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Ways to Increase your MPG

34K views 113 replies 49 participants last post by  greenaero 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been averaging about 78 mpg after only 5 gas fill-ups since I bought the cbr250r brand new. The Honda website lists this bike at an estimated 77 MPG.

What riding techniques or other special things do you do that helps you increase your fuel efficiency?

Before I ride I make sure my tires are properly inflated (29 front and 30 rear). I maintain the chain by cleaning and lubing it. I also try to only use Shell Gas (Supposed to be one of the best).

As far as riding technique I try to avoid engine braking and I coast down hills/undulations and to stop lights and stop signs. I will usually start coasting about 100 to 150 ft or more to a stoplight depending on the traffic. Of course I make sure to always be in the correct gear when I coast so I'm always ready to accelerate if need be. I also keep the RPM's as low as possible by always being in the highest gear whenever possible w/o lugging. At 35 mph I'm in 6th gear. I try to keep the acceleration smooth and avoid hard braking by timing my coasting perfectly as best as I can. I attribute my good gas mileage to my riding technique and feel I can even improve my gas mileage if I avoid jack rabbit starts, which I will do on a occasion.

I'm 6ft 185lbs , I bet some of you smaller riders can and do easily get 80 mpg.

My goal is 80 mpg.

I'm not trying to turn this thread into a coasting vs non-coasting thread. If you are getting better gas mileage than Honda's estimated 77 mpg, please tell us what you do to achieve such fantastic fuel efficiency.

Taken from the Honda Powersports website for the Honda CBR250R:
 
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#2 ·
Dude man, you so pro
shell? lol
coasting ? haha
29 front 30 rear? 29-29 in my manual...
you could probably get better at 35 front and back. but what you save on fuel you'll spend on rubber as the tyre will wear quicker and uneven
same goes for your brake pads, you'll wear them out faster by not engine breaking and it's really quite a dumb practice to get into..
don't coast, it's very noob
and dangerous
 
#39 ·
Dude man, you so pro
shell? lol
coasting ? haha
29 front 30 rear? 29-29 in my manual...
And for someone over 180 lbs, that 1 PSI is probably a good thing, I myself weight around there and the bike will be more appropriate at 1 PSI more and safer as well.
you could probably get better at 35 front and back. but what you save on fuel you'll spend on rubber as the tyre will wear quicker and uneven
same goes for your brake pads, you'll wear them out faster by not engine breaking and it's really quite a dumb practice to get into..
don't coast, it's very noob
and dangerous
Also engine breaking and coasting all have their place. Obviously you can gain more MPG from engine braking but it doesn't always make sense to do so in town in stop and go traffic, it could in fact cause you to get hit.
Flaming someone just to flame them is ridiculous. Go troll another forum please. This thread is a good idea and if we don't have all the flaming it could be a very imformative thread for anyone that wants to hyper mile their bike.
 
#3 ·
Shell gas

Its top tier gas. Google Top Tier Gas.

There are other gas brands that use the mutually agreed upon additive package for gasoline, listed right there on the site. And yes, car owners manuals say its a requirement to use top tier gas. My car manual mentions Shell. And if I skip a tank to use a bottle of fuel detergent to catch up.

Do I think it matters on a CBR which will probably go 10,000 miles? Maybe not. On a car for 200,000? Yes, if you care about these things. Otherwise no.

Then again my car owners manual says to use VW spec oil and the only oil I ever found is Eurospec Mobil 1. The dealers sells that and so does NAPA. For my bikes I use deisel oil.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I'm not trying to turn this thread into a coasting vs non-coasting thread.
Howdy-Doody Doody-Doody DudeBoy.

In a couple of months and over 600 posts you have turned more than a few threads into knitting.

You are doing ok for a squid.

And if you are interested, on a recent 311 mile / 501 km round trip on my 1997 Honda Dream I got 114 mpg (US) 137 mpg (UK) 2.1 l/100 km. I did nothing special, just rode it. The latest fuel injected Honda Wave is no better.

Most days I use no fuel at all; I ride a bicycle.
 
