Topic: 1963 Honda Cub Ad - 225 mpg

[RatBikeRandy]

Why don't we have mileage like this now when we REALLY need it.  It would be perfect for my ride to work.  Peter Egan also had an old Honda Benly 150cc that got something like 170mpg.  Todays scooters only get in the 80 to 120 range.

What happened?

[troppo]

225 mpg and 170 mpg?
Either thats advertising bullschit or i want one.................

[kirkn]

I remember reading that story in Peter Egan's book Leanings 2 - he had a '65 Honda Super 90 that he rode home from college one year.  He tell the story of it getting about 120 mpg on that trip.

The Honda Cub was a 50cc four-stroke, unlike the 2-stroke 50cc scooters of today.  Plus, you had to ride at, like, 25mph in order to get that 225mpg!

Still, you can't even BUY a bike like that today because of the same reason they sell Hummers and monster SUVs and dually pickups to commuters:  it's because it's what WE, the Ugly Americans, buy!!

My Honda SL100 gets over 100mpg.  Or, it did years ago when I commuted on it.  Now, it needs a new top-end job, so it doesn't do as well and only pulls 35 or 40 mph these days.

Kirk

[rbmgf7]

i dont care how gay i look riding a scooter. if i can get over 100mpg at a steady speed of 35mph at these gas prices, make fun of me all you want. i'm getting 5 times the mileage most cars are getting

[bradweingartner]

A LOT has to do with Emissions, moreso with cars though.

As it turns out, as you lean the mixture out to get maximum mileage, the NOx emissions go up. It's a lot harder to scrub NOx from the exhaust than it is to scrub hydrocarbons (ala Catalytic Converter). So guess what, you get screwed at the pump!

Nevermind the fact that burning richer increases CO2 emissions no matter what you do...

I suspect that with some real sleek bodywork a tuned EFI CB550 could see pretty close to 100mpg at moderate speeds. Remember, wind resistance goes up exponentially with speed. You can save a lot of gas going 55 instead of 65 or 70. Of course, you can get creamed on the highway too.

[okie]

Actually, there is a sweet spot where the fuel consumption and speed curves cross.  For example, a typical C5 Corvette Coupe usually gets its best MPG(around 31) at around 85 MPH.  I don't know the numbers on our motorcycles, but hopefully the sweet spot is some useful speed above 25 MPH.  I can get around 60 MPG at 65 MPH with my 500 Ascot.  I'm not sure that I am manly enough to ride a scooter.