Uffda! New Member In Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

[LeeInMpls]

Greetings!

I resurrected an '82 GL500 last summer. My neighbor put it in his garage when his 14 year old daughter was born and hadn't ridden it since then. She only has 7,500 miles on her. She started right up with a jump battery after I put Mystery Oil in the cylinders and cranked it with the plugs out and sat overnite.



I want to put a sidecar on it so my Akita Dog can ride with me and also so I can ride all winter. That has me looking for something to tour with. I thought of keeping my eye open for a GL650 but I've also been looking at other Hondas. Including the NC700/750X. The CX500forum.com has been extremely helpful with my GL500.

I've seen new 2016 CTX700s on sale in neighboring Wisconsin for under $4,000, which is less than used ones are going for on CL or Marketplace. Price is a big draw, even if they are discontinued.

Have also been researching PC800s (driveshaft) and Royal Enfields. One of the things that draws me to the NCX/CTX is the high MPG. My only wish is that the CTX/NCX had a driveshaft and not a chain.
A GL650 appeals to me too. My GL500 is pretty good for my needs so I measure everything against it.

I won't be buying until next year. I turn 66 in December and this is how I will celebrate. My daughter lives in Grayling Michigan and I'd like to take trips there riding through northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

So I am here to learn as much as possible.

Thanks,

Lee

Naked GL500 '82
Sondors Thin7 eBike

Past Bikes:
(I like "Clean" lookin' Road Bikes)

'77 Norton Commando
'82 Yamaha SX400SE
'72 Yamaha 250 DS7

Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
AJMC https://ajmc2019.wixsite.com/ajmc?fb...ySuekObykjQDLE
Cataract Lodge #2 MMCI #24

 

[davidc83]

Welcome and that is a nice GL500..

 

[670cc]

Welcome to the forum. We have a fairly friendly bunch here. I hope we can help out!

 

[anglachel]

Howdy from the other side of the river.

 

[LeeInMpls]

Thanks for the welcome everyone! Two questions:

Do the manual and DCT versions get equal MPG?
Where do I find the place to make my .sig?

Thanks again,
Lee

 

[670cc]

Thanks for the welcome everyone! Two questions:

Do the manual and DCT versions get equal MPG?
Where do I find the place to make my .sig?

Thanks again,
Lee

Nothing in the transmission designs inherently affects gas mileage. The DCT version does weigh a few pounds more, but the efficiency of power transfer through the transmissions is essentially the same. How you ride the bikes, meaning what you do with your throttle and brakes, will make more difference to the MPG than the transmission type.

Fuel economies seem to average anywhere from the 50s (MPG) to the 80s, depending on the various owners’ riding style.

The “edit signature” option is available if you select “settings” at the top of the page.

 

[LeeInMpls]

Nothing in the transmission designs inherently affects gas mileage. The DCT version does weigh a few pounds more, but the efficiency of power transfer through the transmissions is essentially the same. How you ride the bikes, meaning what you do with your throttle and brakes, will make more difference to the MPG than the transmission type.

Fuel economies seem to average anywhere from the 50s (MPG) to the 80s, depending on the various owners’ riding style.

The “edit signature” option is available if you select “settings” at the top of the page.

Thanks! Watching Youtube reviews, folks comment on the fact that the DCT shifts up the gears faster than you might choose manually and they sometimes say they think it is what helps keep the MPG high. What I have learned so far, I think I'd like to go with the DCT. One reason I am looking at midsized is because I want to keep MPG above 50.

 

[670cc]

Thanks! Watching Youtube reviews, folks comment on the fact that the DCT shifts up the gears faster than you might choose manually and they sometimes say they think it is what helps keep the MPG high. What I have learned so far, I think I'd like to go with the DCT. One reason I am looking at midsized is because I want to keep MPG above 50.

It’s probably impossible to ride the NC700X so aggressively that the mileage could even drop to 50 MPG. Averages across a large group, according to Fuelly, are around 65 MPG. Frugal riders can average around 80 MPG, but it takes a disciplined riding style to get there, which many riders have little desire to do.

Getting good fuel mileage from the NC is not so much just a perk; it’s more of a necessity because the the fuel tank capacity is puny at only 3.7 gallons. If you ride aggressively, or into a strong headwind and drive the gas mileage down too low, the range of the fuel tank becomes pathetically short.

Again, get a DCT or a manual because that’s what you want. Don’t focus on the transmission type when it comes to MPG; it really is a non-factor. I’m in the camp that gets above average mileage. I’ll bet I could ride a DCT more efficiently than most people ride a manual, and I could also ride a manual more efficiently than most people ride a DCT. Putting side bags and/or a large windscreen on the NC will make a big negative impact on the MPG. But mainly, how you ride is the key to efficiency.

