How to improve fuel economy on your motorcycle

Fuel prices have a habit of creeping up just as the riding season gets going, and few things take the shine off a Sunday blast like watching the gauge drop faster than you expected. The good news is that motorcycles respond remarkably well to small changes in how they are ridden, maintained and loaded. A few sensible habits can easily add 10 to 20 per cent to your miles per gallon, which over a year of commuting and touring adds up to a decent chunk of money — and a longer range between fill-ups, which matters enormously on remote Scottish routes or when you are crossing the Pennines in the rain.

Ride smoothly and think ahead

The single biggest factor in fuel economy is your right hand. Every hard acceleration dumps fuel into the cylinders that you then waste again on the brakes. On a bike, where you have far less weight to shift than a car, you do not need to be gentle to the point of tedium — just deliberate.

• Accelerate briskly but progressively. Get up to your cruising speed reasonably quickly, then hold steady throttle. Labouring up to speed at half throttle for a mile is worse than a firm, short burst.
• Read the road far ahead. Look through the bend, past the car in front, to the junction beyond it. Anticipating a red light or a slowing lorry lets you roll off early instead of braking late.
• Use engine braking where it suits. Modern fuel injection cuts fuel almost entirely on a closed throttle above roughly 2,000 rpm, so coasting down to a junction in gear uses virtually nothing.
• Keep the revs sensible. Sit a gear higher than you instinctively would on a steady dual carriageway cruise. Most bikes are happiest and most economical around 4,000 to 6,000 rpm, depending on the engine.
• Skip the traffic-light Grand Prix. There is no prize for being first away, only a thinner wallet.

Get the basics right: tyres, chain and filters

Mechanical drag is silent theft. A soft tyre, a dry chain or a clogged air filter all force the engine to work harder for the same speed.

• Check tyre pressures weekly, when the tyres are cold. Under-inflation by just 5 psi can cost you a measurable amount of fuel and will wreck the handling long before it ruins your economy. Use the pressures in your handbook or on the swingarm sticker, and adjust slightly upwards for a fully loaded touring bike.
• Keep the chain correctly tensioned and lubricated. A tight chain loads the output bearing and saps power; a dry one wastes energy through friction. Clean and lube it every few hundred miles in wet weather.
• Replace a dirty air filter. It is one of the cheapest, most overlooked service items on any bike.
• Stay on top of the service schedule. Fresh oil, clean spark plugs and correctly set valve clearances all keep combustion efficient. A bike that is overdue a service is a bike burning money.
• Check brake drag. After a ride, feel the discs. If one is noticeably hot when you have barely used the brake, a sticking caliper is costing you fuel.

Cut the weight and the drag

Every kilogram you carry has to be accelerated, and every square inch of frontal area has to push through air. On a motorcycle, both matter more than they do in a car because you have so little power to spare.

• Empty the panniers and top box after a trip. It is astonishing how much clutter accumulates: spare waterproofs, a toolkit you never use, three litres of water, a chain you have not needed since 2019.
• Only fit a screen or taller fairing if it genuinely reduces buffeting. A badly set screen can increase drag and turbulence rather than reduce it.
• Remove a heavy top box on short local rides. It sits high and far back, harming both economy and stability.
• Consider your own profile. Tucking down behind the screen on a long motorway stint is not just for racers — it can be worth a couple of miles per gallon.

Plan your routes and your fill-ups

Motorway cruising at a steady 70 mph is often more economical than stop-start town riding, but the fastest route is not always the thriftiest. A route with fewer junctions, fewer steep climbs and steadier traffic will usually win.

• Combine trips. A cold engine uses significantly more fuel for the first few miles, so one longer journey beats three short ones.
• Avoid the worst of the rush hour where you can. You will spend less time idling, and idling returns precisely zero miles per gallon.
• Switch off in long queues. If you are going to be stationary for more than a minute or so at roadworks, kill the engine. It restarts on a button.
• Fuel up at supermarkets or busy independent stations where you know the fuel is fresh and the price is keen.

Small habits that quietly add up

None of this requires you to ride like a nun, and none of it will make you slower on a good road. In fact, smooth riding tends to be faster, because you carry momentum instead of scrubbing it off and rebuilding it.

Try one change at a time. Fill the tank, note the mileage, and see what a week of gentler acceleration and correctly inflated tyres does to your figures. Most riders are genuinely surprised. A well-maintained, sensibly ridden motorcycle is a frugal machine — and a healthier one, too, since the same habits that save fuel also reduce wear on tyres, chains and brakes. Your wallet, your range and your bike will all thank you for it.