Gas Mileage

ICallMineTheHog · Post by **ICallMineTheHog** » Tue May 11, 2010 9:01 pm

I've never really gotten the gas mileage I should be on my 2009 Buddy 125, which I bought new -- probably about 40-45 mpg, city riding.

As far as I know, the only sins I've committed towards the machine have been riding a couple times over the weight limit, although just barely, and riding it with too much throttle right when I bought the thing.

Does either of these things sound like a possible cause? And are there any suggested tweaks? I'd like to avoid the shop since it would take a long time for the gas costs to justify that.

cheez37 · Post by **cheez37** » Tue May 11, 2010 9:10 pm

That's horrible gas mileage. Have you made any mods? If not, there's gotta be something wrong with your scooter. Since your Buddy is still under warranty, I would take it to the shop. The only cost there is giving up your scooter for some time.

ICallMineTheHog · Post by **ICallMineTheHog** » Tue May 11, 2010 9:20 pm

No mods and still under warranty. Will take it in -- thanks.

cheez37 wrote:That's horrible gas mileage. Have you made any mods? If not, there's gotta be something wrong with your scooter. Since your Buddy is still under warranty, I would take it to the shop. The only cost there is giving up your scooter for some time.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Tue May 11, 2010 9:57 pm

I'm assuming you got it from Gibb Leonards... nothing against them, they do good work, but I'd run it over to Modern Classics (955 V St. NE)

www.modernclassicsdc.com

It should be covered under warranty, and those guys are really good at what they do, they've recently become an authorized Genuine sales and service center. The guys there are from the Vespa Washington dealership that closed and they got together to start their own shop. Hopefully you'll be back and running in no time and make it to Scootergate 2010.

www.scootergate.us

Lil Buddy · Post by **Lil Buddy** » Tue May 11, 2010 9:58 pm

How many mile are on "the Hog"?

Gas mileage is low at first. Gets better with every tank until its fully broken in (+/-2,000mi).

C2 · Post by C2 » Wed May 12, 2010 1:32 am

I've got a '09 Buddy 125 and just started to keep track of my gas/mileage today... after 1454 miles.

I'll post back on my next fill-up just as a point of comparison.

C2

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Wed May 12, 2010 5:31 am

How are you tracking your milage/fuel consumption? I recommend using Fuelly.com

ICallMineTheHog · Post by **ICallMineTheHog** » Wed May 12, 2010 4:13 pm

About 900, but I haven't ever seen much variation. I had thought that it might improve after the first oil change (got it at about 400), but it hasn't.

@Shootz, I've been tracking it...in my head.

Lil Buddy wrote:How many mile are on "the Hog"?

Gas mileage is low at first. Gets better with every tank until its fully broken in (+/-2,000mi).

Croatoan · Post by **Croatoan** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:17 pm

ICallMineTheHog wrote:
@Shootz, I've been tracking it...in my head.

"Never trust your perceptions." - The Buddha

"Use Fuelly.com" - Croatoan

Vic · Post by **Vic** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:27 pm

when you say you are tracking it in your head, how exactly are you measuring? do you get the exact same amount of gas (as measured by the pump) each time? Are you writing anything down or just estimating?

With these small gas tanks there is a lot of room for error and a small error over a short amount of time can lead to a big error when extrapolated out. Also, are you using the odometer to track miles traveled?

I suspect you are getting better mileage than you realise, I know that it can seem like you are stopping for gas all the time, I have to stop about every other day during the week and have been known to have to stop twice a day on weekends, but I am only getting about one gallon each stop.

-v

cdwise · Post by **cdwise** » Wed May 12, 2010 6:33 pm

When I'm riding our Buddy 125 I get around 85 mpg but have had as little as 78 and as much as 90 depending on how I'm riding and conditions. The 78 was riding with a group where I was on the smallest scooter the part of it had a nasty cross wind which knocked approx 7 mph off the top end of the Buddy. The 90 was with a nice tail wind crusing with few lights around 50mph very steady.

