Mythbusters: Motorcycles Vs Cars (ride, bike, emission, MPG)

[tortoise]

Article . . Motorcycles more fuel efficient, but pollute more than cars

[whiteboyslo]

True for motorcycles of the past, but I'm betting bikes built over the last 2-3 years are head-and-shoulders above their predecessors.

Mike

[catman]

So what now, motorcycles with catalytic converters? Thanks but no thanks.

[whiteboyslo]

They already have them. Cats started showing up on bikes in the late 90s/early 2000s, but not on all of them. Now it's law, which is why you see so many bikes (especially sportbikes) coming out with these ridiculously sized and shaped exhausts. The cat is part of the canister now. Of course, the first thing any owner does is junk it for an aftermarket can that gets rid of the cat, but states like CA are looking to make that illegal as well.

FWIW, I don't think a bike having a cat is the end of the world. My 04 VFR has one, and while you can gain a horsepower or two by bolting up a header from an earlier non-catted model, it certainly isn't a major hindrance.

Mike

[piyf]

Mythbusters, busting made up myths for 5 years.

[flynavyj]

Yep, bikes have had cats for some years now...especially on the later fuel injected models...some of the earlier injected models went without, but I'm pretty certain just about every modern motorcycle you buy will have a catalytic converter on it to help keep the emissions down. Most riders I meet never mention wanting to save the O-Zone either...they do care about their pocket book, and fuel consumption is a standard conversation, but pollutants is not.

[catman]

I think all the "reasons" are just excuses to use rather than just saying riding is fun.

[Gunluvver2]

Originally Posted by tortoise

Article . . Motorcycles more fuel efficient, but pollute more than cars

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I love motorcycles. I ride my 900cc Vulcan any time weather permits rather than drive my car. My 900cc Vulcan probably get 44MPG around town and my 93 Chevy Lumina probably gets about 20 MPG. My Vulcan probably weighs in at around 900# with me aboard. The Lumina probably weighs around 3,600#. I don't know how Myth Busters measures "efficiency" but the way I calculate it my Vulcan would have to be getting about 80 MPG to be as efficient as my Lumina. The Lumina weighs four times the weight of the Vulcan but gets almost half as good fuel mileage. I give the car the edge in outright efficiency. However even though the Lumina is more fuel efficient it still costs me less to ride the motorcycle per mile.

GL2

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by catman

I think all the "reasons" are just excuses to use rather than just saying riding is fun.

I agree...have been riding since '64. I ride for fun/sightseeing/clear the head/fun. There are ~260 million cars registered in US, and ~7.5 million m'cycles. Add in non-cars, trucks, etc.

Add in a several million 2 cycle leaf blowers, trimmers, chain saws...

I have 3 sleds, none even remotely 'newish', but I don't ever feel 'bad' or, like a polluter, even putting on my '75 Shovelhead.

And, not sure I got that MB link point...
GL, mD

[catman]

motordavid: I've been riding almost as long as you have, since I got a Suzuki X6 Hustler in '67 (a 2-cycle 250cc). My '84 V65 Sabre is still going strong at 102K miles.