Casey learns what goes into managing a public works fleet

77.4 mpg

Including some faster stints during the long flat sections of Highway 41, we are returning some remarkable mileage from the little bikes. That's the average for mine thus far. That means during my new 6.1 mile low-speed commute to work I should be average well over 80 mpg. Nice.

Note the drastic change after the first bar in the graph. That's where I installed the new sprocket. This is my total graph for the month of July thus far, and it's nice. Look for more mileage info later in the week. In the meantime I will provide updates about what we and the Ninjas get up to in Chicago.

We made it!

Fowler, IN: wind farm in process off in the distance

A nice courthouse in the middle of nowhere in the rain

An oasis of neatness in the cornfields of Indiana. Rain is the story
of the moment.

BC powder, cold Mountain Dew and a little break

Day 2

After our planned stop for sleep got thwarted by a motorcycle rally,
kind of ironic I know, we finally found a hotel room in Princeton, IN
which back in the day it was probably cool. Here is Casey enjoying hit
double cheeseburger before we head out to finish the ride.

Evansville IN US-41

Casey ponders the trip while we wait on food

Somewhere in kentucky

Casey and I are on a pit stop to recharge. We are about 150 miles from
evansville, IN. So far the ride has been uneventful but fun. We are
seeing small town and roads that people don't normally travel. Right
now I would say that going this way is 100 times better then any
interstate. Out plan is to make it to Evansville then rest up and
finish the trip up sometime tomorrow. We will travel up via US-41.

1st stop Subway in Dunlap

All loaded up.

Casey is signing some papers for his home purchase and then we are
hitting the road.

Everything is ready to go.

Bikes are serviced, bags packed and ready to be strapped on. Now all we need is for Casey to close on his house and for 5:00pm to roll around so I can get out of work and we can get under way!

First full tank on the new sprocket

Riding around last night I felt the bike start to cough in its search for fuel. I realized that it was time to switch to reserve and find a gas station. I didn't think anything of it and just kept on riding. I pulled into the gas station and filled up. I went to take note of the mileage so I could enter it in at http://www.mileagetracker.org I then went to hit the trip reset when I saw 255 miles. I was confused for a second because that's the highest I had seen it when I was forced to go into the reserve. I looked back at the pump and saw 3.347 gallons of fuel pumped for a total of $13.16. So 255miles / 3.347 = 76.19 Miles Per Gallon!! I think we figured the route to be just around 650 miles. If Casey and I can keep that average up for the trip we will use 8.5 gallons of fuel each way.

Just to compare if we took the Miata we'd average about 28mpg which would be 23 gallons of fuel each way. The RX8 would probably keep us around 19mpg which comes out to 34 gallons of fuel.

Bikes*: 8.5 Gallons of fuel x 2 bikes = 17 Gallons Average cost of 4.10 a gallon = $69.7
Miata**: 23 Gallons of fuel Average cost of 4.30 a gallon = $98
RX8**: 34 Gallons of fuel Average cost of 4.30 a gallon = $146.2

*87 octane fuel
**RX8 and Miata must run at least 91 octane which is the cause of the higher average price

We have power!

Both bikes are wired for power to keep the gps going. It's amazing
what you can do with some zip ties.

2 more sleeps until we leave.

Countdown to launch.

Tank bag: Borrowing at lunch.
Sheepskin: Borrowing on Thursday night.
CamelBak: Check.
15-tooth front sprocket: Check.
Maintenance current: Check.
Gel-filled gloves: Not yet.
Breathable clothing: I have been advised of a sale at Kmart.

Epic ride: Nearly underway.

Mileage

Here, for your reference, is the miles per gallon graph for every mile I have ridden this bike since new to me. It includes near-redline blasts down the interstate, and putting back and forth to work in traffic. Not bad! We'll see what kind of difference the new sprocket makes.

Getting ready for the big ride.

Yesterday was the big day for motorcycle maintenance for me. I had called Rose Kawasaki early last week to see if they could take in the bike to do a few things to it, but they were pretty much booked up. I decided to go ahead and tackle everything myself.

With 2120 miles on the odometer I decided it was time to change the oil and finally install that 15-tooth front sprocket. I am happy to report that after the usual hours of cussing and hitting ratchets with mallets that it does not appear that I have broken anything! The oil is changed, the bike is riding fine, and the new sprocket is on.

I was a little disappointed with the new front sprocket as I don't think it goes quite far enough with its mission. I have seen a drop in RPMs of around 500-600 in my normal operating range which is all well and good, but I was hoping for something around 2 times that much. Top gear acceleration is off just a bit, but it's not very noticeable at all and the character of the bike is the same. 55 mph now equates to something like 6200 RPMs.

This week I need to borrow a tank bag and a sheep skin seat cover, get some gel grips or gel gloves, better sunglasses (shatterproof ones), mount up the GPS, and wire in 12-volt outlet into the auxiliary power wires inside the front fairing. It's all coming together!

This is a crazy week for me as Friday is the day we leave, and the day I close on the house I am buying, and the first day of early voting for the campaign I am managing. Stay tuned and see if we get it all done before time to roll out.

More about the Maintenance

The front tire I had installed has made my cornering feel more stable. I didn't realize that the tire was that bad since it didn't look that bad. I guess bike tires are a little more sensitive then car tires. I can't tell a difference in the braking from the new rear pads but I'm glad I know they aren't going to fail on me since they were getting close to metal on metal. The 15 tooth front sprocket has made the bike feel smoother. I can't really tell a difference in acceleration. I'm sure there is a slight loss in acceleration but the smoothness and lower RPMs while cruising is well worth the loss.

Readying for the trip...

I'm now up to about 1500 miles on the little Ninja. I like the bike's handling, find it a bit underpowered, and I'm enjoying the gas mileage. Basically it's exactly what I was expecting.

I've been tweaking with tire pressure a bit, and I've been pushing it a bit more in preparation for the big ride. I had it up to 10,500 RPMs in sixth gear yesterday, so I think we can consider the bike totally broken in. Time to do a little maintenance early and ensure all my gear is prepped.

I'm borrowing a tank bag from a friend to help with storage, and I bought a new backpack with a CamelBak holder about two weeks ago. I intend to pick up a sheepskin seat cover for comfort and a Laminar Lip for the windshield. The sprocket still needs to go on, and I'm looking for some summer gloves as well as gel grips, gel soles for my boots, and a CrampBuster for the throttle. It's all coming together slowly as I prioritize what I need and how much time/money I have to prepare.