75 mpg on new pcx normal?

[DeaninMilwaukee]

Just curious if the 75mpg I got on my first two tanks on my new 2013 is normal or not as I was expecting better.

I know that the cold weather ( always under 45 degrees down to 20 ) since I bought it hasn't helped, and my commute of 7 miles each way has about 5 of that at 60 mph on the interstate which must also hurt, plus the bike isn't yet broken in.

Still, is 75 a reasonable number?

Dean

[dasshreddar]

That seems a little low... but give it some time to break in/ first oil change.?
Are you a big guy? I don't think I've ever gotten more than 90 ish mpg with or without mods... but I'm big and have little to no aero

[DeaninMilwaukee]

Not too big, 5'9" and under 200lbs. I do have a tall windshield, but I don't think its too big a deal as my top speed was exactly the same without it.

I am hoping it just needs some break in, I was really hoping to make at least 90 mpg average on my work commute.

[homie]

For those of you breaking in 2015's you will see some silly high mpg in the first 300 miles then it will settle back to the mid/high 90's. I saw 114 mpg with a PCX150 at one point during (break in) and thought I had died and gone to heaven. It didn't make much sense to me as I assume it would be worse mpg and then gradually get better as piston rings burn in... but that wasn't my experience.

[iceman]

I'm approx 81kg's and 6ft. I only use the 2015 125 pcx for commuting and max out at 40, although most is up to 30 due to road limitations. I got 141mpg (!) at first but it's now gone down to 130mpg average - still great and a little worse due to the cold and change in fuel composition for winter (all distributors do this).
As Homie mentions, often you get higher mpg to start than when the bike is broken in - I wonder why that is? Homie - do you know why? Thought it would get better and even out rather than start at the best it will ever be. That said, never thought I would get near to let alone better mpg than Honda claimed.

[you you]

I'm approx 81kg's and 6ft. I only use the 2015 125 pcx for commuting and max out at 40, although most is up to 30 due to road limitations. I got 141mpg (!) at first but it's now gone down to 130mpg average - still great and a little worse due to the cold and change in fuel composition for winter (all distributors do this).
As Homie mentions, often you get higher mpg to start than when the bike is broken in - I wonder why that is? Homie - do you know why? Thought it would get better and even out rather than start at the best it will ever be. That said, never thought I would get near to let alone better mpg than Honda claimed.

It's generall better during break in as you are easier with the throttle

[SECoda]

Seems low. I think the 60 mph might be doing it plus it's brand new. It drops pretty quickly at high speeds I have noticed. I don't think I had my 2013 above about 50 the first 300 miles.

[iceman]

Never been that hard on the throttle, although true I was a little easier on it to start with but then someome posted that being to light to pull away, too often, is bad for the clutch.
I forgot to change to UK/mpg in the prior Fuelly badge, hence 112 average was wrong!

[kcpcx]

Seems low...

One thing I have noticed is that a scooter with a tiny engine (150) pushing itself and a person is very sensitive to riding style when you're concerned with max MPG. If I run flat out at top or near top speed for a while, MPG goes way down. Cruising around at 40 mph, great MPG. Tons of stop and go red light to red light, MPG drops. But mostly from what I've seen, the biggest killer of fuel economy is running high speed.


Sweet spot seems to be 40-50 range for max mileage. Higher than 50, you're pushing more and more air and revving pretty high, relatively, to do it. It's pretty amazing, when you think of it, that one tiny piston in a cylinder displacing only 150cc can push you and the scooter down the road as fast as it does.

My dad has a PCX as well, and he's pretty hardcore, riding in all kinds of temp, weather, and roads. He has other full size bikes too, but gets a kick out of buzzing around on the PCX. He tells me his mileage goes way down if he's running flat out for very long, as well. High 70's mpg when run hard, 90 or a tad better if run real easy.

You'll get less mileage on ethanol fuel than ethanol free fuel. Also, a lot of locales change fuel blend for better emissions in winter and I think that might have a small negative effect.

[DeaninMilwaukee]

Seems low...


