Went for a ride today . . .

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Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

OK, it's winter up North and there was over 40 inches of snow dumped on the North central USA, shutting down the major airports. The blizzard conditions were so bad up there today the TV news mentioned they even parked the snow plows!! I used to live in CT and PA for 58 years, so I know exactly how truly miserable that weather is. You park your bike sometimes for 3 months or longer. Too much snowing, too damn cold, usually both. Down here in North central Georgia (USA) it was 46.8F (8.2C) on the OBC when I left 3:40PM for the bank in Gainesville just over 8 miles (12.9km) away. That peak temperature is 10 degrees below the normal Hi/Low for December 11, listed as 56F/37F (13.3C/2.8C) in the newspaper. I had my silky nylon fluffy polyester filled ski pants, heavily insulated ski gloves and Widder electric vest on underneath the zipped in liner fabric jacket. It was warm and toasty under the vest but my eyes were tearing from the cold air blast giving me a nasal drip sniffle like some cokehead. The MPG numbers on the display were pretty low (39--48) for the first 3 or 4 miles, compared to the +10 to +15 higher numbers last summer at the same checkpoints. One thing I did notice after the bike warmed up a few miles later is how crisp and FAT the power/torque available is with the slightest twist of the throttle. The cold dry air really makes a positive difference I can feel. Steady state cruise has the flawless, perfectly even sound quality of a $12,000 instrument. The reason I seem to keep mentioning that characteristic is because it is so noticeable and rewarding when riding the bike, especially in cold weather. On/Off the throttle or just a tiny increase/decrease of it modulates the power and the sound with such great precision that I have trouble believing it also routinely returns 62 to 67 MPG (riding easy) in the summertime. Flawless throttle response AND phenomenal fuel economy almost always NEVER go together.

Taking off from traffic lights and wacking on a short burst of full throttle it certainly feels like more than enough power to satisfy any experienced biker. There's no need to use a lot of RPM's to get a lot out of it. 6K on the tach is plenty enough to put away any car. The cold winter air makes the whole power/smoothness/sound thing even more pronounced. The bike's protective bodywork removes most of the cold air blast that the OilHead 50R let hit me uninterrupted.

When I got back home with only 17.6 miles on the tripmeter the MPG average decreased from the 211 mile average of 64 MPG when I left to 63 MPG now. The next tank of gas will get Stabil added, as I seem to only be getting out about 2x/week and the rides are shorter. The Battery Tender Plus is still partnered with my truck (hood opened), so it made the decision to take the bike even easier. Even with clouds, no sunshine and hostile cold winter air, I'm really glad I did.

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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

Actually, 2 different days where the temps got into the mid 50's on Tuesday and mid 40's degF just today. Running errands both times again, but today the one way 9.1 mile trip became 27.3 mile round trip when I took the long way home. That doesn't sound like much of a ride, but the time I had allotted ran out and it meant she would be worried about me returning too late (no cell phone).

On one of the take-offs I nailed it WFO in 1st gear to 7 thousand or so and was really impressed with how fast it accelerates. I sure don't need any more power than that! Not a peaky power curve for just 800cc's. There's a lot of yank in the handlebars even at 4K. The full throttle intake roar is really loud for an all stock BMW, especially at the upper end of the tach face.

On my return trip going uphill in 6th gear @ 3,500 RPM I thought about the heavy snowstorms now burying the northern parts of the USA. While they're likely somewhere freezing cold on the inside looking out, I was listening to the sweet 4-stroke engine melody, really enjoying the 2 wheel magic.

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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by takemeaway »

Hi CycleRob!

So glad that you were able to get out on that beautiful bike and have some fun. I agree with you when looking at the weather in the NE and the snow they are getting. Yes, that record breaking low of 14F a couple weeks ago was bad. But only a couple days out of the riding season here. :) I was able to get out last weekend, and yesterday on a spur of the moment jaunt.

