Commuting MPG?

I honestly don't think I have ever considered MPG when buying a bike. I
haven't even calculated what I was achieving on most I've owned, being
interested only in tank range. Looking at adverts the manufacturers do not
push it to the fore as a sales tool either.

So are there any decent "nice to ride" bikes that achieve good (over 60mpg)
economy in mixed use and are up to M-Way travel.

 

In

Are'nt the F800 series supposed to be over 60mpg?

 

my cbr1000f does 52 ish mpg when comuting along the motorway.
You would have throught a bike would be better than a car though.
Probably they are tuned more toward performance than economy ?

Simon

 

Bike mpg figures come from magazine tests and real-world experience. Car
mpg figures come from carefully-controlled test conditions, with the
manufacturers busting a gut to ensure their vehicle gets the best figures.

 

Heh are you sure all car manufactures do that!

 

My GPz550 used to do around 60mpg...

I think most bikes are pretty bad fuel consumption wise (yes, it's the
fun factor but still), so you may struggle outside the standard
commuter hack territory like CB500s.

 

I do seven miles there and seven back on mostly dual carriage with a
bunch of roundabouts and lights on a B6. 10 litres does about 120 -
130 miles... about 55 to 60 mpg.

About 20 pounds a month... and rising.

I like the B6 but as I've only riden 5 different models in my life, my
terms of reference is limited.

Andrew j

 

Don't know about motorway commuting, but I get 51mpg in London traffic,
and the average speed was 21mph!
With the F800, the faster you go, the better the mpg.

 

Sucking his keyboard for inspiration, platypus typed:

Also, to be fair, the usage cycle of a bike is way different from that of a
car. I get roughly the same mpg from the bikes (~200Kg) as I do from the
car (~1500Kg), which would suggest the bikes are much less efficient. But
then on the bike I am accelerating more often and much harder, braking more
often and harder, and travelling at higher average speeds. So it looks like
the bike is much more economical (given its lighter weight) after all, but I
then go and ruin it by having fun.

If I drove the car like I ride the bike, I'd be a) getting under 20 mpg, and
b) in prison. And don't forget that a bike's aerodynamics are utterly crap
compared to a car's, so the faster you go, the worse it gets.

 

I've wondered what sort of economy a B6 should give.
My Stage3 B12 gives better economy than stock in a 90mph cruise. It drinks
like a Vulcan bomber of course if one engages re-heat.

 

What's an F650 like on mpg and to live with?

 

I had a Scarver as a loaner for a day or so, back in the early years of the
21st century. IIRC the tank slowly filled up through the day, and I ended
up having to drain off some petrol before I returned it to Baff Road.

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk...695dec576031?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=platypus+f650cs#

 

http://faq.f650.com/GSFAQs/FuelTankFAQGS.htm#Whats the average GS Gas Mileage

60+ miles to the US gallon reported. That's 72 miles tot he imperial gallon.

Limp wristed merkins.

I've ridden a few of the F650 variants. I wouldn't call any of them good
motorway bikes. They will happily zip along at 80mph but it's not very
comfortable. They make excellent urban bikes and have a decent reputation
for build quality and reliability.

They've recently revamped the range and I have no idea about the current G models.
Of the previous versions the 650CS Scarver was the best town bike. Uses the same
belt drive as the newer F800.

 

I didn't ever think I'd like one. I expect something like a CB500 is better.

 

I would expect that your best plan would be to figure out your annual fuel
cost on your favourite bike and your projected fuel cost on your 60mpg
pennance and see whether the difference is worth the misery. Then you can
either run the good bike with a clear conscience, or prove to yourself what
a parsimonious old skinflint you really are.

 

Coming back to the F650, I run a 2003 650 GS, in mixed dual carriage
way and traffic splitting it does 65-77 mpg on my 24 mile each way
commute in to Birmingham every day.
At about 80 on the motorway down to London it does about 65MPG. All
with panniers fitted.
Going mental trying to keep up with my mate around the back roads then
42 is possible.
Overall cheap and cheerful to run with an excellent unofficial support
site called " The Chain gang", despite the fact it is run by merkins.

Stay away from the scarver if you ever want any money for it when you
sell it. If buying a secondhand GS then watch out for stuff owned by
utility companies etc as they have been punished more than an MP in a
massage parlour.

OH and buy a snotoiler

Boxer

 

Hmm. Interesting. Looking at my set of data...

Over the last year I've done:

K75 12,500m at 38mpg
K1100 5,000m at 41mpg
735 15,000m at 21mpg

So... assuming I could change for a vehicle that did 60mpg this could
save me:

K75 610 quid
K1100 195 quid
735 2,320quid

All assuming a 5 quid gallon.

Conclusion; it's not worth the hassle with a bike and, in the case of
the car I wouldn't get something I wanted to drive that offered the same
set of 'experiences' as the 735.

Plus, since most of the 735 mileage is paid for by my employer (at 24ppm
IIRC) I kid myself that it doesn't cost me anything.

 

Cnut!

 

Good economy all the same.
Doesn't it have a belt drive? I thought all the 650's did.

 

<waves>