MPG Testing

Long time lurker; first post.

I decided to run some experiments to determine the MPG of my bike under different riding styles. The bike is 99% stock. The only changes are a twin air filter (cleaning accident with the stocker) and different tires (MT43 rear, Pirelli 21 front). Gearing is stock, stock sprockets and chain. About 3200mi on the bike and I've owned it since 700.

I've been using the bike for my work commute this summer. It's 12miles one way with some turns and rolling hills (2-3 require dropping to 5th to maintain speed). I've been ridding at a moderate pace and keeping the revs up to stay in the power. I check the mileage every tank and have consistently had the reserve light come on at 72-77miles. Average has been right at 50MPG.

Test:
The last two tanks, I've been trying to up my MPG. My procedure has been as follows:
Shifting:
1st to 10mph
2nd to 20mph
3rd to 30mph
4th at 35mph
5th at 40mph
6th at 45mph

I've accelerated as slow as possible and never exceeded 60mph. Average mph is likely around 45-50. I rode the thing like a scooter and probably pissed off a lot of cages in the process. I would lug as low as possible without stalling. I weight 185 (210 with gear/backpack) and am 6' tall. My results:

Half normal riding, half using the test routine: 60mpg
100% Test routine (almost drove me crazy for an entire tank): 70mpg

Note that the 70mpg was achieved on a different route, mostly 55mph highway (straight and flat).


I'll try again after I switch to the 12tooth front, but it's going to drop.

60-70 mpg is all? My X has lots of mods (basically all except big bore kit), and I use the rev limiter to shift most of the time in 1st and 2nd, and I get 64 mpg..... Instead of lugging the crap out of the poor little thing, why don't you get a grappling hook and latch onto someone's bumper or coast down hills? It seems to me that if you want maximum mileage keep the engine revving where it makes power, accelerate smoothly and lose as little forward momentum as possible.

Yep, that's all. I'm a little disappointed. Keep in mind this is with the stock ODO (no GPS confirmation) as well.

There's such a wide range of MPG reported by owners. Yamaha has tight enough clearances that 15-25% differences in mileages (assuming similar riding) shouldn't be possible. My goal is to document my changes and mileage to see exactly what's affecting these numbers.

Any ideas on improving my mileage? All I can think of is tires, but I'm not changing those out until needed. I'll try higher RPMs (along with a 12tooth front), but it seems counter-intuitive that higher RPMs at the same speed would increase MPG.

Maybe I'm all wet, but seems to me an engine running in its "powerband" would use less fuel as the fuel is actually being used to create momentum... anybody agree/disagree?

I ride mine in a spirited manner at all times. I use the 8k mark for most of my shit points. The fiel reserve light will come on at about 85 miles. It's pretty consistent. I usually go another 20-30 miles before fueling up. I believe I have caluculated 65 mpg. My bike is all stock.

I wouldn't be too worried Drew, I'm stock on my X and only getting about 54. Click Me! I'm having more issues with filling up, when on its stand, I fill it up to the neck, and it goes down a little, so I top it off again and it goes back down. Seems to be a bottomless pit... but if i fill it more it always returns to the same level in the neck. Anyone else have that issue? I'm trying to be as consistant in filling up techniqes as I can due to the small tank...

ssauer2004 wrote:

I ride mine in a spirited manner at all times. I use the 8k mark for most of my shit points. The fiel reserve light will come on at about 85 miles. It's pretty consistent. I usually go another 20-30 miles before fueling up. I believe I have caluculated 65 mpg. My bike is all stock.

85 divided by 1.5 = 56mpg

85+30=115

115/2 = 57mpg


Where you getting 65mpg from?

At 65mpg your reserve light should not be coming on until you hit 97.5 miles.




You have a tachometer?
And if so - why shift so early? Shifting at 8000 ain't really "spirited".

I monitor mine every fill up. Sofar this is what Ive found

70+ mph kills my mileage
Wind decimates my mileage
Stop and go has some effect, but not much even with my 250+ lbs.
The difference between short shifting and running the piss out of it seems to only be around 3-5mpg
Going to a taller sprocket did nothing for me, which ties in to the above.



