Your opinions please.

Couldn't agree more. The Gixxer returned nearly 50 at normal road speeds
(1). My SOBeemer does 40 on a good day and nearer 30 on the M-Way.
It's telling that the standard B12's manage little over 100 miles on a
tank. This tuned engine makes 150 miles at conventional velocities.

If HMG actually cared about emissions rather than tax take they would
legislate minimum MPG for bikes/cars/vans related to engine capacity. I
am pretty sure manufacturers could do a lot better.

Co-incidentally I've been looking at the Hydrogen Cycle from a future
investment POV. It's not all encouraging, although the driveline
technology is fine the low energy content by volume, even in the
liquified state, isn't encouraging. Unlikely to power passenger aircraft
as a result and only useful in the Urban cycle for cars. Not easily
applicable to motorcycles. Biofuels rule perhaps.

(1) or around 17 on the track

 

<Thinks about Blackbird>

....

<Looks at Beer Gut>

....

" "

 

Certainly is!

 

Hog says...

In normal use I was getting maybe 110 miles on the Gixer before the
light came on.

My Bandit 600 will just about give 120 miles to a tankful, including a
fair bit of reserve. In normal use I try and find a petrol station when
the trip meter hits 100 miles. I did once manage to get 130 miles, but
the last 20 were done SteveH/DWB stylee.

 

Champ wrote:
snip

Is that at a steady 150 mph ?

Try looking for the fuel consumption of a supersports bike on the net,
you could be gone some time. Adding the word *irrelevant* to the search
might help.

 

I've still got my BMW K75S in the garage, yours cheap , although I'll
have to pay you in instalments ;-) .

 

Donald wrote

Hmmm.

It took me a couple of seconds to fire up google and, another two or
three to cut and paste "fuel consumption of a supersports bike", google
took a further 0.49 seconds to return "about 353000" results and another
minute or two to for me to type this far. champ is prolly a faster
typist than me though.

Not really, it took google 0.83 seconds to return only 32 matches.
"Super Sport", wiv a space between, is much more productive though as I
am sure you are all ready aware or you wouldn't made such a foolish
statement in the first place.

 

Champ wrote

Depends how you define cruising dunnit? With a good fairing, a
comfortable riding position and ear plugs, your figure is about right
though.

 

Blimey, I get nearer 180 miles out of mine on that much fuel. I guess I
must ride like a girl.

 

Chris Cowley wrote

Having previously ridden the self same bindit and knowing that it would
be carrying a larger and heavier load with me as pilot rather than when
transporting Loz and interpolating my own figures I tempted say that you
are in good(?) company but he'll only get all huffy so I won't.

 

Now should that have been one of the little blue pills or one of the big
pink ones ?

353000 channels and nothing on.

What is the fuel consumption for a ZX10 ?

 

Donald wrote

I don't know and as I am unlikely to ever want to own one I don't care
but if you really want to know I suggest you remember that google is
your friend.

By the way, Champ is not alone.

 

steve auvache says...

I won't get huffy. I can't make you ride faster or twist the throttle
grip more. When travelling to Norfolk from here I sit at a steady 100ish
mph. At that speed I will get about 105 miles before it goes to reserve,
which is handy because that's about when I hit Norwich, which has fuel
stations. On the way home I have to go easier, because 105 miles leaves
me in an odd area with very few late night petrol stations open.

 

I used to get up to 150 per tank out of my old B6. I suspect,
however, that your riding style is a little more enthusiastic than
mine.

 

I don't really do much motorway riding, which I assume might explain
*some* of the difference. And I guess I'll just have to try harder to
make up the rest...

 

DR says...

Got to remember that mine is currently sitting there with about 65,000
miles on the clock. It aint as good as it used to be.

 

I'm sure he isn't and apparently most reviews put the average
consumption for a ZX10 at 38 mpg which IMHO is fantastic.

Still, I don't *expect* fuel economy from a supersports, it's designed
for fast acceleration and handling. If in normal road riding it happens
to get above 30 mpg then that's fine and well.

I've now checked quite a few manufacturers web sites and fuel
consumption isn't mentioned at all for supersports. I guess they don't
think it's important either.

Even the CG 125 doesn't have any fuel consumption figures.

 

Fair comment.

 

Ferger says...

I'm looking at two at the moment, both 04 SSSA models and both in Aston
Green. One has just under 2,000 miles with belly-pan, a Baglux cover and
bag, and a seat cowl. The other has 4,000 miles, new 208RRs, a belly-
pan, grab-rail and front mudguard extender. The first one is priced 200
quid more than the other, but it's 180 fucking miles away. Bike number
two is about 40 miles from here.

I don't mind travelling to buy a bike, but there's no direct means of
public transport to the first bike, which is the one I'd prefer.

