[Akash5653]

Hello guys,

Starting my first thread on Team-BHP. I am a newbie here so moderators and members please excuse any grammatical errors. Also a request to mods, I could not find any threads related to poor efficiency of bikes hence started this thread, kindly merge if any similar threads are already available.

So guys a quick introduction about me, I am currently doing my bachelors degree in the field of commerce.

We have a bike and a scooter in our house. The scooter is Yamaha Ray ZR 125, while the bike is an TVS Apache 160. both of them are less than a year old.

Both the bikes return a very bad fuel economy and it bugs me that even the scooter cannot return a higher mileage figure. I drive sedately and do not cross 60 kmph. The scooter returns a mileage of 40 kmpl, but the ARAI claimed mileage is 60 kmpl. My bike returns a mileage of 35 kmpl, while the ARAI mileage is 45 kmpl.

What could possibly be the reason for such bad mileage? your opinions and advices would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Akash5653

We have a bike and a scooter in our house. The scooter is Yamaha Ray ZR 125, while the bike is an TVS Apache 160. both of them are less than a year old.
======
The scooter returns a mileage of 40 kmpl, but the ARAI claimed mileage is 60 kmpl. My bike returns a mileage of 35 kmpl, while the ARAI mileage is 45 kmpl.
====
What could possibly be the reason for such bad mileage? your opinions and advices would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

How much has the vehicles run? When was the last time they were serviced?

If it was more than 5000 kms, you may want to go in for service and get that air filters checked.

Was the fuel economy always low or this is a new phenomenon?

Don't go by ARAI figures published, they are under very ideal condition. To achieve that you would need a very open road with minimal traffic even if you ride sedately.

Has the traffic on the routes increased?

I have seen a decent drop in the fuel efficiency figure with my vehicles over last one year with more and more people returning to work and associated traffic.

[Akash5653]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

How much has the vehicles run? When was the last time they were serviced?

If it was more than 5000 kms, you may want to go in for service and get that air filters checked.

Was the fuel economy always low or this is a new phenomenon?

Don't go by ARAI figures published, they are under very ideal condition. To achieve that you would need a very open road with minimal traffic even if you ride sedately.

Has the traffic on the routes increased?

I have seen a decent drop in the fuel efficiency figure with my vehicles over last one year with more and more people returning to work and associated traffic.

The scooter has run 3200 kms and the bike has run 2079 kms as of writing this post.

Both the vehicles have been getting serviced in their respective ASS.

The fuel economy has always been low and I'm confused whether it's my driving style or the blending of ethanol in petrol. The traffic routes are the same, although I get stuck in heavy traffic sometimes.

For scooter I also used the official yamaha PEA carbon cleaner, But no changes still.

[dass]

Also worth to look at the fuel quality. The sweet spot for scooters to give better mileage is between 40kmph to 50kmph. The more you can ride between this band, the better the mileage and the distance travelled each day also matters, if these are short distance, no matter what you do, the mileage won't change much.

[girimajiananth]

Originally Posted by Akash5653

Hello guys,

Starting my first thread on Team-BHP. I drive sedately and do not cross 60 kmph. The scooter returns a mileage of 40 kmpl, but the ARAI claimed mileage is 60 kmpl. My bike returns a mileage of 35 kmpl, while the ARAI mileage is 45 kmpl.

What could possibly be the reason for such bad mileage? your opinions and advices would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to Team BHP.

Plenty of possible reasons for you to get such poor FE. Like mentioned in above post ARAI FE is under a different condition compared to everyday usage.

How are you testing the FE ? Do you have the right tyre pressure ? How about the fuel quality & quantity ? sometimes the petrol pumps are intentionally set to show more volume of petrol than its actually dispensed. This may vary your FE to some extent.

During the service, was the engine oil promptly changed and the air filters properly cleaned ? How much do you ride in bumper to bumper traffic ? To a very large extent your riding habits matter too, do you brake while accelerating, do you ride sedately ? right gear right speed matters too.

