What a difference Riding Style makes to MPG!!!

[SpankyHam]

Since I'm now commuting on the bike I tried to reduce the MPG.



I used to get 80 Miles out of a Tank until the petrol light comes on.

Riding Style: - 120mph when safe to do so, gun it & overtake whenever possible


20 Mile trip to work : 15 mins on A roads.


Now I get : 140 Miles out of a Tank until the light comes on

Riding Style: Stick to speed limits everywhere,(Motorway 70mphmax) don't overtake if not necessary (when overtaking slowli rolling the throttle - not gunning it).


20 Mile trip to work : 30 mins on A roads.



All it means is : I have to get up 15 mins earlier but I save a lot in Petrol and also Tyre wear.

[Ceri JC]

It's good an everything and I'm impressed you have the discipline to do it, but don't you find it a bit boring compared to the way you used to ride?

[SpankyHam]

Err... yes it is well boring :roll:

I'm certainly not enjoying it.

[Flamin_Squirrel]

80 miles! The only time my MPG was that bad was doing a track day :shock:

[bumble]

Ha!
I know its boring but if you don't accellerate hard, or brake hard and toodle around you can get 60 -70 mpg.

What's the point on a bike though? I ride mine for the fun and you dont get that riding it like a step through.

[5hort5]

ops - I have only filled my tank twice since geting it and got 140 miles both times (i'm slow ops)

[Peter Henry]

Patrick are you Gnan or Mpaton in disguise? :-k

[Gnan]

140 miles, that's rubbish :)

high octane gas + long 60 mph trip = close to 200 miles to a tank :)

[Red ones]

I have some good news for you.

I have been trying to improve the mpg on my commute (I too am tight fisted) I found that the speed of acceleration is more important than tha actual top speed. Gently accelerating I can get arouind 60mpg, especially if I tuck down a little more than I used to, the other thing is to control the consistency of your speed (ie keep the speed absolutely steady).

Being able to tell the office you got 60mpg and cruised in at 90 is deeply satisfying and very boring.

[bumble]

The real secret is to think ahead when riding in order to move smoothly along, the slower you go the easier that is obviously, so you dont scream off and slow down suddenly. That is what burns fuel up. I guess if I lost two stone it might help as well.

Unfortunately the other road users screw it up for us.

[Iansv]

Agreed, I can go anything from 90 to a tank to 160 depending on how I ride...

Tend to get about 120 mostly, If petrol money is an issue its certainly a good way of stringing it out

[Ceri JC]

Unfortunately the other road users screw it up for us.

Yes, I was thinking this the other day. Every time a car pulls out on you, even when you escape unscathed they cost you in brake pads, tyre life, petrol and arguably engine wear too. It'd be nigh on impossible to measure accurately, but it'd be interesting to see what percentage of running costs are down to other road users idiocy (not just their presence on the road slowing you down, etc.) and also how much this would cost in total over your life.

[wheelnut]

My SV 1000 did 148 miles on a tank yesterday and the light was still flashing. That was on the A38, and motorway to Hull. It hardly dropped below 100mph either

[rob13]

I accelerate hard where i can, and gun it past traffic when i can and i still get 120 miles to a tank. Long motorway runs i can get nearly 150

[creamerybutter]

I used to get 110 before the light came on solid but since putting my new zorst on I am getting 120+ and I haven't canged my riding style. :?

[bumble]

when i ran the sv 650s i usually got about 120 -130 till the light came on. My new gsf650s has 20 litre tank and a fuel gauge so perhaps it may do more.

best time to ride - when England are playing and roads are clear.

[Viney]

Im sorry for saying but who cares how much you get to a tank of fuel...the bikes about having fun, and still ruteuns more than the average car....saying that lowest i ever got was 90 to a tank running huge jets and needles clipped wrong. i get 120 miles on average to a tank and thats definitly not being genlte on my 10 mile commute.

[argatxa]

140 miles, that's rubbish :)

high octane gas + long 60 mph trip = close to 200 miles to a tank :)


:shock: :shock: :shock:
200miles!!! no way, you are p**s taking...

I realized abut the huge difference the last sunday... I went to Canterbury with a friend on a bandit (and his girlfriend making us take it easy) and I did 130 miles before the light went off!! I think that the last time I did such a mileage from a tank was .... when I was doing the running in of the engine?

average for commuting in London from full tank to first sight of the light is 90-95...

not smart, not great, but fun!!! If I had to go always on economic mode on trips out of town I would get a car!! at least I could smoke and move stuff around... sad but true.

:cry:

[Abyss]

Question about fuels... Anyone bother with anything other than bog standard unleaded? Do any of the 'ultimates' or 'plus' fuels make a difference?

[Marshall]

my bike pretty much gets hammered everywhere (where safe to) commute to work out with the lads, and i still get 150 - 160 miles out of tank regardless of how i ride

[bumble]

I think the ultima or optimax fuels do seem to be a bit better and you get a bit better mileage but I don't bother that much.

[Gnan]

high octane fuels give an extra 30-40 miles to a tank, which offsets the cost.

my other half now has my SV, and regularly gets 170-180 miles to a tank, i'll check tonight and find out how many it's on now.

[Bear]

Question about fuels... Anyone bother with anything other than bog standard unleaded? Do any of the 'ultimates' or 'plus' fuels make a difference?

