Gas milage, etc.

First, I do not ride for recreation. I currently own a Yamaha Zuma

Uh oh. The self-appointed Guardians of Human Utopia on this forum
are sure to jump in and tell you that it's your solemn duty
to have fun on your bike. Or else.

And that you're entirely missing the point of biking and you're
not a true biker unless you ride your scooter 100,000 miles per year
and also you gotta do all the wrenching yourself and BTW where were
you at Sturgis this year and why weren't you out riding in
the blinding ice storm last winter.

And whatever you do, never let on that you ever trailer or truck
your scoot anywhere. The purists will pour out of every crevice
and cranny in Reeky and swarm all over your posting.

Now having dealt with that I get get to your question. I (sometimes)
ride a Yamaha 250 Virago and get very good gas mileage (over 90
miles to the Imperial gallon last I calculated). However ...
it's more fun riding the Harley, so the Virago has sat in the
driveway holding the concrete down for several months. Perhaps
I'll ride it the winter (on non-rainy days, of course).

Sean_Q_

'99 FLHTCUI
'04 Virago 250

motor scooter which I ride to work everyday to save money. I'm thinking

You sir, have no soul.
I just gotin from an 1100mile weekend

of buying a 250 cc motorcycle. I have several questions.

I looked into 250's; definitely not an intimidating ride. Very low
seat, slim profile. I gfelt the Rebel was the larger looking. But hey,
Suzuki has a 125 styled inthe same manner - as a street cruiser. It was
really cheap, too, compared to the others.

1) what kind of gas milage can I get on a 250?

They swear Honda's 250 rebel gets 70+mi/gal.

It depends on how you ride. My wife's EX250 averages just under 60 mpg.

Depends on everything, but far better than a car. The manual will tell
you, just visit a dealer.

2) should I get a one cylinder or two?

I've seen them in both flavors. I didn't see a big dif one way or the
other at the 250cc level, but with a single cylinder you only have one
exhaust pipe, which simplifies things.

If you plan on riding any distance, I'd definitely recommend a twin over
a single.

Two. Although you are just using it for commuting, you'll soon get
annoyed with the poor torque of a one cylinder (think acceleration at
slow speeds). Also, a second cylinder will balance out the vibrations,
leading to a more comfortable idle than you'll get in a one cylinder
"thumper".

You've got that backward, TG. The one-cylinder has better torque. Torque

Oops! :-D

needs large cylinders, no matter how many of them there are. If the two
cylinders were each as large as the ONE cylinder, then the two-cylinder
would have more torque. But then, the cc would double, also. :)

If the displacement doesn't change, the one cylinder will have more
orque. -Dave

3) what about a 175 cc dirt bike fixed up for the street? they have
them, right?

What can the motorcycle offer you that the zuma can't? If you are riding
the zuma to work every day, then the zuma must be street legal, and
appropriate for what you are doing with it. If you want something with a
higher top-end (like for occasional highway riding), look at the Yamaha
Morphous. That looks like a good commuter vehicle. But to try to answer
your questions:

1) Totally depends on what type of riding you do. Smooth acceleration,
speeds averaging below 60MPH, you should get anywhere from 50-65MPG with a
250. Some report better mileage than that, but 50-65MPG is a safe bet. If
you ride it like you hate it and spend a lot of time on the highway at 70MPH
or better, you should still do better than 40MPG.

I'm new to this N.G. so I am asking this out of total ignorance, not
trying to create controversy. Doesn't 40 MPG sound low for a 250?
Would flaring or a windscreen help? I get over 30MPG on my 20+ year
old Venture with a 1300 in it. My old 450, which I don't ride too
much, also gets better than that. Anyway, just curious ...

2) I don't think this matters at all. A one-cylinder will have a little
more torque (because it's a large displacement, for that single cylinder),
but a 2-cylinder should run a little smoother, which SOME riders would
appreciate. But that's a matter of personal preference. (how much does it
vibrate, and does that bother you at all, or would you rather have a rougher
ride with more torque?)
3) The main difference between street and not is tires and lighting
package. You're better off shopping for a street bike if that's what you
intend to use it for. -Dave

Yes, they're called Enduros and are built for trail or street, but are
ebtter suited to trails. Just web-search "yamaha enduros", "honda enduros",
etc.

Greg

Have you been to the big four motorcycle manufacturer's websites?

Are you intending to buy this 250cc motorcycle to save money on gas?
If so, I'd recommend you stick with a scooter.

Motorcycles (and larger scooters) tend to be tuned for performance, and not
necessarily fuel economy. You will see people state that they get 70-80MPG
with two-wheelers of 200-400cc. But that seems to be the exception rather
than the rule. Generally speaking, you should be happy with 50MPG average,
mixed. Anything above that is bonus miles. :) And yes, before you state
the obvious . . . there are some small cars that get close to that. So
buying a motorcycle or scooter to save fuel doesn't make much sense unless
you are going to replace a truck/suv/minivan with it. Replacing a mid-size
or smaller car with a motorcycle doesn't make much sense, until gas hits at
least $20/gallon. At that point, even a 10MPG increase will be significant
savings, so switching to a motorcycle would make more sense. -Dave

Thanks. I guess I just never bothered to ask anyone what they got for
mileage. So I'll be happy sitting back on my Venture and getting in
the mid-to-low 30s. Not to bad for an old bike with carbs, a big
engine, a huge profile, and every bell and whistle one could think of
except power mirrors :)

Why do that if you're not going to take it off-road? It won't be as
comfortable and I see no advantage at all. Get yourself a Honda or

I rode a DT175 for a dozen years in Los Angeles. Lightweight, agile,
more compliant suspension. Much of the city has poor roads,
potholes, dips, speed bumps, etc.. Much easier on a dual sport than
on something that is designed for smooth pavement. You can even ride
over a twelve inch high obstacle, such as a telephone pole used as a
parking lot edge.

With current models, Yamaha XT225 vs. Honda CB250, the XT is 50 pounds
lighter and has more than twice the suspension travel.

Suzuki twin, something like a Nighthawk. Or an old boxer-engine BMW if
you want something that will last and be fun to tinker with. And take

Dual-sport bikes make perfect sense even if you don't take them
off-road. They are just awesome in city traffic. I ride a DR-Z400S in
NYC - it's narrow, light and maneuverable, and the long-travel
suspension lets me just float over bumps and potholes that would have
me slowing down to 5mph on a street bike. Of course it's a pain in the
ass (quite literally) on longer trips and on the highway, but in the
city I wouldn't want to ride anything else.

If the OP's commute is on city streets and not on highways, a
dual-sport bike would be a great choice. BTW, my DR-Z gets 40-45mpg
ridden aggressively in city traffic, and 60-70mpg on the highway.

the MSF class while you're at it, you who are so adamantly against
self-teaching.

Cheers,
Grand the Impostor