Updated on April 17, 2021 - India is one of the largest two-wheeler markets in the world. Now, most Indians use a motorcycle as their primary mode of transport as the commuter ones offer good fuel economy. In this article, we will be telling you the different ways to calculate the mileage of your bike.
Original Article - June 8, 2020; Fuel is becoming more expensive day by day and it's only smart to keep track of how much fuel is your vehicle is consuming. You should calculate the mileage of a bike on a bi-monthly basis so that you can get to know at the earliest when the fuel consumption is increasing. An increase in fuel consumption could be an indicator of bigger issues with the motorcycle as well. These could range from underinflated tyres, low levels of oil, clogged fuel and air filters or even defective spark plugs. It could also be an indication that you might need to tweak your riding style a bit if you're too aggressive with the throttle and the braking to get better fuel efficiency.
There are basically two methods to calculate the mileage of a bike. Do note mileage is also referred to as 'average' or 'fuel economy' or 'fuel efficiency.' Which method you use depends on the type of motorcycle you have.
First Method
The first method involves filling your fuel tank to the brim. (Try to remember the exact point till which you filled it). Next, set the trip meter to 0 and ride for at least about 150-200 kilometres. You don't have to do this all at once but make sure that you do cover at least this much distance before you fill your tank again. The more distance you ride the better it is but make sure that you're nowhere close to emptying the tank. Now once you've covered the desired distance, fill your tank again precisely up to the same spot that you filled it before and note down the quantity of fuel you've had to fill.
Next, use this formula to calculate your mileage: So let's say you rode about 150 kms and then filled 4 litres of fuel to fill your tank till the same spot again. Then the mileage would be:
Distance travelled (odometer reading) / fuel used or fuel refilled = 150/ 4 = 37.5km/l
Second method
The second method is only applicable to bikes that come with a petcock fuel tap valve. This was common with carburetted motorcycles that were on sale before BS6 norms kicked in. Ride your bike until your main tank is empty. Once your motorcycle won't budge because there's literally not a drop of fuel left, use the fuel tap and put it on 'Reserve'. Once in reserve put the odometer to 0 and ride to the closest petrol pump and fill precisely one litre of fuel. Turn the fuel tap switch back to 'On' which only allows it to use the main tank for fuel.
Now, again keep riding till your main tank becomes completely empty again. Once its empty, read the odometer reading and that number will be the mileage that your bike is giving. The same formula is applicable here also - fuel economy = distance travelled divided by fuel filled.
