The Only Economy With A Spyder Was BRP's Compromise of Using The Wrong Gearbox Ratios
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spyder777
I always ride HARD. Shift upwards of 6,000 rpm always. Sometimes 8,000 and always get at least 30 mpg. Even 2 up.
i'm actually pretty sure that the harder I ride, the higher the mpg.
2012 RSS SM5
That actually is the reverse of what really happens.
The higher the revs, the more fuel you use.
The faster you travel, the more fuel you use.
Even if you use a lower gear with seemingly less throttle rolled on, you will still be using more fuel at the same speed than if you were in a higher gear.
That's one of the reasons we have gears, so that at cruising speeds we can be using fewer revs and less fuel.
The main reason Spyders are so thirsty is because BRP made a very bad compromise when they chose the engine and gearbox for the Spyder. They used a semi-racing engine with a close ratio, 6 speed gearbox.
They dropped 1st gear so that we could get reverse, then lowered the overall gearing so that first would not be too high. It is still too high, and 5th is too low for economical touring/round towning.
The engine is revving around 4,500 at 65mph, way too high for economy. Even 3800rpm would be probably higher than need be, especially with the torquier RT engine.
You really only need to be able to maintain cruising speed on the flat into a headwind to have the best overall gearing and economy. Meet a hill? Drop it down, afterall, that is what gearboxes are meant for, either to accelerate to pass or to keep momentum up a big hill with a big load.
For economy and best overall performance we need a wide ratio gearbox, with bigger jumps between gears, a lower 1st and a higher 5th. Better still would be the appropriate wide ratio 6 speed gearbox, but that isn't likely to happen now.
Unfortunately BRP cheapskated on the gearbox - and surprisingly they got away with it.