10 Ways to save gas on your motorcycle

One of the many reasons we love motorcycles is because they don't burn gas like crazy, well some do but at least they are capable of achieving impressive fuel economy numbers under certain circumstances. Texas Rider has a few tips on how to keep more money in your pocket and not in the gas tank.

 Don't Lollygag During Warmup

Warming up a bike's engine is part of the riding ritual, but most fuel-injected motorcycles are actually ready to ride instantly, making the warm-up routine a bit of overkill.

If you're confident the engine won't stall or rev sluggishly, riding off without waiting will not only avoid wasting fuel while idling, it will enable the motor to reach operating temperature more quickly, which will enhance combustion efficiency and allow you to achieve better fuel economy.

Don't Let Your Tire Pressure Drop

One of the quickest and most effective ways to boost your MPGs is to check your tire pressure. Find the pressure rating for your tire on the sidewall or owner's manual; not only will hitting the correct PSI boost your fuel economy, it will also improve your bike's handling. And while some hypermilers swear by running on higher-than-recommended PSIs, we recommend you stick to the recommended figures for maximum safety.

Take Care of Your Baby

Motorcycles run best when their engines are maintained, and that includes making sure the air filter is clean, the spark plugs are fresh, the fuel filter is free, and the timing/valves are adjusted.

Some economy-minded riders even use lower friction, energy saving oil for lubrication. Whether or not you're interested in going that far, some basic maintenance can make a surprisingly big difference in fuel economy.

Smooth it Out

Focus on maintaining constant speeds, smooth throttle inputs, and avoiding unnecessary slowing, and you'll watch your fuel economy rise. Not only does even-keeled riding allow you to stretch your gas budget, it makes for smoother and potentially more enjoyable rides.

Lower Your Cruising Speeds

Motorcycles offer amazing performance that fits between your legs-- hence the term "crotch rocket"-- and the rush of acceleration and high-speed cruising can be addictive. But twisting the throttle hard quickly kills your fuel economy, as does high-speed cruising.

Think of it this way: highway speed limits were created partially in order to conserve gas, and following the rules will not only enable you to ride farther, it could help keep your DMV record clean.

Get That Junk Out of Your Trunk

The more weight your motorcycle has to haul around, the harder the engine has to work. If you've got saddlebags on your bike, empty them out if you can afford to do without extra junk. Even better: if you're not using the saddlebags all the time, remove them for a relatively quick and easy weight loss tactic.

Practice Your Aim

When you're in a hurry to fill up and still wearing a helmet and gloves, you're probably not paying much attention to your refueling tactics.

Take some care while positioning the nozzle into the fuel filler, and you'll not only save a few cents by avoiding spilling, you'll also protect your paint from the damaging effects of stray fuel. Also, avoid the temptation to overfill your tank, as the spillover will create a mess and waste fuel.

Think Aero

Aerodynamic drag has a serious effect on fuel economy, and pushing a higher profile shape through air will make your engine work harder.

If you're interested in short term gains, consider making a more compact shape behind your windshield; if that's too much of a bother, you might think about how your bike is configured, and make changes like removing saddlebags or other drag creating accessories.

Cruise it if You Can Use It

Constant speeds improve fuel economy, and relying on your internal speedometer is an easy way to go farther on a tank of gas. But if your bike has the luxury of cruise control, it will do a better job than any human at sipping fuel while cruising along the highway.

Set it and forget it, and watch your MPGs rise!

 Keep it on the Road

We should all be so lucky as to have the option of riding on dirt when we want to; riding offroad offers a refreshing take on the terrain around you, but it also requires significantly more fuel than riding on pavement.

If you've got the choice between a paved and a gravel or dirt road, pick the former and you'll use less fuel getting from A to B. Also remember that a motorcycle with knobby offroad tires won't get the same fuel economy as street biased rubber.

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Source: About (Wasef)

Brandon Miller attempts to set electric motorcycle speed record

A few days ago, Brandon Miller, a.k.a the Electric Cowboy, set out to Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to attempt to set both world and national records for partially streamed and non-faired electric motorcycle under 150 kg. Yes it may seem a bit geeky, but it’s also exciting because it is very new motorcycle technology, and so it sounds like science fiction.

His attempt is going to be performed with two electric motorcycles: the Zero S Zf6, and his famous "Foxy Cleopatra,” Zero S ZF9 model that anyone can buy in any store. Foxy has had a few modifications done by Hollywood Electrics, such as the single bar end mirror and the tail chop; a change made for a more effective and faster speed, even though it is somewhat unnecessary, since it's already super light and fast. For the Zero ZF6, he will tweak the race setting and have custom made race upgrades and hardware modifications, since the original speed for the Zero S Zf6 goes up to 88mph. By making the modifications the bike can go up to 100mph.

For the first few runs, Brandon plans to attempt setting both records using the bike's default settings. If he fails during the first attempt, he will make some "modifications to the software and hardware settings on both bikes" to determine the power and speed they give out.

Some of the records he has achieved are: being first person to get their racing license on an electric motorcycle, and being the first rider with any no-gas experience. After his record setting attempts, whether he succeeds or not, he plans next year to set a FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) world speed record.

As of Sunday, via an update to his fund-raising website, Miller claims he has set a new speed record for electric motorcycles with a speed of 98.87mph. But that's not good enough for the Electric Cowboy, in his own words “I wanna break 100 so bad I can taste it! Or maybe that’s just the salt on my lips...”