If you are measuring the FE only in city traffic, see if you can hit the highway one early morning and measure the FE on a tank to tank basis and find out. Ride economically, this will help you get actual reading.

[Akash5653]

Originally Posted by dass

Also worth to look at the fuel quality. The sweet spot for scooters to give better mileage is between 40kmph to 50kmph. The more you can ride between this band, the better the mileage and the distance travelled each day also matters, if these are short distance, no matter what you do, the mileage won't change much.

I have been filling petrol only from Bharat Petroleum bunk, But yeah your reply got me thinking! I Only do short commutes on the scooter. So According to your statement when we ride shorter distances, the mileage will go down, am I getting it right?

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

Welcome to Team BHP.

Plenty of possible reasons for you to get such poor FE. Like mentioned in above post ARAI FE is under a different condition compared to everyday usage.

How are you testing the FE ? Do you have the right tyre pressure ? How about the fuel quality & quantity ? sometimes the petrol pumps are intentionally set to show more volume of petrol than its actually dispensed. This may vary your FE to some extent.

During the service, was the engine oil promptly changed and the air filters properly cleaned ? How much do you ride in bumper to bumper traffic ? To a very large extent your riding habits matter too, do you brake while accelerating, do you ride sedately ? right gear right speed matters too.

If you are measuring the FE only in city traffic, see if you can hit the highway one early morning and measure the FE on a tank to tank basis and find out. Ride economically, this will help you get actual reading.

Thank you all for the replies guys! I don't know how to use multi quote option.

I always do full tanks, so I assume that I cannot be cheated, the tyres are filled with nitrogen with the PSI given in the manuals.

Regarding how I check the mileage, I do a full tank then will reset my trip to 0 and drive till the fuel indicator comes to the last point, (When there's around 2 litres in the tank).

I frequently change the gears and do not revv the engine hard.

I am not able to tell the difference if the oil has been changed and filters cleaned, but I always leave the service centre feeling ripped off

I'll update if the mileage improves while driving on the highway in a set speed. Let's see.


Mod Note : Please use the EDIT or QUOTE+ (multi-quote) button instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

[anjan_c2007]

Please change your fuel dispensing station. Despite all the digitisation, there are pilferages in many outlets at the behest of the workers/owners. Your known persons can suggest a more reliable one.

Please also get air filters of both two wheelers checked. Many a time if we commute on dusty roads the requisite air intake is hindered due to a clogged air filter and its then that the engine draws in more of petrol from the intake point.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by Akash5653

Hello guys,

Starting my first thread on Team-BHP. I am a newbie here so moderators and members please excuse any grammatical errors. Also a request to mods, I could not find any threads related to poor efficiency of bikes hence started this thread, kindly merge if any similar threads are already available.

So guys a quick introduction about me, I am currently doing my bachelors degree in the field of commerce.

We have a bike and a scooter in our house. The scooter is Yamaha Ray ZR 125, while the bike is an TVS Apache 160. both of them are less than a year old.

Both the bikes return a very bad fuel economy and it bugs me that even the scooter cannot return a higher mileage figure. I drive sedately and do not cross 60 kmph. The scooter returns a mileage of 40 kmpl, but the ARAI claimed mileage is 60 kmpl. My bike returns a mileage of 35 kmpl, while the ARAI mileage is 45 kmpl.

What could possibly be the reason for such bad mileage? your opinions and advices would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

If your usage is pretty much inside the city, you are going to see similar economy. 40kmpl is somewhat the norm for scooters inside the city. ARAI figures are highly unlikely to translate into real world numbers and they are achieved under very unrealistic testing conditions. The top speed you achieve doesn't matter, what matters is the revs, number of gear changes, and traffic conditions. Often you get the best economy while cruising on the highway at moderate speeds.

