gas mileage

scullyfu · Post by **scullyfu** » Sun May 06, 2007 10:14 pm

i was just coming home and noticed my fuel gauge is just about ready to hit the big E; the dealio is that my mileage gauge is just a shade under 90, so i'm still very much in the 'breaking-in' period. when i picked my bike up at the shop i looked at the fuel gauge and it showed full. does this sound right for break-in mileage? i'm thinking that perhaps even though the fuel gauge indicated 'full', it may have *just* hit the F mark and thereby my mileage would be on the shy side. ?

BlueMark · Post by **BlueMark** » Sun May 06, 2007 10:47 pm

"E" doesn't mean empty. It means "start thinking about getting a fill up". On my Genuine Blur "E" means I have a third of a tank left - that's the reserve.

Fill up at E, subtract from your tank capacity - 1.7 gallons, and you have your reserve. That should give you an idea of how far you can go on empty in an emergency.

-Mark

Elm Creek Smith · Post by **Elm Creek Smith** » Sun May 06, 2007 10:50 pm

My mileage improved all through my "break-in" period, and on the last few tanks I've been getting right at 100mpg. Ensure your tires are at the proper pressure, and that will help your mileage.

Your scooter had gas in the tank when you picked it up? I was worried about making it a quarter mile from the shop to the gas station when I bought mine!

In the meantime, just keep it gassed up, and you'll be fine.

ECS

xtetra · Post by **xtetra** » Sun May 06, 2007 10:58 pm

I'm at about 150 miles on my new buddy 125. I had a similar experience. I was in the middle of red zone of the gas gauge at just over 98 miles. When I filled up I added 1.14 gallons. The tank holds 1.7 total I think.

When I topped off I filled to just below the neck of the tank, which is a little higher than it was filled when I picked it up from the dealer on Monday. Mine read “Full” then too.

I’m new to the buddy too, but your first few miles sound like mine. I don’t really blame the dealer for being cautious filling up for the first time. I wouldn’t want to turn a scooter over to someone that had been over filled.

I read a post on the yahoo buddy group where someone said their mileage improved after the break-in period so I’ll be interested to see what happens.

The hardest part of the whole mileage issue so far is not falling down laughing while filling up next to great big SUV’s with un-happy looking drivers giving their credit cards a workout. I spent $3.40 for gas for the whole week.

Elm Creek Smith · Post by **Elm Creek Smith** » Sun May 06, 2007 11:07 pm

The "E" at the bottom of the "red zone" means just that. I ran out of gas once (in 2850 miles), and it took 1.643 gallons to fill it up to the bottom of the filler neck. BTW you don't want to top the tank off all the way I'm told because it will foul up the venting of the tank system and the scoot will start dying.

ECS

EBee · Post by **EBee** » Mon May 07, 2007 10:55 am

I think I'm getting OVER 100 mpg b/c I filled up at exactly 500.3 miles on the odometer, and stopped for a fillup at 603.8 with gas to spare, a needle or two's width from the E.

markontour · Post by **markontour** » Mon May 07, 2007 3:44 pm

My very first tank of gas I only got about 80 mpg, during the break-in period, I got better. I am just under 1200 right now, and I am averaging just over 100mpg.
I am only at 1200 since 2/2/07 because she was out of commission getting her new paint job for 3 weeks.

EBee · Post by **EBee** » Mon May 07, 2007 4:56 pm

markontour wrote:I am only at 1200 since 2/2/07 because she was out of commission getting her new paint job for 3 weeks.

Wow...purple is my favoritist color in the whole world. Lucky.

markontour · Post by **markontour** » Mon May 07, 2007 5:45 pm

EBee wrote:
markontour wrote:I am only at 1200 since 2/2/07 because she was out of commission getting her new paint job for 3 weeks.
Wow...purple is my favoritist color in the whole world. Lucky.

I may take it back to get the piece that goes in front of the front tire done. Also, the signals are purple which are my fave feature. My painter is amazing

mandelia · Post by **mandelia** » Tue May 08, 2007 2:00 pm

so i just filled up my tank again and calculated my gas mileage... i'm at 225 miles, and i got 103 MPG... does this really get better once i'm "broken in"? because that would be awesome!

also, the needle was practically at the bottom of the gauge, but i only filled 1.063 gallons (i didn't top off once the nozzle clicked off)... and my fuel gauge is past "F"... shouldn't it hold more?

not that i'm complaining... it's great to fill my tank with just a few bucks worth of gas next to the SUVs

lobsterman · Post by **lobsterman** » Tue May 08, 2007 3:38 pm

Accurate mileage is pretty tough to calculate with a tank as small as the Buddy's.

If you only put in 1.063 gallons either you weren't on E or you had room to spare in the tank, and so you didn't really fill it, so the calculation is off. To give you an idea, with a 1 gallon fill, even 1/10th of a gallon one way or the other can make a 10% difference in your mileage calculation.

Not trying to be critical, even with the margin for error it's darn good gas mileage and you get to have fun riding at the same time.

MrNatural · Post by **MrNatural** » Tue May 08, 2007 3:42 pm

E = Mc2

MrNatural · Post by **MrNatural** » Tue May 08, 2007 3:51 pm

xtetra wrote: The hardest part of the whole mileage issue so far is not falling down laughing while filling up next to great big SUV’s with un-happy looking drivers giving their credit cards a workout. I spent $3.40 for gas for the whole week.