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Source: Gas2 ( 9/17)

Helpful Motorcycle Tips

Texas Rider has some motorcycle care tips for you to keep it  rolling down the road and enjoying your ride. Some of the most simplest things you can do to make your bike last longer, give you better performance and keep you on the road and off the shoulder. Some of the things that we've gathered over the years range from the Oh Duh!! to the Oh Cool!! We've learned a few things along the way and wanted to share them with you.

Okay, the first maintenance tip is real simple, Yeah an Oh Duh! It's "change the oil regularly" But seriously, what's regularly? For those that travel 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year you may already know the drill, but for those who own a garage kept bike and have 5,000 miles on it in 5 years, what's regular? For those who travel less, my suggestion would be to use thinner oils and every once in a while, put a teaspoon of oil in the cylinders as if you're storing the bike. The last thing you want is to go and crank up a bike with dry cylinders.

Now the flip side of that. Most serious touring enthusiasts seem to like using synthetic oils. Heck with the formulas now, you can go 15,000 miles between oil changes! Well GREAT!! I just have one thing for you to think about, the oil filter. Yeah I run synthetics but the way the bike is set up, the oil must be drained in order to change the filter. And since I'm not one to reuse the oil I remove (I highly recommend NOT doing that), I change my oil about every 5,000 miles since I don't like running too long on the filters.

Pre ride inspections are boring I admit. The "T Clock" inspection is used by most organizations and is a great way to check over a bike, but frankly when it comes to riding we all want to get on and go!! Yep, just ride and show off our nice shiny, clean bikes. As a matter of fact, most people clean and shine their bikes more then they maintain them. Yeah me too! Okay so that's not a real motorcycle tip.

But....Oh Duh!! What a concept!! Perform T Clock type inspections while you clean! When you are getting all the nooks and crannies free of dirt and debris, check things over. Keep your eyes out for leaks and loose hardware. Make sure everything is good and tight (Thanks to Henkel Technologies for LocTite) I think that Judy and I have found and fixed more issues while cleaning than at any other time. Fluid levels can be checked. Hmmm, see that ring of fresh fluid around the fork? It's almost nothing to change out a fork seal, but a pain when your bike is covered with oil from a blown fork seal and you are hours away from a repair shop on a holiday weekend. Yeah I've been there! Not fun.

Electrical problems can always be a pain in the you know what! From tracing the problem, to fixing it. First thing's first, CHECK THE FUSE BOX. I don't know how many times I have tried to solve a problem just to find out it was a fuse. Now, once you have the fuse changed, check it again to make sure you don't have an open short and just the act of putting in the fuse blows it. Also by locating a main fuse, you can tell what system is causing the problems. For example, the lighting system, accessories, etc.

Now you have the problem found, how do you fix it? Can you bypass it and isolate it from the system? If it's something that you can do without then isolate it. Now here is a great maintenance tip to help with that. Cut the wires to isolate the offending part and strip back the wires to reconnect. Slip some shrink tube onto one of the wires, then twist the wires together. Now just fold the twisted wire back and lay it flat. Slide the shrink wrap over the bare wires and heat slowly with a match or lighter to shrink it tight and seal it. Trust me this is next to a permanent fix. I have all my "extra" lights installed in this manner and it helps a ton when one of them burns out.

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Source: Motorcycle Touring Made Easy

Types of Motorcycles

Motorcycles have, in recent years, become more focused and specialized in their function. Here are definitions of a few key types of bikes.

Adventure/Touring, Dual Sports

The offspring of rugged dirtbikes and long-distance tourers, these bikes boast lots of suspension travel and upright postures that are comfortable for lengthy rides.

Choppers

Epitomized by the Harley-Davidson Panhead in the film Captain America, choppers tend to have extremely raked forks, reclined seats, and lots of showy chrome.

Cruisers

Cruisers are like sedate choppers; their fork rake is less extreme, and they're designed for laid-back riding.

Dirt Bikes

Dirt bikes generally refer to motorcyles designed for offroad riding, and typically feature knobby tires, long suspension travel, and minimalistic frames and bodywork. Variants of dirt bike designs compete in Enduro, Motocross, and Trials events, among others.

Enduro Bikes

Designed for long distance offroad competitions, Enduro bikes are usually equipped with headlights and taillights for nighttime riding, and can be outfitted with timers and roll chart reading devices that aid riders with navigation and timekeeping.

Naked Bikes

Naked bikes recall British motorcycles of the sixties, and lack bodywork or a fairing that would normally hide their engines and inner-workings.

Power Scooters

Power scooters are like scooters on steroids, and they share a similar step-through (or near step-through) design. But they also boast large engines (sometimes up to 650cc) rivaling the powerplants found in some motorcycles. Power scooters usually offer commuter-friendly creature comforts and numerous storage compartments.

Scooters

Typified by Italian-made Vespas, scooters are like small motorcycles with bodywork that allows the rider to "step through" and sit without getting his or her clothes stained by oil. Scooter engine sizes can be as little as 50cc.

Sport Bikes

Designed purely for performance, sport bikes tend to require arms-forward posture, powerful engines, and tight handling.

Supermoto Bikes

Based on race machines that compete on a combination of road and dirt surfaces, Supermoto bikes combine offroad characteristics such as deep suspension travel with road tires and bodywork reminiscent of so-called "street fighter" bikes.

Touring Bikes

Created solely for long-distance comfort, touring bikes often feature backrests, large windscreens, and creature comforts such as radios and navigation systems.

Trials Bikes

These specialized competition bikes are tailor made for trials events, in which motorcycles are maneuvered around offroad or man-made obstacles, and riders are penalized if their feet touch the ground. Extremely lightweight, trials bikes lack seats and feature stiffer suspension than most dirtbikes.

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Source: About: Motorcycles (Wasef)