GZ250 Gas Mileage

[Badbob]

Edit: The links that were here are broken and the files no longer exist. Sorry.

I have removed the links.

[Badbob]

My averages were messed up and no body noticed. :blush: I got to wondering why the average mileage dropped every time I added a line. When it got to a completely unbelievable number I got curious enough to fix it. I for got to update the formula that calculates the average.

I also fixed it so that when I up date the image it up dates here. It actually shows on two web sites so that makes it easier for me.

[Dupo]

I sure miss getting that kind of gas mileage lol. First week i had the spirit, i ran out of gas on the highway ... forgot i wouldnt be getting GZ mileage anymore.

[Badbob]

Thats embarrassing. I ran out once on the way home from work. What was really bad was that if I had turned left instead of right I would have run out right near a gas station. I called my wife and begged her to bring me some gas. I had for got about switching to reserve the day before.

My Yamaha will only go about 120 miles on a tank of gas. Got to be careful with that one.

[Badbob]

I have updated the gas mileage table.

Despite what I have been told the large windshield doesn't seem to have had much effect on gas mileage. The 2001 bike has a much smaller Spitfire windshield and usually carries about 100lbs less. The difference is only 0.57 mpg.

I hit reserve on the way home today at 185 miles I've hit reserve at 205 miles but its been a while.

[Badbob]

Updated Mileage chart posted here: http://robertkeeney.com/blog/index.php? ... 318-083902 (http://robertkeeney.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry070318-083902)

Killed a lot of bugs running WOT for most of 500 miles loaded down with camping gear for this update.

[davidc83]

I have hit reserve twice now at between 220 and 225 miles on my 2006 gz250.

[Bill]

Despite what I have been told the large windshield doesn't seem to have had much effect on gas mileage. The 2001 bike has a much smaller Spitfire windshield and usually carries about 100lbs less. The difference is only 0.57 mpg.

I can't see a windshield making much of a difference in milage one way or the other. The wind either catches the windshield or you. I put a Spitfire windshield on the wife's GZ250 to take the wind off her body and give her arms a rest. The milage is so good on the GZ250 that if a windshield did improve the milage I bet it would take a couple of years of riding to break even. She is getting about 65mpg in stop and go traffic to work and better than 75 mpg on the road. :2tup: I can live with those costs compared to the C50 that gets 45mpg around town and 55mpg on the road. :tup: Then compared to the cage that gets about 17mpg. :tdown:

Cheers!

[Badbob]

My wife set a new record over the weekend. 95.85 mpg

Anyone care to try and top that. I've heard of people getting over 100. May be your the one.

[Bill]

I think about 80 is our best and we're happy with that. But 100mpg is very impressive. What's her secret?

Good gas milage is why we bought in the first place. However, I'm not so sure it is paying off as well as we planned. It seems as though we have been out riding more and racking up the miles while ignoring our chores around the house. Like today for example.

Cheers!

[Badbob]

I don't know what her secret is. I was thinking of mounting a camera on her bike :)

I stretched a 4.5 mile ride home from work into 40 today and would not have come home then if there were not some things I I had to get done. I never take the short way home but I some times take the fast way.

[bigfour]

I got over 90mpg when I first got my bike but I think that was because the bike was running too lean from the factory, after shimming the needle and drilling out the mainjet, I can't say for sure what my mileage is. I really have to check again sometime. My rule of thumb is, if your RPMs take a while to settle down to idle after blipping the throttle, you're running too lean.

[happyhobo]

Help this poor Canadian gal....how does this all work out at kilometers per liter?????

[happyhobo]

and don't suggest a calculator please :lol:

[Bill]

OK, Let's see if I can get this right. this should be very close approximations. Here are a few conversions that you can use. Just read slowly.

Metric to English
100 km/hr = 62 mph
1 liter = .26 gallons

I often just figure that 100km/hr is close to 60 mph (I made the mistake of misreading the speed limit signs in Canada once. I was driving a car with an English speedometer - mph - and forgot the sign was in km/hr. I was close to 80mph which I thought was well under the posted 100 when the Mountie stopped me.

