Comparing how we ride our Spyders - what does your trip meter say??

[Sundown]

Whenever I am departing on a long ride, I like to reset the "Trip A" trip odometer to see on how much ground I've covered that day. I've never needed a second trip odometer so "Trip B" just happens to have been running continuously ever since I took delivery of my RTL two years ago. Along with total miles, the trip odometer also calculates average speed, hours, and MPG so in my case, I have over 13,000 miles of that data. While I never set out to gather this information, I do find it interesting to see how one ride compares to the total average.

This got me wondering if others out there do the same thing. For those of us that like to look at data and happen to have a trip odometer that has been running over time, I thought perhaps we could compare how we ride our Spyders. Here's mine:

Average Speed: 51 mph
Duration: 252.9 hrs
Distance: 13045.5 mi
Average Fuel Consumption: 35.0 mpg

 

[Danvirsse]

Nope. I ride "short" (60-100 miles) most dry days during the riding season, with longer multi-day trips interspersed throughout. Trip A is always the mileage on the current tank of fuel and Trip B is always the miles since the last oil change.

Your data is interesting, and I do keep track of mpg, which is an average of 38.9 mpg with the approximately 5300 miles I've ridden this season. My average speed is probably much like yours.

 

[jjc54]

Trip A is for mileage on current tank and Trip B is reset at the beginning of each month. MPG is computed each month with actual miles driven and fuel used. Overall, 75939 miles ridden and 2012.1 gallons used. 37.74 MPG.

 

[Sundown]

With respect to MPG, I have set the trip odometer a few times when filling up and then calculated my actual mpg compared with what the bike says. I have found that actual mpg is a couple points better (37 actual mpg vs 35 mpg on the display)

 

[blacklightning]

I typically use Trip A for rides longer than 100 miles, or reset it at each fill up of fuel. Trip B is what I use to keep track of oil changes. I reset it each time I get it serviced. I do that for all my bikes and cars.

 

[Jesster72]

Trip A is reset at each fill up - it is my fuel gauge. Trip B is mostly unused, but is reset at the beginning of each annual trip we take. It's a little redundant, as we journal our long trips (and most weekend ones) and I track mileage and fuel in the journal. I just flip to trip B a few times during the trip and announce - we are 1,200 miles into it, or when we pull into the garage I can check quick and see how many miles the entire trip was.

 

[baxter]

I recently came back from a 3200 mile ride. Many back roads and some Interstate driving. On Interstates, rode at 70-75 mph mostly. On State and County two lane roads, around 63 mph, and on dusty gravel roads, 20-30 mph. I used Trip A daily tracking but left Trip B alone for the entire trip. When looking at Trip B for total miles and the fuel average, I saw that I'd averaged 41 mpg.

Note, roads today are not getting smoother, so cut the speeds down a tad for better ride.

 

[Redbeard]

Trip A is reset at each fill up - it is my fuel gauge. I ryde most days for 75 to 100 miles. Trip B I use for Oil change reminder.

 

[JayBros]

Like many, I use Trip A for my tank fill up record. Trip B is for multiday junkets, the latest D3WR, that was 4,086. What is important when on tour is that my touring partner's F3 has different gear ratios that cause his engine to run about 550 rpm higher in top gear than my RT. That means I start hunting for fuel stops anywhere between 150 and 170 miles depending on the roads we are riding, so I don't risk him running out. I use the Service History app on my Zumo 590 so everything's immediately there, and since the pandemic ended I've not been riding more than 9,300/year, so it's an annual date in Jan or Feb.

 

[pegasus1300]

Like Many, Trip A is tank mileage. I use trip S for total miles ridden on a trip. If I am just riding around, then I don't bother to check B. I use a log book to keep track of when my services are due. As my Spyder is older (2012), I don't have some of the more sophisticated things that you newer riders do.

