Diesel Advantage?

[oilburner]

The price of diesel fuel in North America is inching up. Not long ago diesel was cheaper than gasoline.
On March 27th the average prices were (all prices per imperial gallon):
Eastern Ontario Canada: gasoline- $4.91/imp gal; diesel-5.36/imp gal
Upper NY State USA: gasoline-4.04/imp gal; diesel-$5.09/imp gal

To put the current prices into perspective, a diesel bike in the North Eastern US would have to average 105 miles per imperial gallon at 60 mph to equal the fuel cost of my Honda CN250 17hp scooter (84 mpg), or 75 miles per gallon at 60 mph to equal my 31 year old 70hp BMW (62 mpg). A diesel car would have to average 55 miles per imperial gallon to equal my 1990 Mazda Protege winter beater (44 mpg), or as ridiculous as it sounds, 83 mpg at 60 mph to equal my 17 year old Geo Metro (66 mpg - yes it's true).

A bit of Googling indicates there is an increasing demand for diesel fuel, a fact that obviously isn't lost on the market speculators and Big Oil, which will no doubt result in an even larger disparity in diesel vs gasoline in the near future (they're predicting $6.82 per imp. gallon average for gasoline in Canada this summer).

So much for the long awaited arrival of diesel engined cars e.g. BMWs, the new generation CRD VWs etc. to North America, finally this year. The diminishing fuel cost savings and cost of the diesel option will no doubt be a deterrent to many who may have been considering a diesel - by the time the diesel payback is realized, the car will, in northern climates, probably be headed for the boneyard.

[Ih8Suvs]

The price of diesel fuel in North America is inching up. Not long ago diesel was cheaper than gasoline.
On March 27th the average prices were (all prices per imperial gallon):
Eastern Ontario Canada: gasoline- $4.91/imp gal; diesel-5.36/imp gal
Upper NY State USA: gasoline-4.04/imp gal; diesel-$5.09/imp gal

To put the current prices into perspective, a diesel bike in the North Eastern US would have to average 105 miles per imperial gallon at 60 mph to equal the fuel cost of my Honda CN250 17hp scooter (84 mpg), or 75 miles per gallon at 60 mph to equal my 31 year old 70hp BMW (62 mpg). A diesel car would have to average 55 miles per imperial gallon to equal my 1990 Mazda Protege winter beater (44 mpg), or as ridiculous as it sounds, 83 mpg at 60 mph to equal my 17 year old Geo Metro (66 mpg - yes it's true).

A bit of Googling indicates there is an increasing demand for diesel fuel, a fact that obviously isn't lost on the market speculators and Big Oil, which will no doubt result in an even larger disparity in diesel vs gasoline in the near future (they're predicting $6.82 per imp. gallon average for gasoline in Canada this summer).

So much for the long awaited arrival of diesel engined cars e.g. BMWs, the new generation CRD VWs etc. to North America, finally this year. The diminishing fuel cost savings and cost of the diesel option will no doubt be a deterrent to many who may have been considering a diesel - by the time the diesel payback is realized, the car will, in northern climates, probably be headed for the boneyard.

What are you doing to get 62 mpg from your 1977 BMW? You must be talking a R100/7 or variant correct?
I ask because I have had several BMW motorcycles, a 1972 R60/5, a 1973 R75/5, a 1976 R90/6 which I still own, a 1982 R100RT, a 1985 K100RT, a 1989 R100RT and a 2005 R1200RT which I still own. I put on a combined total of around 750,000 miles on them. My brother owned a 1978 R100/7 that was lucky to get better than 40mpg. The R1200 gets the best mileage of any of them, usually around 55mpg. The only airhead of the bunch that consistently broke 50mpg was the R60/5 and it never, ever got over 60 despite the 55 mph speed limits in force during the time I owned it. The rest averaged somewhere in the 40's. The worst mileage I ever got on a motorcycle was with the K100RT where I got an all time low of 18mpg and usually got 32. Well it was a tie I guess, I got 18mpg a few times with a Kawasaki 400 3 cylinder 2 stroke that averaged 25. FWIW the only other motorcycle out of the 50 or 60 I have owned in my life that consistently gets better than 60 is my Royal Enfield with a Yanclone 10hp. It consistently travels 145 to 155 miles per US gallon of pump grade #2 diesel with a touch of Stanadyne cetane enhancer.

[oilburner]

What are you doing to get 62 mpg from your 1977 BMW?

I ride posted speed limits +3/5mph, have a 2.91 final drive, high compression pistons, keep the bike well maintained, and use gentle / steady throttle inputs. Also, the mileage figures posted are imperial miles per gallon, not US mpg. 62 imp mpg = 50 US mpg.

Mileage drops off over 65 mph, when the carbs make the full transition to the slide needles. I'm not an interstate fan /high speed rider and ride mostly secondary roads 55-60 mph.

Incidentally, 62 mpg is also the factory fuel consumption figure at 65 mph for the bike (as opposed to an EPA rating). I have always found the factory published figures to be correct, including my pre 1969 models.

[Ih8Suvs]

Gotcha, I didn't consider the US imperial thing. For a while there you really got my hopes up for better mileage from my R90 I tend to be a little heavy handed on the throttle too, that could explain the remaining difference.

[andrewaust]

Diesel just hit $1.60 liter here in OZ , won't hurt fueling the bike, but the 4WD Nissan will hit the hip pocket

Bike gets around 2.5 ltr 100 K's - the 4wd from 10 - 14, depends on traffic and towing trailers etc.

All shops in the area are selling there old chip oil too, a biodiesel company in Rutherford is probably the culprit for that.

There's a rumor going around fuel will hit 2.50 ltr here! = Crap, time to start growing sunflowers or something.

Biodiesel is no cheaper - one has to question that, considering its used stock etc.

Not good of the fuel front!

[oldbmw]

Normally I hope to get 50mpg (imp) from my 1985 r80rt. It did manage 57 when i was accompanying stuart on teh trip to Hamm. The New 500cc lean burn Enfields seem to better 80mpg (petrol) with ease. A big jump from 50. I think the trick with diesel is to dilute pump diesel with clean veggie oil. Once you locate a source for that at a decent price. However, biofuels are getting to be in much greater demand so much food production is now being lost in order to produce fuel. even here on teh farm i am setting out to plant a hectare or so of coppice mostly for fence posts and firewood. But then our heating is wood powered.