The answer to rising fuel costs

[Muppet]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/RidingEvents/ridingeventsresults/Riding-skills/2009/December/dec2209-how-to-get-best-mpg/

Trouble is peak torque will mean peak ticket!! Fancy a 1098 getting 59mpg though.

[jaffaonajappa]

Yeah ok. But how can you apply their idea to real life riding in NZ whilst maintaining a licence?

Can get pretty good mpg on most bikes - if you are gently on the throttle and willing to use them gear lever thingies.

[Ender EnZed]

The maximum mileage you can achieve on your bike will be achieved in top gear at the speed at which you know your bike makes its peak torque.

...

A Ducati 1098 for example achieves its best mpg of around 59mpg at 75mph in fifth.

The article isn't even consistent with it's own bad advice. 1098s have 6 gears and even in 5th would be doing much more than 75mph at peak torque (8000rpm).

[Icemaestro]

aside from the wind resistance at that speed which would drag that down massively. maybe on a dyno, or sitting behind a big bus at that speed :facepalm:

[bogan]

The article isn't even consistent with it's own bad advice. 1098s have 6 gears and even in 5th would be doing much more than 75mph at peak torque (8000rpm).

I read it as if the gearing didn't really come into it, so for round town riding, I should be doing aroung 5krpm in first, interesting theory!

I would expect peak efficiency for fuel to hp at max torque revs at WOT. But at lower hp/throttle the engine dynamics will change and peak fuel efficiency for a required hp will probably be in a different place depending on the required hp. The gas volume entering the exhaust will be much less, and travel at a slower speed, adjusting the exhaust scavenging, and the throttle butterfly will fuck with the intake scavenging too.

An the there is the required hp for a given speed, it goes up in a speed cubed relationship, while the time savings are only linear!

[racefactory]

Complete bullshit. Wind and rolling resistance are far bigger factors for fuel economy. The slower the speed the better the fuel economy. Lowest RPM in top gear, preferably sitting behind a fucking great big truck will give the best fuel economy.

All hypermiling records are set at slow speeds.

[Spearfish]

If fuel economy is a major factor in a riders decisions then a bike with just enough power to do the commute would probably be a better option than a bike that's carrying around its surplus potential as expensive luggage.

[marty]

the hayabusa seems to have a sweet fuel economy spot at around 173km/h. interestingly, my 3.5i V6 Diamante was more economical at 138km/h with the cruise on, than at 100k. (was doing 1500km a week commuting on the southern motorway so had plenty of opportunities to check it....)

the 6.0l Calais though is WAY more economical at 100km/h than anywhere else - it's only doing 1200rpm.

[Ender EnZed]

the hayabusa seems to have a sweet fuel economy spot at around 173km/h.

Have you tested this over a whole tank or do 'Busas have a fuel use readout?


interestingly, my 3.5i V6 Diamante was more economical at 138km/h with the cruise on, than at 100k.

This is about the same as what I've found for my VFR750.

[baptist]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/RidingEvents/ridingeventsresults/Riding-skills/2009/December/dec2209-how-to-get-best-mpg/

Trouble is peak torque will mean peak ticket!! Fancy a 1098 getting 59mpg though.

All this technical stuff and there's me thinking you were going to show us how to get away with holding up a fuel truck... no ok:innocent:

[slofox]

Sooooo...11,300rpm all the time huh?

Fuck, this is gonna be interesting...I think I'd be illegal even in 1st - in town anyway.

[Oblivion]

Sooooo...11,300rpm all the time huh?

Fuck, this is gonna be interesting...I think I'd be illegal even in 1st - in town anyway.

Especially with that de-baffled pipe you have there. :yes:

[Blackshear]

I think I might die if I kept my bike at peak torque.
Considering the curve of a TL1000 is pretty damn flat as it is.

[MrKiwi]

Complete bullshit. Wind and rolling resistance are far bigger factors for fuel economy. The slower the speed the better the fuel economy. Lowest RPM in top gear, preferably sitting behind a fucking great big truck will give the best fuel economy.

All hypermiling records are set at slow speeds.

Yep, you're absolutely right. Most torque curves are relatively flat over a wide rev range so it is a trade off between getting higher up the torque curve without compromising the fuel use from increased wind resistance.

[wanpo]

Woo, 9k rpm in 6th...

When I get stopped by the cops going 250km/h and they ask me why I was going so fast, I can imagine the face when they are replied "Saving fuel officer"

[slofox]

11,300rpm in first is somewhere between 80 and 90km/hr...but I'm sure Mr Copper would unnerstand I'm saving all that gas.

[SMOKEU]

I really don't think that they whole peak torque RPM for optimal fuel efficiency works for all engines. I guess it's true for a big, low revving engine but for a highly strung engine I think it's not quite true seeing they tend to have their peak torque quite high in the rev range.