I just figure that 100 km/hr is close enough to 60 mph
and
1 liter is just a little more than a quart of which there are 4 qt to a gallon

Since 60 mph is a common speed I'll use that. This conversion is the other way - English to Metric

60 mph = 96.5 km/hr
1 gallon = 3.8 liters

Now for a common calculation.

60 mpg = 96.5 km/3.8 liters
or
60 mpg = 25.4km/liter

Totally confused? Hope that wasn't too many examples. I have to say that you folks really have the easier system than we do. We are behind the times with a much more cumbersome system to do conversions within.
Just ask someone how many inches in a mile and watch their eyes roll into the back of their head. :lol:
On the other hand to figure how many centimeters in a kilometer all you have to do is move the decimal point.
:2tup:

Cheers!

[happyhobo]

oh sure...its all clear now !!!!as mud that is...no really thank you....i recon i can get about 300km/on my tank....(i think)

[Bill]

I'll try again!

You have a 14 liter tank according to Suzuki.
The typical claim is that the GZ250 gets about 70 to 75mpg which is the same as about 30 to 32 km/liter
so
If you multiply you tank capacity (14 liters) by the milage claim (30km/l) you would get 420 km on a tank of gas assuming that you run the tank dry. (not recommended).

Your recon of about 300km/tank is well within its capability. Of course if you ride like a bat out of h@ll your milage will be less.

Better?

Cheers!

[happyhobo]

:2tup: yup i got it....thank you

[Badbob]

and don't suggest a calculator please :lol:

How about a link to one: http://www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm

[jonathan180iq]

I'm getting an average of 63.5 MPG.

[Sarris]

Man, you guys must weigh 95 lbs soaking wet. The BEST I could get prior to to 16 tooth sprocket change was 68 mpg and I've seen as high as 72 mpg after the sprocket change. Of course, who can bitch when the fool in the Hummer (pronounced Humor) next to you is getting 6 mpg and still getting to the next light right next to you. I have a cage for those really rainy Florida days, but I dig the ride. Mileage is second, but cool too. I think anyone stating mileage over 75 mpg ought to re-check their math. :??:

[jonathan180iq]

I think anyone stating mileage over 75 mpg ought to re-check their math. :??:

I'll have to second that. I'm very easy on the throttle and ride around in 5th gear for most of my commute and 71MPG is my highest ever.

[Gadzooks Mike]

Sarris, I think you've got the correct answer. My average stays at around 65mpg, sometimes I get a little better now and then, but not much.

I also can't run on the freeway at 85mph like some of these guys! ;)

[xt477]

I had an old KZ440 and got 65 miles per gallon and now I just filed my GZ with 2 gallons at 130 miles. I'm begining to think that's just about the best someone my size can expect on a conventional internal combustion engine.

[trykemike]

On my last ride I covered 150 km @ 80-90 kmph and used 5 liters of gas . I use mid grade 89 octane . The engine runs smoother during acceleration and up hills. That works out to 30 km/litre.
approx 71 mi per us gallon and 84 mi per can gallon.

[davidc83]

I just filled up again and got 151 miles on 1.6 gallons.
The time before I was 131 miles on 1.4 gallons.
I constantly get this mileage if I ride back country roads mostly. 40-45 mph
When I do Interstate speeds 60-70 mph, I still get 70mpg.
Maybe it is the altitude, or the grade of gas. The worst I have gotten is 65mpg on gasohol from Wally World, I try to stay away from gasohol when I can now.