You'll get less mileage on ethanol fuel than ethanol free fuel. Also, a lot of locales change fuel blend for better emissions in winter and I think that might have a small negative effect.

Doh! Forgot about the winter gas, we do have that here. One more thing to bring mpg down. On the bright side, gas was only $1.99 when I tanked it up last night, Jan. 2nd.

I doubt I'm going to get to ride again before spring, snow came last night, will probably be there till spring.

[gn2]

I take it the 75mpg is US gallons?
Sounds about right if you are mostly using it at speeds above 55mph.

[Alibally]

75mph is about 90 imperial so it's probably about right as Gn2 says.
Are you on full throttle most of the time?

[DeaninMilwaukee]

Not full throttle, but probably not far off. Wide open would get me going fast enough for a ticket, 65 plus. The bike has some reserve left at 60 mph, but not a lot.

I guess maybe this isn't too far off what I can expect using it the way I do, but its still a lot better than the 30 mpg my car gets doing the same commute, and every mile the pcx goes is that much less the car has to. Since it works out that I can use the scooter for about 1/2 my yearly work commuting trips, the car should last years longer.

Perhaps next spring I will try out a tankful going the city street route I had been using on my 2003 vino 50 2 stroke. Max speed limit of 35 going that route and I could often make it to work without stopping. The vino would often get mileage in the low 90's after I put dr. pulley sliders into it. I would think the pcx should easily beat the vino in this environment.

[scisor34]

Don't forget to check your tire pressure often, it has a big impact on mpg.

[Alibally]

Once it's got a few thousand miles on it it might get a bit better, but probably not by much.

[djcat]

The worst mpg I ever got was on a cold day going from London to Reading on the M4 motorway. I had my wife in the back and I rode my 125cc around 28 miles flat out at PCX top speed. The scooter was new with just over 1000 miles on it at the time and I got 85 imperial mpg out of it - thats around 70 US.

Now I use it mostly around town or the two up weekend trip to the lake to feed the ducks with the missus and I get an average of 119 imperial mpg. I always yank the throttle open on a green light to get away from the tin boxes but settle at the speed limit (usually 30 or 40 mph) and keep it steady. I ride forward planning and smooth throughout when it comes to braking, cornering, overtaking etc and I keep it fluid. That does make quite a difference in comparison to someone who has to brake harshly to power on in sequence just to get up to normal speed again.

[cessna151]

Completely normal. Check out my fuelly. Every tank that was below 70mpg was mostly 60mph riding. My trend right now is 77mpg.

[DeaninMilwaukee]

I guess I'm going to have to accept mpg in the 70's then. Part of the reason I bought the pcx to replace the 40 mph vino was the time saved on my commute by being able to use the hwy.

Hwy use cuts my travel time in half, saving about 20 minutes a day compared to the street route. It's nice to save fuel, but my time has value too, and this will save me around 25 hours of commuting time yearly.

Dean

[sendler2112]

Do you wear a baggy jacket that is filling up like a parachute? What kind of top speed do you get on the level?

[Valiant]

I guess I'm going to have to accept mpg in the 70's then. Part of the reason I bought the pcx to replace the 40 mph vino was the time saved on my commute by being able to use the hwy.

Hwy use cuts my travel time in half, saving about 20 minutes a day compared to the street route. It's nice to save fuel, but my time has value too, and this will save me around 25 hours of commuting time yearly.

Dean

Is this 75 mpg indicated on the meter?

I know there's been some back and forth on the subject of imperial gallon and what not, but my gas usage seems to be pretty damned close to the indicated 90 mpg, which was higher during break-in.

I weigh about 200 lbs without my gear, and my gear is fairly bulky:


I also have saddlebags and a top box:


My riding is largely done on the freeway with a speed limit of 50, though people regularly go up to 70. My general speed is about 65 mph at WOT.

If you think it'll help, you could also try to find a gas station nearby that sells 100% gasoline(it's what I use).

Another thing that others might not be crazy on is to try and change over to an aftermarket variator with longer gearing. The idea being that you can run the same speeds but with lower rpms, taking some strain off your engine and giving you some fuel economy. You might also just drive on the slow lane and ease off the throttle a bit.