Leaf peeping at 100 MPG

Mudflap · 10-15-2015, 01:55 PM

Yesterday I took the Zongketa 200 over to FR11, a 50 mile paved single lane road through the Cascades. A beautiful and relaxing ride even though I did manage to scrape some metal off the bottoms of the foot pegs. The vine maple leaves are at peak fall colors and not a cloud in the deep blue sky.

The tank was filled to the brim when I left and riding speed varied between 15 and 55 mph, probably averaged 35 mph for the 101 mile ride. When I got home I wasn't able to fit a full gallon into the tank. That's the best mileage I've achieved on a 200 and almost as good as I've gotten with the 140. The bike is all stock and has the CG clone 167FML engine. Best I've gotten out of the Lifan 200 is 86 mpg.

wheelbender6 · 10-15-2015, 08:57 PM

Great pics and great fuel economy.The leaves don't really get colorful until around Christmas down here on the Gulf Coast. Hopefully, I can do a ride report then.

SpudRider · 10-16-2015, 01:29 AM

Thanks for posting the ride report and photos.

I got over 100 mpg several times with my Zongshen Sierra 200, but it is a rare event, which has not happened for several years.

Weldangrind · 10-16-2015, 01:53 AM

It looks like it was a perfect day for a ride. Thanks for the pics.

Mudflap · 10-16-2015, 07:46 AM

Fall colors here in Oregon are nowhere near as good as the east coast. Here's a pic of my daughter riding the Lifan 140 powered Trail 90 in the LaSalle Mtns just east of Moab Utah a few years ago. The Trail 90 almost always gets 100+ MPG.

demidestructo · 10-16-2015, 04:10 PM

I bought my bike to look at the colors in lovely Michigan as well ,ours have just about changed .I'll take a bunch of pics when I take "pepper" to the mound on monday.

Hey mudflap how do you like that 140? I 'm going to put a piranha 140 or 150 on my xr 70.I really like the 150 because of the oil filter access and that you can big bore it and put a roller rocker race head for it . I like the 140 reliabilty and cost. How fast does your trail 140 go? Im going to build this bike into icerace bike with studs and lots of power.

Mudflap · 10-16-2015, 05:22 PM

No doubt your autumn looks a lot more colorful than ours.

I like the 140 a lot. The low end torque is great for such a small engine which is perfect for off road use. It's a long stroke engine and behaves like one. It's not a high rev engine, it's a grunt engine. No problems over the 12,000+ miles so far. I did replace the plastic cam chain idler wheel with a Honda rubber one to make it a little quieter. The one drawback to the Lifan 140 is it takes a lot of force to kick it over and it sometimes kicks back. Not a big deal for a big guy but a light weight person may find his/her knee in his/her chin. Comfortable cruising speed with a 17/45 I use mostly for off road is about 55 mph. My daughter was able to reach 67 mph with 17/40 ratio, GPS verified but she is a lot smaller and lighter than me.

Weldangrind · 10-17-2015, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudflap

Not a big deal for a big guy but a light weight person may find his/her knee in his/her chin.

Best line of the week!

Did you start a thread on that bike?

Mudflap · 10-17-2015, 08:04 AM

No thread on the Trail 140 as of yet. May get around to it if El Nino rains keep me stuck in the camper this winter in Arizona.

culcune · 10-17-2015, 07:34 PM

I wonder why my TMEC seems to get 'poor' mileage? It seems to get about 50 to 55 mpg on my daily commute. My old one did as well. I do ride open throttle for about half of the ride (7 or 8 miles), and my sprockets are 17/48, but I keep reading about all kinds of mileage much higher than mine. I eagerly await the 150cc TGB scooter...

culcune · 10-17-2015, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudflap

No thread on the Trail 140 as of yet. May get around to it if El Nino rains keep me stuck in the camper this winter in Arizona.

Eagerly await the report! Where do you live in AZ during the winter?

Mudflap · 10-18-2015, 06:22 AM

Could just be the wide open throttle part of your commute causing poor MPG.

I usually head south from home in Oregon in November, spend a week or so in Death Valley, then down to the Quartzsite and Bouse areas. I've camped near Yuma off Ogilby Road but it tends to be too windy to fly the PPCs there.

Weldangrind · 10-18-2015, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by culcune

I wonder why my TMEC seems to get 'poor' mileage?

Remind me, is your TMEC a pushrod motor? if so, that could be a contributor. The CG motors have only one cam lobe that bumps both intake and exhaust, so neither event can be optimized. They are reliable runners, but are not models of power nor efficiency.