I use "ultimate" or high octane whenever possible. On the few occasions when I haven't I think the fuel light comes on a few miles earlier, but I can never tell if it's due to the fuel or due to my riding style of "doo-de-doo-de-dooooo" one day and "Yaaaargh! Clear the way mofo's, cyclepath coming through" on others...

:D

[Scoobs]

200miles!!! no way, you are p**s taking...

It's possible. When I was doing 100 mile round trip per day for work I eeked out over 200 miles and the reserve light hadn't even started flashing.

[argatxa]

:-k :-s

mmm.. 200 miles and no flashing?

ok, I will make a tank on "grandma" style and let's see what happens... but sure, sure sure, that commuting I cannot get it over 140 miles. Plus taking 20 minutes extra to go to the office....

mmm...

[Dicky Ticker]

The main thing is having the bike properly set up to begin with,serviced,fuelling,tyres and pressures,then once all that is done adapt your riding so that you make maximum progress without being aggressive. try and adopt a "flowing " action to your riding using the higher gears with gentle acceleration and soft braking,use the engine braking and the torque to its max.

As a foot note I NEVER got less than 150 per tank and kept up with everybody else and not always at the legal speeds

[Saint Matt]

Got 85 miles to a fiver when I first got back on after I crashed because I was so scared of the thing. And it had only just gone to a solid light.

[jenni]

i don't care...... i just ride how i want and then put the petrol in the hole from the nozzly - thingy when the light flashes :lol: :lol: :lol: :wink: :wink:

[kwak zzr]

agree'd if it was £2 per liter you would still have to put it in anyhow :smt102 so just fill it and ride it! err bout 110-120 per tank :roll:

[drumwrecker]

From full to reserve light coming on general riding 155 to 165 miles
Last Sunday's run 173 miles
On the French auto-route from Calais to Dijon I thought I had blown a bulb or fuse as I reached 180 miles, it was showing 184 miles when the reserve light came on pulling into a filling station equals 66.9 mpg.
The bike is a K2 SV650s with 29,000+ on the clock.
The worst I have got was 149 mile between fill ups on my run home from Limoges travelling at about 85+ into a headwind.
On a long run I wonder who would get there first the tortoise or the hare.

[argatxa]

When I was in france I was doing an average of 110+... probably that was the reason of the short mileage per tank...

And definitely, at the end is the same total trip time.. I had to do more stops!!!

[diamond]

Some of you people must creep up to speed and then coast along to be getting 180 + miles out of a tank. Even when running in the most i got was 150, i now get any where from 90 (on a hard ride) to 125 (If i'm riding like a granny).

Is there much fun in striving for the best fuel economy? Just fill it up and ride it like you stole it. :twisted:

[Jester666]

I get about 130 and that's with most of the miles in Cental London with a rapid blast home to Staines.

[Exi]

I get great fuel economy when it's wet weather, 100-130 miles 'til the light comes on in dry weather.

[argatxa]

Some of you people must creep up to speed and then coast along to be getting 180 + miles out of a tank. Even when running in the most i got was 150, i now get any where from 90 (on a hard ride) to 125 (If i'm riding like a granny).

Is there much fun in striving for the best fuel economy? Just fill it up and ride it like you stole it. :twisted:

ohhh brother.... :drink:

[600+]

erm apols to ask a daft question but its a bit hard to get my hands on the manual:)

how many miles are u supposed to do after the light comes on? in other words the reserve lasts for how many miles?

[argatxa]

slowing down to 80-90 I have done about 20 miles and still had a few litres left in the tank... on a K5 S.

Depends how you ride..... probably one of those guys that do "180 miles of a tank" could do 50?

[Gnan]

things that kill fuel economy:

1. hard acceleration
2. braking
3. poor gear selection
4. underinflated tyres
5. wind resistance / drag
6. high speeds


smoothness, planning and a well maintained bike = key!

[Kilted Ginger]

:? i get 140 miles between oranges :smt095 , dint know if that's good or bad, and dont know i'f i'll be able to maintain it when I get to take it over 5500rpm. Tuesday :smt040
edit: does the light go solid, only seen it flashing so far :smt075

[fizzwheel]

:? i get 140 miles between oranges :smt095 , dint know if that's good or bad, and dont know i'f i'll be able to maintain it when I get to take it over 5500rpm. Tuesday :smt040
edit: does the light go solid, only seen it flashing so far :smt075

What year bike have you got. They all work a bit differently.

Curveys flash and then go Solid. I think the K3 and K4 just go solid. K5's flash and go solid. Not sure about the K6.

[keithd]

80 miles! The only time my MPG was that bad was doing a track day :shock:

yep, thats what i got on a day at brands!

ain't no way i'd survive if i rode my bike on public roads the way i did on the track! :shock:

[fizzwheel]

I had 90 miles out of a tankful on the dealers K5 SVS loan bike :-dd

[argatxa]

I had 90 miles out of a tankful on the dealers K5 SVS loan bike :-dd


naughty naughty boy!!!
:wink:

[Nick762]

140 miles, that's rubbish :)

high octane gas + long 60 mph trip = close to 200 miles to a tank :)


:shock: :shock: :shock:
200miles!!! no way, you are p**s taking...


:cry:

I can vouch for this, I regularly get 200 miles between fills, OK the light starts flashing around mid 180s but I worked it out at 64.35m/gallon once and that was with bog standard unleaded. I just don't hammer her but can still get up a respectable speed 80+ but without the heavy acceleration. Someone will probably tell me I'm damaging the engine...