I wish to share my experience with you in regards of exceptional mileage. I used to know a person some 7 years before, I am not in touch with him anymore. He had a Hero Honda CBZ (not the CBZ extreme). While all others I knew were only getting a mileage not more than 32 kmpl, he said his was 53 plus in the city. This was unbelievable for most of my friends as some of them had even splendors that gave less than that. His claims were even more than the manufacturer’s and rather well over it.
He even went on to prove it to most of them. He had great knowledge about bikes and has even been called upon by some of my friends to repair their bike. He gave them suggestions and guidelines too in order for them to avoid certain repairs. I was not so close to him but I remember very well what all he said about his bike and his driving…
- He had no fancy additions on his bike. Some of the basic additions too were missing. There was no saree guard, no boxes on the side, no bags on the fuel tank, no crash guard even and not even rear view mirrors. He said that all these reduced 7 kgs of weight from his bike.
- He says he always fills fuel half tank only. His explanation was too technical for me. All that I remember about that is that he saying that the fuel tends to expand and filling full tank was not correct.
- He said he never uses the clutch when driving. I know what he means. This was one of his direct claims for better mileage. His driving was very different from any of my other friends. I had sat pillion to him a couple of times. Even during turns he never slows down drastically. Instead he starts slowing down from a distance itself dradually and never even shifts down the gear. He releases the throttle and applies minimal break but never shifts down while making a turn.
- He said he always drove only in the 3rd gear in city traffic. He never goes to gear 4 and claimed that this eliminated the need to shift down. He claimed that between the 3rd and 4th gears the bike differs only in top speed and the mileage is more or less the same.
- On higways he was totally different. He always speeds up to over 80 kmph and never shifts down or breaks suddenly other than in emergency.
- On one ocassion he challenged a friend of mine that his driving will improve mileage in my friend’s bike without making any other changes. He knew how my friend drove and challenged him to show a betterment of atleast 4 kmpl but ended up winning the challenge hands down showing an increase in mileage of 7 kmpl.
None of us ever doubted that he was a great driver but what we all were unsure was that which of these above attributes actually attributed to his mammoth mileage, one that even would have made the manufacturer proud? Some of the above information might have been useful to you too. Also if any of you experts can explain the above points and their contributions to better mileage, it will be very helpful to me and anybody else who reads it too.
I had a colleague who had a TVS Victor. He was getting a mileage of around 95 kmpl on highways. While the Overdrive magazine’s road tests of TVS Victor actually suggested a lesser mileage, he was always either getting the manufacturer’s claim or bettering it. While the other guy I talked about was very hard to understand, this guy was fairly straight forward. He maintained a speed of 40 kmph. As days passed he started going past 60 kmph and his bike’s mileage dropped quite drastically but was still somewhere in 80’s. Does driving 40 kmph help improve mileage?
- Vikram
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
that’s so obvious, the mileage depends directly on your driving style .
i have a old Lml graptor , i drive in d city n nvr mre thn 70 kmph n in 4th gear mstly . it returns me a mileage of 56 kmpl easily . nthin nw u hv tld in d article !
They say to keep it simple and not without much reasons!
I feel it absurd, shredding weight to get the good mileage on the cost of the safety of the rider- pillion and the fellow traffic.
Along with all these facts, tuning is also a factor, on my fz 16, the pre tuning was set to give maximum power. I used to get 40-44kmpl (mixed) mileage. After I adjusted the tuning toward less power, the pickup and power distribution has decreased, the idle rpm is about 1200 rpm, the mileage is around 52-54kmpl. I have recieved a maximum of 55kmpl in mixed.
Hi Vineeth,
Good to hear that you are getting 50kmpl in FZ, I bought FZ-S recently and I maintain 60-80 speed never cross that and I am getting 45kmpl in city. Can you explain how to set the pre-tuning?