 

[jdgretz]

I use Trip A for the current tank of gas, Trip B is typically for specific rides - long trips, IBA Certificate rides, etc. Since I got the bike with only 28 miles on it, the ODO pretty much gives me the mileage since purchase. I keep my mileage numbers on Fuelly.com - currently 31.0 average, 33.0 last tank, 39.1 best mileage. Fuelly also shows how mine compares to other similar bikes.

jdg

 

[Little Blue]

I am a little bit of a data influence type of person. Just the way it goes. So Trip A is used for fuel. Leaving Trip B usually for daily use. I have my Service data written in a notebook.

Just my thoughts on the matter.
Enjoy your Ryde Times.

 

[vito1943]

I normally just reset both A and B whenever I fill up. Thinking about it now, I probably will not use the B any more, but let it accumulate mileage. I don't trust the numbers shown for MPG. Doing the math myself is simple, but the inability to easily fill the tank to the max complicates the issue. On some gas pumps, I can keep the flow to a minimum and fill the tank all the way to where it fills the spout area (but I suspect that there is still empty space in the tank above the entrance level) but on some fill-ups, I can't avoid the automatic shut off, even when I know I have not come close to filling the tank. My bottom line is that I assume 33 or 34 mpg, and to be safe, do no more than 175 miles before looking for a gas station.

 

[mecsw500]

I don't think I've ever used the trip meters on a Spyder. I just trust the fuel gauge, as I've come to understand its foibles, and I've filled up before I've gotten even close to the light coming on to prolong the life of the fuel pump.

Before motorcycles had fuel gauges, you just had simple trip meters that you could reset to zero by rolling a knob or pressing a button. I'd probably have to get the manual out to figure out how to reset them on my Spyder.

I fill up when I can whenever off the beaten track here in the Mountain West to stop fuel range anxiety. Otherwise, in urban areas I just wait until I have quarter of a tank left, then I fill up. I think the most I've ever managed to put in is five and a half gallons.

 

[JayBros]

The longer I've had the Spyder, the more comfortable I've become with the anticipated per tank mileage, and my fill-up numbers exceeding 6.0 gal are quite small. I still err on the side of caution, filling early if I don't know the territory.

 

[jdgretz]

On my trip I've been noticing how the estimated mileage fluctuates. Right after a fill up, it usually registers somewhere between 150 and 185 miles. Then it will drop rapidly to less than 100 miles about two bars above midway. About the 1/2 point on the fuel gauge, it gets back to someplace between 100 and 125 miles remaining. It should show right at 100 miles at the halfway point if I'm cruising along at 3600 RPM on cruise control. I figure 2 bars (turning red) is about 50 miles remaining. Seems to work for me so far.

jdg

 

[jjc54]

I normally just reset both A and B whenever I fill up. Thinking about it now, I probably will not use the B any more, but let it accumulate mileage. I don't trust the numbers shown for MPG. Doing the math myself is simple, but the inability to easily fill the tank to the max complicates the issue. On some gas pumps, I can keep the flow to a minimum and fill the tank all the way to where it fills the spout area (but I suspect that there is still empty space in the tank above the entrance level) but on some fill-ups, I can't avoid the automatic shut off, even when I know I have not come close to filling the tank. My bottom line is that I assume 33 or 34 mpg, and to be safe, do no more than 175 miles before looking for a gas station.

Along with nozzle flow rates the orientation of the bike at the pump makes a big difference also. You will always get more in if the nose is higher and the left side is higher also. I just checked my July numbers with 9 fill-ups and the worst was 33.06 MPG and the best was 45.26 MPG (only 1.9 gal added) with an overall average of 37.93 MPG. MPGs on a single tank is meaningless because of the variation in fill levels. Mine does not give me miles to empty but my fuel light is very consistent. When it comes on, I have approx 1.5 gal left in the tank and have traveled about 200 miles. Always trip the A at fill-up and B is monthly miles. I keep a gas book on the bike to record gas used.

 

[tjranch9]

Gee , my trip meter doesn't say anything.. Never learn to talk....