 

I've got an earlier one - 2002, with a double-sided swingarm. The
version that you mention looks better, but I don't think that there are
any significant performance differences. And for what it's worth, I
think both models look nicer than the 955i ST, which really does look
like an old man's bike to me. The RS has a hint of the streetfighter
about it - although it also has a hint of the back end of a bus about
it, too.

I bought the Triumph when I upgraded from my first post DAS bike, a
CB500. I was planning to buy one of the later VFR750s, but I got bored
of waiting for a decent, fairly-priced one to come along, so I test
rode the RS on a whim and really liked it.

I was looking for an insurable all-rounder with a bit of personality,
which is what it is. I paid £3795 for one with 5000 miles on it from
Carl Rosner, which was an OK deal, but I might have done better if I'd
shopped around. The bike has a reputation as a bit of an undiscovered
gem amongst Triumph owners. If you haven't already, have a look at the
message boards on : http://www.t595.net/

I've had it 18 months and put about 13,000 miles on it. These have
been mostly commuting across London, but I've been to France a couple
of times and also to Cornwall, Manchester, Norfolk etc.

Things about it :

- It's pretty comfortable. It's roomy enough that you can sit up in
traffic, then slide right back to get behind the screen when you're
going quicker. If anything, I find the pegs slightly high for all-day
trips, but nothing that a quick ten minute stroll doesn't work off.
The clip ons are fairly sensible - mildly sporty, not too low. Mine
came with a Triumph "touring" screen - basically a double-bubble -
which is effective.

- It's nimbler than it looks. I rarely have problems getting through
small gaps in traffic in the middle of London. The steering lock is a
little limited, though, and you do get your hands trapped against the
tank on full lock.

- Like any other bike, the fuel consumption varies. I get around
130-140 miles to reserve when I'm doing purely urban commuting, and
more like 180-200 on the open road. The most I've ever managed from
completely full to completely empty was 222 miles at around 55 mpg.

- Service intervals are 6000 miles, which is a godsend. The 12,000
miler is pricey (mine was about £450), but the 18,000 miler is just
fluids, I'm told; it's due in a couple of weeks.

- It's not hard on consumables - I've changed the front pads once (at
about 9,000 miles) and the rear pads twice (I use the rear heavily in
London traffic). It's pretty much ready for another set of front pads
now. The chain is original and has some life left in it. I got about
6000 miles out of the last set of BT-20s, after which I changed, you'll
be delighted to learn, to Avon Azaros, which suit the bike much better
and will almost certainly last longer.

- The headraces and wheel bearings seem to be a weakness - I had the
front wheel bearings replaced at 12,000 miles and it feels like the
steering head bearings will need to be done at the 18,000 miler.

- It's quick enough. Triumph claim that it will do 150 mph, which is
bollocks, but I've seen 130 (indicated) a few times. Acceleration is
slow from an indicated 125 onwards.

- It doesn't much like nadgery backroads or bumpy corners. The front
suspension in particular feels soft and weak and I don't like pushing
the front end when the surface is unreliable. On smooth, sweeping A
roads, it's a hoot - but so is everything.

- The engine is lovely. It's a triple, of course, and there's a dollop
of power at around 2500-3000 rpm, which means that it's quick off the
line, and another big lump at 5500-6000. The redline is 9500, but
there's no real reason to rev it.

- It's OK for pillions, but they are quite a lot higher than the rider,
with their heads in the wind. The grabrail isn't standard, it's an
accessory, which is ridiculous. Most second hand bikes seem to have
one, though.

- There's a bit of room under the seat - I can fit my waterproofs in
there easily enough. No bungee points, though, which is a bit crap.
If you fit Triumph's aftermarket soft panniers, you get a couple of
little clips for the panel protectors, which helps - otherwise, it's
the pillion pegs or nothing. The tank is plastic, so magnetic tank
bags are out.

- Opinions vary, but I think the finish is pretty good. I've ridden it
through Winter with no noticable deterioration - but it does have a
bellypan and hugger fitted, which helps a lot. It does feel slightly
unfinished, though - there's exposed wiring in the nose cone, and no
lining / storage compartments. The later models might be better in
this regard.

Overall, I like it. It's been reliable and it has a bit of character.
There's no real reason to change it for the kind of riding I do (I
haven't taken it on a track), but I imagine I'll succumb to the urge to
chop it in for a Daytona 955i at some point. You may find it slightly
functional after the GSXR. You'll definitely find it heavy and a bit
sluggish.

Just one thing - I'm not convinced that they're quite as
depreciation-proof as you might hope. It's a discontinued model which
was never a strong seller, and good, low-milage ones pop up on Ebay for
£2500 - £3000. I definitely wouldn't pay more than £4K for one from
a dealer, and it would have to be a good one.

Chris