NC SA (so manual) fuel guide help needed

[netizen]

Outback is not a good place to run out of gas.

View attachment 7609

What was it they called the motorcycle travelers in south Africa? Meals on wheels wasn't it?


I'm envious ... would love to ride the outback someday!

 

[Old Can Ride]

Are the flies bad in the outback this time of year? Looks like a great trip!

 

[L.B.S.]

Ok guys you're right (partly)
I should have panniers fitted to avoid tank hassles.

as regards the seat:



The CX was a Japanese domestic model as was the GB that I bought at the same time.


So I can only assume that there was a seat difference on the CX as well because it was the best I'd ever had.

The CX had 19 l tank but I got 20 into it and I have still got a log showing 23kms per l. so that is about 450kms range

Canada got the CX650E, (and the GB500) The seats on the 500Turbo, 650Turbo and CX650E's were as identical looking and feeling to me, (I rode all of them) as any seats could ever be. Unless the Domestic model you had was for some bizarre reason different in regards to the seat, I can't argue there.

My Turbo was supposed to have better fuel economy, yet similar power to the CB900F at the time (my buddy had a 900F and we rode to Texas and back once, I did get a little better mpg's than him, killed him in any kind of roll on up to 110 mph, but he had a higher top end and a slightly better 1/4 mile time) I sure as heck didn't have a 450 km distance per tank range, lol. The *PSSSSSSHHHH* of the Turbo was just too addictive...

I'm not trying to rag on your opinions, mate, don't take it as heckling ya or anything, I apologize if I may have come across that way.

If you said you thought the NC700 was not right for touring because it was red instead of silver, I would offer up reasons why I thought that might not be so, but wouldn't dream of saying I was "right" and you were "wrong", it's all relative to what makes us make justifications for or against, what we really want out of a bike.

 

[werewasi]

LBS
you are a man with a generous spirit.
yes, a lot of the domestic stuff was different e.g. my GB. I can, also given time, pull up a pic of another GB style bike (jap domestic) that is again different from anything I'd seen in the US or UK. The seat on the CX just must have been different from the US/CAN models. Bizarre but seemingly the case. There was a 3 cyl Honda 2 stroke 250 called the MVX, part of the basket that the buyers brought back with them and it's possible (correct me if I'm wrong) that this was a domestic only model and only the odd one filtered out to other countries.

Look, I've partly backtracked on my Aus touring opinion of the NC (the panniers stuff) and tried to illustrate why a 350km range is not really adequate. To give you an a close to home example, I rode from Enid in Oklahoma out to Alberqueque one day in 2010. It was 106F the day before so I started at 3am. I couldn't swear to it but I think the gas station at Woodward on the 412 was not open when I went through and the next fuel was at Guymon, (200 miles fr Enid) So 320kms and we've got a bike that only has a range of 350 max at a much lower speed than the 70+ mph I got along at. You can just get away with it in the US but probably not here.

O C R
The flies were bad at Quilpie but surprisingly not in some other places. I looked at the can of Aeroguard when packing and it went into the 'maybe if room' pile (which there wasn't) so I had to put up with them. Different next time.
The whole thing is like an adventure so you tend to just put up with a bit of discomfort.
I think you should put a trip on your agenda. You'd like it. Sort of a bit like going on a wild west trip because this is a big country and there's a lot of very empty space with some interesting places and people.
I was at Truth or Consequences in NM as Australian Cultural Ambassador and Plenipotentiary ( after a posting previously at Honningsvag) so the Aus govt gave me citizenship as a reward and it's a great place. I'm just hoping that the culture out at T or C hasn't taken a nosedive.

Since we're all friends now, here's a pic I'd like to share with you of the family at Honningsvag.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

I'm going on a six day outback ride with no panniers and a tent etc to carry, so I can't carry extra fuel bar 1100 cc in a fuel bottle.
With the 14l tank and this I will have a total of 15.1l ( 3.988 US gallons or 3.32 imperial gallons)
I'm facing 338kms (210 miles) between fuel at one place and 377 kms (234 mls) another time.

I've not had the opportunity (all riding up till now being city stuff) to get a handle on open road consumption, so I need an accurate guide as to
what the bike will use. Sitting on the side of the road on Queensland outback roads is not very enjoyable.
I'll ride at 100 kph (62 mph) if necessary (prefer 68 mph) to just get to the next roadhouse.

So can I make it and what are the speed guides?

Finally what are the best tyre pressures to run. (the guy I bought it from didn't get a handbook from the dealer)

thanks

Here's my last few fill ups converted to km/l. My last tanks had a lot of 120-136 km/h on them.

