Modern Buddy

hello everyone,

I was wondering why my scoot seems to average around 70 (and getting lower) mpg when other like-scoots get in the 80's to 100? any way to get better gas mileage?

thanks

oli

There's several possible reasons to why this is happening. You didnt give much detail about anything related, so it'll be harder to find what's the culprit.

Your spark plug could be improperly igniting the fuel, air filter could be terribly dirty, there's several other possibilities.

I only get about 60mpg but i ride a 50 so I'm WOT almost all the time

ever since i got it (last sept) I noticed that when i turn it stalls when I turn it on. brake, button, start and die. Does that relate? Sorry. I don't know much about the mechanics of a scooter engine (or any engine for that matter). I have been keeping the tires at 21 and 25, but just read that 30 is the way to go. any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

oli

p.s. what's WOT?

WOT = wide open throttle

Engine tuning is definitely something to consider. Have you had all your regular services? How many miles on your scooter? As far as simple fixes go, make sure your tires are properly inflated (30psi - not less). That has made as much as a 5mpg difference on my scooter.

Also, you can accurately track your fuel consumption and mileage using www.Fuelly.com or a similar service. Using that I learned that my mpg can vary from 70mpg to 80 mpg, occasionally more, but not on average.

If you're not mechanically inclined, you should go see the fine folks at Atomic Brown. If you don't want to go there, Vespa Oklahoma would be happy to service your scooter as well. The mechanics at both shops are top-notch guys.

Quit using cheap gas . And no I don't mean regular over premium, I mean don't go to maverick go to Chevron or shell

there are a ton of things that can cause your milage to very
if you tire preasur is low that will hurt it big time
wind is another factor
as with large riders and i dont mean just over weight but tal lanky people cause more wind resitance then a short round person
maintance is another big one
poor brake in can also cause poor mpg
where you get your gas

Basic maintenance should help get you back to where it should be. I'd suggest taking it to your shop and having them give it a tune up, but ask them if you can watch as they do it. Even if you don't learn enough to put them out of business, it'll give you a better appreciation for what they're charging you for. You'll also understand the terminology a lot better when you start reading up on how to do some of the maintenance yourself.

jasondavis48108 wrote:I only get about 60mpg but i ride a 50 so I'm
WOT almost all the time

I thought the 50cc's got really high mpg's. My 500cc get's 60mpg... and I keep the throttle pulled firmly back.

Lostmycage wrote:

jasondavis48108 wrote:I only get about 60mpg but i ride a 50 so I'm
WOT almost all the time

I thought the 50cc's got really high mpg's. My 500cc get's 60mpg... and I keep the throttle pulled firmly back.

You can see my 50cc MPGs in my sig here. That's a stock engine, derestricted, 220lb rider. It didn't vary much on my road trip (lots of WOT) vs commuting (a bit of stop-and-go). I got better mileage (90-100MPG) the first month or so, with a gradual decline since then, maybe because I was afraid to go WOT much at first... but I really don't pull that hard on the throttle unless I'm in a hurry, or trying to avoid annoying leadfooted cagers behind me, so I doubt that's it.

TVB wrote:

Lostmycage wrote:

jasondavis48108 wrote:I only get about 60mpg but i ride a 50 so I'm
WOT almost all the time

I thought the 50cc's got really high mpg's. My 500cc get's 60mpg... and I keep the throttle pulled firmly back.

You can see my 50cc MPGs in my sig here. That's a stock engine, derestricted, 220lb rider. It's been pretty much the same during my commuting months (a bit of stop-and-go) vs. my road trip (lots of WOT). I got better mileage (90-100MPG) the first month or so, maybe because I was afraid to go WOT much... but I really don't pull that hard on the throttle unless I'm in a hurry, or trying to avoid annoying leadfooted cagers behind me.

not sure why, sometimes I can get as high as 75mpg but I have to ride pretty conservativly to get that. I don't know why its so low, I do tend to gun it at the lights (although gunning it on a 50 seems necessary around here anyway). I do notice that if I keep it at about 3/4 throttle I don't lose much top end and I get better mpg but I need all the top end I can get on my little scooter. In fact I'm gonna be getting new sliders and pipe in hopes of sqeeking out a bit more on the top end and I've never really cared much about the mpg. I ride cause its fun

Hello Oli,

66 mpg on my new Stella with 250 miles on the clock.
I suspect things may improve a bit if I leave it stock.

Cheers.

mr bill wrote:Hello Oli,

66 mpg on my new Stella with 250 miles on the clock.
I suspect things may improve a bit if I leave it stock.

Cheers.

leave it stock

i said that too

now i have a custom tail light pipe carb airfilter and custom scratches

thanks everyone for the help.

I go to shell, just drive it back and forth from school (5miles) a day, have the tires at 21 and 25 but will put 30 in from now on, 5'11 175, I am at 700miles now but had my oil change at 500 with atomic brown and I use fuelly to track. I think I will bring it in to atomic just to see if there is anything else.

thanks again. all you guys and this forum is outstanding and very helpful

Oli

I too have a 50cc buddy and I average anywhere from the low to high 60's. I spoke to the guys at Philly Scooters and they said the way I drive it and the fact that I am in town all of the time are what is doing it. I gun it from stops and most all of my travel is stop/start. They told me that it is not unusual and to be happy that I am still getting a better mpg than a cage. I've also noticed that my mpg is better in the warmer months than the colder.

Admittedly I don't have a 50cc, but I ride WOT much of the time, and still average between 85 - 95mpg.

Could be that (in addition to all the other stuff folks have said) you just need to let it break in a bit? I'm sure someone will pipe up and correct me if that can't be the case. (That's what I like about this forum...folks will keep you honest! )

I remember when I first got mine they said not to ride it too fast for a certain amount of miles, and not to ride it at the same speed for over a certain amount of time. You might be beyond the break in period...not sure.

michelle_7728 wrote:Could be that (in addition to all the other stuff folks have said) you just need to let it break in a bit?

I don't know what's "supposed to" happen, but my best MPG was before it broke in.

How funny--with me it was just the opposite.

Go figure!