[happyhobo]

Hello everyone...it's the "Hobo" back again after a long while. Wanted to give a wee update. Got my road test a couple of weeks ago and passed it well.
Today i went for my really first long ride. Squamish to Vancouver, back to Squamish and carried on to Pemberton .For a total of about 300km. and just FYI Water Warrior did the calculations and i get 96mpg(imperial) or 77mpg US gallon on my wee Maudie. Not bad i reckon. THis was mostly hwy riding.
Don't remember what i told you before but i have a 2006 Suzuki Marauder. She really likes to climb so the Sea to Sky Hwy doesn;t present much of a problem for her. I figure if she is happy on this road she will take me pretty much anywhere I want to go.
I will try and get here on a more regular basis....i am always nervous about writing here as i am so new to all this I sorta figure I will just bore you with my beginner tales.....'til then.....The Hobo

[antishock8]

Just adding to the thread...

My first tank of gas yielded 185 miles. So I suppose that's around 60 mpg. Kinda disappointed since the bike is advertized at 85 mpg. I have to so a lot of full throttle on the highway to maintain speed with the other cars, so that might have something to do with... :(

[Easy Rider]

My first tank of gas yielded 185 miles. So I suppose that's around 60 mpg.

If you ran it almost to empty, then that would be about right. How much DID you put in? It's right there on the pump, you know. :)

And yes, running it a lot wide open will cause the mileage to go down.

[davidc83]

The faster you go on the little bike, the more gas it will use. When I keep mine between 60-70 mph, I average 70-75 mpg. If I keep it below 50mph, I get somewhere around 100mpg (rebel rally at Franklin last August). However, If I go over 70mph, I drop down to about 60-65 mpg.

[antishock8]

My first tank of gas yielded 185 miles. So I suppose that's around 60 mpg.

If you ran it almost to empty, then that would be about right. How much DID you put in? It's right there on the pump, you know. :)

And yes, running it a lot wide open will cause the mileage to go down.

Hey there..

It was topped off on a 3-gallon tank, and I ran it to empty. I actually coasted into a gas station. :D I was thinking the 85 mpg is achieved through easy riding (heh). Oh well, 60'ish mpg is better than the 28 mpg I'm getting on my car.

[turbo chicken]

i got 68mpg on my first fill... :D ... i run it pretty hard also.. so i think if i tone it down a little i can get a more

[Badbob]

The faster you go on the little bike, the more gas it will use. When I keep mine between 60-70 mph, I average 70-75 mpg. If I keep it below 50mph, I get somewhere around 100mpg (rebel rally at Franklin last August). However, If I go over 70mph, I drop down to about 60-65 mpg.

You get lots better mileage than I do at any speed. So does my wife.

At Franklin I'd be surprised if our average speed was much over 45.

[Badbob]

This is getting to big to post in on the forum.

http://gz250.robertkeeney.com/index.php ... 511-151828 (http://gz250.robertkeeney.com/index.php?entry=entry080511-151828)

[JIBTEXHNKA]

63,360 inches in a mile. they should make schoolchildren memorize that.

[NavyDad6]

This is getting to big to post in on the forum.

http://gz250.robertkeeney.com/index.php ... 511-151828 (http://gz250.robertkeeney.com/index.php?entry=entry080511-151828)

That is some interesting data. It seems that you were getting some pretty good mileage until the windshield install and needle shim mod. Those changes were done fairly close to each other, but it would seem that the addition of a windshield had a significant effect on MPG.

Did you have any windshield at all prior to the Suzuki windshield mod?

During your trips were you carrying extra weight? Mileage really nosedived during those times.

Just trying to get a sense of what configuration will maximize fuel efficiency.

[davidc83]

yep, you were at Franklin and witnessed the gas mileage difference. Even Gazooks Mike got less mileage than I. Love the little bike, but cant ride both at the same time, so I am probably going to sell the little guy sometime in the near future (before the Florida move). I did lose a few mpg after I installed the 16 T front sprocket. I hated that thing, I switched back to the 15 T, rode to work on the Interstate, got back the 13mph top end I had lost with the 16T and I got 72mpg doing 70-75mph on the Interstate for 100 miles :-). Later

[Easy Rider]

Just trying to get a sense of what configuration will maximize fuel efficiency.