Keep enjoying! :)

-Lori
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

Actually it was Dec 31st, the last day of the year. Temps were 59F +/- 2 degrees (15 +/-1.1C) from 2pm when I left until about 5:30 when I got back. It's nice having that temp indicated on the bike's LCD screen. I had them in the Givi tail trunk, but I didn't need the puffy polyester filled ski overpants. The sky was all light blue and I was enjoying it even more because the next day had a 90% chance of heavy rain.

My destination was a gun store 44 miles away that radio advertised it was selling ALL it's inventory at dealer cost, to avoid paying taxes on it. When I got to the GPS guided address, the 50 car parking lot was overfilled. I parked the bike in an unusable corner wedge. Man, was it crowded inside the store! They were out of the Walther P22 pistol I previously decided on, but I bought 2 boxes (100) hollow point ammo for the future. It was so cheap I should have gotten 6 boxes. I put the bag in the tail trunk then called my wife Ann to chat and let her know I was on my way back. I ended up taking the really l-o-n-g way home, twice blasting off at full throttle for 1st and 2nd gear. Any more than that and I'm going WAY over the speed limit. Wow does it run great in the cold weather, even on Texaco regular (10% Ethanol) gasoline. There still is NO pinging! Another time I used 6,000 revs at small throttle openings just to hear it sing and marvel at the smooth running and lively acceleration. The majority of the time I was just putt'n along in 6th with the traffic ahead of me. The tripmeter said 116.7 miles (187.8km) and the average MPG (reset at the start) said 67 just before I turned the key off at home. That's right Boxer fans, sixty seven miles per gallon! A number the Gold 1150R could never attain and one I now see frequently on the F800ST. The OBC's average MPG always closely matches the calculated MPG at fill up time. All it takes to get that great fuel mileage is keep it near the 55MPH speed limit (under 60), stay in 6th gear and go easy on the throttle most of the time. It wasn't full when I took off and it wasn't empty when I got home. From what I've been reading, it's fantastic fuel economy will soon be an important asset in our gray economic future ahead. It sure was nice to ride again, on a bike that does exactly what I want it to do, while making the ordinary a pleasant experience. Sweet.

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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

Another cold ride today! This time it was 3:40 pm and 43F (6.1C) at the start. I was pretty determined to ride to the firing range (totally free for GA residents over 65 :smt023 ) 37 GPS routed miles (59.5 km) away to shoot my new Walther P22. As soon as I got up to speed about a mile away I thought about the ride home that absolutely would be just a few degrees above freezing! The dry, very cold air circulating around my upper cheeks at the start made my eyes tear up and run. The air blast on the exposed skin inside the full coverage Shoei helmet felt like the beginnings of frostbite. I knew right away this first 2 minutes is as warm as it will get and I would not be able to tolerate almost 2 hours total riding in an environment several degrees colder!! Within that first mile I changed my plans to instead not waste a trip and get a big box of Federal hollow point ammo (550 rounds) from the local WalMart. After that warm-up inside the store with my full winter riding gear on, I felt good enough to take an adventure ride long enough to "feed the need" and fully charge the bike's battery. I ended up going much farther than I thought I could.

Doing another 6,000 RPM quarter throttle take off I recalled how much different it is from my long gone OilHead Boxer's power curve. The Boxer engine makes good power then gradually tapers off with a fixed quarter throttle feeding it to the 6K shift point. The F800, with it's lighter curb weight, lighter wheels and very light engine flywheels starts at the same thrust level but it does not taper off as the revs hit the 6K shift point. I credit the 12:1 compression ratio, the DOHC head, the flawless/aggressive BMS-K engine management and the throttle body diameter for it's 798cc's.
Image Image

Riding in the cold weather is made much better by my Widder heated vest and the BMW heated grips. The vest was actually hot! To avoid the cold air cruise blast I have my toes wrapped around the footpegs, knees against the "tank" and sitting rearward to enable a steeper forward lean. The windscreen and bodywork does the rest to divert the wind and minimize the body heat loss. On a side note, there were a few rare sandy patches on the roads, left-over from the road crew's treatment applied for the freezing rain we had 2 weeks ago. That and the very cold blacktop surface chilled from sequential below freezing nights kept me at a very legal pace. Even with all those buzzkills, the F800's engine, transmission and it's smooth precision made the frigid, eye tearing, nose running 34.7 mile (55.8 km) ride a good decision. I was home at 5:20 pm, just before dark.