My son rides the Buddy most of the time down 30mph streets and before his growth spurt he was just under 100mpg (at the time 5'2-4" and 105lbs). I suspect he's getting less now that he's taller and heavier but he hasn't said.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Wed May 12, 2010 11:24 pm

We get around 80-90 mpg with our 125. As I recall, we got about 80 mpg with the first tank. If you are averaging over several tanks full and still are only coming up with 40-45 mpg, I'd say something is wrong with the engine or you have a fuel leak.

gearhead · Post by **gearhead** » Thu May 13, 2010 12:42 am

you might be running super rich. check the spark plug to see if it is dripping wet with fuel lol

C2 · Post by C2 » Thu May 13, 2010 9:32 pm

Skootz Kabootz wrote:How are you tracking your milage/fuel consumption? I recommend using Fuelly.com

I've got a basic spreadsheet I did in OpenOffice. Honestly, I forgot about Fuelly.com... I may have to check that out.

C2

Post by **ericalm** » Fri May 14, 2010 5:36 am

There are a lot of reasons you could be getting such low gas mileage. The first and easiest culprit is tire pressure. Make sure you're running around 30psi front and back.

Gas mileage should improve during break in, even after 1,000 miles, but you should be getting much more than you are now.

rick71454 · Post by **rick71454** » Wed May 15, 2013 7:44 pm

Hello BuddyLand:

How do you measure that you have used exactly or near a gallon of gas in calculating your MPG? Do you used a dipstick or what? The Buddy 125 gas tank is over a gallon.

Thanks
Rick

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Wed May 15, 2013 8:09 pm

Vic wrote:when you say you are tracking it in your head, how exactly are you measuring? do you get the exact same amount of gas (as measured by the pump) each time? Are you writing anything down or just estimating?

With these small gas tanks there is a lot of room for error and a small error over a short amount of time can lead to a big error when extrapolated out. Also, are you using the odometer to track miles traveled?

I suspect you are getting better mileage than you realise, I know that it can seem like you are stopping for gas all the time, I have to stop about every other day during the week and have been known to have to stop twice a day on weekends, but I am only getting about one gallon each stop.

-v

Excellent point! I was on a ride recently where my Buddy 125 was the smallest cc scooter in the group. I was near the back and after about 120 miles I let the sweeper know that I really needed a gas stop.

The Maxi riders were surprised...until I told them I only had like a 1.3 gal tank and was getting about 75 mpg while still keeping up with them!

anthony · Post by **anthony** » Wed May 15, 2013 8:11 pm

rick71454 wrote:Hello BuddyLand:

How do you measure that you have used exactly or near a gallon of gas in calculating your MPG? Do you used a dipstick or what? The Buddy 125 gas tank is over a gallon.

Thanks
Rick

www.fuelly.com

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Wed May 15, 2013 8:28 pm

rick71454 wrote:How do you measure that you have used exactly or near a gallon of gas in calculating your MPG? Do you used a dipstick or what? The Buddy 125 gas tank is over a gallon.

Just fill it to the same point (the collar inside the tank) and use the gauge on the gas pump to tell you how much you've added. Then divide the miles traveled by that number. For example, if you've gone 96 miles since your last fill-up, then fill up again with 1.2 gallons, then you got around 80mpg. This method isn't accurate for individual fill-ups, since you can't fill up to exactly the same level each time, but over several fill-ups, the average will be accurate. And yeah, Fuelly (which can be run as an app on most smartphones) is a handy system for keeping track and doing the math.

rick71454 · Post by **rick71454** » Wed May 15, 2013 8:29 pm

Hello Anthony:

Thanks for pointing me to Fuelly. I think what one records is the odometer reading, volume of the fill up, and then do the arithmetic. Then you can avoid the dipstick method I been doing manually.

I noticed you live in Portland Oregon.
The link below is to a new scooter club in Portland. Check it out. Come join our ride this coming Saturday at 12Noon.

www.meetup.com/PortlandScooterSocialClub/

Rick

avonpirate · Post by **avonpirate** » Thu May 16, 2013 5:36 pm

[quote] How do you measure that you have used exactly or near a gallon of gas in calculating your MPG? Do you used a dipstick or what? The Buddy 125 gas tank is over a gallon.

Thanks
Rick

I'm blonde (disclaimer) but/and everytime you fill up check the gas pump it will tell you how much you put in. Subtract last fillup mileage from this fillup mileage and you get how many miles on how much you put in. Or, use fuelly.