You can try riding both in a more fluent fashion with minimal hard braking and acceleration scenarios. Always look & think ahead while riding. This will help you predict the flow of traffic and keep the bike in right gear with less abrupt throttle changes and braking. Economy changes wildly based on the riding pattern.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Please also get air filters of both two wheelers checked. Many a time if we commute on dusty roads the requisite air intake is hindered due to a clogged air filter and its then that the engine draws in more of petrol from the intake point.

Clogged air filters will affect fuel efficiency, but only in carburetted engines. On fuel injected engines the effect is negligible on fuel efficiency, but it can affect performance.

Even so, on a carbureted engine to really show significant fuel efficiency loss the filter needs to be completed clogged.

Irrespective of all of the above, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on your air filter. In many parts of India it is likely to clog up long before the normal serviceis due.

It’s probably the reason so many of our members report smoother driving and better engine pick up after a regular service. Not the new oil or the new oil filter, but a new air filter!

Jeroen

[Viju]

A few points I have learnt over the years regarding fuel efficiency. These are old school fundamentals, and may not bode well with the new generation of riders.:

I am writing this based on the fact that both your two wheelers are fuel-injected.

(1) Warm up: When cold starting the engine, don't rev it and let it idle until you see (if you have a tachometer) or hear (if you don't have a tachometer) the engine settling down to a steady rpm after warming itself up. This may sound like a wastage of fuel, but will definitely help the engine perform better in the long run. You can also ride at a low speed / low gear for a few hundred meters to warm up the engine.

(2) Tyre pressure: This I feel is often neglected when it comes to fuel efficiency related discussions. No matter how well your engine is tuned, if your tyres are under inflated, the engine will definitely not be fuel efficient. Make sure to check your tyre pressure when it is cold (ideally in the mornings, when the bike has run less than a couple of km at max).

(3) Riding habits: More than anything else, I believe it is the rider who determines the fuel efficiency of any machine. Riding with anticipation is a skill. In Indian traffic conditions, when you need to accelerate and brake often, one should learn how to accelerate smoothly and coast smoothly instead of braking hard at the end, and then re-accelerating. Do you keep your foot or hand on the clutch / brake controls?

I remember reading many years ago about fuel efficiency, 'the more gently / less frequently you use the accelerator, brake and clutch, the higher your fuel efficiency will be'. In general, aim to be a smooth rider. It may sound a bit extreme, but when I am riding / driving, my aim is that the passengers don't feel the jerks of the vehicle accelerating, braking or the gears shifting - as simple as that.

(4) Calculating FE: There is only one way to calculate it correctly - full-tank to full-tank. Are you calculating it correctly?

(5) Clean & lubricate your moving parts such as drive-train. Clean / replace your air filter.

(6) Are your brakes sticking? If yes, get them corrected. The more resistance your wheels need to overcome, the more fuel your engine will need to make it happen.

(7) Weight: On a two-wheeler, especially on scooters with under-seat storage, I have seen people tending to carry unnecessary stuff. You put something in there and forget about it.

(8) Is your engine running too rich? A quick look at the tip of the spark plug, or a quick wipe inside the muffler with your finger-tip (when cold) should give you the answer. If the tip of the spark plug is anything more than golden brown, or if there are deposits inside your mufflers - you should clean your fuel tank, possible fuel injection system and also change your fuel station.

(9) Running in: Did you run-in your two wheelers as per the manufacturer's recommendation? Improper run-in can definitely affect the life and fuel efficiency of an engine.

Hope these pointers help. Keep us updated.

[GTO]

If the problem is with 1 vehicle, it could be the vehicle. If it is seen in 2 vehicles, then it's probably the rider .

It's either you or the fuel or the riding conditions.

Take a look at an old article of mine on getting the max FE. While it is focused on cars, a lot of the points apply to vehicles of all kinds - link (ARTICLE: How to get the maximum Fuel Efficiency).

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by Akash5653

We have a bike and a scooter in our house. The scooter is Yamaha Ray ZR 125, while the bike is an TVS Apache 160. both of them are less than a year old.