Edit: to change older text link to thumbnails at a much better new pic provider.
Last edited by CycleRob on Fri Jul 19, 2019 2:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

I had a destination ride today after 3PM. It was bright sun, blue sky and 64F--68F (17.8C--20.0 C) for most of the 2+ hour total time of the 55 mile round trip commute and shooting session at the state rifle range 27.5 miles away. It was so nice I was just over 16 miles out (25.7km) before I realized the heated grips were turned off.

Once there, the shooting stall seats were about 80% occupied, surprising, considering the long 2 week stretch of a 6" snowstorm, near freezing rain and 10+ degreesF below normal temps. It was even more fun than the my last shooting spree. The coldest temp on the bike's display was 64.7F. The electric vest was in the tail trunk on the way up, but I wore it on the way back. Totally toasty. I like being warm.

FYI, I gassed up the F800 after 30+ miles on the low fuel light and it took $9.73 of $2.999/Gal Chevron Regular. That's 3.244Gallons for the trip meter displayed 190.4 miles, a calculated 58.69MPG. The OBC Avg MPG said 60. That's pretty good considering the wide variety of riding speeds, 4 or 5 very cold weather trips of 18--24 miles that I remember resetting the tripmeter, several short 1.5 minute warm-ups and idling in traffic during those miles.

When I bought this bike, I never thought 58 MPG would be the lowest value it would ever attain, on Chevron Regular grade gasoline, without any pinging! Really high MPG's might not mean all that much to most M/C riders, but it sure has put a bright light on our getting dimmer, scary oil future, when everything thirsty is parked for some other form of transportation. My Rotax powered bike is a hell of a nice scoot too.
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

Riding again today! It was 76.4 miles in 41--44degF weather. The cold engine start revs up to 2K for 1 second then settles down to a rock steady 1,100 RPM idle, the deep, big engine exhaust note signaling a labor against the cold engine oil. Leaving at 3:14 pm seemed like a late start . . . and after getting back at dusk 6:30 pm. . . . it was. Right after I left, within the first mile, I was ready to turn around and go back! There is still some unmelted snow from yesterday's 3/4 inch overnight storm. It was cold and damp (44F) and the very cold wind on my cheeks (under the helmet!) felt hostile. My ride was to the Northern Tool store for a sale item I needed - - "shooters" muff style hearing protectors. Yeah, don't need much of an excuse to take a ~30 mile 1-way ride. The GPS laid out the route but very heavy traffic made the arrival time 18 minutes later than it predicted at the start. In spite of all those buzzkills, I was able to enjoy the simple pleasure of riding a very obedient, pleasant sounding M/C that shielded me from most of winter's ugliness.

There I am laying it into a few (clean) familiar corners and enjoying the much improved handling after pumping up the tires. They dropped down over time to 34 Front 36 Rear and the handling was sluggish. I knew the tire pressures were the cause of the sluggishness, but forgetfully put off inflating them many times because of either my irrational time constraint or the hassle of uncoiling the air hose, opening the tank valve and all that bending down to add/check/add more air pressure. TP checks are down on the list but apparently too deep in the back of my mind. I put in 39F, 42R. What a diff it made in the handling. Very lively cornering and an effortless, silent road cruise. No tire noises from the still new Metzeler Z6 Interact tires. In line with the lethargic traffic, I'm shifting up without the clutch (WOTC) at 2,800 RPM and down WOTC at 2,500 RPM. Very easy to do smoothly while the big LCD gear indicator tells you where you are. What a great addition that big LCD gear indicator is to a street bike. The F800 engine's very lightweight flywheel mass and the immediate response the fuel injection provides makes shifting WOTC easy.

On the return trip home, toward the end of the trip the sky got dim and the clouds were dark. Very dark. Those were snow clouds and I was in no mood to get stuck in them. I was going 10--15MPH over the speed limit and that's risky business. Made it home 6:30 pm OK, it did not snow or rain but I was chilled and really ready for a good hot meal.