As long as we are talking gas.... I'm out of winter storage tonight. Seafoam added to tank, idle over the past 5 months.... Do I ride till I empty the tank and then fill it, or just what is the best way to use the gas which was in the tank. 1/2 used then fill?????

coaching appreciated.[

rick71454 · Post by **rick71454** » Thu May 16, 2013 5:56 pm

Hello AvonPirate;TVB:

Thanks for your responses.

I use a 1/4 inch thick wooden dowel as a dipstick, just long enough to dip it all the way to the bottom of the gas tank. It has a marking on the stick where it matches the collar of the tank and another marking at the point where after a full gallon is used.

I gotten accurate at doing this. After about riding 75 Buddy miles, I have checked the gas level and it is within 1 or 2 milimeter(s) of the marking after a gallon is used.

I also found that my odometer indicates 26 miles for every 25 miles I ride it, because it is 25 miles to work from my home. As such, you might want to test the accuracy of your odometer.

Rick71454

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Thu May 16, 2013 6:06 pm

rick71454 wrote: I also found that my odometer indicates 26 miles for every 25 miles I ride it, because it is 25 miles to work from my home. As such, you might want to test the accuracy of your odometer.

Rick71454

Rick, the odometer can be thrown off by variations in tire size. I've found that you can buy two different 3.50-10 tires and get two different-sized tires. For example, the Pirelli SC30 is actually a little shorter than a Michelin S83 (I extimate it do be about 3/16" difference). On my '83 Riva 180, I replaced Zippy3s with new Kenda K313TLs and gained improved speedometer accuracy as well as an improved ride. If you're not rolling on the tire provided by the manufacturer, odds are that there will be speedometer/odometer variation.

One other point is that tire diameter decreases over time as a function of wear. The tire has to complete more revolutions to travel the same distance as a new tire, and the odometer isn't designed to account for this.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Thu May 16, 2013 6:37 pm

avonpirate wrote:As long as we are talking gas.... I'm out of winter storage tonight. Seafoam added to tank, idle over the past 5 months.... Do I ride till I empty the tank and then fill it, or just what is the best way to use the gas which was in the tank. 1/2 used then fill????? coaching appreciated.

As long as you start up well you're in good shape. I would just run it down to about 1/4 then go back to your regular routine.

(I pity the poor bastards that can't ride year round

)

Enjoy riding season!

rick71454 · Post by **rick71454** » Thu May 16, 2013 7:25 pm

Hello Az_Slynch:

Your points are well taken by me. I got the factory Cheng Shin tire on the front where the speedometer sensor is. It has 16,000 miles on it and looks like over 50% of the tread is still left. It would be nice to know what brand and model tire is the biggest diameter 3.5 X 10.

Thanks
Rick71454

SonnyD · Post by **SonnyD** » Wed May 29, 2013 12:31 am

I just did my first fill up on mine. It's got 2200 miles on it.. It seems like I got extremely good mileage on it.... I'm 185lbs, and I have mostly been riding at 50mph and up. I've run it wide open a few times, and have been riding in some pretty good head and cross winds... I filled up at 100 miles into the tank, and it took 1.06 gallons. I filled it to the same spot, bottom of the filler neck. Actually I over filled it and it overflowed out the top..
My question is the Odometer off as much as people say the speedometer is 10%???? If it was it would put me at about 90mpg.. which I am impressed by. It did just get serviced with a new plug and routine maintenance..
I did a search for odometer, but couldn't find anything.. I'm figuring if the speedo is off 10% the odometer probably is too.... Hmmm....

rick71454 · Post by **rick71454** » Wed May 29, 2013 2:43 am

Hello BuddyLand;SunnyD:

I believe that odometer like speedometer inaccuracy varies with each scooter. My odometer is to high by 6%, which I means for every 100 miles on the odometer I actually went 94 miles. I got such findings using exact known distances between 2 points.

My speedometer is worse. It is high by 20% which means when it says 60 MPH, I am actually going 50MPH. I got such findings with the help of following a friend in his car and several of those speed indicators on the side of the road that flashes your speed with giant illuminated fonts as you go by.

Rick71454

Modern Buddy

Gas Mileage

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