Modern Buddy

Texted fuelly after my fill-up today. When I got the reply, it told me 96.2 mpg! Best Tank!

woo!

Now it's like a challenge. Can I do better?

That is awesome. Getting great gas mileage is what it's all about. Nothing beats the grin on your face when you have to fill up significantly less than that of a car.

woohoo!

I love that new best tank on your fuelly. it feels good!

I came into this thread expecting an entirely different conversation.

Congrats either way.

My best tank was three years ago just after I got the scooter. Probably because I was afraid to go faster than 25mph on it.

Sorry to burst you-all's bubbles, but a calculation of mileage based on a single fill-up on a scooter with a tiny gas tank and no way to ensure filling to exactly the same level each time is totally meaningless. It doesn't make any difference whether the calculation is done by Fuelly or in pencil using long division on the back of an envelope.

The only way to get a meaningful estimation of fuel economy on a Buddy is to average consumption over a fair number of fill-ups... the more fill-ups, the more accuracy.

Reminds me of the six-foot-tall statistician who drowned trying to wade across a river with a 5-foot median depth...

Party pooper.

Silver Streak wrote:Sorry to burst you-all's bubbles, but a calculation of mileage based on a single fill-up on a scooter with a tiny gas tank and no way to ensure filling to exactly the same level each time is totally meaningless. It doesn't make any difference whether the calculation is done by Fuelly or in pencil using long division on the back of an envelope.

The only way to get a meaningful estimation of fuel economy on a Buddy is to average consumption over a fair number of fill-ups... the more fill-ups, the more accuracy.

Reminds me of the six-foot-tall statistician who drowned trying to wade across a river with a 5-foot median depth...

I think you are missing the point. The "best tank" is just one fill up, based on information entered. His over all mpg is lower, and, based on more data.

My best tank:

Well, on the Buddy, you actually _can_ refill your tank consistently by parking on the center stand and adding gas just so that the inner collar (about 1.5" down inside the filler neck) is just barely awash. There are a couple of small holes on the rim of that collar so that it's really easy to see when you've reached that level. It's a good visual reference point, and it's a good idea not to fill higher than that point anyway, as the top tubing for the emissions control stuff is up above that point, and getting too much gas down in there causes problems.

Consistent down to a cc or ml ? No, but surely within an ounce.

My average (over 40 or so fill-ups) is right at 75 mpg (typically city stop & go riding), and my best-ever fillup was 99mpg on a long ride with few stops at about 50mph.

-forget it, half read, mouth shut-

PeteH wrote: Consistent down to a cc or ml ? No, but surely within an ounce.

Don't want to sound argumentative, but -- an ounce? -- I don't think so.

Given the surface area of the fuel at that level in the tank and the quirky triggering on most fuel nozzles, I'd be surprised if you can consistently get it within a cup, trying really hard (which I doubt the OP was doing).

Assuming an area of roughly 200 square centimeters at the collar level, a +/- 5 millimeter level difference equates to a volume of 200 cc. That's nearly a cup.

I would also like you to demonstrate for me how you are able to control a standard US fuel pump nozzle well enough to accurately dispense an ounce of fuel.

I'm not missing the point, either. The OP was touting his single-tank mileage, not his average. Unless you are running the tank dry and refilling from a calibrated container... that's meaningless.

I agree with the computational approach, but the Buddy has a filler neck with a much smaller surface area than 200 cm2. It's about a two-inch diameter, so that gives roughly a 20cm2 area in the neck.

I agree - the autostop fillers are useless. But after the first autostop, I blip gas in bit by bit, visually checking after each blip until the level hits the little holes in the horizontal lower collar plate. I'm pretty sure I'm adding less than an ounce per blip (just a penny or two on the pump's $$$ readout, but who knows how accurate those are?) - gas is about 2.8c/oz at present. Oh, and at the station I use most often, the pump slows way down after the first autostop, and the hand valve is 'soft', if you know what I mean. Easy to squirt just a bit. Only if I'm not paying attention does it ever get as much as 1/4" higher than that lower collar plate. Same process every fill-up.

I know you're a former standards guy, and I can surely respect a penchant for accuracy. I'd love to be able to drain it into a calibrated container just to see.

If I remember, I'll take a photo or two next fillup so you can see the geometry of the filler.

Oops - forgot to mention - for some reason our pump volumes/pressures are pretty low-and-slow in the city, but yeah, there are some truck stop pumps I've used where the pressure is so high that they spew several ounces with just the tiniest touch - like 15 or 20 cents worth. Boom!

PeteH wrote:I agree with the computational approach, but the Buddy has a filler neck with a much smaller surface area than 200 cm2. It's about a two-inch diameter, so that gives roughly a 20cm2 area in the neck.

