gregsfc
New Member
Please come to the following event and lets have a little competition among stock or near stock bikes. I think Hondas will rule, but unlike previous years, we need to have more rides and their riders show up and ride. See below for details and a link with more details.
What: Mid-Ohio Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge. Schultz Engineering - Custom Motorcycle Parts and Renewable Energy Products
This is a real-world fuel economy challenge event for all two and three wheeled powered vehicles and their riders. This particular challenge has a pacer
that hangs out in the back of the pack and passes those who can't keep up and watches for anyone who may try to employ hypermiling tricks which aren't allowed if any rider wants his
or her mpg recorded and published. This event tries to ensure that the ride is conducted as closely as possible to a normal, everyday, motorcycle ride in a combination of rural and urban
setting. I went to it in 2014, and it does end up being a little slower than a small group weekend ride, but faster than your average charity ride that I've been on. It's just hard to make it
too fast in a large group, going through small towns with traffic and obeying traffic laws; but they do make it as realistic as possible. At one point on about a four or five mile interstate
stretch in 2014, I looked down, and I was traveling about 73 mph in order to stay with the group.
Everyone must stay tight within the group and be able to accelerate fairly briskly; and this event has at least one interstate run requiring that all vehicles be able to maintain 70 mph
(maybe more due to the slinky effect of a convoy); even if there is a head wind or slight grade. The organizers are sort of obsessive about not letting anyone sort of glide (and not ride)
or have an under powered vehicle and then try to take the crown. Which leads me to my next point.
This ride, and a couple of others titled, Vetter Fuel Challenges, have always been about letting Craig Vetter show off his three streamlined machines and to sort of push his own ideals and
agendas regarding what he sees as the future of motorcycle transportation, and since historically, this has been his event, he put together some odd rules to help his streamliners have
an advantage over typical motorcycles. There is this rule that in order to be considered for a winner in any class, one has to have body work that can fully contain 4 large bags of
groceries. This is very tough. I came in 2014 with a large, 55-liter Dewalt tool box strapped to my pillion portion of the seat on a CTX700 (with fairing). I knew that my box would not be
big enough, but it was big enough for me to make a trip up there, stay the night, and ride back after the event, so I decided not to try anything bigger as sort of a protest against this
rule. Nowadays, the ride is becoming more and more about heavily modified electric motorcycles wherein these guys/gals add lots of batteries (and weight) to stock Zero motorcycles;
or in some cases, home made e-motorcycles and adding faster charging capabilities in order that they can complete the ride. They also streamline them as best they can around the
bulky batteries to help them with range. These folks spend alot of money and time and sweat to do what they do, and one of them is nowadays sort of keeping it going (Kraig Schultz)
and for the most part, even though alot of the rules work against e-bikes, they are keeping these strict standards of speed and luggage space; although it does seem like they're adding
more and longer stops to help themselves out, as most liquid-fueled bikes can make the entire 176 miles with no worries about fuel.
But next is the good part...Even though stock bikes have no chance to win any class (gas-powered winner; electric-powered winner; alternative-fuel winner; and overall winner); we can
come to the event for free; sign up; ride; follow the rules; and have our mpg recorded and published for the event. That's what I'm promoting, because I want to see how some of the
more modern fuel-mising motorcycles compete against each other. This is a challenge. Some how I achieved 96.9 mpg by my own recording and even higher in the official result in 2014,
which is far better than any stock bike has ever accomplished in one of these rides except a biodiesel bike, but it doesn't count, because it wasn't a mass-produced engine; only sold in
limited quantities to the U.S. Marines. I don't expect to match what I did last time, but I'm going to go; tuck while riding a bone stock CTX700 with a Madstad screen and milk crate on the
back, and shoot for 88 mpg. Please come and beat me.
Where: Liquid-fueled vehicles will meet at Splash Harbor hotel rear parking lot; Bellville, OH. Electric-powered vehicles will meet at a nearby racetrack
When: Saturday, July 8, 7AM. Liquid fueled vehicles scheduled to depart at or about 7:30 after the e-bikes arrive at the hotel.