A few minutes ago I checked the weather at my Washington NJ shop and it is FIVE DEGREES F there (-15C)!! and 11F (-11.7C) in Chicago where Steve is. They definitely did NOT ride today, but I did, and it was a long ride (for winter) for the flimsiest of excuses. :-"
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

I'm out again today for a 67.4 mile (108.5km) ride, while the NorthEast and North Central USA are waiting for up to 2 FEET of snow to melt with temps just a few degrees above freezing. At my southern USA North Georgia location, it's another blue sky sunny day perfect for a M/C ride. The temp varied from 62--54degF (16.7--12.2degC), getting colder as the sun set. I ran it on the low fuel light until my brand of fuel station appeared and the display said 12 miles of fuel remaining. It ran perfectly normal, unlike the stalling and cutoffs that occurred when the ambient temp went into the upper 90'sF (>36.5C).

About that fuel up . . . I brought along the 2 gallon red plastic fuel jug that was emptied into the bike 4 days ago in my driveway. I occasionally do that because it saves me the hassle and time wasted finding/using a Chevron/Texaco station when I have just a few hours free time to ride and the bike will need gas to complete the roundtrip ride. Like going to the outdoor shooting range. When I gassed up the bike + 2.00 gallons in the jug it totaled 5.617 Gallons for the tripmeter's 350.0 miles. That calculates to 62.3MPG for normal Wintertime riding. The bike's OBC display read 64MPG. I then reset the OBC's Avg MPG reading to zero at the pump and made a nice easy-does-it under 60 MPH ride home. When I got home 34.7 miles later, the Avg MPG display read 71. Even if it is optimistic by 5%, that is phenomenal fuel economy on Chevron Regular!!

There are riders purchasing 250cc and single cylinder dual purpose bikes (KLR-650) just to get that kind of fuel economy -BUT- they get unimpressive performance, annoying engine vibration, mediocre handling and weaker braking. Their only big advantage is those smaller bikes are a lot cheaper. Now you have an excellent alternative 2 wheel choice for your M/C hobby to survive the $5--$8/Gallon gasoline. I'm ready.
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

What a day. The digital weather station max temp readout said 75.9F peak for today (24.4C). When I finally rode away for my ride to nowhere at 5:22pm (the bike's digital clock creates that clear memory) it was 69.7F (20.9C) on the OBC as I went down my driveway. The plan was to take a ride and wind up not being late for supper about 6:45. I went NW then E then SE and so on to complete what turned out to be a 64.7 mile circle on the map (104.1km). The GPS makes it easy when you choose previous destinations that are way beyond the compass direction you want to go. Since I've only lived here 4+ years, it was fun going on roads and taking them until they come out in a very familiar place. I found alternate routes that will now become routine, even though they are the long way around. Throughout all this, the bike underneath me added to the whole experience with that pleasantly perfect purr it makes and that flawless throttle response you may by now be tired of reading about. Even engine braking downshifts are pretty cool sounding. The belt final drive, besides having zero backlash under on/off/on throttle applications, it is totally silent. All I hear, going from loudest to quietest, is the exhaust, the wind and the barely audible tires. At some minimal throttle settings, the wind is louder, but not often. I spend a lot of quick moments observing the instantaneous MPG reading and how it quickly correlates to the road speed, engine RPM, elevation change (throttle load), headwind/tailwind and engine temperature . . . mostly the very low 40's and low 50's MPG readings of a cold engine the first 2 miles. There's another MPG reading, the average MPG, which continually recalculates the average between the times it is reset by the rider. Also displayed is the temp (F), average speed (between rider resets) and miles to empty. The miles to empty changes its rate of change with the way the throttle and RPM's are used or abused. The lowest I've run it down was to 12 miles remaining and I was surprised it took 3.8 gallons.

