Fuel economy: IL4 over Twin over Triple over Single?

[Whosthedaddy]

Made a thread back about what seemed a huge volume of fuel used per day on a parallel twin. Noticed straight away that on the new triple the volume has increased a little?

The cc is only 50 odd more but being less revvy I have been in higher gears and lower revs for mote of the journey? Only major difference is the engine configuration.

So, a 600 IL4, 600 twin, 600 single...would they all have the same mpg?

On the same route, same rider and similar conditions what would be the most fuel efficient, if at all?
____________________
Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[gooner]

Do you really ride a bike to save fuel?

My ST3 is more thirsty than my X-Trail. If I calculate that I can get 5 people and all their luggage in the X-Trail but only two and half their luggage on the bike then it's a no brainer which vehicle I use.

But when you add in the grin factor, the wind, the feeling of freedom, etc etc etc - who really gives a shit about fuel economy??????

Get out of here and go to "What Car" if you are serious!!!!
____________________
Better to be scared to death than bored to death!

[instigator]

[Alexio]

[hmmmnz]

i used to use more gas on my gs500 thn i did on the klr650 (single)
and alot (almost double) the amount on my zxr750
and a pant load more on my vf1000
i think its a combo of revs weight and how hard you are on the bike,

the klr i used to ride fairly easy, as it was a slow bike, there was no point revving the tits off it, as you wern't going to get anywhere quicker,
the gs reved a bit harder, so it used to get raped,
and you've owned a 7r so you know how hard they are to keep in their box,
and the vf1000, well it sounds so cool, that revving the quarter ton beast is just what you have to do,
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[temeluchus]

[tsmith]

GPZ500S, parallel twin engine.

Been getting 88mpg for the last month or so. I do 84 miles a day, 90% motorway, dual carriageway. The bike hits reserve at 330 miles and costs £19.80 to fill to the brim. Petrol 116.9 a litre.

[Acemastr]

CBR600f 600cc IL4, no matter how i ride it i get lowest 42mpg, highest so far 48mpg
____________________
2017 KTM 350 XC-F - 2014 Yamaha R6 - 2005 Yamaha YZ125
2016 Toyota Tacoma Limited

[Ichy]

[MarJay]

Its not about engine configuration, its more about how much air volume it passes and how well set up it is. Single cylinder engines aren't that efficient as the large cylinder doesn't fill as easily and are a compromise when you carburate them, but they make up for it by being light and giving out loads of torque.

The more power a bike makes, the more fuel it will use. Especially if you thrash it. For example, my Triumph Speed Four was set up to make about 90bhp. it did about 40mpg. My Buell makes about 90bhp from twice the capacity and still makes 40mpg. This is because it uses half the revs.

Its all about air volume...
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[DrDonnyBrago]

My CBR600F F1 rarely gets better than 33mpg, but then it is purely a weekend toy and gets treated as such .

Not sure what I would get if I commuted on it/rode sensibly .

[Ichy]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[MinhDinh]

£1.20 odd a litre now.

I'm currently cycling as my Marathon regime.

Maybe think of that? and have fun on the bike on days out, I find that it's more fun (Although I only have a RS125 and not a big bike like you)

My RS is literally doing maybe 100 KM with 8 pounds. Not sure how many MPG but it;s so bad. London for you :s
____________________
Hit the G spot.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Not sure there is a hard and fast rule, as too many other variables.

More revs on the same engine probably means a throttle that isn't as far open, so less fuel per rev. But more pumping losses trying to suck X cc of air through a tiny opening. Whether you gain or lose probably depends on how your particular engine is jetted.

Similarly some bikes have accelerator pump carbs (especially bikes with slide carbs). With these opening the throttle uses a shed load of fuel, compared to keeping to a steady pace. Easy to drown any changes. Twins often have heavier flywheels which act as a store of energy and mean less change in throttle to cope with a (say) small hill). Twins also tend to have a longer stroke which should make more efficient use of the fuel they burn (but then they also probably have a wider bore which is likely to provide a less efficient combustion chamber).

Currently getting a fraction short of 60mpg from a ZZR600 on the motorways (about 90% of its miles are on the motorway).

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[SamJL]

My CBR1000RR seems really good on fuel, it does around 35 - 40mpg and I ride it quite hard.

Anything seems good on fuel to me though as my car does around 16mpg on the road and around 4mpg on track.
____________________
2009 CBR1000RR
2004 KTM 200SX
2004 KTM 65SX

[Whosthedaddy]

Some interesting points chaps, so no matter what engine it has it's still down the monkey riding it as to how much gas it burns.
____________________
Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[Robby]

To make x torque you need to burn y fuel. This varies depending on how efficiently the engine burns the fuel, but the differences in efficiency aren't huge.

Bear in mind that efficiency and economy aren't efficient. A new bandit 650 at peak torque will be more efficient than an old CG125 at peak torque, but the CG will be more economical because it is producing less torque. Power is a function of torque.

So you should find the best mix of fun and fuel economy using the bike that is best designed for that purpose. My bike is a 20ish HP 250cc single and returns 80mpg around town and on country roads, but on motorway runs at 70mph that will come down to 50 or less. Something more powerful and heavier with a fairing can be more economical on the motorway (within reason) and far worse around town.

No simple catch-all solution. A CB two-fifty twin will be more economical than my bike, with a slightly lower power output. A 250 hornet inline-4 will be less economical than my bike, with a considerably higher power output. It is however probably more efficient in how it burns that fuel.

To burn less, accelerate less, try to maintain a constant speed, never brake and use the right gear. This is not the same short shifting into top and opening the throttle wide open to try to accelerate.

[R6jonny]

Who said 35mpg from an SP1....bwahahaha....
____________________
Honda NSR125 - Yamaha R6 - Ducati 748 - Suzuki GSXR750K6/GSXR1000K7/GSXR750K8 - Ducati 848 - Honda SP1 - Triumph Daytona 675
"simply because she is a female and is thus her actions largely make no sense whatsoever by default"

[LeeR]

A colleague at work rides a Yamaha XT660 Z Tenere (1 cyl) and on runs from Swindon to our central London office regularly gets 84mpg.

I recently bought a DL1000-K8 (v-twin) and last week I managed a very respectable 58mpg, riding imho conservatively at 70-75mph on the M5 and whipping it up a bit for over-takes.

I just had the fuelling adjusted in the lower rev range though as there was a horrible flat-spot around 2,500 rpm so that mpg figure may change.

And yes on my commute I specifically chose the bike in order to save fuel, as the 3 miles to the main road junction over the Severn can take 20 minutes by car in the mornings. Even before they built my nice shiny new £10 million bike bus lane, filtering cut the time down to around 5 minutes, so if you're not sat burning fuel you're moving and therefore more efficient.
____________________
My claim to fame: Austin Vince nicked my pen...

[Jayy]

My Duke does about 70 miles on a full tank, costs about £10. It's spot on for what I use it for, no motorway miles.

[iooi]

Back in the real world

IL 4 Yam D6, I got between 65 & 70 MPG no matter what.
Now running a Versys P Twin 650. After the initial lets see how it goes stage where I was getting 56 to 60 mpg. I'm now getting 62 to 64 mpg. Still got more to come with a gental wrist action.
So I know the twin uses more fuel, but only just. But I do have a much bigger grin factor now.

All in all its more down to your riding style, and type of riding you do.
____________________
Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Blau Zedong]

My GSXR is actually really frugal, it'd be cheaper on petrol than the car for commuting, if that was my thing. My YR5 managed 17mpg on the last tank of fuel, it's thirst stops me using it which stops it wearing out
____________________
18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth