Top tips to maximise fuel efficiency of your sports bike

Introduction

Sports bike are usually the coolest looking ones. The full fairing, the aggressive riding stance and the performance – all these aspects make the bike look aspirational, and that’s why most of the young India wants one. But once you have it, maintaining it is a difficult proposition for various reasons. However, the most important aspect is its running costs – the fuel. While you will need to spend a couple of thousand rupees each month on fuel, there are a few ways to reduce the fuel bill. We tell you some here.  

Traffic lights The reason this one made to the top is because most of us tend to keep the bike switched on at all traffic lights or even at traffic junctions for that matter. This happens number of times every day, and we tend to waste a lot of precious fuel. So the best option is to turn off the ignition and wait for the traffic to move or the signal to turn green.  

Riding habits Sportsbike are meant to go fast. But it makes sense to use its potential on a racetrack and not on public roads. If you feel like riding fast on public roads, you should avoid for 2 simple reasons. Firstly, it isn’t safe. And secondly, the faster you ride, the more fuel the bike will consume. That means the overall fuel efficiency would go down. Plus, due to crazy city traffic, your average speed will come down, even if you ride fast. So the best idea is to ride easy. Change the gear at the appropriate rpm and save fuel.   

Don’t ride the brake It takes a while to get used to the sportsbike riding position. It’s aggressive. Due to the low handlebar and rear footpegs position, you tend to put a lot of stress on the wrist. In fact, a lot of us tend to ride the rear brake unknowingly and that’s not a good idea. Firstly, the brake pads won’t last long, and secondly, due to the braking, you will need to accelerate more to get the right performance. As a result, the bike will use more fuel, and that means, you will spend some more money.  

Maintain the right tyre pressure Make a habit of checking the tyre pressure every time you go for a fill-up. Most of us tend to ignore the tyres, but it’s one of the most important components of the motorcycle. A bike that runs on tyres with less pressure tend to be less fuel efficient. Low air pressure increases the contact patch of the tyres and that means, the engine needs to work harder to get the required momentum. This process leads to decreased mileage. Also, never over inflate the tyres. If you do that, the overall ride quality will be bouncy.    

Regular maintenance Most of us get the bikes serviced at regular interviews, say once in three or six months. But there are a few maintenance activities that should be done on a regular basis. For example, lubing the chain with the right chain lube. It’s a good habit to do this once every 500kms. Most of the cruiser motorcycles doesn’t come with chain guard, so these bikes require regular chain cleaning and lubing.