 

[ld_rider]

I want to keep MPG above 50.

Say you ride 10,000 miles year (that is about twice the avg/year).

Bike A gets 45 mpg and Bike B gets 60 mpg

Yearly difference in fuel costs would only be about $160

If you want a middleweight shaft drive, 50mpg tourer check out a Honda NT700V. You can pick up a 2010-2011 w/ABS, saddle bags, fairing (all factory OEM) for about $2,500-$3,500. A nice little twin but a bit heavier than the NC and (obviously) an older design.

 

[LeeInMpls]

Say you ride 10,000 miles year (that is about twice the avg/year).

Bike A gets 45 mpg and Bike B gets 60 mpg

Yearly difference in fuel costs would only be about $160

That's at today's prices. When subsidies are removed, gasoline will go to over $15.00 a gallon. I guess, for me, it is more about Carbon Footprint than $$$s.
I'm looking at an electric or plug-in car next year for travel. The less I pay to the oil companies, the happier I am.

This is my e-Bike (I charge it with solar panels) I have studded snow tires on it now:

If you want a middleweight shaft drive, 50mpg tourer check out a Honda NT700V. You can pick up a 2010-2011 w/ABS, saddle bags, fairing (all factory OEM) for about $2,500-$3,500. A nice]

I like the looks of the NT700V better than the CTX700 or the NC750x. Thanks! I like everything about the NC750X except the styling. I guess part of the look is what bags you have on the bike. I am leaning toward one or a GL650 but I will research the NT700V too. Right now, the edge goes to the NCX for MPG and the DCT.

 

[ld_rider]

I guess, for me, it is more about Carbon Footprint than $$$s.

I'm pretty sure the only form of transportation with a higher carbon footprint than motorcycles would be travel by jet liner ;-)

 

[Dellaster]

I'm pretty sure the only form of transportation with a higher carbon footprint than motorcycles would be travel by jet liner ;-)

Hm, that might be a close one. But certainly motorcycles are greener than a rocket launch! Well, except Harleys I guess.

 

[anglachel]

Carbon footprint is all about MPG, and miles ridden, a gallon of gas contains a certain amount of carbon and burning it releases that much carbon as CO2 or CO or just plan C in the case of sooty messes.

So if you replace a car getting 30 mpg with an NC getting 60 mpg you'll cut the carbon footprint in half. BUT if you take the scenic route home on the bike, and it's twice the distance... then you are a net wash.

Motorcycles also take less materials to manufacture then cars so they have a lower carbon footprint than cars from a manufacturing perspective also.

I pointed both of these things out to a prius driver who complained about my motorcycle killing the environment, and that his ride (Which was getting low 50's for mpg) was actually had a much higher carbon footprint, no matter how aggressively I rode my bike... I was later able to smoke him out of a stop light too, just for good measure.

 

[anglachel]

I'm looking at an electric or plug-in car next year for travel. The less I pay to the oil companies, the happier I am.

We got a leaf back in 2017, and solar on the roof in 2018.

Seems like every spring drive electric mn posts the annual deal on the leaf (and only the leaf).

Last year I think it was $8k off, when we got ours in 2017 we got $10k off, add in the $7500 from the federal government and it's a pretty sweet deal... (even with the state charging an $85 extra charge for registration for EVs).

The leaf costs us about 3 cents a mile for electricity (from xcel, less from the solar panels), and if we got off peak power we could bring that down to less than a cent.
The NC costs about 4 cents a mile in gas... and then there are oil changes, and tires, etc.

Leaf is clearly cheaper, but Here is the kicker, the NC produces 0.09lbs of carbon per mile (based on 60mpg), whereas based on Xcel electricity the leaf produces .26 lbs of carbon per mile (based on 1.041 lbs per kwh (number from xcel) and 4 miles/kwh. (4 miles per kwh is pretty high, it drops to 2 in the winter)).

NC has a lower carbon footprint than the Leaf (per mile traveled.) (ignoring our solar panels)

 

[LeeInMpls]

I'm pretty sure the only form of transportation with a higher carbon footprint than motorcycles would be travel by jet liner ;-)

I suppose, if your motorcycle is powered by a 2cycle lawnmower engine.

 

[LeeInMpls]

Hm, that might be a close one. But certainly motorcycles are greener than a rocket launch! Well, except Harleys I guess.

