Wow, that's amazing!

I get 35-42 with routine, non-aggressive riding - an even mix of highway and suburban roads with few stops.

I hear about higher average mileage from these bikes - yours may be tops - and I always wonder what I'm doing wrong.

Near anecdote, thanks for sharing.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G (2022) using Tapatalk

 

Wow, that's amazing!

I get 35-42 with routine, non-aggressive riding - an even mix of highway and suburban roads with few stops.

I hear about higher average mileage from these bikes - yours may be tops - and I always wonder what I'm doing wrong.

Near anecdote, thanks for sharing.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G (2022) using Tapatalk

I might have to take off my bags, lube the chain, top off the air pressure and use the calculator just for fun to see if I can get any higher and verify my mileage.

Also I might be able to do slightly better by going on my ride a little earlier (cooler) and less traffic that was pushing me to go faster than I wanted to go.

 

Today I went out for a little joy ride seeing how good of gas mileage I can get on my 60 mile loop and I was pleasantly surprised with 76.1 mpg.
...

That's Imperial right?
What's your ambient temp read?

The display can be switched between American and Imperial.

😁

 

American

 

I get 35-42 with routine, non-aggressive riding - an even mix of highway and suburban roads with few stops.

Ditto.

 

My last fill was 72miles per Imperial gallon or 3.9l/100km Better to use metric on an international site.

 

I'm assuming 6th gear. If so, speeds under 60mph, especially with luggage or other load, is lugging the engine. It "breathes" better at higher revs, maybe 5k+.

Agree the readout is about 3mpg lower than reality. Maybe a built in safety margin, like the speedo.

 

Is this with stock 15T front / 47T rear sprockets? A 16T front sprocket size may give a more accutate speedo reading but not for the trip meter. speedometer vs gps accuracy

 

I usually get +55mpg with normal riding, which in my case, is mainly around town, but also includes occasional curvies around Pine Mtn, GA.

 

That’s nice. I like trying for the lowest miles per gallon I can achieve.

 

Riding with one of my friends, a former motor officer, I get as low as 32. He flies, swears he's not speeding, my speedo says 90-95.(For liability reasons I will not specify units.)

 

If I ride medium hard/fast like I'm late for work, I get 48-49 mpg on a tank.
If I ride slow and relaxed I get 55 mpg per tank, US gallons. That's with huge square dewalt tool boxes for panniers.

One of my longer term goals is to replace the big boxy panniers with some custom made foam and fiberglass/epoxy bags that make the back end of the bike dramatically more aerodynamic. With hypermiling techniques and a smooth back end, 70 or better is very possible.

If you want to see some really cool streamliner conversion, run down some references from the Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Vetter_Fuel_Economy_Challenge

That probably deserves a separate post so I don't derail this thread.

 

Why would you want to hypermile a motorcycle?

Get a Pirus!

 

I was curious and I thought it would be an interesting test.

I can't, I'm not a democrat.

 

I average about 50. Rural highways and curves. Probably average 55mph.

 

I can get that MPG. Down hill with the wind. For about a mile.

Then you have to back up a hill. Sooner or later. 50 mpg is fine for me. I like wheelies too.

Want better mileage? Get the V-strom 250. 🤷‍♂️

 

I went out again this morning...... the temps were a little cooler, my bags were left in the garage, my chain is lubed and my tire pressures are a couple pounds higher than recommended, I top off the tank.

I did the same loop, the computer readout read 82.5 mpg, I went back to the pump 57.5 miles and .632 gallons of gas = 91 mpg. Obviously less than exact (especially since it was less than 60 miles and a gallon of gas) but impressive none the less.

 

I'm a skeptic. No offense.

 

No offence taken, the numbers are fairly high.

 

Some days I like to hypermile. Some days I like to drive the Strom with an enthusiastic right hand.

Different strokes...blah blah blah.

Or perhaps you're asking the wrong question. If you're going to hypermile something, would you rather it be a car or motorcycle?
And for reasons that are difficult to explain, I get great joy out of hypermiling my Tacoma. 24 mpg in the summer if I'm not towing anything or driving 75 on the highway.

