13 Tips To Save Petrol On Your Bike
With petrol reaching prices we never thought possible, your bike can be a brilliant way to get around on a budget. If you are not used to keeping an eye on the fuel gauge, we’ve pulled together this definitive list of mpg-saving tips.
1. Tyre pressures
It’s the single most basic, useful thing you can do. Correctly inflated tyres decrease friction and keeps you safe. Get a cheap gauge and you’ll find you can easily top your tyres up at home (I use a bicycle floor pump) so you don’t need to pay a quid at a service station. Although we can remember when it cost only 10p. I guess that’s what you call inflation. Ba-doom tish!
2. Maintenance
The basics of maintenance all have an effect on your MPG. A correctly tensioned chain, a clean-breathing air filter, clean spark plugs, and fresh oil all help your bike to run like an, er, well-oiled machine.
3. Easy does it
Enthusiastic use of the throttle injects petrol into the cylinders where it literally goes up in smoke. Smooth acceleration improves economy dramatically, especially when pulling away.
4. Stay in the mid-range
Wringing your bike’s neck is as bad as chugging along at low revs, as both eat up your fuel. Keep your gears high and revs steady to save petrol.
5. Keep looking up
Try the old game of keeping rolling by looking ahead and anticipating what the traffic is doing. You want to avoid sudden braking or accelerating, so go all zen and flow like water.
6. Hit the highway
Ah Google Maps, how you love to take us down an untarred single-lane track. Yes, it can make you feel like your GS or Africa Twin is in its element, but twisty rutted tracks are an MPG nightmare. Check your route so you stay on open roads.
7. Beath the rush
Fortunately, Google Maps also does a great job of showing if there’s traffic on your route. Although we can filter (smoothly and slowly) it’s better to avoid traffic altogether and stay in that midrange sweet spot. Plan ahead and save £££s (well, PPPs)
8. Pretend you are a lorry
Become a left-lane crawler. We’ve tested doing a three-hour motorway journey at 60mph. It felt unbearably slow, but boy did it save petrol. Keeping the speed as slow as you can will keep consumption down (and keep your license nice and clean to boot).
9. Use the cruise
If you have cruise control, use it. Constant speed help your bike run more efficiently.
10. Ditch the luggage
Panniers and top boxes increase drag, add weight, and eat into the mpg. If you don’t need them, leave them off. Same goes for loads of kit. Our NC750’s frunk is full of locks, tools, a bottle of water and assorted “just in case” things. Extra weight is bad for the mpg.
10. Tuck it all in
Wind resistance on a bike causes increased drag. A motorcycle with a frontal area of 1.0 square metre, including the rider, produces twice as much drag as a motorcycle with 0.5 square metre frontal area. Adopt an aero pose to reduce your frontal area and save petrol.
11. Don’t be a drag
Watch where you’re resting your hand and foot, you might be lightly pressing the brake and bringing unwanted friction into the system
12. Don’t dribble
You want to be able to ride with every drop of petrol you buy, so don’t overfill and keep those last few drops in the tank and not on the paintwork.
13. Ride a smaller bike
Small is definitely beautiful when it comes to MPG. We looked at fuel economy figures and found Honda PCX150 owners recording up to 157mpg and Monkey bike owners too. If you fancy a frugal new bike, give us a call.
There you have it, hopefully, you’ll be able to ride further for less. Let us know how you get on.