Hi,
I too have a CBZ which is almost 10 year old,which always reurns a very good mileage between 55 and 62kmpl when i run my bike between 3800 to 4200 rpm on top gear.I removed the saree guard,chain cover(it is now quarter coverd)and crash guard by which 9 kg of wieght is reduced.Infact i was afraid about mileage when i purchased that ,but it never disappointed me in mileage or performance.
hello Vikram,
wat ur friend had taught u is absolutely true… im not a bike expert but im a bike enthusiast…
in points 1 & 2, he wuz jst trying to say tat weight reduction is very imp for a better mileage. less weight = less force on da bike = better mileage.
in points 3 & 4, hez jst trying to prove tat, clutch burns a lot fuel. he has practically shown it to u on how n wher we can prevent its use… he has used the perfect gear for the trafic…
Points 5 & 6 are jst da results tat he had got so therz nothng for me tell abt ‘how n why’ in tat…
i hope i wuz informative to u…
thank u
Hey Vikram,
U mentioned that he drove in 3rd gear in city traffic bt according to my knowledge driving at a lower gear increases the stress on the engine & as a result lowers the efficiency.
Plz try to clarify my doubt. But other than that your post was quite useful
even my bike’s(fz-16) mileage has been improved my 4-5kmpl after implementing the tips given by bikeadvice in their articles…..i am thankful to your site..
HI Siddharth, Please explain what you did to get more mileage, so that I will implement, i have FZ-s
Meh, I am too busy shifting gears like mad and dancing through traffic as fast as possible to bother about mileage.
all the points except point3 is fairly true
riding without the clucth may increase mileage but it ruins the gearbox early and engine life also decreases
A few things I’d like 2 say:
A basic simple rule of physics says: The energy required 4 moving a mass of certain wt/volume from pt a 2 pt b (certain distance) is inversely proportional to the speed n time, n directly proportional 2 the wt/vol. Simply put, if u r moving 100 kgs 4 a distance of 1km at a speed of 10km it may need ‘some’ energy.If u move it at 100 kph, the time becomes less but the energy required becomes far more. Or more simply, if u r walking along the road at 5kph, u spend more time but less energy; but if u run after a bus to catch it, u take less time but end up breathless, spending more energy. So is with bikes. If u drive it at optimum speed / rpm, u spend less fuel. If u drive like mad, sudden acceleration n violent braking, using clutch n brakes heavily, u put more strain on the engine n spend more fuel. Add 2 that, the air resistance at higher speeds, the drag, n the rolling resistance of the tyres inappropriately inflated, the clogged air filter, badly tuned carburettor, weak spark plug etc., All these things r mentioned in the users manual of any vehicle.
At the same time, in the name of reducing weight, if u remove the rear-view mirrors, saree guard etc, u r compromising the safety of u n the pillion rider. (Dont go to the extent of removing the Helmet, riding jacket n good shoes in the name of reducing the all-up weight. Its taking the things a little too far!!!)
Next, The bane of most of us Indian drivers: 1. clutch driving, 2. not using / faulty using of the front brake n 3. trying 2 run the vehicle in a slope in neutral gear, in the name of saving fuel r over-revving in the name of gaining more speed. All these can make the drive hazardous n risky. All said n done, good driving habits, running the engine at correct rpm, proper tyre pressure n good maintenance of the vehicle go a long way in getting good service. (So also the material used in manufacturing the engine / parts 4 long life. The example is Bajaj Bikes developing problems within 3-4 years against Hero-Honda’s 6-8 yrs.)
Next, filling the tank: The co-efficient of expansion of petrol is not very great. So, the volume expansion is not great. On the other hand, the vapor pressure build up is more because petrol evaporates faster. The vapor pent-up in the tank increases the pressure n may reach critical levels n may ignite spontaneously. To prevent this, the tank cap has a pin hole to let the vapor out safely. Totally sealed tanks, therefore, may be dangerous unless they r made strong enough to withstand the pressure (eg: gas cylinders). So, filling up of the tank fully is not dangerous if there is a proper outlet 4 the vapor 2 escape. On the other hand, it may help lessen the evaporation losses (because there is less space for the vapor to occupy, increasing pressure on the liquid fuel, that is petrol, reaching an equilibrium point where the evaporation itself becomes less. Don’t bother if u feel it is more technical jargon).