I just noticed on a gas pump the other day that in accordance with Visa and Mastercard limits the max charge allowed is $40. How do the SUV's fill up??? That's like a 1/2 tank for them!!!

Basically I figure my Saturn wagon gets 25mpg and so generally speaking it's 1/4 the cost to drive Ebsen. Not to mention every mile I drive it it's less wear on the Saturn's tires, belts, brakes, etc......

xtetra · Post by **xtetra** » Tue May 08, 2007 6:14 pm

Weird, I've seen minimum charges but never maximum. Except for one's credit limit of course. I'd be upset about that if I had a large tank to fill. As it is I can just scrape the change off my dresser when I need to fill the tank...probably have enough left over for a Diet Coke and a pack of M&M's too!

I'm on my second tank now, I've already exceeded the number of miles I got from on the first tank. I think it wasn't truly "full" when I picked it up though. I have some reasonable hills on my ride so I'm interested to see how my mileage compares to those of you in the flatter areas of the country.

markontour · Post by **markontour** » Tue May 08, 2007 6:31 pm

I only had cash yesterday and so had to pay in advance. I gave the dude $4 (I always buy mid-grade Chevron, it just seems to run best and get best mileage) and told him I wanted $4 worth. He did it, and my girl wasn't empty enough. I lost 14 cents in the deal ({note sarcasm}).
I didn't get good mileage on my last tank (damn Shell gas, and ride with 50 of my closest scooting friends).

Tbone · Post by **Tbone** » Tue May 08, 2007 8:15 pm

xtetra wrote: As it is I can just scrape the change off my dresser when I need to fill the tank...probably have enough left over for a Diet Coke and a pack of M&M's too!

Was talking to a coworker last night that I'm tired of dropping $40+ a week (Saturn L300, 2004 16 gallon tank V6). It's the sole vehicle (until I get my scooter!) for my wife and I. She works 5 miles and I work 6 miles and 3 miles (2 jobs) from our home. It's RIDICULOUS to be spending that kind of money! And with gas pricing inching up, it's starting to cut into other areas of our budget.

He didn't quite grasp why I was excited about the scooter. But you put it so well. Fill 'er up and still have something left over for a coke and candy!

See ya in at least 80 miles!

xtetra · Post by **xtetra** » Wed May 09, 2007 9:00 pm

2nd tank 86.97 mpg. As someone said, it is hard to calculate exactly but I am pretty close I think. I filled it as close to the same level as is humanly possible. At least, possible by this human.

The laddy with great big Volvo sedan at pump 3 was very impressed.

Wife is happy I'm saving $ but a little tired of the play by play. (Wait till we buy one for her though.)

birdmove · Post by **birdmove** » Fri May 11, 2007 4:47 am

Just for info-my 50cc Ruckus averages about 102 mpg, while my wife's 50cc Metro gets about 110-116.

jon

louie · Post by **louie** » Fri May 11, 2007 1:16 pm

lobsterman wrote:Accurate mileage is pretty tough to calculate with a tank as small as the Buddy's.

.

After coming to that realization, I thought when i get serious about calculating the milage, if ever, i'd use a dip stick to measure. But since i'm going from 25 to 85 or 100 mpg i've not been so eager.

EBee · Post by **EBee** » Fri May 11, 2007 2:32 pm

There are other variables too I'm guessing, like whether or not you have a wind screen, how much you weigh, etc. I hear the wind screen that I have does make a difference.

Fueldrum · Post by **Fueldrum** » Fri May 11, 2007 3:37 pm

My wife and I double up to ride to work on our commute. We work about 3/4ths of a mile from each other, maybe 5-6 miles from our house. Even with the added weight of a passenger, a full tank will last us a week with no problem.

We're probably not getting in the 70-80 mpg range, but it's still a darn sight better than driving a car or two

I love the weird looks I get from SUV's at stoplights. Yeah I may look a little goofy, but I'm also $70 richer a week!

Besides, SUV's are uglier!

vitaminC · Post by **vitaminC** » Fri May 11, 2007 8:48 pm

lobsterman wrote:Accurate mileage is pretty tough to calculate with a tank as small as the Buddy's.

Especially as it's unlikely you'll fill 'er up to the same spot every time. However, that's why having a spreadsheet to track all your fill-ups and calculate an average is so useful. Over time those errors will melt away...

Or maybe I just like to keep track of everything

louie · Post by **louie** » Fri May 11, 2007 11:51 pm

vitaminC wrote:
lobsterman wrote:Accurate mileage is pretty tough to calculate with a tank as small as the Buddy's.
Especially as it's unlikely you'll fill 'er up to the same spot every time. However, that's why having a spreadsheet to track all your fill-ups and calculate an average is so useful. Over time those errors will melt away...

Or maybe I just like to keep track of everything

you're Both.

I did that for about 5 fillups, thats as far as i could keep track, and got 83 mpg. I do lots of start and stop and i can't seem to resist being quick about it...

at least until i kept forgetting (twice) to fill up yesterday for the total of 3 short rides when i realized i was sitting on emptey, all 3 times, still

, i rode quite gingerly on the throtle...and made it to the gas station.

KidDynomite · Post by **KidDynomite** » Mon May 14, 2007 4:04 am

I decided to give it a shot on a full tank because I'd never really checked it. I ran it about as dead empty as possible without running out of gas. I wound up getting just a shade under 90 mpg, but I FLOGG my Buddy and live in a hilly area so I'm going up and down hill alot.