 

I could never hypermile a bike.
yes different strokes...some find joy in wart removal

 

How do you hypermile?

If you rode a bike slowly around here, you'd be run over quickly.

 

There are a dozen other tricks besides just driving slower, although speed is certainly one of the major factors.

Take off gently, shift a grand or two earlier (compared to spirited riding), slow down 5 or 10 mph (but don't be a hazard to yourself and others), pick routes where you have less traffic and more flexibility on the speed and fewer stops), anticipate the stop signs and lights and pull the clutch and coast in (at least partly)(every time you touch the brakes your fuel economy goes down, but don't be silly about it--we still need and want brakes.) Make your bike more aerodynamic.....huge room for improvement here.

Full FULL details here: Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

works with bicycles, E-bikes, motorcycles, cars, semi trucks, etc.

 

How about the other way around? I can get 35 mpg, if I try hard enough.

Drag strip comes to mind.

 

 

Don't get cocky about the 650 mpg ..above is my mpg from my 1050 v strom 🤣🤣🤣

 

That’s awesome!!

Is that imperial measurements?

 

Yep imperial..uk mpg

 

My 650K7 always got 62-64mpg (US) tank after tank until last fall. Now it's suddenly ~57 (with a slight exhaust noise additionally).

Spark plug change (old looked perfect), chain & brake check, valve check/adjust, TB balance. No change... grr.... Hopefully I can find what changed and get back to 60+ Still better than my DR650K3, which is 50mpg, almost regardless of what I do - but she's old and been rode hard by POs, so doesn't owe anyone anything.

 

Today I went out for a little joy ride seeing how good of gas mileage I can get on my 60 mile loop and I was pleasantly surprised with 76.1 mpg. First and foremost this was not very a "scientific" test and I didn't check it with a calculator I simply reset the computer and went on my way, I intentionally rode slow (about 45 mph) to conserve fuel. I didn't do anything special to prepare for my ride, if I was trying to squeeze out another mpg or two I could have taken off the luggage, aired up the tires and maybe lubed the chain... I'm not sure how precise the onboard calculation but on a recent trip I found it to be "about" 3-5 mpg conservative, perhaps I did a little better than 76.1? Lastly to put this in perspective I generally get about 60 mpg with no effort and 65 when I'm intentional but still at or a little above the speed limit. Any input, comments or questions on my little experiment?

I have a 2017 650XT that I got literally new, but two years old, from a dealer in S. Dakota. Only have about 3,000 miles on it (I also ride 2 other bikes) but love it! I live in a rural area of SW Colorado and ride 5 miles to get to pavement. Because of that, I'm riding 45 mph on many of the unpaved county roads and careful with the throttle (loose gravel). I usually average over 60 mpg in those circumstances, and have gotten around 65 mpg. I always run 91 octane, ethanol free fuel which works well at the elevations I ride - 6500 ft to 8000 ft above sea level / sometimes over 10,000 when on the mountain passes here. If I get under 60 mph I'm either at highway speeds or having too much fun. Thanks for your post - always good to hear experiences from other 650 owners!

 

I have a 2017 650XT which I love. I live in a rural area of SW Colorado so I ride a lot of unpaved county roads, mostly about 45 mph. Very hilly here - if I ease up the hills and coast down the hills I get up to 65 mpg, but average about 60-61 mpg (lower if I'm at highway speeds or having too much fun). Thanks for an interesting post - always good to hear from other owners.

 

When I visited Colorado I was surprised to see the regular was 86 oct instead of the usual 87. Even more surprised that it increased my mileage to about 62. (And we were having "fun".)

 

I grew up in Dallas, then at age 30 moved to Colorado (44 years ago). I learned that the higher the altitude, the lower the octane rating - turns out that the less oxygen concentration in the air, the less octane is needed. When I visit the south, I use 93 octane / at our altitude I use 91 octane (they don't even sell 93 here). The chemistry geeks have it all worked out, and it works! I also use non-ethanol, because in the winter our bikes set for 4 or 5 months - WAY bad to have ethanol in the gas - turns to a think muck and can even ruin carburetors of my small engines (generators, weed eaters, log splitters, etc. Ride safe!