Maintenance Tips for Motorcycle Owners

Motorcycles can be a great way to save on gas. The vehicle you drive has a very important impact on the amount of fuel you use. A motorcycle will use much less gas than a large car for example. For many purposes, a motorcycle is just as convenient or sometimes even more so than taking a trip in a car.

So for those who have bought a motorcycle to save on gas, here are some tips on how you can keep it in good running shape.

Motor Powered Bicycle

Here is another option for a low fuel consumption neighborhood vehicle. If you are not ready to pump the pedals on a bicycle and a motorcycle seems to expensive or foreign to you, try adding a small motor to your bicycle!

Motorcycle Gas Saving Tips

Many people buy motorcycles for their sporty performance. However, some people buy them because they were looking for a vehicle that saves on gas. And some people buy motorcycles for sport and then look for ways to save on gas, possibly because they lost their job in the current economic depression. The video has some tips for motorcycle owners on how to save on gas. The first and most important tip is to avoid driving at high speeds and driving in an aggressive manner. This is bread and butter for gas mileage. It will be true for cars, trucks, motorcycles and airplanes. The basic principles are that more speed costs more fuel and failure to maintain momentum burns extra fuel every time you slow down and then speed up again.

Trade Two Wheels for Four and Save on Gas

A motorcycle gets much better gas mileage than a car. This is fundamentally possible because a motorcycle is so much lighter. Less weight to haul around means less kinetic energy needed means less gasoline burned. A typical motorcycle will use between 1.25 and 2.00 gallons per hundred miles. The buying price of a motorcycle is generally much lower too. So the total cost of ownership is considerably lower than for a car. Excepting trips aimed at moving cargo, hauling the kids or in bad weather, a motorcycle can be a perfect substitute for a car. For many people, maintaining a cheap motorcycle for commuting to work and a car for other trips can be a gas and money saver. The video below is a piece on the gas saving benefits of motorcycle ownership.

Snazzy Motorcycle Sidecar

A motorcycle can save a lot of gas relative to a car. This is fundamentally because it is much lighter. Choosing the right vehicle for the job can be a great strategy to up your fuel economy. A lot of people hold back on a motorcycle due to two big issues: safety and space.

As far as safety goes, if you use your motorcycle for local trips and avoid heavy traffic situations it will not be as risky. For passenger and cargo space, a sidecar could be just the thing. Now a lot of people say they do not like sidecars, that they look bad. Well, just to dispel this excuse, I have posted here a picture and a video of a motorcycle with a tricked out sidecar. This sidecar looks like a car!



Here you go: proof that a motorcycle can carry passengers or light cargo and look snazzy doing it! So consider using one when appropriate to save on gas.

Could a Motorcycle Be an Option?

If you are looking to save on gas, why not consider a motorcycle? Due to their low weight, they have potential to use much less fuel. Two things working against motorcycle fuel economy are the fact that most have very high power to weight ratios and run their engines at RPMs much too high to be efficient. Also motorcycles have a bad aerodynamic profile. But if you get a bike with a small engine (say 50cc) and drive it slowly to avoid air resistance, you can easily get close to 1.00 gallon per hundred miles.

They are riskier to drive though. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2006 the fatality rate per mile was 3 times higher for motorcycles than cars. Also the cargo and passenger capacity is much less. There is also the inconvenience of uncomfortable weather, like rain or extreme cold.

If you find yourself making a lot of solo trips without cargo or passengers in good weather and calm traffic you might be able to save a lot on gas by making them driving slowly on your small bike. You could buy the bike in addition to maintaining your old vehicle. You have lots of used scooter and small bike options for under $3000. Why not think about it?