	#	Date	km	Litres	km/L	Price	City %	Notes
	71	9/6/13	300.9	11.97	25.1	0.951	5%	09/06/13 Commuting 87 no Ethanol gal [email protected]= 11.38Odometer 13572-13385=187/3.163 = 59.12Trip A-187.2/3.163 =59.18GPS-184 / 3.163=58.17
	70	8/26/13	362.1	12.87	28.1	1.072	5%	08/26/13 91 octane no ethanolI lost all records on this fill except the receipt [email protected]=13.80Odometer 13385-13160=225/3.401=66.15Trip A N/AGPS N/A
	69	8/19/13	230.1	8.21	28.0	0.924	5%	08/19/13 Road Trip87 no ethanol gal [email protected] = 7.59Odometer 13160-13017=143/2.17 = 65.89Trip A-142.3/ 2.17=65.57GPS- 139/ 2.17=64.05
	68	8/19/13	275.2	9.47	29.1	0.898	5%	08/19/13 Road Trip87 no ethanol gal [email protected] = 8.50Odometer 13017–12846=171/2.5016 = 68.35Trip A-171.5/ 2.5016=68.55GPS- 168/ 2.5016=67.15
	67	8/19/13	72.4	2.62	27.6	0.873	5%	08/19/13 Commuting and the start of a road trip87 with ethanol gal .693 @ 3.304 = 2.29 Odometer – 12846-12801=45 / .693 =64.93Trip A-44.6/.693 =64.35GPS- N/A I switch GPS's
	66	8/16/13	305.8	11.58	26.4	1.051	5%	08/16/13 Commuting some fast speeds91 no ethanol gal 3.060 @ 3.979 = 12.18Odometer – 12801-12611=190 / 3.060 =62.09Trip A-190.2/ 3.060 =62.15GPS-186 /3.060=60.78
	65	8/12/13	368.5	13.09	28.1	1.035	5%	08/12/13 Commuting some fast speeds91 no ethanol gal 3.459 @ 3.919= 13.56Odometer – 12611-12382=219/3.459=66.20Trip A-228.3 /3.459=66.00GPS-224 /3.459=64.75
	64	8/8/13	296.1	10.75	27.5	0.924	5%	08/08/13 Commuting 87 no ethanol 2.841 @ 3.499 = 9.94Odometer – 12382-12198=184/2.841=64.76Trip A – 184.2/2.841=64.83GPS – 180.88/2.841=63.66
	63	8/5/13	310.6	10.84	28.6	1.054	5%	08/05/13 Commuting some fast speeds91 no ethanol gal 2.864 @ 3.989= 11.42Odometer – 12198-12005=193/2.864=67.38Trip A-192.7 /2.864=67.28GPS-192.49 /2.864=67.21
	62	7/30/13	358.9	13.66	26.3	0.951	5%	07/30/13 Commuting some fast speeds87 no ethanol 3.609 gal @ 3.599= 12.99Odometer – 12005-11782=223/3.609=61.78Trip A-223.3 /3.609=61.87GPS-219.20 /3.609=60.73

Showing 1 to 10 of 71 entries





I don't come close to getting the best km/l on here either.

 

[werewasi]

quote:
Here's my last few fill ups converted to km/l. My last tanks had a lot of 120-136 km/h on them.

Tks turodiesel,
If you'd stuck this up on 26 Aug when you said 27kms per litre was easy, I'd have been absolutely convinced.

some observations:
-If the last few were fast trips, then it seems that the fig doesn't drop dramatically which is surprising. This seems to accord with my experience that when forced to go slower, the fig didn't improve much.
-I try and avoid Ethanol (which is a 10% mixture) thinking that if the fuel has a lower calorific value, then it has less energy and you can't get as far on it.
fill 67 probably wasn't large enough to draw any substantive conclusions.
Is there anyone else out there who is using ethanol.
Fill 62 13.66 litres. This is really cutting it fine, or have you got it down to knowing definitively the number of kms it will do on the flashing light.

I suspect that the figs will be a lot worse for a naked bike at over 110kph. Are you using a big screen?

thanks for doing the conversion to metric - i'll make up a spreadsheet myself and give you some more figs but do you want them in US galls ?

 

[MZ5]

All our fuel here is 'gasohol' (10% ethanol). There is NO straight gasoline at all. I commute most days on rural highways and interstate freeways. The highways I'm usually going 50 - 60 mph, and it's an indicated 72 mph I shoot for on the freeways. With the Honda large windscreen and American-market (meaning _large_ to our European friends) top case, I routinely get 75 statute miles per American gallon. If I let a tire get a bit low, this drops rather quickly. It also drops in a headwind. So, I run at factory-spec tire pressures of 36 psi front, 42 psi rear.

So, on my bike in the terrain you pictured, the trip would be cake, as far as fuel range.

Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing! I want to return to Australia one day, and this time visit the Outback and Western Australia.

 

[werewasi]

Are things different in Missouri because if you look at the notes on T/diesels chart, he has written 87 no ethanol or 91 no ethanol.
Your 75mpg equates to 90mpg per imperial gallon which is incredible and doesn't make my 84 look good. Reasons - I stopped at a BP where they have those small caps on the airline and you dial up the pressure on a console.(but you don't get an indication of the existing pressure in your tyre) The thing malfunctioned and dumped nearly all the air out of the tyre so I was never sure they that they were 36/42.
The absence of a screen seems to have a big impact but I was easy on the throttle because I knew that if I wasn't I might be walking.