View attachment 39403

If we are looking at hydrogen propellant and oxygen oxidizer, depends on how your oxygen and hydrogen are manufactured. If you are using electrolysis of water using wind and solar power, the footprint is small. Because I am a potter and fire a natural gas kiln, I have looked into hydrogen as a fuel. Currently, hydrogen is created from natural gas. It is predicted that windpower can potentially generate 16 times more electricity than we can use. The excess could be stored as hydrogen. We need a hydrogen infrastructure.

 

[ld_rider]

I suppose, if your motorcycle is powered by a 2cycle lawnmower engine.

I only wish :-(

The following is from the EPA and applies to all Tier 2 compliant motorcycles which include those manufactured and sold in the US after 2010 (currently, Tier 2 is the most stringent EPA requirement).


Are motorcycles a less-polluting alternative to cars and SUVs?

In fact, motorcycles produce more harmful emissions per mile than a car, or even a large SUV. The current federal motorcycle standard for hydrocarbon emissions is about 90 times the hydrocarbon standard for today’s passenger cars. Although many of today’s motorcycles will actually meet the current California standards, the California hydrocarbon standard is still 18 to 24 times the current federal passenger car limit, depending on the displacement of the motorcycle engine.

https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/P10001R9.PDF?Dockey=P10001R9.PDF


The requirements to achieve Tier 2 motorcycle compliance include CO emissions under 12 grams per kilometer. A motorcycle with 50,000 miles (84,000 km) is allowed per the EPA to have emitted a bit over 2,200 lbs of CO into the atmosphere. A large SUV per the EPA would be allowed a maximum of 4.4 grams/mile, or 485 lbs of CO. Considerably less.

Not to mention that the SUV is still on the original tires/brakes/etc and the motorcycle has had all those replaced several time over..all of which contribute to the carbon footprint of the motorcycle as being one of the highest in the transportation industry.

Sooooo suggesting that riding a motorcycle somehow is "greener" and has less of a "carbon footprint" compared to say, an SUV is simply not supported by the facts. If you were to include the carbon footprint of the manufacturing of motorcycles (done mostly overseas in areas with little regard to the environment), and the carbon footprint of their entire life cycle they still come up short compared to light duty trucks and cars. In addition, most everyone (at least in North America) with a motorcycle also has to own a car, so now they have two vehicles and have increased their household carbon footprint even more ;-)

Many areas of the world have no meaningful emission standards enforcement and allow motorcycles to pollute basically as much as they want. Those same areas have enormous small displacement motorcycle populations and are gross polluters of our atmosphere. It is not a coincidence that those areas also cater to manufacturing/disposing of motorcycles with little regard to environmental concerns.

All this has given me a headache....I wonder if my boss would let me park a docile burro in front of the office ;-)

Current motorcycle EPA emissions regulations: https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P100O9ZX.pdf

 

[ld_rider]

So if you replace a car getting 30 mpg with an NC getting 60 mpg you'll cut the carbon footprint in half.

I'm pretty sure emissions has nothing to do with a vehicle's mileage. Whether a vehicle gets 1,000 miles/gallon or 1 mile a gallon is moot when it comes to exhaust emissions. Makes no difference in the calculus.

What matters is the grams of pollutants per kilometer (in the case of motorcycles) or the grams of pollutants per mile (in the case of light trucks and cars).

 

[LeeInMpls]

I'm pretty sure emissions has nothing to do with a vehicle's mileage. Whether a vehicle gets 1,000 miles/gallon or 1 mile a gallon is moot when it comes to exhaust emissions. Makes no difference in the calculus.

What matters is the grams of pollutants per kilometer (in the case of motorcycles) or the grams of pollutants per mile (in the case of light trucks and cars).

So, we will probably see gasoline motorcycles banned before SUVs? I think the original comparison is that a more efficient motorcycle uses less than gasoline than less efficient motorcycle.

Electric and hydrogen fuel cell will probably be the main replacement. For those of us who need the *Blub-Blub-Blub*, hydrogen could be the answer. Hopefully, antique bikes will be grandfathered in.

P.S. Motorcycles do have a smaller carbon footprint, but because their combustion is more efficient, they produce more smog producing by products. Fuel injection and catylitic converters, such as found on the NC help reduce these. The Chinese import off road vehicles are the worst offenders:

Motorcycles and emissions: The surprising facts - Los Angeles Times

 

[ld_rider]

P.S. Motorcycles do have a smaller carbon footprint, but because their combustion is more efficient, they produce more smog producing by products.

I think I got it now: Higher combustion efficiency results in more pollutants and thus creates a smaller carbon footprint.

Makes perfect sense <slaps forehead>...

BTW, that old GL500 of yours pollutes as much as about 14 large SUVs..that each need a tuneup.

;-)