Both the bikes return a very bad fuel economy and it bugs me that even the scooter cannot return a higher mileage figure. I drive sedately and do not cross 60 kmph. The scooter returns a mileage of 40 kmpl, but the ARAI claimed mileage is 60 kmpl. My bike returns a mileage of 35 kmpl, while the ARAI mileage is 45 kmpl.

What could possibly be the reason for such bad mileage? your opinions and advices would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

Real world fuel efficiency always differs and is less than ARAI mentioned figures. So the ARAI figures should not be your benchmark for fuel efficiency.

As a rider, I have always drawn good fuel efficiency from my 2 wheelers. I remember those days, 2002 when the pulsar 150/180 were released (not DTSI) the company claimed 45 Kmpl and I used to constantly get 53-55 Kmpl. The auto service remembered me for the fuel efficiency I got from my bikes.

So how did I do it?
1. I chose one good reputed petrol pump which is said to dispense clean & right quantity of fuel.
2. I checked the air in my tyres every time I went to the petrol pump to fill the bike.
3. I always did full tank, so that the quality of the fuel is more consistent.
4. I always added 1 or 2 PSi to the recommended tyre pressure. That's just to be sure and compensate for a drop of pressure as we ride in potholed roads.
5. I warm up my bike for a minute or two while stationary every morning before starting to move. This is to get the lubrication system up & running. No revving anytime. Just idling.
6. I move with a very smooth throttle response. No abrupt wringing of the wrist. A smooth and gradual acceleration.
7. I don't use brakes often. I anticipate and cut the throttle before hand to slow down the vehicle when approaching a signal, a road hump or a traffic junction. Brakes are used to completely stop the vehicle or in emergency situations.
8. I ride consistently in the sweet spot of 45-60 Kmph speed.
9. I am very particular about servicing and maintenance. The smallest sound or any niggle, I am off to the service centre.
10. I have blind spot mirrors on all my vehicles. It helps immensely in being aware / anticipating fast moving/overtaking vehicles and taking evasive/ safe recourse.
11. Fuel filter and air filter changed as per duration or kms run without fail.
12. I am a lean, medium height and light weight person. I have never exceeded 65 Kms in my entire life. I am a senior citizen now. Being light weight helps in better fuel efficiency.
13. I always ride single. It's extremely rare occasion that I have a pillion rider with me. So, my 2 wheelers are always single person rides.
14. Clutch, brakes are always maintained in top notch condition.
15. I never lend my vehicle to anyone. It's only me and always me riding my vehicles.
16. I pre-plan my routes in such a way that I encounter less traffic and I also chose the time of the day when traffic is lean. I am a professional and not 9-5 guy, so I can afford to chose my time of travel. (Not always but some time)
17. The vehicle fuel efficiency is determined by the way the first 500 -1000 Kms is run. If you followed the owner's manual and instructions diligently, then you are setting the tone for a good fuel efficient ride experience for the rest of the bike's life. So, in your case, how did the first 500-1000 kms go?
18. I suggest you to go on a weekend long ride of 100-150 kms and check the fuel efficiency. Fill the scooter, reset the trip meter, check the air (1 or 2 PSI more than recommended pressure), chose a relatively nice highway and off you go. Ride say a 100 kms one way at say 60-70 Kmph with a couple of stops and return and refill at the same station at the same point..See how much your fuel consumption is?.
Fuel efficiency is always calculated under certain ideal conditions that everyone can simulate and that is a long distance sedate ride with minimal obstructions and your bike engine can run freely for a longer duration. The city stop gap ride in no way provide an accurate picture as your throttle input, brake and clutch are constantly being used.

In the end, I would say a 40 Kmpl for Yamaha and 35 Kmpl for the Apache is a decent fuel efficiency and no way it's very poor. I see that you compare the efficiency with ARAI figures, but that's not the real world scenario and you should give some slack here.

I repeat again, 40 Kmpl for a gearless scooter and 35 Kmpl for a non commuter motorcycle like Apache 160 are pretty decent and 'within the fuel efficiency band' and not out of the way and poor. You could improve by a few kms per litre with more diligent efforts and that's it. Please don't expect a big bump in the fuel efficiency here, say from 40 to 50 or 55 Kmpl. It's not going to happen.

