I have got a new bike :) [ Archive] - GasSavers.org - Helping You Save at the Pump

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It gets about 213MPG highway use, but this drops to a lowly 95mpg for city stop-start commuting. :(

Can't wait to get my license and start riding this :)

Great bikes, I have two of them. One almost finished with a 125cc aftermarket engine on it.

Jim T.

Don't count on getting 213 mpg. I believe that's the company stated mileage for the Cub at a steady cruising speed of under 25 mph. 100 mpg is possible if you take it easy.

I have 2 Trail 90s, both with Lifan 110cc engines. They make great little commute bikes for speeds up to 45 mph.

Q

I've noticed that on my 250 I get better mileage in town than I do on the freeway. All city I get in the 90s and all freeway I get in the 60s.

Not bad at all but still backwards. Nice thing though, if I speed racer around town I STILL get in the 70s.

I've noticed the same thing on smaller bikes. My 200 gets better mileage in town. My 500 is about the same either way. My Goldwing gets better mileage on the highway.

A trail 90 or 110 makes a great commuter for low speeds. Very reliable and cheap to operate. For 100% street use I would switch to street tires. They'll handle better and last longer than the trials type tires commonly used.

Q


I've noticed that on my 250 I get better mileage in town than I do on the freeway. All city I get in the 90s and all freeway I get in the 60s.

Not bad at all but still backwards. Nice thing though, if I speed racer around town I STILL get in the 70s.

the reason is that a 250cc or less are used to their maximum to go to a highway speed... i think

I'm pretty sure the reason I get in the 60's on the freeway is because the engine is more efficient between 3000 and 6000 and once above that the engine is outside of where it's most efficient.

In town when I'm accelerating hard I at least pass through the efficient operating range but on the freeway it's just sitting way out of it.

My commute will allow me to do 25-30mph for 12 km, then about 3-4km at 50mph, then back down to 25-30mph for the last 8 km or so, so I hope to get pretty good mileage overall! :)

Unfortunately I can't switch to Neutral from 4th gear, so can't do any EOCing, which I was hoping to do (I'm still keen to find a way around this). I might use a smaller sprocket on the rear wheel to lower the RPMs a bit, and may modify the ignition timing while using high-octane fuel.

I might also do some small aero-mods on the bike, kind of like a fairing, on the fast stretch of my commute will probably duck down a bit to reduce drag, and will make a rear carrier box for it, which will be aero-designed so it reduces the drag I will cause while sitting on the bike (especially if I bend down a bit).

Also, it has street tyres already, which is nice!

Look forward to using this for the commute :)

Unfortunately I can't switch to Neutral from 4th gear, so can't do any EOCing, which I was hoping to do (I'm still keen to find a way around this).

Hold in your clutch and leave it in gear. Then, just bump start it by letting out the clutch. Think of it as a manual car but when you EOC you have to leave it in gear and all you have is the clutch pedal to disengage the engine.

You are going to notice something very quickly though, you won't get much EOC opportunity. The places you can easily EOC in your car you won't be able to on the bike because it has WAY too much frontal area for the amount of weight behind it. Maybe a 1200 pound Boss Hoss could EOC with ease but not much else.

Hold in your clutch and leave it in gear. Then, just bump start it by letting out the clutch. Think of it as a manual car but when you EOC you have to leave it in gear and all you have is the clutch pedal to disengage the engine.

The Honda 90/110 Trail series bikes are all auto shift, no clutch lever.

Thats why I put a Lifan 125cc five speed on mine. :thumbup:

Jim T

Interesting :) How / where do you get a Lifan 5-speed from, is it better (lower RPM at a given speed) ratios than the standard box, and... how much fabrication is required to get it to work?

There is quite a bit of fabrication involved in putting a Lifan engine on a CT90 or CT110. It's not a job that just anyone should take on. Requires some drilling, cutting, wiring, exhaust fabrication, etc..

BTW: You can release the clutch on the auto clutch Honda engines by depressing the shifter and holding it.

Q

Interesting :) How / where do you get a Lifan 5-speed from, is it better (lower RPM at a given speed) ratios than the standard box, and... how much fabrication is required to get it to work? There is a bit depending on which cc you chose. The 90/110/120cc series are bolt ins but the 125cc requires work. It's been done and the information how to do it and the engines and parts can be found here,
http://www.hooperimports.com/index.asp and here,
http://www.dratv.com/
Lifan also makes the 90/110 series engines with a manual gearbox if you like.

Jim T.