And yes, carry as much gas as you can. Pushing a bike probably takes all the fun out of going for a tour.

V4underme · #6 Post by **V4underme** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:06 am

Sevulturus wrote:You need to accelerate slowly (car speed), reduce weight by carrying less stuff, and cruise at the lowest possible RPM. Other then that you're just kidding yourself.

And yes, carry as much gas as you can. Pushing a bike probably takes all the fun out of going for a tour.

+1

as stated, keys to mileage...

tires inflated properly
easy, smooth acceleration and no jackrabbit starts
low RPM's (highest gear possible for the speed you run) as much as possible
(engine in good tune, too)

Don't worry about a few extra pounds, that'll be a minimal impact.

CNF2002 · #7 Post by **CNF2002** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:12 am

I think a bikes aerodynamics have a big impact on your mileage. A windshield will help you gain some mpgs.

JC Viper · #8 Post by **JC Viper** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:18 am

don't forget to clean that air filter as well or buy a better higher flow one. If you're gonna do a sprocket change soon maybe you could tinker with a lower toothed rear or higher toothed front to drop the RPMs at highway speed.

I did that to my bike and well it accelerates a bit slower (Still does 14's) but gas mileage is up quite a bit and cleaning a K&N is much easier than a stock filter.

Andrew · #9 Post by **Andrew** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:19 am

I was able to boost my MPG for my truck just by accelerating slowly and only stopping when I really had to.

If you have to stop more frequently for gas, you're MPG will actually go down, not up.

dieziege · #10 Post by **dieziege** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:20 am

Aerodynamics do play a large part. Big windshields are an answer... partial tuck is an answer... keeping the speed lower is an easy answer since drag does up very quickly with speed.

In all honesty, quick starts don't matter much on a long trip. Unless you are nuts you'll not be hitting many stop signs/traffic lights anyway. They aren't *good*, but on a 500 mile highway trip you might be hard pressed to measure the difference between accelerating to the speed limits slowly vs as fast as the bike will accelerate.