Breakthrough discovery!!!

[atakacs]

I discovered something that I'm sure nobody else has figured out yet. The fuel economy (mpg) of your cbr250 is inversely related to your bike's average speed!

Method: While commuting to work at posted speed limits, I averaged 78mpg. When absolutely flogging it (up to 92 mph, averaging >80mph), fuel economy dropped to a measly 58mpg.

Conclusion: It seems that even when we are abusing our bikes, they still get better gas mileage than Ninja 250s riding casual!

The results of this (very scientific...) study will have to be confirmed independently. Any volunteers?

[thefinalgamer]

i beat the hell out of mine and get anywhere between 60-75mpg. love this little bike!

[Minifur]

Not so sure this is a breakthrough, but your findings are very true.

[Dukie]

72mpg boy racer

[Matao87]

Lowest I ever got was about 50mpg. And almost half that tank was used in a parking lot for several practicing for the motorcycle skills test. Best tank was 85mpg.

[billyapb1071]

i think the weight of the rider has lot to do with the mpg your going get too. I can gt 60 mpg but i think its my weight that drops the numbers 6'4'' tall and weigh 270..

I might end up trading in for a biker bike in the neAR future

[KRA5H185]

Originally Posted by atakacs

I discovered something that I'm sure nobody else has figured out yet. The fuel economy (mpg) of your cbr250 is inversely related to your bike's average speed!

Method: While commuting to work at posted speed limits, I averaged 78mpg. When absolutely flogging it (up to 92 mph, averaging >80mph), fuel economy dropped to a measly 58mpg.

Conclusion: It seems that even when we are abusing our bikes, they still get better gas mileage than Ninja 250s riding casual!

The results of this (very scientific...) study will have to be confirmed independently. Any volunteers?

Yeah you're kind of late there buddy. And unless you're new to engines in general, that's common sense. Your mpg isn't going to go up if you're speed racing all the time. You're literally dumping more fuel into the engine. That's a no-brain er. It also has to do with wind "resistance" with resistance being the adverse force pushing against your bike causing the engine to work harder thus requiring more fuel > decrease in mpg.

glad you know though

[dswarthout]

This is true of any and all vehicles that push through the air.

Wind resistance or aerodynamic drag is directly proportional to fuel consumption, i.e., the faster you go more gas you'll use. The weight the bike is carrying will increase the rolling resistance (tire to road surface friction, bearing drag) but aerodynamic drag is the big player.

Streamlining is critically important in reducing drag. All newer automobile are very sleek these days, with fenders covering most of the tires and spoilers practically touching the pavement. Even big trucks have bought in to this trend and employ various wind-deflectors designed to soften the square outline of the box they're dragging. Lately I've been noticing semi-trailers with long plastic panels hung from the undersides in an effort to deflect the air from around the rear wheels. It's all about increasing slipperiness and decreasing drag.

I did a long ride last winter in Thailand, riding 2-up but traveling quite slow by most folk's standards, and my brand new CBR turned in an incredible 95 mpg one day. We had a slight tailwind but were enjoying the scenery and going slowly -- our average speed was in the neighborhood of 50 mph. Typically it gets 80-85 mpg.

Chang (Honda CBR250R) | Fuelly

On the other extreme, driving 75 mph smack into a strong headwind with a Suzuki DL650 dropped my mileage from 55-60 mpg to around 35 mpg, worse than many new cars. Driving slow (and with the wind) is the easiest way to increase your fuel mileage.