While it might not seem logical, there is often less wind drag with a windshield because the shield is more aerodynamic than the wind hitting your chest etc.

In my book, a windshield is required.
I don't like bugs, rocks, birds or even rain drops smacking into me at 50 mph!!! :cry:

I just put on a new, large shield. My riding is so sporadic and varied that I won't likely know what my mileage is until late July after my trip to Atlanta.

[davtnn]

Good gas mileage is nice to have but once on the bike its shot to h--L with the side trips or just cruising ... as in i went to the pharmacy today 1.5. miles ... it took two hours ... but i had a very nice ride .. so there goes the economy ...

[turbo chicken]

after my fill yesterday... i clocked in at 62.something MPG...

I'm going to tone it down a little on the freeway and keep at 60 or under... (speed limit is 60 anyways) i'll be crusing in the slow lane all week and see how that turns out...

[Orpheus]

I ran mine completely out a couple of weeks ago, and I was at about 260-270 miles on that tank. I'd been riding 2-up with my girlfriend on a day trip the day before, so I'm sure that affected the mpg, but that works out to right around 70mpg. I usually just fill it up at around 200 miles and don't pay much attention to the mpg.

On an interesting side note, there are grocery stores around here (Tempe, AZ) that offer front-row parking for hybrid cars, which get (roughly) half to two-thirds the mpg that we get on our 250's. I wonder if anyone would complain if one of us were to park there?

[patrick_777]

On an interesting side note, there are grocery stores around here (Tempe, AZ) that offer front-row parking for hybrid cars, which get (roughly) half to two-thirds the mpg that we get on our 250's. I wonder if anyone would complain if one of us were to park there?

In this area, most box stores and markets that have a lot of sidewalk space don't usually have a big issue with bikes parking there. I've done this many times around police and store personnel and have never gotten a second look. I think the thing to do is not block the sidewalk, park far enough away that it doesn't piss off car-drivers thinking you're taking advantage and don't group up 4 or more bikes together making it look "intimidating" to the public.

Also, if anyone ever said anything to me about it, I'd happily move and probably apologize.

[Sarris]

I'm 6'-1" and weigh about 280 lbs and I average 72 to 75 MPG consistantly. That beats the hell outta my Scion XB!
This baby only gets about 32 MPG w/ auto & air. Cars SUCK! :lol:
http://www.postimage.org/aV2cA_GS.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV2cA_GS)

[Orpheus]

On an interesting side note, there are grocery stores around here (Tempe, AZ) that offer front-row parking for hybrid cars, which get (roughly) half to two-thirds the mpg that we get on our 250's. I wonder if anyone would complain if one of us were to park there?

In this area, most box stores and markets that have a lot of sidewalk space don't usually have a big issue with bikes parking there. I've done this many times around police and store personnel and have never gotten a second look. I think the thing to do is not block the sidewalk, park far enough away that it doesn't piss off car-drivers thinking you're taking advantage and don't group up 4 or more bikes together making it look "intimidating" to the public.

Also, if anyone ever said anything to me about it, I'd happily move and probably apologize.

Yeah, pretty much the same here. Although it's pretty rare, you'll find some stores that have front-row motorcycle parking (even closer than handicapped spots), and Arizona State University has really nice parking spots for motorcycles and scooters.

[davtnn]

Just went and picked up my new GZ at the dealers today...rode it home and got 68 mpg... not bad for right out of the crate

[Littlethumper]

Don't ya all just wish that summer stays longer than winter?
So we can ride the bike more than our cars that sucks gas ;)

Drive safe...

[bigwonton]

So far, my first two tanks have netted me 64.5 and 64.9 MPG - not alot of statistical significance, but I hope it holds.

[Sarris]

My mileage went up to well over 70 mpg after about a 3000 mile factory spec break in. I average 72 to 75 mpg unless I run the crap out of it. Most of my drivng is 45 to 55 mph.

So it gets better!