Then running on the high way: The engine burns more fuel to reach certain speed (acceleration) but requires lesser fuel to maintain the same speed once it is reached. So, as long as u maintain a constant speed without sudden revving up r braking, with the engine at optimum rpm, the average given increases. That does not mean that u get more mileage if u run at 20 kph in 2nd gear (the law of diminishing returns, if u like a little joke).U don’t. Try 2 run in proper gear appropriate 4 that speed. U need not resort 2 clutch driving.
Last but not the least, the purpose of the engine built by the manufacturer: Some r designed 4 power, some 4 torque, some 4 economy (lean fuel-air mixture). A balance of all these things results in a compromise n that’s why one has 2 choose the priority. If u want to zoom around at 150 kph, dont look 4 economy; if u always run with a pillion rider or heavy personalities, u look 4 torque; if u want economy, dont expect Ninja r Harleys under ur bottom. Its as simple as that.
Hope I did not bore u by saying the obvious, folks !!
Thats fantastic about your technical explanation
All the technical things aside,
after all these technical advices, i would just like to ask one simple question.
How to achieve good mileage and drive in 3rd gear in stop start traffic which is almost the case everytime i drive my bike in city. Its easy to just say that u have to ride in 3rd gear at maximum possible times and never brake hard etc. But to explain the same fact in city traffic simply doesn’t make sense. I am criticizing or complaining here. I am just asking if anything can be done to improve the mileage and bike performance in such traffic conditions.
This is not all My bajaj classic sl gives 60 on delhi road.
I just reduced the fuel ratio and increased the 2T oil in my fuel.
Just that after tuning to a optimum ratio my 150cc scooter gave me a mileage of 70!!!!!
Amazing!!
When a scooter can give the mileage like that then how much a four stroke bike can give me a milage!
You can improve your mileage of any vehicle by opening throttle very little and ride the between 50 to 60 Kmph this only by this way you can increase your bike mileage.
Mikky,
If ur 150 cc scooter is giving u 60 kpl in city, u R lucky.
I have no experience of driving on the Capital’s roads, but here, at Hyderabad, on the city roads, getting 30 – 35 would b an achievement, in this chaotic traffic. However, all vehicle manufactures’ specified figure of mileage (kmpl) is under Test Conditions, n not in actual driving conditions on the city road, in day to day, bumper to bumper driving conditions. That miracle figure is not attainable on city roads. So, its a compromise. Finally it all depends on ur driving skills n technique. Any one n every one can understand that, but implementing the proper techniques n skill is very very difficult when one is driving in the peak hour traffic, where the road rage is common. Hence, if u want a real test average, go for a mixed type of road runs – both city n long runs (40+60 percent). That gives a fair idea of the vehicles capabilities n our driving skills. Of course, I am not telling any thing new.
Hey folks..
The 3rd comment frm d top by Vineeth says d mileage on his FZ improved after tuning it accordingly
I own a FZ too and am a novice biker…wud like sum help with regargds to how i can tune d bike for better mileage..
How to get it tuned?
To wat level?
And lastly…does it affect d other performance aspects in any way??
Wud b thankful to anyone who can help me out!!
Cheers..!!
I have Bajaj CT100 bike . It is not giving milage & power output as it was giving in last 3 years.Give me tips to increase its milage & power output.
Guys I own an Apache RTR 180. I am not sure how of many of us read our bike’s manual. I read that of mine. It was quite useful. They say that one should never ride half clutch as it increases the wear on the clutch and wastes fuel as well. This is quite impossible for me to follow. I at times have to ride through heavy traffic and will be driving in 2nd gear at times in half clutch. At times when I only get to move a few metres everytime before halting I do the same on the first gear. I don’t know of a way to avoid this. Is there an alternative?
TO REDUCE WEIGHT MEANS, UNWANTED ADD ONS AND NOT ESSENTIALS LIKE SAREGUARD, CRASH BAR AND AT MOST YOU CAN OPT FOR A RUGGED BAG INSTEAD OF A METAL BOX. [PLS DONT GO TO THE EXTREME OF RIDING WITHOUT CLOTHES/ IN UNDIES].
