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New bike MPG only 50?

In a word: hypermiling

This has been my experience for my ADV150, NC700X and Honda Civic. If I really paid attention to my takeoff speed, sloooowly accelerate and coast to every stoplight and try to time it so I don't come to complete stop, I get remarkable gas mileage. Got an honest 102 mpg out of the ADV150, 74 mpg out of the NC700X and 40 mpg out of the Honda Civic.

But I found it was way too much time obsessing over that technique. It's exhausting, but probably could be turned into a viable habit. For the difference, I wasn't interested. My attention should be on the road and managing traffic.

So with normal driving and forgetting about the mpg, I get a real-world average of 86mpg out of the ADV150, 62 from the NC700X and low 30s out of the Civic. Fuelly is a good website to see what people are actually getting out of their machines. And a great way to track your own. But I had to decide between focusing on every misty spray of the fuel injectors or on the road.

Ride safe.
 
Have been getting mid 60s on my 12' 700 since new on avg. If I do back roads that this bike favors and ride with moderation low 70s happen no problem. On the open road even with the rear sprocket down 2 teeth now and revs above 4 (80mph)the mileage will be mid 50s. Here in New England we have 10percent alco. and yes winter grade mix on top of that really drops the mileage. Even if you tuck in like a dirt tracker for wind resistance and do not have a higher coefficient from bigger windshields, bags, trunk, weight. Highway speeds above 65 will not get you great mileage because of the rpms your running. As far as tire pressure that will affect mpg but has a higher impact on how long the tires will last. We all do not ride the same or conditions but when these bikes are ridden with some degree of moderation the mileage is like no other.
 
670cc said:
While I get good gas mileage on my NC without trying simply because of my riding style, what concerns me most about the NC is the range. Gasoline is cheap, but frequent fill ups are an inconvenience at times. I have been on trips along with riders on other type motorcycles, and I was getting the best gas mileage of the group. But because of the NC's tiny fuel tank, we stopped for gas because I needed it first.

Getting mileage in the 50s would be awesome on my Goldwing, with 6.6 gallon tank. Getting mileage in the 50s with the NC would be terrible, with it's 3.7 gallon tank.
Click to expand...
I guess I have never been spoiled with anything capable of major long range mileage between fillups. Thinking through the catalog of bikes that I've had, I think the NC actually has the longest range between fillups that I've ever had in a bike. LOL
 
the Ferret said:
My Honda ST 1300 held 7.7 gals. It would go further than your butt or bladder could lol
Click to expand...
Yeah, a full tank on my NC is good for over 3 hours of highway and usually more on the secondary routes. I'm sure I *could* last longer on the saddle than that, but I'm ready for a bit of a break by the time I'd need to fill anyway.
I'm guessing that's kind of how they decided on capacity. Picked a "reasonable" endurance for the average person.

Maybe the seat was designed as "uncomfortable" as it is so you HAVE to get off every 3 hours and don't notice the "small" tank :p
 
I usually stop every 1.5 - 2 hours to stretch, fluids in, fluids out, etc. If droning on the interstate I get the 1,000 yard stare and need to get the cobwebs out with a quick stop.

In contrast, my 1993 883 Sportster had a 2.25 gallon tank and was *rated* for 51 mpg. If you passed a gas station you were rolling the dice.
 
TNHoosier said:
In contrast, my 1993 883 Sportster had a 2.25 gallon tank and was *rated* for 51 mpg. If you passed a gas station you were rolling the dice.
Click to expand...
When I go for rides with my parents (on mid-2010's Harley touring machines, 5gal tank I think?) I often have well over a third of a tank left even at the longest stretch between gas stops.
My sister had an 883. Man, I'm sure my bladder holds more liquid than the tank on that thing.
 
TheIronWarrior said:
Yeah, a full tank on my NC is good for over 3 hours of highway and usually more on the secondary routes. I'm sure I *could* last longer on the saddle than that, but I'm ready for a bit of a break by the time I'd need to fill anyway.
I'm guessing that's kind of how they decided on capacity. Picked a "reasonable" endurance for the average person.

Maybe the seat was designed as "uncomfortable" as it is so you HAVE to get off every 3 hours and don't notice the "small" tank :p
Click to expand...
TNHoosier said:
I usually stop every 1.5 - 2 hours to stretch, fluids in, fluids out, etc. If droning on the interstate I get the 1,000 yard stare and need to get the cobwebs out with a quick stop.

In contrast, my 1993 883 Sportster had a 2.25 gallon tank and was *rated* for 51 mpg. If you passed a gas station you were rolling the dice.
Click to expand...
I get it that you might be ready to stop for a rest when the NC, due to it’s short range anyway, needs fuel. Depending on where you ride, fueling locations might be limited. Just because the NC needs fuel and you’re ready for a rest doesn’t mean fuel is available at that location. The short range becomes inconvenient when the trip routing or fueling frequency revolves around station locations. With a longer available range, you have more flexibility in trip route and stop times.
 