There's always enough going on that it's never a boring experience, taking another ride . . . . to nowhere. The best part, according to the average MPG reading after 134 miles at the start today that increased from 66 to 68, I did not even use 1 gallon of gasoline!! That makes me smile. :smt045
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by OU812 »

I am moving to GA when I retire, or sooner if possible. :evil:
Look for job posting "Water Plant Operator needed". [-o<
And enough about your MPG! :lol:
RIDE TOO PRETEND, PRETEND TOO RIDE. :)
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

Actually yesterday and the days preceding. I remember resetting 18--93 mile round trips with multiple errand type destinations. In the wake of yesterday's cold front the temp barely got over 59F (15C). As usual, the engine ran with it's flawless throttle response from very tiny throttle openings . . . . just flowing along with the 4 wheeler traffic.

Steve, you may not want to hear about the good MPG numbers, but the way things are now and how bad they most definitely will get with our no drilling, almost 70% import oil policy, it soon will be a very big deal to everybody. I can routinely get equal/better fuel economy than 450/650 cc single cylinder bikes that have NONE of the ST's power/speed/handling/braking or heated grips, belt drive and centerstand. :smt007 The instantaneous MPG readout varies between 82---94 MPG on the level and near level at a lazy 2,300 RPM in 6th gear. Go faster and those numbers drop quickly. Drafting 6 bike lengths behind an 18 wheeler going 70 MPH on the level, that same MPG readout says 70 +/-2. My last cumulative fuel adds for 581.3 miles used 9.061 gallons total (from fuel cans in my garage) for a calculated 64.15 MPG. That's on the low side of my routine 64--66 MPG (measured) for fewer and longer rides. The bike's Avg MPG display said 66. Pretty good for many trips and early spring weather. BTW, that was at a now gone $3.39/Gallon price, currently it is $3.49/Gal.

Even the engine startups are immediate, quiet when cranking and with a dead even steady beat utilizing unusually minimalist RPMs. Those impressive traits are something good you can always count on, especially appreciated after the occasional cold engine stalls, idle speed changes and surging while cruising in the lower gears most OilHeads are known for. [-X Only the F800ST's hot idle is a little lumpity, sounding exactly like it's combination of performance camshafts, 12:1 compression ratio, very light flywheels, low frictional loads and very tiny throttle openings. :smt069

The normal temps for March 25th in Gainesville GA are listed as a Hi/Lo of 68/46 F (20/7.8 C). My wireless weather station shows the high for this year was 88.5F on March 19th at 4:05PM. That was marvelous compared the miserable extension of winter my mother-in-law in Manchester CT was experiencing. I had to remove my riding jacket's inner liner and open up all 8 of the jacket's vent zippers. I am seeing the (now) "service 400 mile" warning for a few seconds on startup. Since it was reset by my GS-911 some time after the 6,000 service, it did not start showing up the 1st warning, "Service 600 mile" until about 12,400 miles main odometer. For about 3 seconds at every startup it gradually decreases downward by 100 mile increments rounded off to coincide with your trip length and miles remaining. At zero remaining miles it no longer times out and "Service soon" remains displayed after startup in place of the odometer until you press the instrument's lower trip/odo/reset push button. That's a persistent, friendly then interactive reminder without being too annoying, so you can't say "I forgot it". It's a good idea because it gives you some time to acquire the M/C oil and BMW filter well before the service day -or- call BMW for an appointment. :roll:
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by OU812 »

#-o
See you soon! :lol:
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

I do not usually do this, link to a competitive website, but this link will take you to what I was up to this past weekend. You know, will recognize and may have ridden with some of the BMW riders mentioned.
I was given the heads-up by someone in that net group because of the very rare chance to meet and ride with DeansBMW and wife Miz Pam.

http://www.r1150r.net/forums/ ... post121304

You can click on the "First Page" icon at the bottom if you want to read it all.

I am working on my bike's 12K service in my free time over the next week and will post the details and pics when completed.
Last edited by CycleRob on Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by jb44 »

Rob, the links don't work for me.

Perhaps the other site is blocked by this site's admin?

jb
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

jb44, The links work for me now. Don't know what the problem is/was.

Now for my post related to the topic . . . "Went for a ride today . . ."