I agree - the autostop fillers are useless. But after the first autostop, I blip gas in bit by bit, visually checking after each blip until the level hits the little holes in the horizontal lower collar plate. I'm pretty sure I'm adding less than an ounce per blip (just a penny or two on the pump's $$$ readout, but who knows how accurate those are?) - gas is about 2.8c/oz at present. Oh, and at the station I use most often, the pump slows way down after the first autostop, and the hand valve is 'soft', if you know what I mean. Easy to squirt just a bit. Only if I'm not paying attention does it ever get as much as 1/4" higher than that lower collar plate. Same process every fill-up.

I know you're a former standards guy, and I can surely respect a penchant for accuracy. I'd love to be able to drain it into a calibrated container just to see.

If I remember, I'll take a photo or two next fillup so you can see the geometry of the filler.

I'm very familiar with the collar of which you speak, Pete.

I really don't want to beat this to death, but that collar actually sits nearly an inch down inside the tank proper (its main purpose is to keep you from completely filling the tank). So, when you are filling to the collar or a bit above, you are actually filling the area of the tank surrounding the collar as well, not just the "filler neck."

Checking my wife's Buddy, I can't tell the exact area of that part of the tank at the level of the collar without taking the scooter apart, but -- judging by the shape of the body work and the part of the tank you can actually see, I don't think my estimate of 200 square centimeters is too far off.

Silver Streak wrote:I really don't want to beat this to death

Well someone here must want to!

k1dude wrote:My best tank:

Gotta be the Sherman all the way for me

Mine:

Silver Streak wrote: I'm not missing the point, either. The OP was touting his single-tank mileage, not his average. Unless you are running the tank dry and refilling from a calibrated container... that's meaningless.

I'm a girl, by the way

And yes, I know that it's based on average, I was just proud that I went 96 miles in between fill-ups, that's all. Didn't mean to start a fight here

TelPerian wrote:Didn't mean to start a fight here

You didn't start anything!

Just curious, how many miles on your scoot? MPGs will improve with break in!

ericalm wrote:

TelPerian wrote:Didn't mean to start a fight here

You didn't start anything!

Just curious, how many miles on your scoot? MPGs will improve with break in!

1298 I think. Somewhere around there but under 1300.

I ride it really hard too. My boyfriend lives 50 miles away, so I take it often to see him. I go for long stretches on rt 9 going 55-60 indicated.

TelPerian wrote:I ride it really hard too.

That's what she said...

Silver Streak wrote:

PeteH wrote: Consistent down to a cc or ml ? No, but surely within an ounce.

Don't want to sound argumentative, but -- an ounce? -- I don't think so.

Given the surface area of the fuel at that level in the tank and the quirky triggering on most fuel nozzles, I'd be surprised if you can consistently get it within a cup, trying really hard (which I doubt the OP was doing).

Assuming an area of roughly 200 square centimeters at the collar level, a +/- 5 millimeter level difference equates to a volume of 200 cc. That's nearly a cup.

I would also like you to demonstrate for me how you are able to control a standard US fuel pump nozzle well enough to accurately dispense an ounce of fuel.

I'm not missing the point, either. The OP was touting his single-tank mileage, not his average. Unless you are running the tank dry and refilling from a calibrated container... that's meaningless.

Sorry, I think you are missing the point. This person was happy with the results she got back from Fuelly. Instead of being a curmudgeon let's just be happy for her. Even if it isn't 100% accurate it is good.

So let's just be nice!

My best tank has been 91.4 . My commute has me doing 60bmph for about 4 miles each way, so I think that might have something to do with my average being around 86mpg.

I use a spread sheet, I enter the miles and the gallon amount, it gives me pretty good results, because all I need to know is what I put in the tank last time, and then this time, and the miles. If I hit 90, approximately, I'm gonna shout it out too!

scootavaran wrote:Gotta be the Sherman all the way for me

It was the other finalist! It was a tough choice between the 2.

TelPerian wrote:

Silver Streak wrote: I'm not missing the point, either. The OP was touting his single-tank mileage, not his average. Unless you are running the tank dry and refilling from a calibrated container... that's meaningless.

I'm a girl, by the way

And yes, I know that it's based on average, I was just proud that I went 96 miles in between fill-ups, that's all. Didn't mean to start a fight here

My apologies on the gender thing.

I was just trying to inject a little rationality into the discussion. Guess folks prefer blissful ignorance...

Silver Streak wrote:I was just trying to inject a little rationality into the discussion. Guess folks prefer blissful ignorance...

Whatever the mileage may fluctuate between, it's certainly better than the car! Does anyone make a license plate thing that says "my other car is a scooter"??

Like this.... oh yeah.

Are you guys correcting the hopelessly inaccurate odometer when you calculate your mileage. According to my odometer I average 65 mpg on a good day. Gps corrected 59mpg.