WHETHER YOU WANT OR NOT, IN CROWDED CITIES YOU CAN GENERALLY USE ONLY UP TO 3 RD GEAR AND ONLY IN THE EARLY MORNING OR LATE NIGHTS, THE 4TH GEAR COMES USEFUL. ONE IMPORTANT THING, OUR FRIEND HAS MISSED IS ADULTERATED PETROL AND IMPROPER ENGINE OIL [QUALITY AND QUANTITY] MAINTAINING GOOD TYRE PRESSURE TO AVOID ROLLING RESISTANCE AND AVOIDING PILLIONS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, PLANNING YR STOPS IF POSSIBLE, ETC. IN A CROWDED TAIL GATING TRAFFIC , GEAR CHANGE IS OUT OF SHEER NECESSITY AND STICKING TO YR PRINCIPLES OF RIDING ONLY IN 3 RD GEAR WITHOUT SHIFTING DOWN, ETC, MAY LAND YOU IN HOSPITAL. PROBABLY AS PER BIKE ADVICE, YOU CAN THINK OF IRIDIUM PLUGS AND PERIODICAL TUNING, CLEANING AIR FILTERS, ETC, TO SUSTAIN MILEAGE.
@Bala
Very true. These are not driving instructions that everyone can follow. No two freaks are the same. I know a guy who intentianolly keeps a tyre pressure 2 readings above the recommended to get 3 – 4 extra kmpl. I wouldn’t dare to do that. I am always afraid that it will cause instability anytime, more so because I own an Apache whose only 2 problems are its vibrations and its tyre’s ability to bite the roads.
My ideas for better fuel effeciency, rather what I have read over and have heared from others are below.
(1) Avoid sudden acceleration.
(2) Avoid sudden braking, anticipate corners and signals.
(3) Use engine braking effectively and avoid unnecessary and frequent braking.
(4) Avoid lending your bike. Riding habits differ and they affect fuel effeciency.
(5) Do not disengage the clutch before braking. This is very important especially at higher speeds. Disengage the clutch only after the road speed has reduced considerably. This will also improve braking effeciency and life of the brakes.
(6) When riding down steep slopes I see that some people keep braking slightly while riding. This is very bad for the brakes as well as wastes fuel. Instead shift to a lower gear and the use the engine braking. The bike cannot travel down the slope faster than the engine will let it to for that particular gear.
(7) If you are extra concerned about your bike’s mileage, always ride it between 50 to 55 kmph and do not exceed that.
If you like to save fuel we have a technology that will help you to improve 20-30% mileage in your bike…
Please write to us at gogreen@eneerg.in for more information about the fuel efficiency improvement…
Subash.K
Guys..
I have a Pulsar 220f.. i get a mileage around 30 – 35 only..:(
Can anyone give me tips on how to increase the mileage even at 70-80 kmph..
Wud b thankful to anyone who can help me out!!
I want to know that how can i increase mileage easily.
Hi racers,
Me too having Karizma, i’m luvng it. now i’m facing many probs n tat…
sumtymz it’z moving smoothy bt nt @ many tymz. everyday im worrying abt it.
my fiance used to say ” better you marry ur bike instead f me “. tat much im luvng my “katie”, s i named it.
can you pls suggest me… a good mechanic in chennai who needs to take care of my bike. i’m ready to spend a lot for my katie. i wanna to keep n touch wid u people alwayz… mine s 09551275565 / 09884792711
Try Kumar @ 9840626040. Its J.E.Auto, Chrompet.
I have Activa, there is any way to increase the milage, it give me only 40 in city.
vsivakumar
how can u take a turn without shifting d gear wen u have slowed down, as told in 3rd point?
Hey Guys i’ve read all ur Posts could u Please tell me “Technically” will a Petrol Adhesive improve ur Bikes Mileage & if yes Which one is Good?
THANKS FOR D TIPS
Though I expected that RODEO would give me a good average, i.e. more than 45 km per ltr., I am quite dissatisfied with its very lessor mileage, i.e. around 35 kms per ltr. Why it is so? Being an established and famous Company, you could have tried to improve the mileage of this Scooter at least, so that people will throng in show rooms to buy that kind of a product. At the same time, you may also try some new research and development for enhancement of the fuel efficiency on the scooters which have been sold ever since inception, by even charging some more money, which I think, the owners would not mind. After all, mileage is the main attraction of a common man’s ambition. Try to do the needful. Thanks. Sreeraman – 26.4.2012.