Why: Because when I competed in 2014, for what ever reason, I absolutely blew away the stock bike competition, beat my own best mpg tank by at least 14 mpg; the next-best stock
bike
by 21 mpg; and came within 1.5 mpg of beating Craig Vetter's personal streamlined Helix, but I was competing against only about 4 stock bikers that were seriously trying to do well
and they were all older bikes. Second place was a DR200; third, was an old CB500; and fourth was a scooter, I think a 200. I think it would
be really cool to have some stock riders out there, especially newer Hondas and BMWs. Have a little friendly competition; and watch these amazing streamliners garner up to 188 mpg
and 350 mpg-e for electrics.
* On a side note. As I stated above, the Vetter machines have alot of advantages; they have the perfect teardrop shape; they use very efficient Kawasaki engines with higher gearing, so they
can really slip through the air and is one reason why they like to go fast; so as to increase their advantages of vehicles that are not so perfectly streamlined, and due to how the body is
made it is very easy for them to carry lots and lots of stuff, but they have been upset more
than a few times by Fred Hayes and his diesel motorcycle. Fred's diesel does not fit the prescription Craig has written. It is a more low-slung streamliner that requires tucking to be stream
lined. It has peak hp at or about 31 and peak torque at or about 35; but Craig's prescription states that horsepower must be 14-28 in order to be the best. I sort of balk agains some of these
prescriptions, because I think that if someone were to take a 670 cc twin or 500 cc twin Honda variant and streamline it the same way; slap on a slightly smaller rear sprocket; that it could
come very close to these Kawasaki streamlined bikes, but with at least 43 hp and 42 foot lb torque at the wheel, flying in the face of these theories that sort of pigeon hole any future
technologies. Anyway, Fred has not been
competing since 2014; and he is supposed to be back. He did not win in 2014, but he was real close as one of the riders who rides one of Craig's designed streamliners, Vic Valdes, has had
everyone's number lately; except that now, some of the electric bikes are really coming on since they've figured out how to finish the rides without running out of juice.
Please come and lets have a stock-bike group to compete in this ride and those who are interested or know riders that would be interested, please help me promote this Saturday ride near Mansfield, OH.
What: Mid-Ohio Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge. Schultz Engineering - Custom Motorcycle Parts and Renewable Energy Products
This is a real-world fuel economy challenge event for all two and three wheeled powered vehicles and their riders. This particular challenge has a pacer
that hangs out in the back of the pack and passes those who can't keep up and watches for anyone who may try to employ hypermiling tricks which aren't allowed if any rider wants his
or her mpg recorded and published. This event tries to ensure that the ride is conducted as closely as possible to a normal, everyday, motorcycle ride in a combination of rural and urban
setting. I went to it in 2014, and it does end up being a little slower than a small group weekend ride, but faster than your average charity ride that I've been on. It's just hard to make it
too fast in a large group, going through small towns with traffic and obeying traffic laws; but they do make it as realistic as possible. At one point on about a four or five mile interstate
stretch in 2014, I looked down, and I was traveling about 73 mph in order to stay with the group.
Everyone must stay tight within the group and be able to accelerate fairly briskly; and this event has at least one interstate run requiring that all vehicles be able to maintain 70 mph
(maybe more due to the slinky effect of a convoy); even if there is a head wind or slight grade. The organizers are sort of obsessive about not letting anyone sort of glide (and not ride)
or have an under powered vehicle and then try to take the crown. Which leads me to my next point.
