ThreeWheels
Active member
Yes, but the whole idea of the eco mode is to tell you to shift at lower rpm to save gas. If you don't follow the arrow, you're not really in eco mode. I suppose that's why it's not terribly effective for me.
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Running ECO Mode - my MPG results.
- Thread starter Fjrwillie
- Start date
Yes, but the whole idea of the eco mode is to tell you to shift at lower rpm to save gas. If you don't follow the arrow, you're not really in eco mode. I suppose that's why it's not terribly effective for me.
Fjrwillie
Member
I have an issue with authority (TIC) so I don't see those little green arrows. They are suggestions, just like the speed on the yellow signs, just suggestions
ThreeWheels
Active member
No. They aren't suggestions. They ARE eco mode. That's the point. If you don't shift when the arrows tell you too, then you're not using eco mode.
No one says you need the eco mode, I've found it useless, but putting the bike in eco mode and ignoring the green arrows is like going to a baseball game and ignoring the game in favor of reading a book.
Nothing will stop you, but why bother ?
bikerbillone
Well-known member
Think I need to drop out of ECO mode a while and see how that drives the mpg, I shift at the sound or feel of the engine, I always have 1968 when I first began riding m/c's. As a newbie with the 2020 RTL, I need to satisfy myself the riding mode I prefer.
ThreeWheels gets it. High torque at low R's. Follow the guidelines and it works. Don't follow them, and it won't. Simple as that.
Don't forget that by selecting ECO Mode you don't just get those Green Arrows, you are ALSO 'de-tuning' the engine management systems a little (by some %, more than 10% I believe, altho I don't think it's as much as 25% :dontknow: ) AND you are 'de-sensitising' the throttle too!! :lecturef_smilie: With ECO Mode on, IIRC then your WOT is only about 75% of WOT in 'normal' mode! :shocked:
The Green Arrows are simply added as an indicator to tell you that with an SE you can now change up without the Nanny telling you to naff off and blocking the up-shift like she normally would if you tried to up-shift at reeeaally low revs
Orright, maybe the revs won't be all that low, but with the Arrows to prompt you, you can just wait for them to light up before even attempting the up-shifting instead of repeatedly trying to up-shift early & having the Nanny step in and block you every time until your revs/road speed reaches the Nanny Approved minimum acceptable combination! 
So in ECO Mode, shifting when prompted by the Green Arrows and the de-tuned engine management plus the de-sensitised throttle SHOULD all add up to better fuel economy.....and possibly bat-crap boring ryding too, but that's all subjective & of a personal bent, so whatever floats your boat! :thumbup:
And if you want to completely ignore the Arrows, you've STILL got those other two fairly significant functions working for you in an attempt to give you a better fuel range....
..... altho thinking about it a bit more, I'm not all that sure what also running a lower octane fuel might do/add/detract to/from the impact of those other changes.... cos the 'less performance' oriented gas might mean that your engine management system varies the timing of the injector pulses a bit to compensate, &/or dumps more gas in with each pulse in order to try & meet the minimum power demands called for by your throttle inputs/gear selections etc etc?? But that's purely an idle conjecture that may or may not have any impact at all - still, I might just take the time to look into that..... one day.... sometime when I'm not otherwise occupied.... hypothetically in the future... probably definitely not soon! Just sayin' :thumbup:
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RICZ
New member
You and I are cut from the same cloth. I look at a speed sign and say, That's a good start! But then, around here, all the speeds are under-posted.
The yellow signs are there to suggest many things. Safety first, sight distance, and obstacle avoidance. Most all these pave roads were constructed years prior to the installation of the yellow signs. Obviously, not all turns and curves are the same hence the yellow signs. There are situations like decreasing radius turns, out sloping turns, and sharp elevation changes in turns just to name a few. All of which you can't see until you get into it and it's too late then to safely make the needed correction. So, remember the yellow signs were not put there as a challenge.
RICZ
New member
Thank for the lecture. In the 1960s, MG cars had a motto....Safety Fast. That has been my credo as well. I am no adrenaline junkie. I know my limits and they are below those of my bike's. 69 years of riding and only one crash caused by an 18 year old girl on a phone. I hit my brakes and minimized the impact. Bike and rider only received scrapes and bruises. Yes, I ride fast, but I pick and choose where it can be done safely. I have a condition called a sense of self preservation.
Please don't take offense, my lecture wasn't directed at you. I've seen a number of previous posts where individuals have mentioned the yellow signs as being a potential challenge. I'm guilty myself of pressing the 40 MPH sign, however, I've been through that turn near on to a 100 times or more and I know my ride and I know the turn. And I only press the turn(s) to keep in practice for when something pops up unexpectedly and scares the hell out of me. Practicing avoidance procedures is almost a full-time effort for me. The older I get the more I need to pay attention. It's a spooky feeling coming around a 40 MPH turn and finding a fresh deer carcass stretched across your lane. It happened to me one evening and I decided to take the legs and avoid hitting the ditch. So you never know when the road gremlin is going to show up. Now back to ECO mode. LOL
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
RE: Yellow speed warning signs usually found on curvy sections:
We have a LOT of them here in AR. Once again, I refer to myself as a "conservative" type of rider. I do recognize my limitations, and will not exceed them. Saying that, in many cases, once I know the road, I may exceed some of the warning speeds by ???? We never go over the yellow center lines, or have to brake because we are entering the curve to fast. AND...there are some that mean what they say. The 10 to 15 mph ones usually mean it.
We do enjoy riding the Spyders in twisties...but also want to come home in one piece. :bowdown:
We have a LOT of them here in AR. Once again, I refer to myself as a "conservative" type of rider. I do recognize my limitations, and will not exceed them. Saying that, in many cases, once I know the road, I may exceed some of the warning speeds by ???? We never go over the yellow center lines, or have to brake because we are entering the curve to fast. AND...there are some that mean what they say. The 10 to 15 mph ones usually mean it.
