[Kendrick]

This subject confuses me a bit. It seems like the 500cc category is best for this, but given the higher speeds, I’m not sure.

From what I understand, the highway cuts down on MPG quite a bit. The Honda Nighthawk 250 gets around 70 mpg, and reaches about 75mph. This sounds really good, but at the same time, I think that mpg is actually a lot less if it’s being run at top speed all the time (on the highway); from what I’ve read.

I’ve read some favorable reviews on different bikes, but it can be hard to find full and accurate ratings on top speed as well as highway MPG.

The reason the question is such a big deal, is that weather-permitting, I will be riding it about 2800 miles a month (it will be about 70 miles to get from home to work). Rather than spend $200 a month keeping my car fueled up, it’d be neat to spend something like $75 a month (Except in the winter. I’m in CO, will be commuting from CO Springs to Denver and back, 5 days a week).

At the same time, I wouldn’t want to get the BMW F650, because the cost of the bike itself would kind of defeat the purpose. Unless I got a lucky deal on it of course.

Any ideas on what to look for first?

[Munch]

First question…. what style? Sport, dual sport, cruiser etc.

[Kendrick]

Good point Munch!

It doesn’t actually matter to me. Dual-sport has some nice options, but so do the cruiser-styled ones, and the sport-bikes present some good options because they make me more aero-dynamic, which is a significant factor, but I have the least amount of experience like that, and I’m not sure if I’d ever get used to the sport-bike hour+ drives all the time.

The TW-200 is looking appealing. Not sure if it would really appreciate me taking it on the highway so often though.

There are two routes I can take, but both of them require 70mph and/or 80mph at least for safety reasons (don’t want to be slower than the average traffic).

Edit: In conclusion though, to your question, I’m willing to try anything, if it will increase the fuel efficiency more, except perhaps those crazy hypermiling mods I hear about.

[Jon D.]

Interesting question, surprising findings. I looked at the traditional manufacturers and found a few over 250cc’s that were in the 60+ range. Then took a look at what Buell had to offer and was quite surprised. The Buell Blast gets great mileage with 491cc’s to get the job done.There were others that may fit your profile better that were as comparative. I would say it would be worth a look to go to their site and chk it out for a few minutes. Other than my quick look, I can’t really answer your query any better, hope this helps. Ride safe and God bless. Jon D.

[Kendrick]

Thank you Jon, the Buell Blast has caught my eye now. I will look into it further. I hear those belt-driven bikes require less maintenance, which is a plus, and a cost that we can easily overlook on chain-driven bikes.

If I think I’m up to riding it like a sportbike, it looks like it can take on a clipon handlebar mod better than a typical roadster. An option I’m considering to cut down on wind resistance (just about the only hypermile mod I’m willing to consider).

After all this time riding a ‘beginner’ bike, I still don’t see myself graduating from them

[SantaCruzRider]

A lot of bikes can run 80+ or get over 50 mpg, but finding one that does both will require some discipline on the throttle.
I’d start by looking at v- or parallel twins in the 500-750 cc range, ideally with a 6-speed.
One little reality check, when you factor in the cost of oil changes, tires (which will wear quickly if you’re spending all your time on the highway), insurance, and gear, your annual savings will be a lot less than you think — and certainly no where near enough to cover the depreciation on that F650.
Buy the bike because riding it to work is the best part of your day and it saves you time. But IMHO, the cost savings piece is just a little white lie some of us tell our wives )

[Sangria7]

The Rebel 250 can do 80MPH and has about 70-80MPG – thats what I got anyways on mine.

[Matt]

Changing the front sprocket can make your gears taller giving you better mileage at the cost of acceleration. Usually people go up or down one tooth up front. The sprockets themselves are cheap (under $50). But are usually done when the chain is replaced (as you should probably change both sprockets at the same time as the chain).

I personally would go with one of the 500s (GS/Ninja, blast if it fits your style) because they get good mileage, are bullet proof, have a comfortable riding position and provide some weather protection. The Ninja250 is also a good option. It’ll do 80mph all day getting better mileage than the 500s, and still has the upright seating position.

I don’t think the TW200 would do well for that. It really is intended as a farm bike, and is not known for handling well above 65mph. In fact I’d stay away from a dual sport since it is geared low, and is very un-aerodynamic (what with your body being a big sail and all).

[Jon D.]

I can not stress this enough… do the research. The earlier Buells had their gremlins, so read the reviews,forums, and anything else you can find to allow for an informed decision. Any bike you choose will also be tread tired with as much riding as you plan to do. So in my opinion , it would not hurt to check out high mileage tires for bikes, not something I have given much thought to. I used Metzler’s back in the day and have had great wear out of them, still only good for about a year. Your physical dimensions will also play a big part in the choice. With the length of the transit to and from work, you will need to be comfortable. Just make sure to take everything into consideration, not just the fuel mileage. If you dislike the bike, 100 mpg really becomes a moot point. Ride safe and God bless. Jon D.

[SantaCruzRider]

Here’s a link to an MC story that takes a look a high mileage bike options.

http://motorcyclist.automotive.com/93581/122-0810-motorcycle-mpg-comparison/fuel-mileage-data.html

+1 to Jon’s sentiment that you also look for comfort. Sounds like you’re looking at 3 hours a day in the saddle. That’s bliss on the weekend, but at the end of a long work day, you want a degree of comfort when you’re facing 90 minutes in traffic. How much comfort you need is a personal decision. I’m old, creaky and boring at parties, so I’m happiest on a 2-wheeled recliner.

[Clay Dowling]

I love the efficiency on that Rebel.

[eon]

+1 on how misleading the cost efficiency of bikes are. If you are getting into bikes to save money you will be in for a surprise.