A windy trip down the highway for 25 miles of my tank brought me down to 52mpg, a no wind and never going over 55mph got me 70mpg. Those have been my extremes so far.

Something else that will mess with you without you knowing it though, if you get 10% ethanol vs real gas, it could be ~2mpg difference. Strange seasonal blends in some areas probably have an effect too.



.

The biggest catch for me is that I can get 60mpg with my 520EXC when I short shift and baby it. I was hoping for a nice 10-15MPG gain with the WR250R.

I see a big divide in the MPG groups. A lot of guys/gals are just like me, 55-60mpg average. Then there's the group that swears you can get 75-80mpg regularly. It may be as simple as how they're calculating the mileage (imperial gallons, incorrect math, etc.). All I know is I maxed out at 70mpg riding as gentle as I possibly could. We'll see where my mileage goes now that I switched to a 12 tooth CS.

I may pick up a DR350S to try out. Almost everyone claims they get mid 60s MPG in stock trim.

It's not a huge deal for offroad, but when I'm stuck on the slab commuting it'd be nice to get a few more miles per tank (without an aftermarket tank).

Are you calculating distance using a gps?

If you change gearing you throw odometer off.

Using a gps makes that moot.

There are other gas mileage threads here . One guy got over 100mpg on his R.

I've never gotten better than 55mpg and usually come in somewhere just south of that.

That's still one heck of a lot better than my Honda Civic and much funner at the same time.

Why are you fixated on mpg?

What about smiles per gallon?

I'm not fixated on MPG, I'm fixated on the ability of some WRRs to get significantly better gas mileage than others. These are tight tolerance machines, there's no way they vary enough in construction to see 30-50% better MPG from some bikes. So, assuming we're getting honest reports, what's the missing link? What exactly are these riders doing differently to get the outstanding mileage?

I'll probably ride it so it's fun and get 55mpg like always. It'd be nice to know if I can just change my riding style or add a simple modification and get 70+mpg whenever needed (when in a pinch).

I am also interested in the consistency of our engine performance, mostly because that was the main feature, this bike's owner's, taunted.
My bike seems to have performed , flawlessly, to date...considering.
Though my tests are crude...my '08 mod , compares quite consistently, to my buds '10....especially, mileage.
I think that is because we ride together a lot and are similar in skill level, tho different.. If an "A class" guy rode my bike...the numbers would reflect that.
How you ride it, seems to be the theme i see...amongst those that ride one.
If you ride a wrr and describe your style accurately...I bet I can guess your mileage...even as a first year noob.

That's what this as all about. What riding style does it take to get the MPG up to the mid 70s (or higher). My attempt at lugging the motor and riding it like a scooter only netted 70mpg (in ideal conditions). If one bike can do it, and everyone is around 200lb, then every bike should be able to get close (within 5-10%).

Just a couple things i've noticed.

Since I moved my mileage dropped quite a bit. I've lost about 15 miles from the tank before light goes on (from 100 miles to 85 miles)

Whats changed since I moved. 3 Things

Here I fuel up with 100 octane instead of 98/95.

The weather here is a lot colder

The country is flat and the roads higher speed.


Which ones of those are contributing to the drop in miles?

Im not sure and some appear counterintuitive. For example, my old area was super hilly and twisty. Average speed probably 45 mph. Here wide open flat roads, average 55 mph but lots of stop/start (traffic lights) which I didnt have before. So road nature is probably the biggest factor in all this difference we are seeing. Do temp and octs make a difference as well? I dont know....


But I think a lot are assuming and (possibly) making the mistake that taking the flat, constant high speed road (for example my 55 mph) will use less gas than a twisty, hilly road where the bike has to rev up and down but has a lower average speed. And although this may not be so with other pluricylindrical bikes, I think out little thumper gets higher mpg doing that then sitting at a constant 60 mph

motokid wrote:

ssauer2004 wrote:

I ride mine in a spirited manner at all times. I use the 8k mark for most of my shit points. The fiel reserve light will come on at about 85 miles. It's pretty consistent. I usually go another 20-30 miles before fueling up. I believe I have caluculated 65 mpg. My bike is all stock.