:)

[twigginton]

I have 900+ miles on my new GZ and have gotten between 65 and 70 mpg between fillups. I do about a 15 mile commute to work each day with 10 of those miles on the highway running between 55 and 60 mph. I am finding it hard to get over 65 mph as there are a couple of long hills on my commute route. My weight is 200#.

My question is , if I lost 20 to 30 pounds, which I need to do anyway would I see much of an improvement in my top end speed?

Also, what about the 10% ethanol that is in all the gas nowdays, could that be causing a reduction in MPG? :??:

[primal]

I think riding style and the individual bike make more of a difference in MPG than the ethanol in gasoline since many people report fuel efficiency in the mid-70s and even low-80s with standard gas.

[Newbiker08]

My question " Everyone is posting their mpg and thier average driving speeds, but what octane are people running?" I have talked with a few people one being the former owner of my bike. and I believe I have found something;

Higher octane= less fuel economy, higher preformance
Lower Octane= higher fuel economy, lower performance.

I have been able to run the 250 "stock" at speeds of 70-75 with some throttle left. but so far my average fuel consumption has been about 60mpg. 93octane
He was only able to run the bike at speeds of 65-70 and that was with a tail wind. But he averaged 70+mpg. 89octane.

I just wondered if some of the people getting the best milages are running a lower octane, and if people running higher octane are the ones getting lower mpg?

[Easy Rider]

My question is , if I lost 20 to 30 pounds, which I need to do anyway would I see much of an improvement in my top end speed?

Also, what about the 10% ethanol that is in all the gas nowdays, could that be causing a reduction in MPG? :??:

If you don't have a windshield and the 30 lb. loss results in less wind resistance the maybe a tiny bit.

Ethanol has about 85% of the energy of gas so with a 10% mix you would lose 85% of 10% or about 1 mpg.....if I did the math right.

[Easy Rider]

I have found something;

Higher octane= less fuel economy, higher preformance
Lower Octane= higher fuel economy, lower performance.



Sorry but in a "stock" low compression engine like the GZ, it just doesn't work that way.
I know you may have some experience that tends to "prove" it but the result likely is either the "placebo effect" or just a fluke of a small sample size (not enough data to really prove anything).

There also may have been differences in the gas other than the octane rating.......like slightly more ethanol in some of it.

Putting high octane gas in an engine like a GZ is just a waste of money........unless it just makes you feel better......which is priceless! :tup:

[Sarris]

My 2005 Owners Manual states 87 octane on page #7. Octane is an additive that decreases volatility in high compression motors to negate ping (pre-combustion). The higher the number, the lower the volatility. You can spend more on higher octane, but the truth is your GZ is third world transportation that will probably run on lamp oil, hooch, saki, dog shit, etc.


This is my statement from a previous post, and the info comes from the American Petroleum institute. Don't waste your money unless it makes you feel better, 'cause your GZ won't know the difference.

:)

[5th_bike]

Help this poor Canadian gal....how does this all work out at kilometers per liter?????
Here is a little table:
MPG-Km/L
60 - 25.5
62 - 26.4
64 - 27.2
66 - 28.1
68 - 28.9
70 - 29.8
72 - 30.6
74 - 31.5
76 - 32.3
78 - 33.2
80 - 34.0
82 - 34.9
84 - 35.7
86 - 36.6
88 - 37.4
90 - 38.3
92 - 39.1
94 - 40.0
96 - 40.8

Hm, I consistently get more than 30 kilometers per liter. Nice.

[jonathan180iq]

These numbers are a result of 21 tanks of gas and a year and a half: (Between Jan. 2007 and Aug 2008)

Avg. MPG: 66.96091

Avg. cost of gasoline: $3.05

Avg. Miles per tank: 179.4545

Avg. gallons per fill-up: 2.681818

[Newbiker08]

My 2005 Owners Manual states 87 octane on page #7. Octane is an additive that decreases volatility in high compression motors to negate ping (pre-combustion). The higher the number, the lower the volatility. You can spend more on higher octane, but the truth is your GZ is third world transportation that will probably run on lamp oil, hooch, saki, dog shit, etc.


