The Binary Circumstance

I recently learned about hypermiling, a collection of driving techniques for increasing the mileage you get in your car and wondered what it would do for the mileage on my 2007 Ninja 250R which already gets great mileage.

On this last tank, I didn’t do any hypermiling techniques for the first 100 miles but used them for the second 100 miles. After 206 miles, it took 3.04 gallons of gas (at over $4./gal!) to fill it up. That comes out to 67.7 mpg. That seemed like an improvement over what I usually get which has been around 65 mpg for the same type of city and island driving. The next tank will be a better test. I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t come in over 70 mpg.

There are several places along the normal routes I take that are perfect for coasting. Coasting cuts the RPM down to the idle speed rather than the 3-5K RPM which register on the tachometer when I’m in gear. I am also getting better at coasting into traffic lights. On the three-mile trip into town, I estimate that I can coast for over a mile of it. There are also several opportunities for coasting on the way back.

I don’t do things like turn off the engine to coast or at traffic lights. I mostly just coast when there’s a nice stretch of downhill in front of me and it’s safe to do it.

I’m also trying it on my truck which gets terrible mileage. It will be a while before I know what those results are.

UPDATE 6-20-2008: I just put some gas in my 250 Ninja after traveling 225 miles, mostly on the island and in the city which is not where it gets the best mileage. It only took 2.7 gallons to fill it which comes out to just over 83 mpg which is by far the best mileage I’ve ever gotten on it. I usually get 65-70 around here.

This past weekend I took a trip in my truck and clocked just under 23 mpg. Much of the trip was through the mountains where I would not expect to get very good mileage with all the uphill stretches. Of course, there’s a lot of downhill as well but in the mountains I didn’t coast in neutral although I did coast. I prefer to let the transmission do the braking rather wearing my brakes out on long downhill stretches. I did check my tires before I left and since one was quite low, I’m sure that helped as well. I just didn’t push it and tried to keep the RPMs below 2000 no matter how fast I was going. The best mileage I’ve ever seen in the truck before was 20 mpg.

So implementing the most basic hypermiling techniques seemes to have added about 15% to my truck mileage and about 23% to my Ninja 250 mileage, under the driving conditions I experienced on my most recent tanks of gas.

One of the most popular posts on my blog is the picture of my 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

Here is a picture of the 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R. They have changed the styling this year to make it look much more like the mid-priced sport bikes like the Yamaha FZ6. It’s the first significant change in styling in a few years.

It not only looks like a more expensive bike, it is a more expensive bike. They’ve increased the MSRP by about $500. That’s about a 17% increase over last year’s MSRP of $3,000.

I have a feeling that my 2007 Ninja, which is only one year old, may now be worth more than I paid for it. With a price jump like that for the new models, I think the recent used models have to go up in value.

There are more pictures of the 2008 baby Ninja 250R at the Kawasaki site.

Here is more detail about the new design.

When I’m planning to ride my motorcycle I need to check weather forecasts because the weather can be so changeable in the Seattle area. I often look at satellite maps to try and figure out if I can expect rain in the coming hours and should drive my truck instead.

I found this useful site at USA Today that does a good job of explaining weather forecasts.

Yesterday afternoon I had to do some errands and did them on my motorcycle. I had to go to Poulsbo to Wal*Mart to get a new battery for a watch and then I decided to ride down to Bremerton on Highway 3 to check out summer jackets and 3/4 helmets.

I don’t usually ride the highway when I go to Bremerton on the bike but I really enjoyed it yesterday. It was sunny and warm and I was just in a t-shirt and shorts. Not very protective but a lot of fun. There I was barreling down the highway at about 70mph and feeling totally comfortable on the Ninja 250R which performed very well. That was the longest I’ve ridden the bike at high speed I noticed when I got to Wal*Mart that my testicles go to sleep from the vibration and when I get off the bike it feels really strange. The probably is due to the lightness of the bike and a slight vibration or how I’m sitting on the seat. Most likely the latter because I didn’t notice it as much on the way back from Bremerton.

Cliff’s Cycle Center had a 3/4 helmet for $90 and summer, mesh jackets for $100-$150. I didn’t buy anything though because I’m not sure it’s worth the expense or if I’d use them that much. Coming back it started to drizzle and it was a sensation that I’d never felt before. As each drop of water hit my shirt I could feel a little cool spot against my torso. I looked up and saw dark clouds ahead but clear sky further north and I hoped that I’d make it through the cloudy area before it rained. Going that fast in a wet t-shirt would probably have left me feeling very cold. I don’t know if I’d be cold enough for hypothermia, though.

I thought maybe I should have bought one of those jackets.

By the time I got back home, I was feeling great, very relaxed. Riding a motorcycle in an environment where you are surrounded by beautiful scenery is so much more than just transportation from point A to point B. It’s transportation from one state of mind to another. I think it’s probably a lot like meditation because you are so focused in the moment by all the sensations and sounds, the cars and trucks passing you or you passing them. You’re out there with the metal, the air, the noise, the sun, the raindrops, the concrete, the smell of exhaust and the fresh air blowing against your face or through the air vents in the helmet.

And you know it could all end in an instant. It could go black as my body is sent flying across the pavement.

Millions of people ride safely and uninjured every day so I don’t focus on it. But you are very vulnerable. There is an sense of connectedness to the moment, adventure and life that I don’t feel when I’m driving in a car.

The Ninja has just over 2700 miles on it now, almost time for its 3000 mile checkup.