#35 ·
I ride at 35 MPH in 6th often. I get great gas milage and it doesn't struggle. :) I guess it depends on how much you weigh and how much throttle you like to give the bike.

For those of you that don't know about what gear to be in at what speed with this particular bike, the cbr250r, you would know that the User manual says to be in 6th gear at 35 mph. I keep it in the highest gear (without lugging).. Keeping the rpm's low WILL aid in lowering gas consumption. Even a caveman would know that. lol

I won't comment on coasting as this thread is NOT a coasting debate thread. For those you that didn't read my entire initial post please go back and reread it. Thank you.

I achieve 80+ MPGs from time to time. I find the more freeway driving I do the worse my MPGs are. That's because I'm doing 60-70 MPH. I get my best gas milage in town. I'll coast to stop lights and signs. Use the brake as least as possible. I go through the gears quickly on take off, keeping the RPMs around 3-4 K and arrive at 35 MPH in 6th.
 
#7 ·
Seriously, I love that others here ride and tune their bike to maximize fuel efficiency, but one of the reasons that I bought a sportbike that gets great mileage is so that I could ride it hard without the guilt. Haven't quite got enough experience to say that I really ride it hard, but I'm getting over 65 mpg and definately do not feel guilty -- or the need to coast. :)
 
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#9 ·
Having obtained 46 Kmpl or 108 MPG once, here's what I got to say...

We rode a steady 80 kmph or 50 mph for more than 350+ kms or 220 miles. 75 kmph or 45mph will yield a little better FE. Lesser than this, the engine might lug & more than 50 mph, the FE will start dropping slightly.
 
#40 ·
Why not just post this in the thread already about gas mileage?

Makes no sense to create a new thread to report what you already did there.

That's because Dude guy is the Kim Kardashian of the 250r forum. He's famous for being famous (and a plasti-dip tool):cool:
 
#11 ·
6th gear at 35 mph? I would consider that either lugging the engine or **** close to it. I am a fairly hefty guy and I beat the crap out of mine. I still average 67 mpg. I'm not going to give up the enjoyment of the ride to save a few mpgs. This thing gets 4 times the fuel mileage my mustang does so I'm happy
 
#12 ·
As my son likes to say when he sees a Prius: "I should thank him for saving the world for the rest of us who actually like to drive"
 
#14 ·
They weren't talking to you. Re-read the OP.

I think I'm with the majority here. If you get off on hypermiling, and milking that gallon of gas for every inch it could possibly give you, more power to you. I'd rather ride however I feel like on a given day, whether that means coasting to red lights, or finding some hilly turns to play on and giving it all the throttle it wants.
 
#16 ·
I hardly ever coast...I engine brake constantly...I rev the crap out of it on take offs and acceleration...I play with the throttle while sitting stopped and clutch pulled in...and @ 220 lbs my running average is 74 mpg... best tank I have gotten so far is 85mpg...my point is...why worry about milking every drop of gas for all its worth,just enjoy the ride..stop over thinking everything so much...sounds too much like work when you should be enjoying the scenery instead
 
#30 ·
I hardly ever coast...I engine brake constantly...I rev the crap out of it on take offs and acceleration...I play with the throttle while sitting stopped and clutch pulled in...and @ 220 lbs my running average is 74 mpg... best tank I have gotten so far is 85mpg...
Dude, WTF? :eek: I wish I could still get in the 70's riding like that! When I do that I only get low 60's. :confused: Totally jealous :mad:

...Btw, does anyone believe that 10k miles on the cbr equals 200k miles on a car, like that one reader implied? I think it would be more like 50-60k for the bike to equal 200 on a car...
I agree. I disregarded that when I read it. Then again, I keep cars to well over 200k miles.
 
#17 ·
1600 miles of riding it like I stole it and still I get 67.4 mpg!! That is awesome in my books. If I had to worry about better mileage I wouldn't be having any fun riding this awesome bike every chance I get. Also remember that riding safely and fuel economy are not the same thing.
 
#18 ·
I've heard it said throughout my life... our world economy is based on oil... and it is. Without oil, we would not have the plentiful, easily usable energy necessary to make and do all the things that we've come to take for granted.