This is my statement from a previous post, and the info comes from the American Petroleum institute. Don't waste your money unless it makes you feel better, 'cause your GZ won't know the difference.

:)

So if I run lower octane without engine knock, just go with it. OK sounds good to me. I have been running the 93 octane only because the copy of the owners manual from this site said 91 octane or higher. I never got the owners manual for my bike :sad: . So if your '05 manual says 87 I'll drop it down and see what happens. Although the 50-75 cents more to fill up the tank with premium is hardly noticable. Not like the 24gallon tank on my cage.

[Easy Rider]

So if I run lower octane without engine knock, just go with it. OK sounds good to me. I have been running the 93 octane only because the copy of the owners manual from this site said 91 octane or higher.

Ah HA! That online manual might be the cause of confusion for more than one person. It is, apparently, a European version, where they measure Octane differently. Wonder if anybody here has Adobe and could make a correction??

As for hearing engine knock, good luck with that. These bikes are known as "thumpers" for a reason !! :)

[philbert]

My GZ has been getting exceptional mileage. I bought this demo (training) bike with 534 miles on it back in mid-July. There are 1400 miles on it now. My MPG has been: 73 on the first fill-up, 75 on the next, 83 on the third, and 79 on the last one. Since I use the bike primarily for commuting I'm really happy with this 77.5 MPG average. It sure beats my cage mileage!

[philbert]

I've used 87 Octane with all but one of my fill-ups in which I used 89. I had a lot more engine knock (or perhaps pinging) with the 89 so That's why I'm sticking with the 87. Haven't considered trying the 91 Octane, I just don't see the point.

[Rick]

When you guys are filling up do you go all the way to the top of the tank? I've been following the instructions in the manual which say to stop short of the top to allow for venting. Which makes it slightly difficult to accurately measure MPG.

[primal]

With any motorcycle you are gonna get inaccuracies due to filling the tank up to different levels. The key is to keep a running average of your MPG. Over the course of a few tanks you should get a pretty good idea of what you're getting.

[Easy Rider]

I'm really happy with this 77.5 MPG average. It sure beats my cage mileage!

You must ride like an old lady !! :lol:

Sorry, couldn't resist. That IS good mileage.
I'm guessing your commute is without a lot of stop and go ??

[patrick_777]

He hypermiles his GZ.

Downhill in neutral both directions. Turns the engine off at stop lights. Duck walks into and out of parking LOTS. Either that, or he just forgets to set the tripmeter every other fill-up. :lol: ;)

[philbert]

Easyrider and Patrick you've got me pegged, my driving may explain why all those drivers are honking and waving at me or are they shacking their fist as they fly by!

I fill it to the bottom of the filler neck flange so the tank isn't completely full. But because so far I'm using the same gas station in my neighborhood and placing the bike in the same location when I fill-up I'm fairly certain of mitigating a few of the variables. This is the data from only a few fill-ups and I'm sure over the years I'll gather enough information to postulate a more accurate mileage figure.

[patrick_777]

This is the data from only a few fill-ups and I'm sure over the years I'll gather enough information to postulate a more accurate mileage figure.

Ask Jonathan about gathering information over the years.

Sick in the head, that man is.

[jonathan180iq]

I wish I could post a link to my gas mileage file. Then, you guys could see my nifty little gas price graph and follow along with my maintenance dates and such.

Anyway webhosting places that accept files that aren't pictures?

[patrick_777]

Anyway webhosting places that accept files that aren't pictures?

Sent you a PM

[jonathan180iq]

I returned your message...

A/S/L ?
RU single?
Saw ur pic. ur HOT!!!!

[jonathan180iq]

Thanks to Patrick for hosting this link:

http://www.tacogod.com/SUZUKIGZ250.xls
2006 Suzuki GZ250 Gas Mileage Log