85 divided by 1.5 = 56mpg

85+30=115

115/2 = 57mpg


Where you getting 65mpg from?

At 65mpg your reserve light should not be coming on until you hit 97.5 miles.







You have a tachometer?
And if so - why shift so early? Shifting at 8000 ain't really "spirited".

When I posted the numbers I used were off the top of my head. When the actual numbers were in front of me they added up to 65 mpg.

The previous owner of my bike installed a small tach. I really don't pay too much attention to what the tach reads when I ride, although I have looked down and noticed that my shift points are generally in the 8k range. I'm not sure what your definition of spirited riding is, but if it's bouncing it off of the limiter constanty that would be called riding like a moron.

[Whats changed since I moved. 3 Things

Here I fuel up with 100 octane instead of 98/95.

The weather here is a lot colder

The country is flat and the roads higher speed.


Which ones of those are contributing to the drop in miles?]



did elevation change, ive noticed on numerous trips on my f.i. hd e-glide that in the rockies (>5000'-14000') i got much better milage than i do in my home turf (sea level to 400'+-)

granted different rides but the principle of no air=no fuel=less power=greater milage is what i attributed the drastic change

on the 1 occasion that i checked by the so so trip-odo on the wrr i got 70 mpg bone stock and i do urban to rural to trail riding. i go fast on pavement and slow in the woods. this bike is too new a toy for me to have bothered to really care about mpg and it is higher than anything else i use and i find it nice to fill the stock tank for under $8 (too frequently) but i cant wait to pay close to $20 to fill my soon to be installed ims 4.7 tank

I've been tracking my mileage closely, and I think accurately, since I sometimes use this thing as a dual-sport in places where gas stops are few and far between. I don't care much about efficiency or saving a buck on gas, but I do care about range since running out can be very expensive in remote areas. I only carry extra gas when I think I'll need it. My best is around 70 mpg and my worst around 60. That's US gallons, BTW.

And yes, even though I live in Canada, I understand the difference between Imperial and US gallons, and metric measures

I measure distance using a GPS since my odo error is about 3.4% high. About the only things that I've seen that have a huge effect on range are high headwinds and my right wrist.

Bike is stock, no exhaust or intake or other mods. Not enough gain for the pain, for me.

Clarification on my numbers, I'm running an X, not an R. Less rolling resistance?
I live in the US so US gallons. Ive never run a 12 tooth sprocket, just 13 and 14 (no mileage dif between em after factoring in the odo error. With the 14 I multiply my total miles by 1.0755 before dividing by the number of gallons she takes).

I too can't get mine to get under 60mpg without going on the freeway or driving into the wind. 64-66 mpg consistently pops up almost every single fill-up. I commute every day on it. 12 miles. Speed ranges from 25 - 65. 3 stop signs, 2 school zones, and I typically get stopped at about 8 lights. 65mpg every fill-up like clockwork seemingly regardless of my antics. I can't imagine getting 55mpg. The only time that ever happened to me was doing half my miles on the highway at 70+ and about 10 of them fighting a massive headwind, had to hold it wide open for a few miles.
If my bike turned 55mpg without some extenuating circumstances I would think something must be wrong. I would start checking the filter, jetting, tire pressure, etc...
That is one thing I hadn't thought about though tires! Maybe thats the big difference.

Just to clarify, I use 100% gas, no ethanol blends. I may have to shut down testing for a while as the temps are going to be very cold for at least a week.