It was 94 degF (34.4C) and just after 4PM Friday. I reset the avg MPG a mile from my house when I realized the old number (64 MPG [27.21 km/L]) had no meaning. The mission was a trip to Fry's Electronics and for the first time, a stop by at Cycle Gear to look at ventilated jackets, get engine oil and a cramp buster. The GPS would get me to the new unknown place, after the old place. I had intended the usual easy ride on the side roads as opposed to Interstate 985 and it's 70 MPH speed limit for most of the trip. There I am cruising nicely 5 over the speed limit and I come upon an SUV towing a BIG boat on a small trailer going 36 in a 55 zone (58 in a 88.5 kph zone) . There were 2 vehicles in between us and the passing lane up ahead had enough length to take them all. It was woodsy and very country. As soon as it opened up I went into 2nd gear an wailed on it thru 2nd and 3rd! It felt like 100 MPH (161 kph) as I banked hard right past the SUV towing the boat, comfortably missing the on-coming car and the front bumper I passed. Comfortable for me, but scary fast pass for the other 4 vehicles involved. What acceleration that was to the roaring wind speed. So, I go another few miles and it's the same situation again. Another slow-poke troubled by our $3.65/gallon gas price trying to get better fuel economy. Same cure. Gear down, wind it out, go real fast. It was so-o-o-o unlike me, but it was fun. Then I realized I was pushing my luck when Crown Victoria driving LEOs started coming the other way, so I slowed it down to 5mph over.
The rest of the riding was the usual cruise with the traffic, listen to the exhaust, slip thru the gears and enjoy the ride. The trip meter said 84 miles (135.2 km) when I got home. In some of that ride I actually tried to remember what it was like on the old R1150R in those same conditions. As I recall it rode smoother because of it's Ohlins shocks and it is 65 lbs (29.5kg) heavier, but that same extra weight slowed down the handling agility when compared to this F800. There also wasn't the same great throttle response, hi-tech instrumentation or slick shifting of the F800. Lucky me.

I just checked the GPS: max speed = 98.8 MPH (159 km/h) passing cars!
Last edited by CycleRob on Fri Jul 19, 2019 4:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by storman113 »

Enjoy reading your posts.

Off topic:

How do you reset the avg/mpg?

Thanx
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by sweatmark »

Rob - great info and narrative, as always.

If you ever make it out here to the western states, we'll have to go Car Passing on favorite mountain and coastal roads... see if we can get that GPS to 100*.

Looks like I'm riding the F800S next weekend for annual Oregon BMW rally... after doing more harm than good yesterday during bike project time!
Putting a handlebar on the F800S in oder to get "ST" day-long comfort for Mrs. Sweatmark and myself. She decided the S's faux clip-ons were not to her liking last season.
How do you reset the avg/mpg?
IIRC, select the computer measurement you want to reset, then hold down selector switch on LH controls.

*Noting that AFAIK a 100MPH ticket in Oregon results in revoked license and impounded vehicle. Ouch! Will have to confirm with my State Trooper friend.
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CycleRob
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Location: Enjoying retirement in Gainesville GA. USA
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

I just went into the garage to check what the computer calculated Average MPG was for that trip. It displayed 67 (28.48 km/L). At worst, I found there is always less than a 2 MPG error (.85 km/L) from actual measured. Even though I blasted it 2 separate times to the redline in 2nd & 3rd, the rest of the 84 miles (135.2 km) was easy-does-it while moving with the traffic. Traffic that now travels at or below the posted 60 & 70 MPH speed limits on that more efficient 5 mile divided highway of I-985 & I-95 sections included in that trip that bypasses many annoying traffic lights and traffic congestion.

Resetting the Avg MPG or the Avg Speed readings requires a 3 second press-n-hold of the left switch gear top mounted "info" button that toggles thru the 5 functions of the OBC with each press. What functions? These, with (range of) examples:

1--Average speed (38, 54)(recalculates anytime the engine is running, so avoid stops!)
2--Outside temperature (94.7)(sensor at leading edge of front fairing below/left of headlite).
3--Miles to empty (">144", 98, 12)(not absolutely accurate, but very handy to have!)
4--Avg MPG (62, 67)(displays whole number, without any decimal)
5--Instantaneous MPG (199 [the max displayed], 88, 54). It's the most fun to watch while you ride up-n-down hills. Very educational too.

