Comments on: 150mpg motorcycle?

By: rex webb

rex webb — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:04:31 +0000

How i wish my late dear friend “Ernie Dorsett” could still be here.He produced 8 Matchless and 1 AJS Dorsett Diesel motor cycles.I have one of the Matchless models.
It has a Fuji Robin engine 412cc , 10BHP at 3600 RPM. This gives up to 200 MPG. with a crusing speed of 55-60Mph.On the trip “Lands End to John-o-Groats” we avereged 185MPG.Now a bike with a car engine weighs so much more ??.
As for the USA Diesel Bike doing 195MPH ?? i thik that is not correct ??.I hope to hear from any one with a “Royal Enfield” diesel powered by the same” Fuji Robin” Engine.Over 120 of this model were made to “Ernie Dorsett,s” design.

By: Hugo

Hugo — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:32:49 +0000

For my graduation project in 2001 I tried to design a motorcycle which could get a fuel mileage of 118MPG (if I remember correctly) with the dynamic handling and fueled-up weight of a (comparable) SV650; weight distribution was 54/46) seating position was comfortable like a sports tourer. To achieve this I positioned the rider around the front wheel, sitting low (625mm). This way a better teardrop shape (top view) was achieved and the frontal area was comparable to a Honda Blackbird. By using a hybrid engine (V-twin and electrical engines in the gearbox) and positioning all heavy parts around the CoG it was shown in simulations made by Tony Foale that the handling was pretty dynamic despite it’s 1490mm wheelbase.
The front fairing is also the frame (from carbon fibre) while front suspension is a variant of the Troll TRX system.
By styling the bike like the 50’s racebikes (Guzzi V8 for instance) good aerodynamics can be achieved (those bikes had excellent Cd values altough crosswind is a problem)
After 7 years it still wonders me why no manufacturer has looked into the issue of fuel consumption. Was my “vision” that far fetched in 2001
Some images:
http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/134713_B8omRecLt1bPzEljwvLJFszEO.jpg
http://www.bottpower.com/fotos/aerodinamica2.jpg
http://www.bottpower.com/fotos/taurus-final1.jpg
http://www.bottpower.com/fotos/taurus-final2.jpg

By: Steven Leek

Steven Leek — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:05:12 +0000

Charlie Perethian, an associate of Craig Vetter and owner of Parabellum, got 104 MPG with a passenger on back. He discusses this on the Vetter Site. He emphasizes that his was a motorcylce built for day to day street use. He got over 150 MPG with the same bike in a more controlled setting. The bike was a 1983 Suzuki Tempter Gr650, a bike that was engineered intentionally to get good fuel mileage at the expense of some performance. Perethian reports that he never modified the engine internally or even had it apart. Suzuki screwed things up when they marketed this bike by putting the wrong final drive ratios, a fault that can be owner-corrected.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:15:40 +0000

How about 470mpg? Craig Vetter (the fairing guy) addressed this in the 70’s & 80’s. Here’s his site: http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/470MPG/470MPG%20Main.html

By: w.c. hill

w.c. hill — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 02:57:43 +0000

aerodynamics are what mileage are all about, Motoguzzi came out with one that was unbeatable in 1956, instead of long and swoopy they reached down to the ground and scooped the air around and over, coupled with a fuel efficient diesel motor and a proper constantly variable transmission you should be able to get 150 mpg at highway speeds, I’ve owned 5 vw diesels and the turbo charged ones not only have more power but better mileage too, I currently have a 96 vw tdi, a 86 ford ranger 4×4 with a turbo charged toyota 2.2 diesel, and a 2006 smart car and the best it has gotten so far is 84 mpg, the body style on it is far from the conventional aerodynamic shape, much closer to the dustbin shape