Just remember to come here in the Aus late winter or early spring if you're planning outback stuff. We are barely out of winter and Birdsville has had 38C. We
had days of 34 out there and the Great Central road (not the Nullabor) heats up.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

quote:
Here's my last few fill ups converted to km/l. My last tanks had a lot of 120-136 km/h on them.

Tks turodiesel,
If you'd stuck this up on 26 Aug when you said 27kms per litre was easy, I'd have been absolutely convinced.

some observations:
-If the last few were fast trips, then it seems that the fig doesn't drop dramatically which is surprising. This seems to accord with my experience that when forced to go slower, the fig didn't improve much.
-I try and avoid Ethanol (which is a 10% mixture) thinking that if the fuel has a lower calorific value, then it has less energy and you can't get as far on it.
fill 67 probably wasn't large enough to draw any substantive conclusions.
Is there anyone else out there who is using ethanol.
Fill 62 13.66 litres. This is really cutting it fine, or have you got it down to knowing definitively the number of kms it will do on the flashing light.

I suspect that the figs will be a lot worse for a naked bike at over 110kph. Are you using a big screen?

thanks for doing the conversion to metric - i'll make up a spreadsheet myself and give you some more figs but do you want them in US galls ?

Are things different in Missouri because if you look at the notes on T/diesels chart, he has written 87 no ethanol or 91 no ethanol.
Your 75mpg equates to 90mpg per imperial gallon which is incredible and doesn't make my 84 look good. Reasons - I stopped at a BP where they have those small caps on the airline and you dial up the pressure on a console.(but you don't get an indication of the existing pressure in your tyre) The thing malfunctioned and dumped nearly all the air out of the tyre so I was never sure they that they were 36/42.
The absence of a screen seems to have a big impact but I was easy on the throttle because I knew that if I wasn't I might be walking.

Just remember to come here in the Aus late winter or early spring if you're planning outback stuff. We are barely out of winter and Birdsville has had 38C. We
had days of 34 out there and the Great Central road (not the Nullabor) heats up.

1- "Are you using a big screen?" Yes I have a 22'' Madstad and I think it helps my mpg's.
2- " but do you want them in US galls ?" Doesn't matter to me. I would suggest to join Fuelly. With Fuelly It does the work for you. It's very simple and it will do the conversions for you.
3- ''Are things different in Missouri because if you look at the notes on T/diesels chart, he has written 87 no ethanol or 91 no ethanol."
Where I live in Missouri, about the only non ethanol gas is premium. I also live very close to Oklahoma and Arkansas. I can get 87 octane in those states.(Without Ethanol)
By keeping track of the fuel, I can monitor my bike if any problems arise.
4- ''Your 75mpg equates to 90mpg per imperial gallon which is incredible and doesn't make my 84 look good.''
My fuel mileage is in US miles per gallon and it isn't as good as it should be. I mostly commute to work with very few long rides. If I got a chance to take a day trip taking easy,
I would get at least 75 miles per gallon.
My commute here lately has been fairly fast speeds. (70 to 90 mph) I know I should ride that fast, but I'm ready to be home after a 12-13hr shift and I'll take the hit on fuel mileage for more rest.

 

[MZ5]

Werewasi, fuel across the USA varies a bit according to EPA and state air quality regulations. So, in the portion of Arizona where I live (with moderate to severe air pollution, depending on season and weather), there is no non-ethanol fuel. In other parts of the state and other parts of the country, non-ethanol fuel is available.

84 vs 90 miles per Imperial gallon is about a 7% difference, so it's maybe not so huge as all that(?).

Thanks for the seasonal tip. It's been 50C here before, and it's above ~40C for 90 days or more every year, but I get tired of that, so would appreciate more moderate weather whilst on vacation!

 

[werewasi]

MZ5,
Since you've been here before, you may be aware of this already.
Quite often, since I've been to the US and done a multi state big ride I look at your weather temp maps and the temps can be reasonably uniform across the country.
Here it's definitely hotter as you travel north esp in winter, so that while it's great in Qland, it can be pitsy on the Nullabor. This makes putting a continental ride together
difficult. i.e great biking weather up here in the winter (tolerable??? in NSW and Vic) but going to Perth and the West could be like going round the Horn.
So you've got to craft together some itinerary if you want to do the outback that gets it over by Oct. but taps you in to reasonably warm weather in the south.
If you are thinking of doing something I'm willing to help with sourcing a bike, the loan of camping gear, and any info you may want regarding where to go.
The club I just rode with have a 2500km ride over 9 days in sept next year , going to Longreach via Blackall and Winton which is a 'tar' outback ride.
You're welcome to come and I think you'd enjoy it greatly.
However if you wanted to do a Birdsville style trip, then you need to look at a completely different bike from the NC (you might get away with a Strom) because without a lot of mods it wouldn't be suitable.
This is the sort of thing the boys use as out back transport



Despite the flaying I got for mentioning the inconvenience of under seat tank filling, I'm not sure this guy would want to have to get gear off to access the tank!!!!

 

[MZ5]

What great fun that must be! Thank you for the generous invitation, werewasi! I fear it will be a few years yet before I can return. One never knows, though!