670cc said:
I get it that you might be ready to stop for a rest when the NC, due to it’s short range anyway, needs fuel. Depending on where you ride, fueling locations might be limited. Just because the NC needs fuel and you’re ready for a rest doesn’t mean fuel is a available at that location. The short range becomes incomvenient even the trip routing or fueling frequency revolves around station locations. With a longer range, you have more flexibility in trip route and stop times.
Click to expand...
Not saying that extra range isn't helpful at all, just that when they were designing the machine (mostly as a commuter vehicle) I doubt extended range was high on the priority list over reducing cost and wet weight.
I'd wager most of the NCs in service have reliable access to gas stations most of the time. With that in mind, if I was going somewhere and I knew I'd be risking being out of range of gas, I'd bring along a jerry can.

Where it sounds (from this, and from other posts of yours I've read) like more of your riding is longer trips in less populated areas, I can definitely understand how greater range would be an asset. With all else being equal, fewer gas stops is always a benefit, even if you still make the same overall number of stops, and it only becomes more beneficial when fuel stations are more spread out.

To add, lots of gas stations in rural areas around me are closed overnight and on Sundays, so even if "normally" I'd be always in range of gas, sometimes I do still find myself planning times, routes and stops around a "limited" range. I can definitely appreciate the benefits of increased range. There are also plenty of rural locations where I'll have to go out of my way by a decent margin to get gas, or fill up at the "last stop for X km" if I have anything less than 80% of a tank.

In my experience, the range of the NC is in line with a typical road-oriented motorcycle, with the exception of the larger touring-oriented machines where range is one of the top priorities from a design perspective. In design, just about everything is a compromise, balancing competing outcomes, and the "intent" of the final product is going to steer the decision making process. When we start a new design project at work, one of the first documents we produce is a "Design Control Plan" in which (among other things) we assign priorities to various categories. Later on down the line, when these decisions have to be made, we have guidance on which to focus on at the expense of the other factors.
 
TheIronWarrior said:
Not saying that extra range isn't helpful at all, just that when they were designing the machine (mostly as a commuter vehicle) I doubt extended range was high on the priority list over reducing cost and wet weight.
I'd wager most of the NCs in service have reliable access to gas stations most of the time. With that in mind, if I was going somewhere and I knew I'd be risking being out of range of gas, I'd bring along a jerry can.

Where it sounds (from this, and from other posts of yours I've read) like more of your riding is longer trips in less populated areas, I can definitely understand how greater range would be an asset. With all else being equal, fewer gas stops is always a benefit, even if you still make the same overall number of stops, and it only becomes more beneficial when fuel stations are more spread out.

To add, lots of gas stations in rural areas around me are closed overnight and on Sundays, so even if "normally" I'd be always in range of gas, sometimes I do still find myself planning times, routes and stops around a "limited" range. I can definitely appreciate the benefits of increased range. There are also plenty of rural locations where I'll have to go out of my way by a decent margin to get gas, or fill up at the "last stop for X km" if I have anything less than 80% of a tank.

In my experience, the range of the NC is in line with a typical road-oriented motorcycle, with the exception of the larger touring-oriented machines where range is one of the top priorities from a design perspective. In design, just about everything is a compromise, balancing competing outcomes, and the "intent" of the final product is going to steer the decision making process. When we start a new design project at work, one of the first documents we produce is a "Design Control Plan" in which (among other things) we assign priorities to various categories. Later on down the line, when these decisions have to be made, we have guidance on which to focus on at the expense of the other factors.
Click to expand...
I agree that for Honda’s intended purpose for the NC, it’s range is in line with other simlar street machines. We have a Honda mid sized scooter, a dual sport, and the NC, and it’s probably no coincidence that they all have a range of around 200 miles.

In our automotive world, four different vehicles have fuel tank capacity ranging from 12 gallons to 55 gallons, but the range on all of them is about 400 miles, give or take 50 miles (the one Honda being the worst). 400 miles range seems to be the design target for our autos.
 
even with the 7.7 gals on the ST, my wife and I were out in Oregon headed to Rattlesnake Grade (Oregon 3, Washington 129) and we go thru this little town and up this big hill and there's a sign that read NEXT GAS 177 MILES. I looked down at the ST's gas gauge and still had over half a tank, but I turned around and went back to the last town and filled up. I mean what if the gas station in 177 miles was closed?


(not my vid)
 
670cc said:
I agree that for Honda’s intended purpose for the NC, it’s range is in line with other simlar street machines. We have a Honda mid sized scooter, a dual sport, and the NC, and it’s probably no coincidence that they all have a range of around 200 miles.

In our automotive world, four different vehicles have fuel tank capacity ranging from 12 gallons to 55 gallons, but the range on all of them is about 400 miles, give or take 50 miles (the one Honda being the worst). 400 miles range seems to be the design target for our autos.
Click to expand...
Agreed, it seems that whether intentionally or just by coincidence, there are "standard" values that have emerged.
Now I'm curious if there was any research and reasoning behind it, or if it just sort of happened organically...
 
TheIronWarrior said:
Agreed, it seems that whether intentionally or just by coincidence, there are "standard" values that have emerged.
Now I'm curious if there was any research and reasoning behind it, or if it just sort of happened organically...
Click to expand...
The automotive industry is faced with balancing economy and emissions requirements vs power and driver experience. If increases in fuel economy are achieved, they can reduce the fuel capacity (weight) and achieve a range that consumers find acceptable. Reducing weight helps fuel economy and 'performance'.

As with 'VW Dieselgate', lower emissions does not always equate to better fuel economy.
 
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