Motorcycles and fuel economy: the good, the bad and the ugly

I put BT-090s on the RGV and sold it about 600 miles later with the
tyres pretty much at the wear limit. Road use only.

 

Sorry, I worked a 17-hour day yesterday and typed that response
afterwards.

The front and rear tire mileages for both bikes were *reversed*.

Sheesh. Should've just gone to bed!

 

On the center or on both sides?

 

Pretty evenly all over.

Not exactly a hard bike to sling into corners, that.

 

Very punny.

 

Ah! I did wonder....

Seriously, though, 20k miles to a rear tyre and 50mpg (US, presumably)
does suggest the bike isn't ridden that hard. That said, it's an old
Lowride Sport, and I absolutely loved the two examples I've ridden.
Only got 45mpg or so (Imperial) from the first one, though. Can't
remember what the second one did.

You're right in saying that it's horses for courses, mind. Hard
compound touring tyres will return decent miles. Soft sporty ones
won't. I do have little truck with people who (as in fuel consumption
stories) claim to ride like demons *and* get good tyre mileage.

 

?

 

My motorycle gets *amazing* fuel mileage.... traveling in the back
of my pick-up truck!

(G,D, & R)

 

slingshot carbs?

 

I'll admit that without hesitation.

 

Really ?

The average mileage of a sports bike is deemed to be 4000 miles a year

Main dealers aren't falling over themselves to buy 20,000 mile bikes.

 

Afaik, there are neither "main dealers" nor "tyres" in the U.S., so I
think this must be a strictly ukrm discussion....

(Besides, istr that the average yearly mileage of bikes in the U.S. is
2,500!)

 

Andy said

I'm glad that the recession has hit you cunts good and hard. That'll
teach US banks not to lend rednecks money to buy new trailers.

Easy now!!!!

Very few Trailer Trash are being forclosed
locally anyway

just upgraded my trailer, paid cash
borrowed on the old 1 -16 yrs ago
loan was for 5 yrs paid off in 3 yrs

If every1 bought what they needed
and not just to impress some1 else
USA would be in better shape

To be honest tho back in 70s I did
have a Mansion on th Hill
(long story)

Incidentally Wayne Newton was making
225 000$ a week and living in a Mobile
Home when he filed for bankrupcy

 

I apologise for confusing you by the use of hyperbole

 

Ah yeah, I forgot you had an R36. I was thinking R32.

They have "****" written in white vinyl letters across the windscreen, don't
they?

 

All true, although there are definitely bikes that sell on virtues other
than being the fastest or most powerful in their class.

 

"We" in this case, presumably, being Americans? For so long you've
been insulated from global fuel prices, perhaps you don't realise that
in Europe it can cost the equivalent of $5 per (US) gallon. So for
many people - oh, and quite a few motorcyclists do use their bikes as
everyday transport all year round - the fuel cost can be a significant
factor in ownership costs.

Well yeah, that's probably true over here too.

 

Personally I still don't really care (yet), unfortunately the
increasing prices have yet to drive enough people off the roads to
improve my journeys.

The approx. 180 or so the sprint will do on a tank is fine, I need to
get off and walkabout a bit then anyway.

 

Ah - global fuel prices don't exist, really. Local taxes and subsidies
define what the local prices are, and some countries (like the US)
choose to tax low, while others (like most european) tax high. Some even
subsidy.

I found even with european fuel prices that fuel consumption doesn't
really matter wrt total cost of ownership. Bike maintenance is quite
expensive, when it comes to tires, chains, oil changes and similar. A
few more or less liters of fuel don't fundamentally change the equation,
when the cost of fuel makes up only a third or fourth of the cost per
kilometer ridden. I found fuel, tires, maintenance/insurance/taxes and
depreciation to be roughly a quarter each of total cost.

Obviously when your fuel cost is only 25% of the total cost, saving 20%
on that (which is not a bad feat, at all) only lowers your total
minimally.

cu
.\\arc