This ride, and a couple of others titled, Vetter Fuel Challenges, have always been about letting Craig Vetter show off his three streamlined machines and to sort of push his own ideals and
agendas regarding what he sees as the future of motorcycle transportation, and since historically, this has been his event, he put together some odd rules to help his streamliners have
an advantage over typical motorcycles. There is this rule that in order to be considered for a winner in any class, one has to have body work that can fully contain 4 large bags of
groceries. This is very tough. I came in 2014 with a large, 55-liter Dewalt tool box strapped to my pillion portion of the seat on a CTX700 (with fairing). I knew that my box would not be
big enough, but it was big enough for me to make a trip up there, stay the night, and ride back after the event, so I decided not to try anything bigger as sort of a protest against this
rule. Nowadays, the ride is becoming more and more about heavily modified electric motorcycles wherein these guys/gals add lots of batteries (and weight) to stock Zero motorcycles;
or in some cases, home made e-motorcycles and adding faster charging capabilities in order that they can complete the ride. They also streamline them as best they can around the
bulky batteries to help them with range. These folks spend alot of money and time and sweat to do what they do, and one of them is nowadays sort of keeping it going (Kraig Schultz)
and for the most part, even though alot of the rules work against e-bikes, they are keeping these strict standards of speed and luggage space; although it does seem like they're adding
more and longer stops to help themselves out, as most liquid-fueled bikes can make the entire 176 miles with no worries about fuel.
But next is the good part...Even though stock bikes have no chance to win any class (gas-powered winner; electric-powered winner; alternative-fuel winner; and overall winner); we can
come to the event for free; sign up; ride; follow the rules; and have our mpg recorded and published for the event. That's what I'm promoting, because I want to see how some of the
more modern fuel-mising motorcycles compete against each other. This is a challenge. Some how I achieved 96.9 mpg by my own recording and even higher in the official result in 2014,
which is far better than any stock bike has ever accomplished in one of these rides except a biodiesel bike, but it doesn't count, because it wasn't a mass-produced engine; only sold in
limited quantities to the U.S. Marines. I don't expect to match what I did last time, but I'm going to go; tuck while riding a bone stock CTX700 with a Madstad screen and milk crate on the
back, and shoot for 88 mpg. Please come and beat me.
Where: Liquid-fueled vehicles will meet at Splash Harbor hotel rear parking lot; Bellville, OH. Electric-powered vehicles will meet at a nearby racetrack
When: Saturday, July 8, 7AM. Liquid fueled vehicles scheduled to depart at or about 7:30 after the e-bikes arrive at the hotel.
Why: Because when I competed in 2014, for what ever reason, I absolutely blew away the stock bike competition, beat my own best mpg tank by at least 14 mpg; the next-best stock
bike
by 21 mpg; and came within 1.5 mpg of beating Craig Vetter's personal streamlined Helix, but I was competing against only about 4 stock bikers that were seriously trying to do well
and they were all older bikes. Second place was a DR200; third, was an old CB500; and fourth was a scooter, I think a 200. I think it would
be really cool to have some stock riders out there, especially newer Hondas and BMWs. Have a little friendly competition; and watch these amazing streamliners garner up to 188 mpg
and 350 mpg-e for electrics.
* On a side note. As I stated above, the Vetter machines have alot of advantages; they have the perfect teardrop shape; they use very efficient Kawasaki engines with higher gearing, so they
can really slip through the air and is one reason why they like to go fast; so as to increase their advantages of vehicles that are not so perfectly streamlined, and due to how the body is
made it is very easy for them to carry lots and lots of stuff, but they have been upset more
than a few times by Fred Hayes and his diesel motorcycle. Fred's diesel does not fit the prescription Craig has written. It is a more low-slung streamliner that requires tucking to be stream
lined. It has peak hp at or about 31 and peak torque at or about 35; but Craig's prescription states that horsepower must be 14-28 in order to be the best. I sort of balk agains some of these
prescriptions, because I think that if someone were to take a 670 cc twin or 500 cc twin Honda variant and streamline it the same way; slap on a slightly smaller rear sprocket; that it could
come very close to these Kawasaki streamlined bikes, but with at least 43 hp and 42 foot lb torque at the wheel, flying in the face of these theories that sort of pigeon hole any future
technologies. Anyway, Fred has not been
competing since 2014; and he is supposed to be back. He did not win in 2014, but he was real close as one of the riders who rides one of Craig's designed streamliners, Vic Valdes, has had
everyone's number lately; except that now, some of the electric bikes are really coming on since they've figured out how to finish the rides without running out of juice.
Please come and lets have a stock-bike group to compete in this ride and those who are interested or know riders that would be interested, please help me promote this Saturday ride near Mansfield, OH.
