Your Average Speed and MPG?

[JeffOlson]

Have you ever bothered to calculate your average speed and miles per gallon over time? Over several thousands of miles, I have, for both my Norge and my BMW automobile.

Although both of my vehicles will do about 130 MPH, I never seem to be able to ride or drive that fast. Most of my riding and driving is commuting 20 miles each direction. Although half of my commute is "freeway," my foot is often down, or my car is often stopped, due to traffic.

Also, although my Norge will return about 45 MPG on a long, straight stretch of road at 70 MPH, and although my BMW will easily return 35 MPG on that same stretch of road, I am not often able to ride or drive like that.

Over the past 10,000 or so combined miles, my average speed is about 30 miles per hour, and my average miles per gallon is about 35 on the Norge and 25 in the BMW.

How about you (if you care or bother to calculate such things)?

[fotoguzzi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tvRKb2yS70

over 3,000 miles= avg speed 56.5MPH, avg MPG 42

[SmithSwede]

2013 V7 Stone.  Average speed is about 45 mph.   Gas mileage average is 43 mpg.

[Vince in Milwaukee]

I'm going to kind of ball park things here and say my riding averages a mix of highway and back roads.  The LM3 will return a low of 40-42mpg if I have a lot of fun or up to 50 if I do a steady 55-60 on a long trip with very little stopping.  The K75 BMW seems to average around 45mpg with a good mix of the above.  Haven't really gotten on the old K bike too much. 

[Gliderjohn]

Yesterday was the first time I rode the Norge w/o the side bags or trunk. Rode 220 miles with most of it between 60-80 mph. With the bags and trunk I usually get around upper 30s under the above conditions. Yesterday without the bags did mid 40s. Surprised there was that much difference.
GliderJohn

[canuguzzi]

I used to check it, calculate it and consider the value and stopped. I got the fuel gauge fixed, the mileage can vary so much that relying on a 220 mile plus endurance doesn't work so the trip meter is best suited for doing what it was designed for, recording trip mileage.

Just checking the fuel gauge once in a while, like checking the speedometer, lets the ride be the ride.

If it seems more gas is being used it is one of two things, a lot of slow traffic or there is little and the amount and length of grins were greater. If its due to the former, its time to do more of the latter.

[Jerryd]

Wow, someone's bored

[JeffOlson]

I find it interesting that my average speed over 10,000 miles is only 30 MPH. It matches that of an insurance study that found Oregon drivers to be about the slowest drivers in the nation. I think that has more to do with traffic congestion than grannies driving slowly (though there is that, too).

Also interesting to me is that my MPG for my tiny BMW just about matches the window sticker city mileage, even though I live in the country and not in the city.

Fuel efficiency is probably more affected by traffic congestion than manufacturers failing to build fuel-efficient vehicles...

I am envious of you riders that can actually get out and ride and not have to put your foot down every few seconds behind a line of vehicles.

[vstevens]

2012 Fiat 500 base model is my only car.  Daily commuting about 15 miles each way averages 22 mph and 32 mpg.  Lots of traffic.  Haven't figured it out for the V7, but commutes are a bit quicker with filtering the traffic and all.

[rocker59]

Have you ever bothered to calculate your average speed and miles per gallon over time? Over several thousands of miles, I have, for both my Norge and my BMW automobile.
 

How do you calculate your average speed over long time periods and thousands of miles?

I do it on some rides, but it's usually only average speed point-to-point over a time period of less than 24 hours.

Off the top of my head, 775 miles in 12-hours for 65.5 mph and 38 mpg on my Nero Corsa.  To maintain that overall average, I was travelling 80 mph on the interstate and my four fuel stops brought the average down that much.

At last year's Colorado Classic 1000, I clocked just under 1100 miles in 22.5 hours, for a 49 mph overall average, which included seven stops for fuel and relief.  The Sport 1100 returned about 50 mpg on that ride.  Except for 10 miles, it was all two-lane blacktop.

Since I don't have on board computers or GPSs on any of my vehicles, I don't have any idea how I'd track these things over long periods of time.

[MGPilot]

For over 30 years, I've kept logs on each of my vehicles that list fuel consumption & service. Although I've rarely encountered a problem, I think one of the early signs of something needing attention may be a drop in mpg in an engine.

That said, I have way too much to post. However, a few:

2016 V7-II - 47.6 mpg to date

2003 Porsche 996, 3.6, 6-Cyl.
2007 22.3mpg
2008 22.9
2009 23.3
2010 21.6
2011 22.0
2012 21.9
2013 22.8  So, about the same over time

2012 Audi A6 3.0L, supercharged V6; mostly non-alcohol fuel
2013 24.5
2014 26.0
2015 26.7

2002 Ford Ranger
2008 21.1 mpg
2009 21.2
2010 20.8
2011 21.4
2012 20.7 Less highway driving
2013 18.6
2014 21.6 New spark plugs; mostly non-alcohol fuel
2015 22.5

For me, the trends are as or more interesting than the raw scores.

[SmithSwede]

Rocker:

The only reason I know my average speed is because my BMW F800 has an onboard computer that computes it.   I take the Stone over the exact same route. 

I think the normal average mph is in the mid 30s.  You won't get into the 40s unless you do a lot of high speed interstate.

[rocker59]

For me, "overall average speed" on a trip is pretty meaningless because it includes time when the bike is not running.
 
What I do on trips is calculate moving average speed to estimate how long it will take to get to the next fuel stop.  2.5 hours at 70 mph would get me to the 175 mile refuel point on my Nero Corsa.  Several stops on that Santa Fe run are only 160 miles, and I try to make them in 2-hours, which is very doable on I-40.
 

[fotoguzzi]

How do you calculate your average speed over long time periods and thousands of miles?

I do it on some rides, but it's usually only average speed point-to-point over a time period of less than 24 hours.

Off the top of my head, 775 miles in 12-hours for 65.5 mph and 38 mpg on my Nero Corsa.  To maintain that overall average, I was travelling 80 mph on the interstate and my four fuel stops brought the average down that much.

At last year's Colorado Classic 1000, I clocked just under 1100 miles in 22.5 hours, for a 49 mph overall average, which included seven stops for fuel and relief.  The Sport 1100 returned about 50 mpg on that ride.  Except for 10 miles, it was all two-lane blacktop.

Since I don't have on board computers or GPSs on any of my vehicles, I don't have any idea how I'd track these things over long periods of time.

i use a sigma bike odometer with two trip meters
One for the whole trip and then keep all gas reciepts. The sigma also logs average speed etc.

[David 54]

Average speed don't know, depends so much on type of journey and conditions. 1983 SP1000 does between 52mpg and 58mpg (Imperial), 1970 Nuovo Falcone between 81mpg and 88mpg (Imperial) I am very satisfied with these figures. I assume you have to reduce these figures by 20% to get the US mpg figures.