Re: mileage- what is everybody running for tires? Tire choice could account for a lot of the MPG discrepancy. I have about 3000 miles on my 2010 WRR. The stock Death Wings look about 2/3 worn- not a lot of knobs left. I normally run a Givi box on the back and have a small windscreen mounted. Lately, I've been getting 70 MPG to the low side and 78 MPG to the high side. The mileage has been going up since it was new. Another wrinkle about checking gas mileage is the small tank. It's really hard to fill this tank to exactly the same level of "full" each time. A difference of only a tenth or two of a gallon on fill-up will skew the calculations greatly. BTW, for commuting, I generally go just fast enough to use sixth gear most of the time. Offroad, I don't really care but even then, the mileage doesn't drop much on a mixed-mode DS ride. Mechanically, my bike is dead stock.

bigg wrote:

Just a couple things i've noticed.

Since I moved my mileage dropped quite a bit. I've lost about 15 miles from the tank before light goes on (from 100 miles to 85 miles)

Whats changed since I moved. 3 Things

Here I fuel up with 100 octane instead of 98/95.

The weather here is a lot colder

The country is flat and the roads higher speed.


Which ones of those are contributing to the drop in miles?

Higher octane produces less power (slower burn rate) run the lowest octane you can without engine knock for best power. ( I like it when some kid puts race gas in his stock Civic and brags about how much faster it is )

Cold air is makes more power, if the fuel rate is adjusted. E.F.I. should do this.

Flat is good. Higher speeds means more fuel used.


Find 95 octane (or blend by topping off with lesser octane) And don't buzz the motor up so high.

Daamud wrote:

Higher octane produces less power (slower burn rate) run the lowest octane you can without engine knock for best power. ( I like it when some kid puts race gas in his stock Civic and brags about how much faster it is )

Cold air is makes more power, if the fuel rate is adjusted. E.F.I. should do this.

Flat is good. Higher speeds means more fuel used.


Find 95 octane (or blend by topping off with lesser octane) And don't buzz the motor up so high.

Wait are you saying that 95 or 98 octane is better for this bike??

Damn and I've been buying the 100 octane thinking its better for the motor and spending all that extra cash! about 10 euro cent per liter more!

is there any official info on this from yamaha?

"Octane Ratings" are different across the world. 100 in Europe is not 100 In USofA. There's no apples to apples when talking octane ratings with people outside your own country.
And depending on the size of your country there may be differences there too.

But yes - the old adage is basically true. Run the lowest octane you can without introducing any bad side effects.
Here in USofA I've run 87, 89, and 91 octane any never had any issues or problems with detonation, pinging, or knocking.

I don't think the compression on the wr is so high that it requires higher octane fuel. If you think you need it, buy it. You won't hurt bike.
You'll just have less change in your pocket.


On the higher speeds and gas mileage "theory".

These bikes, and the riding position turn us into one of the least aerodynamic vehicles on the road.

At some point the wind resistance overcomes the bike and forces it to work harder.

I'd assume that any speed over 60 mph is probably going to diminish MPG returns pretty quickly.

I just did some research and found that the "SuperPlus" which I tank here is actually 98 oct. Again as you said motokid oct ratings mean different things in different places. Anyway I'm gonna stick with this as this is what I see most bikers use and bwm even reccomends superplus instead of just super.

Anyway back on the topic:

couldn't agree more with motokid. (but I think the mpg start to drop off well before 60 mph)

I think this is why I also saw just a big drop. Seems counterintuitive but the slower riding (even if hard on the motor, gaining and loosing revs) gives higher mpg on this bike then sitting at a constant 60 mph

bigg wrote:

Daamud wrote:

Higher octane produces less power (slower burn rate) run the lowest octane you can without engine knock for best power. ( I like it when some kid puts race gas in his stock Civic and brags about how much faster it is )

Cold air is makes more power, if the fuel rate is adjusted. E.F.I. should do this.

Flat is good. Higher speeds means more fuel used.


Find 95 octane (or blend by topping off with lesser octane) And don't buzz the motor up so high.

Wait are you saying that 95 or 98 octane is better for this bike??

Damn and I've been buying the 100 octane thinking its better for the motor and spending all that extra cash! about 10 euro cent per liter more!

is there any official info on this from yamaha?

Yamaha requires 91 octane.

Start here to learn the effects of higher than needed octane.... http://www.factorypro.com/tech/tech_tuning_procedures/tuning_fuel_octane_vs_power.html