Thus, my thought on the matter lately has been: "Why fuel economy? Because once we use up all the fuel, there will be no economy."

100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com
 
#19 ·
At almost 1300 miles now. Have never bothered to check gas mileage because it doesn't matter.

Btw, does anyone believe that 10k miles on the cbr equals 200k miles on a car, like that one reader implied? I think it would be more like 50-60k for the bike to equal 200 on a car...


Sent from my Motorcycle iPhone app
 
#34 ·
Btw, does anyone believe that 10k miles on the cbr equals 200k miles on a car, like that one reader implied?
Utterly ridiculous. Any well maintained bike at that mileage is still a toddler. I've seen CT-100's in the Philippines with well over 160,000km on their clock. Mine has 85,000km and still runs like a champ, even while doing trike duty on a daily basis.
 
#20 ·
I bought the bike for the MPG and it has taken me 3k miles to finally get into the 70's consistently. Oddly enough it happened right about the time when I decided to stop babying the bike and accept that the roads on my work commute aren't ideal for hypermiler-type MPGs.
 
#22 ·
I don't do any of that "coasting" nonsense, or any of the other so called methods of increasing MPG's that the OP puts forth. I do ride my CBR pretty hard most of the time, although I wouldn't say that I beat the crap out of it. I ride it the way a motorcycle should be ridden. That said, I get better MPG's than the OP. Go figure...



"Remember, only you can prevent the enjoyment of your motorcycle" - MM
 
#26 · (Edited)
Well I guess it must help you being troll size. Please link the post that tells what your average mpg are. I don't see a fuelly link for you.
 
#23 · (Edited)
For those of you that don't know about what gear to be in at what speed with this particular bike, the cbr250r, you would know that the User manual says to be in 6th gear at 35 mph. I keep it in the highest gear (without lugging).. Keeping the rpm's low WILL aid in lowering gas consumption. Even a caveman would know that. lol

I won't comment on coasting as this thread is NOT a coasting debate thread. For those you that didn't read my entire initial post please go back and reread it. Thank you.
 
#27 ·
For those of you that don't know about what gear to be in at what speed with this particular bike, the cbr250r, you would know that the User manual says to be in 6th gear at 35 mph. Keeping the rpm's low WILL aid in lowering gas consumption. Even a caveman would know that. lol

I won't comment on coasting as this thread is a coasting debate thread. For those you that didn't read my entire post please go back and read my initial post.
Pure unadulterated Bull Sh!t, DudeMan. 6th gear at 35 mph?... Give me a fucking break. If the O/M told you to ride your bike off a cliff, you'd likely think that would be a good idea too.
 
#38 · (Edited)
It's easy. :) Look at the torque curve of the engine in the dyno chart below. Granted, you don't have much power, but you're not exactly racing round town if you're going for fuel economy. If you live in a flat part of the country, have an aftermarket exhaust minus the db killer, such as I do, and you don't weight 250 lbs (sorry plump people) then riding the bike in 6th at 3-4K works really well and gets you the best MPG.

When I ride with a passenger, then I have to keep the RPMs around 4-6K.

Besides, this thing is closer to being a scooter than a super sport. ;)

 
#41 ·
Hey dude buy a fuel controller and lean it out. It's my understanding that this bike goes richer @ wide open so you will need to reduce the amount of throttle available to get below that spot. Instant AWESOME economy (even if it can barely crest a hill in the suburbs). All those fuel savings might even pay for the controller at some point. Not stopping at stop signs is equally effective at increasing your mileage in town. Drafting VERY CLOSE to tractor trailers is another surefire way to get those last couple MPG's if you ever hit the highway again. The semi thing will also totally eliminate any side winds so it should be a pleasure to ride the interstate then. Streamlining the front wheel could also be good for major gains as it is one spot that really drags any bikes mpg down (unfortunately it doesn't provide much cooling to the poor single disc up front :( ) I am sure there are many other ways Dude can hyper mile this bike...anybody else have any suggestions to "aid" him in his goal?
 
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