BTW, distracted by noisy traffic and other thoughts, I stalled the engine on an uphill take-off while the cooling fan was whirring away and right as the engine stopped the cooling fan was immediately turned off by the bike's BMS-K computer!! How cool is that? Just over 2 years I've owned this bike (June 9th) and that new-to-me, undocumented, designed in capability was finally revealed. That's the only time when stalling my bike brought a little smile to my face.


Edit: literary fixes.
Last edited by CycleRob on Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
`09 F800ST

Member since Sept 10, 2001

"Talent, On Loan, From God" --Rush Limbaugh--
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CycleRob
Honorary Lifer
Posts: 2857
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:29 am
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Location: Enjoying retirement in Gainesville GA. USA
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Went for a ride today . . .

Post by CycleRob »

I've been busy lately working on other projects. You would not believe I'm retired. Harvesting rocks for a rear yard draining dry riverbed, putting 2 heavy duty storage selves together and organizing/packing/stacking our grocery store shopped end-of-America food bank. Haven't even shot my pistol at the range in over a month! At least there is plenty of quality time with the wife, which research says has added years to my life. She's laughing out loud at a Brit-Com on PBS ("As time goes by") right now.

My next project on the F800 (still) is to install RadioShack parts bin bright and super bright white LED's into the silver plastic internal reflector of the rear tailight. 2 for the brake circuit and 2 for the running light. That will give it extra fire power visibility in both modes while providing a backup system. It's measure, drill, hot glue in place, wire it up, solder and tape then away I go. I already have the 2 pairs of LED's, just need to calculate/find/obtain the correct inline dropping resistors and a 2 hour time slot when Ann's car is at work. That's my excuse for now.

Have not been doing much riding unless there is a destination. Here in GA we have blue skies every day and very intense sunshine. Even walking the 28 steps to the mailbox at 1:30PM feels like walking under a giant nuclear broiler. Sometimes a violent but brief thunderstorm can appear out of nowhere and temporarily ruin outdoor activity. Today there were biking destinations and it became a 94.8 mile (152.5km) round trip to 2 places in 95degF (35C) temps. Bike ran and sounded great, although it was really warm behind that fairing with some radiator heat added to those hot summer temps. Even though I was in traffic and waiting at red lights, the cooling fan did not come on once! Traffic got moving before it did and there were no additional bars added beyond the normal halfway mark on the temp gauge display in spite of the standstill waits. Downshifting to slow down does provide faster waterpump heat dispersing coolant flows and a minute amount of no-fire combustion chamber cooling. I did reset the Average MPG reading when I got into 6th gear at the very start of the trip. Just before turning the key off, it read 68 MPG (24.07 km/L) when I finally got home. That's riding with the traffic close to the speed limit, no passing, nothing over half throttle (not needed). Doesn't 68 MPG beat Kawasaki KLR-650 singles for commuter MPG's? I need to start another MPG related post that every F800 rider can join in on and BoxerTwin riders can envy.

BTW, "Went for a ride today" posting is open to others besides me. Where are ya?
`09 F800ST

Member since Sept 10, 2001

"Talent, On Loan, From God" --Rush Limbaugh--
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Dr. Strangelove
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Re: Went for a ride today . . .

Post by Dr. Strangelove »

Hey, Rob,

If you did not reset the avg mpg to see what you're getting in vanilla riding in 6th, what would you mpg be? IE counting the stop and go of traffic and the normal shifting and gear changes that go with it.

Stella! riding through that same heat over the weekend--I am in Kiawah Island SC now and rode 1050 miles from N.O. by taking the "long way" through N Al and N Ga-- was getting very close to 50 and that includes all stop and go and a little hooliganism. I have no way of telling what she would get in straight 6th gear riding at 70-75 mph, but I'd guess maybe mid 50s? The highest I've ever gotten was 56.

Still, all of that said, 65 is enviable.

John
'09 Schwarze Blanche DuBois
Well, don't do that-Hippocrates
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