Gas milage on the NC30

[KennonNC29]

it is quite annoying I've taken my lid off, switched the engine off and opened the filler cap to be told on the speakers to switch it off when it was very clearly off I was fully loaded with gear so getting off wasn't going to happen.

[speedy231278]

Well, technically it doesn't need filling up until it's run out...

But yes, I get where you are coming from and I very nearly ended up embarrassed because I'm too stubborn to take my lid off.

I always take my lid off, just easier IMO

I consider it discrimination. They wouldn't dare ask a muslim woman to remove her Burka or Niqab because they couldn't see all her face, would they? I am required by law to wear a lid, so I do. They are required by their religion to obscure their face from public, so they do too. Whether you see religion as being greater than the law or not is up to you. If the petrol station operatives want their little power trip because all they are fit for is to press a button to allow you to get some excessively expensive price fiddled petrol and ask if you want a VAT receipt, so be it. £20 less went to Texaco that day, and £20 more to Shell. The fact that that garage had also put the prices up because there was an air show next door to their filling station just makes it more satisfying that I went elsewhere and didn't get conned. It's not a piss in the ocean to either oilco, but I'm one of these miserable buggers who believes the customer is always right, not some price fixing monopoly who would be in court for market abuse if the world didn't revolve around fuel!

[Morespeedvicar]

Dont think i've ever taken my lid off in a pertol station.....Dont see why you'd have to either.....

[speedy231278]

It's so you can be clearly identified because obviously motorcyclists are seemingly persistent petrol thieves! They have your reg no from their camera anyway, so I fail to see what difference it makes, unless they are assuming you've stolen the bike too.

[bikemonkey]

I had never even thought of that, but I won't go into religion and law, I really cannot be arsed to go there....

[djcmx49]

Just a note on Petrol stations here in Ontario Canada, most have pay at the pump with credit card or Bank card so there is no need to ask attendant to activate pump. Most will still allow you to pump gas before paying with cash and I've never come across an attendant not willing to reset pump until you take off helmet ? It is most definitely discrimination if you ask me...

As for my latest tank fill, I went 182km before needed to switch to reserve, mostly Hwy riding, it took 12 litres to fill. Doing the math I get approx 42.5 mpg...Reasonable :)

[sil3nt]

140kms on my last tank

This is easily my worst mileage ever. Second tank commuting to my new job. This bike really does not like low speed commuting. Thankfully I am moving soon so I will be commuting on the open road for about 20km a day instead of 8km a day of city riding.


Also I think it is rude to not take your helmet off when paying for gas. And also silly to sit on the bike when filling up.

[speedy231278]

You'll get rubbish miles doing stop-start, although 140 seems incredibly poor. However, I guess the engine won't run at best economy until it is warm (?) and at 8km it's barely going to be at full temperature before you stop using it.

I consider it rude to require me to remove clothing in order to purchase something. I take my gloves off because it is a necessity. It is not necessary to remove my lid to draw fuel. If they want to accuse me of being a thief I will pay someone else's vastly inflated, monopolised, market abused prices instead. As for being silly to sit on the bike when filling up, why do think that is the case? If the tank is flat and level, I firmly believe it takes fuel more easily. I always put the sidestand down before doing so to avoid any embarrassing incidents caused by forgetting afterwards!

[AdrenalineJunky]

I got my bike off a guy who used it for trackdays once or twice a year, and to go to the MOT centre, then left it to sit in his garage the whole rest of the time. There's loads of solid petrol varnish crap around the top of the tank and presumably in the carbs too, because the idling is awful. Since it runs fine when on the move, and as I'm a lazy swine, I've never bothered to take the carbs off and clean them out.

BUT... I get a consistent 50 - 53 mpg on motorways/A-roads, and it never drops below 45ish mpg even when I go and cane it around the B-roads at 14,000 rpm. So I think the gummed-up/unsynchronised carbs might be playing a part in geting good mileage! I thought perhaps it has a blocked jet and is running lean, but it actually smells like it's a little rich, so I have no idea.

About the helmet/fuelling thing, I bought a flip-front lid before my first European tour (on a £400 Suzuki GS500, good times) and haven't gone back to full-face. It was really useful when trying out my terrible direction-asking technique on unfortunate French/German/Italian people. I really recommend these, and at the gas station just flip the front, never had a complaint or request to remove it. Yeah they're a bit noisier than full-face but I always use earplugs anyway so I don't think it's a problem.

[Neosophist]

I consider it rude to require me to remove clothing in order to purchase something. I take my gloves off because it is a necessity. It is not necessary to remove my lid to draw fuel. If they want to accuse me of being a thief I will pay someone else's vastly inflated, monopolised, market abused prices instead. As for being silly to sit on the bike when filling up, why do think that is the case? If the tank is flat and level, I firmly believe it takes fuel more easily. I always put the sidestand down before doing so to avoid any embarrassing incidents caused by forgetting afterwards!

This is quite ironic as you mentioned about people wearing a burqa, I think they are are stubbon as you as a lot of them refuse to remove it when asked to do so as it offends them to do so, the ones that refuse to remove it also throw out that discrimination word a lot.

You also mention the law requires you to wear a helment, which is does, while riding on public highways. I cant see a stipulation that is also must be worn for refulling.

The real reason a lot of petrol stations ask for the helmet to be removed is to see the face on the camera.

It is not so much for people stealing fuel as motorcyclists usually dont steal fuel very often, the bigger issue is armed robbery.

People trying to enter a garage wearing a crash helmet often fail as there is usually an emergency door lock button that staff can press for susupicious people. But if you look like your entering to pay for some fuel then you can go inside wearing a helmet and then armed rob the place.

Unfortuantly many garagers that have been hit by this will operate a blanket policy to remove helmets at all stations.

If you take offence personally I think your a bit daft. If its really such a great inconveniance then find a garage that will let you fuel with the helmet on and use that.

Most clerks are just follwing store policy so having a go at them or being a dick to them just makes bikers look bad and doesnt accomplish much. You could always write to the head office but until armed robbers wearing crash helmets dissapear i dont think it will change.

It's never bothered me as it isnt discrimination, im sure if I was wearing a ski mask id be asked to remove it. im not an armed robber but they dont know that.

Many places ask to pay first which is a pain in the arse too but its becuase of all the assholes that drive off without paying. I have to make two trips to the window now.

You can always use a pay at the pump machine which often you dont need to remove anything.

Back to the op.

I took the bike out yesterday and it was ridden rather enthusiastically. 135kms from full to reserve.