We do enjoy riding the Spyders in twisties...but also want to come home in one piece. :bowdown:
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acdcking12
Member
I personally could not care less what my MPG is. I just ride the way I want, and then fill it up when necessary.
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
I am sure also that operating at speeds sub 50, results in better gas mileage. We drive most of the "twistie" roads at around 45. We have all day, love to see the ever changing scenery, and just enjoy the almost daily dose of wind therapy. One might say that Mother Nature is our psychiatrist. :bowdown:
For what it's worth (cos like many others, I don't really worry too much about what it costs, so much as the range I can get from each tank full, and of course, the 'Miles of Smiles' and enjoyment/wind therapy that I can get from each tank full!
) there is a point of diminishing returns!! :lecturef_smilie: Sure, pretty much regardless of the Internal Combustion Engined vehicle that I'm driving/riding (with a few exceptions &/or exceptional variables coming into play
) I can usually get better milage by cruising at saaay 45-50mph instead of 55+ mph or so; but I've found that once my 'cruising speed' drops below 'about' 30 mph (the actual speed can vary depending upon revs, road speed, gearing, &/or a bunch of other variables ) then the milage won't get any better, and for many vehicles/engines, including Spyders &/or Rykers, it can actually start to decrease the slower you go once you drop below that 'point of diminishing returns'!! :shocked: I've found that for me, there's definitely a 'sweet speed spot', or more accurately, a 'sweet speed range', and driving faster OR SLOWER than that speed range means that things like the engine, revs, gearing, tires rolling resistance, & a bunch more variables aren't working as well together as they might given all the other conditions & variables coming together for that particular run; so that overall, despite travelling slower, your vehicle won't be operating at its most efficient, which will mean the gas milage returned isn't going to be at its best either! :sour:
So if getting the best 'gas milage' you can is your primary goal, then yeah, slowing down within reason can sometimes help; but from my experience, I'd suggest that slowing down TOO MUCH and travelling slower than your vehicle's 'sweet speed range' given how all those other variables might be effecting you today could be almost as bad as travelling just a little too fast!
Just sayin' :thumbup:
And despite keeping fastidious records & regularly doing the calculations to confirm the expected 'range' I should get from a tank of gas, I STILL haven't developed an equation nor found anyone who truly knows any way of reliably & consistently calculating/converting 'Miles per Gallon' to 'Miles of Smiles or Smiles per Mile'!! :gaah:
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ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
For what it's worth (cos like many others, I don't really worry too much about what it costs, so much as the range I can get from each tank full, and of course, the 'Miles of Smiles' and enjoyment/wind therapy that I can get from each tank full!
Sure, pretty much regardless of the Internal Combustion Engined vehicle that I'm driving/riding (with a few exceptions &/or exceptional variables coming into play
I've found that for me, there's definitely a 'sweet speed spot', or more accurately, a 'sweet speed range', and driving faster OR SLOWER than that speed range means that things like the engine, revs, gearing, tires rolling resistance, & a bunch more variables aren't working as well together as they might given all the other conditions & variables coming together for that particular run; so that overall, despite travelling slower, your vehicle won't be operating at its most efficient, which will mean the gas milage returned isn't going to be at its best either! :sour:
So if getting the best 'gas milage' you can is your primary goal, then yeah, slowing down within reason can sometimes help; but from my experience, I'd suggest that slowing down TOO MUCH and travelling slower than your vehicle's 'sweet speed range' given how all those other variables might be effecting you today could be almost as bad as travelling just a little too fast!
Just sayin' :thumbup:
And despite keeping fastidious records & regularly doing the calculations to confirm the expected 'range' I should get from a tank of gas, I STILL haven't developed an equation nor found anyone who truly knows any way of reliably & consistently calculating/converting 'Miles per Gallon' to 'Miles of Smiles or Smiles per Mile'!! :gaah:
To many variables to get a really "true" mpg calculation. And if there were, how many decimal places should it be taken to? As a previous accounting & numbers person, there is such a thing as over thinking the situation. For me, rounded up to the nearest whole number is close enough. (41.456789 = 41.)
I like to know what I am getting, but it has no effect on my pleasure of riding the way I like, going where I want, and just getting a dose of wind therapy. I don't strive for number X either. What I get is what I get. :bowdown:
RICZ
New member
That's because cooler air is more condensed. I had a Corvair that acted like it had a supercharger in the winter months because of that.
Mpg???
When I was in high school MPG was not a concern. It was how long a "tank full" lasted. When I bought my first, brand new to me, pickup truck gas was down around .25/.35 cents a gallon. Again it was not MPG it was how many times I could get to work and back home on a tank. Now when gas/diesel is at or pushing $5.00 bucks a gallon (again), no longer is a tank full a concern. It's all come down to MPG. What's really ironic is that some people are buying dino (fossil) fuel-operated generators to make sure that when the power goes out, their electric vehicles can be charged up enough to get them to work and back home again. nojoke :banghead: :roflblack:
When I was in high school MPG was not a concern. It was how long a "tank full" lasted. When I bought my first, brand new to me, pickup truck gas was down around .25/.35 cents a gallon. Again it was not MPG it was how many times I could get to work and back home on a tank. Now when gas/diesel is at or pushing $5.00 bucks a gallon (again), no longer is a tank full a concern. It's all come down to MPG. What's really ironic is that some people are buying dino (fossil) fuel-operated generators to make sure that when the power goes out, their electric vehicles can be charged up enough to get them to work and back home again. nojoke :banghead: :roflblack:
