Motorbike - Economy?

BennyC

BennyC

BennyC

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Joined
25 Sep 2006
Posts
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I was wondering today how thirsty motorbikes are?

Obviously this will vary on cc so something between 600cc to 1000cc. I won't lie I have absolutely zero knowledge about bikes but perhaps in a few years would quite like to get the relevant licenses and own one for a short while. Perhaps doing a short commute to work if it actually happened.

No doubt they have a much smaller tank than a car but weigh a fraction in comparison.

I know there are a few bikers on here.

Ta,

BennyC
 
Depends on the bike.
In my history of bikes:

125CBR 100+MPG
Triumph Speed Four - 35-40ish
Triumph Speed Triple 1050 - 45-50 if commuting, 35ish when having fun.
Kawasaki Versys - 60MPG pretty much everywhere.
 
2008 SV650s ~50mpg +/-5

£20 tank will go 180 miles.

There are savings in fuel and tax but they're offset with buying kit and more regular servicing (3500 miles on the SV)
 
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So many variables in the equation..

My 125 was averaging 130mpg, my ninja is around 40 odd.. filling the tank for 15-20quid does take the pinch out of it
 
BennyC said:
Ahh I forget we have a Biker's Cafe! If a Mod wants to move this feel free :)

I have some other questions about bike ownership etc but I'm sure there are some comprehensive guides that would save me asking duplicate questions but I can't seem to find any on the web. Does any body have any they'd recommend?
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Just ask, we don't bite :p

On the economy side of things I got a Triumph Street Triple R at the beginning of February and I've done ~3400 miles so far, the mpg on Trip 1 which is all 3400 miles is at 44.4, Trip 2 which is the rear tyre at ~2600 miles (damn nails) is sitting at 45.2mpg

And remember that you can get that sort of economy on something that is so much faster than most cars on the road, gotta love bikes :D

My commute is 37 miles of fairly fast A road (NSL, could easily do faster if you didn't mind speeding...) and I don't exactly ride like a granny :)
 
Its not just how thirsty they are, its many factors that make a bike better, insurence cost is cheaper and tax is also cheaper. Commuting times are also generally faster.

Overall it would work out cheaper than a car if you only owned a motorcycle. Dont buy one if your planning on saving money but dont want to sell your car because the car will just offset what money you do save owning a bike.

Also make sure you kit your self out well!
 
I considered a small engined bike for commuting a few years back when I had a 16 mile daily round trip. I didn't go for it for 2 main reasons.
1. the time it'd take to get the kit on I would have been half way to work in the car.
2. didn't fancy riding a bike for 10 minutes in the rain before even starting work in the morning.

Sure it would have been excellent on a day like today when the sun's shining, but for me it was down to practicallity not simply fuel saving/money saving.

My step dad uses his bike at least 6 months of the year to commute but he has around 80 miles a day to do on a much more congested road so it makes more sense for him, and he's passionate about bikes, where as i'm not.
 
My Cb1300 only gets 30mpg (tho she is a toy). The big thing no one has mentiond is tyres, rears especially. I know the CB is a grunty beast,however I am on my 4th rear tyre and bikes only has 5,600 miles on clock!
 
realscot said:
I considered a small engined bike for commuting a few years back when I had a 16 mile daily round trip. I didn't go for it for 2 main reasons.
1. the time it'd take to get the kit on I would have been half way to work in the car.
2. didn't fancy riding a bike for 10 minutes in the rain before even starting work in the morning.

Sure it would have been excellent on a day like today when the sun's shining, but for me it was down to practicallity not simply fuel saving/money saving.

My step dad uses his bike at least 6 months of the year to commute but he has around 80 miles a day to do on a much more congested road so it makes more sense for him, and he's passionate about bikes, where as i'm not.
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1) True, although for a 16 mile trip I'd still go for the bike on a nice day, only takes ~5 minutes or so to get changed either end
2) Yeah, I wuss out on the rainy days and take the car, it's just not pleasant :p

LupoLover said:
My Cb1300 only gets 30mpg (tho she is a toy). The big thing no one has mentiond is tyres, rears especially. I know the CB is a grunty beast,however I am on my 4th rear tyre and bikes only has 5,600 miles on clock!
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Tyres + Chains really, although with a 'sensible' bike/tyre choice you should be able to get 5-6k miles from a rear tyre, if not more (just over 2.5k on my BT023 rear and no real squaring or anything, loads of life left) chains I'm not sure but I'm guesstimating every 8k miles, but we'll see I'll just buy it as and when it needs replacing :)
 
When I rode through France last year my mate and I both used identical amount of fuel from one station to another, on the peage around a steady 85mph, both carrying around 15-18kgs of luggage/equipment. He was on a Daytona 650 me on my GSXR 1000. Worked out to be 55mpg.

Spirited riding can drop mine to early 40's.


As others have said there are pros/cons cars to bikes, but this time of year.... AND when there's traffic queues.... ;):D
 
My F800ST seems to sit at about 60-63mpg. I think that I'm going over 200 miles on a tank (yes I forget how bit my tank is but it's about 20 quid big!).

I'm commuting constantly now though on a 10 ish mile trip so we'll see how that goes. I'm at 90 miles on trip computer and so far the digi display is still at the top, but it only starts to move when it's <60 ish miles left I think . :)
 
It's nowhere near as linear with respect to engine size as you *generally* get with cars.

For example... my CBR600 would get just under 100 miles from 14 litres
my zzr1100 would get just shy of 200 miles from 22 litres
my triumph daytona 955 is getting 150-200 from 18 litres depending on how i feel like riding... :)
 
Versys 650cc - 60mpg
Kawasaki ZX12R - 25 - 28mpg and made very little difference how I rode it! My god it was fun though!

Everything else I've owned was somewhere between these extremes, around the 40-45 mpg range.

BMW seem to be leading the way on fuel economy at the moment.
 
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