Try a long distance trip and check how your vehicles fare. Do it multiple times.That sets your benchmark. That's the upper limit. Got to live with it.

I have had the privilege of extracting a better fuel efficiency than other drivers/riders driving/riding a similar model vehicle as mine. It's been that way since 3 decades now. Be it my car or 2 wheelers, even my KTM. Normally the Metzeler tyre of KTM lasts for 6,000 kms to 8,000 kms. Mine lasted for 24,000 Kms. People find it difficult to believe and accept. I guess it's my weight, my riding style, my care and due diligence I practice in prepping my vehicles and overall I have been plain lucky to get a good specimen of the model and not a lemon. Does it mean I ride very sedate and not enjoy and have fun with my vehicles? No I do. I have lot of fun on road, but in the end, I guess it all boils down to the rider, his riding style, his riding philosophy.

[self_driven]

Originally Posted by Akash5653

Regarding how I check the mileage, I do a full tank then will reset my trip to 0 and drive till the fuel indicator comes to the last point, (When there's around 2 litres in the tank)

Wrong. Fill up to the brim. Reset trip meter to 0. Drive around normally for 200 km or more over the next few days. Again fill up to the brim. Note the amount of fuel that goes in. Divide the trip meter reading by this number and you'll get a more accurate figure.

[ashkamath]

How to check the fuel efficiency of your vehicle?

1. Ride your scooter to the petrol pump.
2. Fill her up to the electronic cut-off point in the fuel dispenser. The dispenser will automatically stop dispensing fuel at this point. Don't add any more fuel. Auto stop is upto where you fill her up. Leave some gap in tank. Don't fill her up till the brim.
3. Reset trip meter to Zero.
4. Check the tyre pressure. 1 psi above the prescribed pressure is fine.
5. Gear up well for the ride.
6. Go on a long ride, say 100 Kms one way.
7. Return to the same petrol pump and the same fuel dispensing unit.
8. Fill her up to the electronic cut-off point. Auto stop on dispensing unit.
9. So now it is Auto stop filling at the start of the trip to Auto stop filling at the end of the trip. This is to avoid even a few milli litre change as it's automatic and accurate (better than filling to brim where you can miss a few milli litre either in beginning or at the end)
10. Distance traveled on Odometer divided by fuel dispensed is your vehicle fuel efficiency.

For example you rode for 164 Kms and the fuel filled on return is say 3.83 litres (Auto stop fill at start to Auto stop fill at end of trip) then your vehicle fuel efficiency is 164 / 3.83 which is 42.82 Km per litre.

Repeat it a couple of times on different roads with different load conditions and you get an average fuel efficiency of your vehicle in different riding/road condition.

There's this misconception about filling the tank to the brim. It's an erroneous procedure because,
1. The tank is designed to have some airgap. It's never filled 100%. So an Auto stop on dispenser is good and address that issue.
2. Filling to brim begining and final is prone to error as you may not be able to fill to the exact volume as in the beginning as humans cannot be so accurate as a machine. A slight change in filling will alter your fuel efficiency figures. So to avoid the human error use auto stop feature in the fuel dispenser. It's accurate and reliable.

@Akash5653 kindly follow the above process to the Tee and revert here with your results. That would be an interesting experiment and revelation

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Akash5653

Hello guys,

The scooter returns a mileage of 40 kmpl, but the ARAI claimed mileage is 60 kmpl. My bike returns a mileage of 35 kmpl, while the ARAI mileage is 45 kmpl.

For the record, this is not BAD mileage. I think your benchmark is set by the Splendors and Victors.

You can extract max 5 kms from each of these bikes as the run-in happens. But both your bikes are performance machines and not really built for Mileage (Mahindra vs Maruti kinda). The Bajaj and Hero's are better products for mileage kinda need.