If you want to be comfortable I would look at bikes with fairings. Just last Saturday a long time rider (decades) was telling me he could never go back. The comfort level is just much higher due to the increased protection from the elements (wind, bugs and of course rain). I would assume a fairing helps the fuel economy too?

Being the resident scooter nut I will throw them onto the list. Commuting is really their forte. I get 55mpg on my large scoot and will happily cruise at 80mph (can do 95mph). It will be hard to beat their comfort and practicality levels, you will just never win any prizes for being cool. They can be expensive but you should be able to pick one up 2nd hand for a reasonable price. I guess it really depends on what you want out of your bike.

Here is an interesting article that may at least make you consider one.
Scoot-Touring the Honda Silverwing and Suzuki Burgman

[Kendrick]

Thank you for the tremendous feedback.

After reading your posts, and that article on the It seems like the most cost-efficient solution is the Honda Rebel 250. I hope it holds up maintenance-wise, better than my ’76 Honda CB500t did (I’m sure it will…).

My tolerance for motorcycle comfort was toughened by that old bike, I believe.

As far as my own shape goes, which you can’t really ignore when discussing motorcycle MPG, I’m not a very big guy. Although I’m in the worst shape of my life right now, I just started a workout program at the start of this month, and I see myself continuing it and getting in shape. I’m 5’9″ 180lbs right now, which concerns me, but all in all, it could easily be worse and I AM getting back into shape.

Yes, SantaCruz, thanks for the reality check. I should actually look at the actual overall cost. I have to admit, I want to ride because I want to ride again. However, I really want to save on gas too, perhaps moreso. I know gas prices went down, but they are already climbing again. The longer commute I will be taking on in the next month or so, got me thinking about the cost of gas. I think for most people, it may very well be a white lie, but in this situation, the amount of miles I’ll be putting on is so high I think it actually would benefit me.

Oil changes: At least with motorcycles, I do those myself. With that in mind, I should probably change the oil once a month, although, maybe pushing it closer to a change every 2 months (with the good synthetic-for-motorcycles expensive kind). Depends on the motorcycle and how much oil it needs.

Tires.. The good ‘sport-touring’ kind will be about $100 per tire, and will need replacement roughly every 2.5 months or 8000 miles. That means about 3-4 times a year (factoring in 2 months of not riding, that comes out to 3.5 times a year I have to replace tires. $700)

Insurance ($100-200) a year so. Maybe cheaper now for me, than it used to be. I’ll be 25 in April, and I have still never gotten a ticket.)

Gear: I probably shouldn’t use my old helmet from 2 years ago. So that’s another $100. I’m a believer in the DOT approved, full face ‘generic’ helmets. I prefer my helmet to not be too hard to absorb impact. While I don’t care what bike I ride, I can’t help but wanting to at least kind of dress the part. I have full gear, but I think it’s better suited for a cruiser or similar bike. Chaps just don’t look right on a sport-bike, or protect my rear-end for that matter. So let’s figure at least another $400 in gear, in addition to the helmet.

Overall, it works out to be expensive up front, but over time, could save me something. Cars require maintenance as well, albeit, not as much, but when they do, it’s always more expensive.

Choices, choices. I’m still liking that Buell Blast. It’s really a bargain. I’m surprised the rebel’s MSRP is not a whole lot lower than a Blast.

And thanks Jon, I will do some research, but this has given me a good start. As my eyes home in on the Blast, I find myself scrutinizing the Buell forums (like badweatherbikers.com ). The Rebel 250 is probably my number 1 scientific choice, but at the same time, I can’t outright lie to myself, that I’m only in it for the MPG. I plan to test ride a bit. There’s some steep hills even on the highway, here and there, and I want to be able to maintain a safe average speed up them. I have my doubts the 250 will be quite as well in this altitude, and going up the hills on the highway. The last thing I want is a semi-truck or SUV stomping on the breaks behind me.

I think it’s at least time to test ride. There’s a nice hill near the Buell/Harly dealership, but I’m sure the Blast is up to the test. Not sure how extensive a test I would be allowed on a Rebel 250.

FYI the speed limit on my preferred route home would be 75 mph, with an average cars speed of 80mph. My goal is to have a safe ride maintaining the speed of the cars around me.

Thank you again, kind Sirs.

[briderdt]

…and I figured out that, in order to break even, including insurance, bike payment, and something thrown in for maintenance, I’d have to ride some 1000 miles per month that I would normally drive my car. Hmm… Probably isn’t going to happen, especially considering the days that I go the farthest (and that’s 4 out of 10 work days) I am taking my daughter to school (8 years old). I’m not putting my daughter on the back of the SV…

But I really didn’t get the bike for money savings…

In reality, though, the only way to increase a bike’s efficiency on the road (at highway speed) is to re-gear it. There are some great gear calculators out there that will give you a good idea what will happen. I know that when I need to change my chain/sprockets, I’m going to go +2 up front and -1 in the back. That will bring my highway RPMs into the 3-4K range at speed.

[Kendrick]

The more I read about the Buell Blast, the less appealing it all seems, only due in part to its apparently bad reliability. Sort of a let down. It’s hard to ignore the poor reviews, and think to myself that mine would be an exception to the rule.

Royal Enfield seemed to offer some pretty good options, but top speed is lacking. Seems to have a rather bumpy history of reliability. They certainly win in the looks department. Speaking of which, I would be willing to ride a rat bike if I have to. Maybe I should build a frankenrat bike of sorts.

So as it is, I will be testing a Rebel. There’s a dealership near a nice stretch of highway that I could figure some things out on. If that doesn’t measure up, I’ll look more seriously at the 500cc class again.

I want to be able to get home to my daughter and wifey in a timely manner

As far as re-gearing, that’s definitely something I will look into. I will need to start with a good bike though.

[Author]

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