WOT doesn't help matters.

bountybuddy · 12-12-2015, 07:13 AM

It looks like you had a perfect day for your ride. Lucky you. I'm waiting for winter to pass in Michigan. Ride safe my friend.

10-15-2015, 01:55 PM	#1
Mudflap Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 1,870	Leaf peeping at 100 MPG Yesterday I took the Zongketa 200 over to FR11, a 50 mile paved single lane road through the Cascades. A beautiful and relaxing ride even though I did manage to scrape some metal off the bottoms of the foot pegs. The vine maple leaves are at peak fall colors and not a cloud in the deep blue sky. The tank was filled to the brim when I left and riding speed varied between 15 and 55 mph, probably averaged 35 mph for the 101 mile ride. When I got home I wasn't able to fit a full gallon into the tank. That's the best mileage I've achieved on a 200 and almost as good as I've gotten with the 140. The bike is all stock and has the CG clone 167FML engine. Best I've gotten out of the Lifan 200 is 86 mpg. Last edited by Mudflap; 10-17-2015 at 07:56 AM. Reason: added pic
	1

10-15-2015, 08:57 PM	#2
wheelbender6 Join Date: May 2015 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,902	Great pics and great fuel economy.The leaves don't really get colorful until around Christmas down here on the Gulf Coast. Hopefully, I can do a ride report then. __________________ "Its not WHAT you ride; its THAT you ride"
	0

10-16-2015, 01:29 AM	#3
SpudRider Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 25,054	Thanks for posting the ride report and photos. I got over 100 mpg several times with my Zongshen Sierra 200, but it is a rare event, which has not happened for several years. __________________ Spud "Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience." Mark Twain 2015 Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) 2006 Zongshen ZS200GY-2 (Sierra 200) 2005 Honda XR650L 2004 Honda CRF250X 1998 Kawasaki KDX220 Mods made to my Zongshen ZS200GY-2: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6894
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10-16-2015, 01:53 AM	#4
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	It looks like it was a perfect day for a ride. Thanks for the pics. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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10-16-2015, 04:10 PM	#6
demidestructo Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Michigan Posts: 199	I bought my bike to look at the colors in lovely Michigan as well ,ours have just about changed .I'll take a bunch of pics when I take "pepper" to the mound on monday. Hey mudflap how do you like that 140? I 'm going to put a piranha 140 or 150 on my xr 70.I really like the 150 because of the oil filter access and that you can big bore it and put a roller rocker race head for it . I like the 140 reliabilty and cost. How fast does your trail 140 go? Im going to build this bike into icerace bike with studs and lots of power. __________________ Autos: 1997 ford ranger 1968 GTO (all original survivor) motorcycle: lifan dual sport "crankenstein" Born of parts from all over the globe,laying rubber in a town near you!
	1

10-16-2015, 07:46 AM	#5
Mudflap Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 1,870	Fall colors here in Oregon are nowhere near as good as the east coast. Here's a pic of my daughter riding the Lifan 140 powered Trail 90 in the LaSalle Mtns just east of Moab Utah a few years ago. The Trail 90 almost always gets 100+ MPG.
	0

10-16-2015, 05:22 PM	#7
Mudflap Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 1,870	No doubt your autumn looks a lot more colorful than ours. I like the 140 a lot. The low end torque is great for such a small engine which is perfect for off road use. It's a long stroke engine and behaves like one. It's not a high rev engine, it's a grunt engine. No problems over the 12,000+ miles so far. I did replace the plastic cam chain idler wheel with a Honda rubber one to make it a little quieter. The one drawback to the Lifan 140 is it takes a lot of force to kick it over and it sometimes kicks back. Not a big deal for a big guy but a light weight person may find his/her knee in his/her chin. Comfortable cruising speed with a 17/45 I use mostly for off road is about 55 mph. My daughter was able to reach 67 mph with 17/40 ratio, GPS verified but she is a lot smaller and lighter than me.
	0

10-17-2015, 08:04 AM	#9
Mudflap Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 1,870	No thread on the Trail 140 as of yet. May get around to it if El Nino rains keep me stuck in the camper this winter in Arizona.
	0

10-17-2015, 07:34 PM	#10
culcune Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yuma, Arizona Posts: 9,035	I wonder why my TMEC seems to get 'poor' mileage? It seems to get about 50 to 55 mpg on my daily commute. My old one did as well. I do ride open throttle for about half of the ride (7 or 8 miles), and my sprockets are 17/48, but I keep reading about all kinds of mileage much higher than mine. I eagerly await the 150cc TGB scooter... __________________ "They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard
	0

10-18-2015, 06:22 AM	#12
Mudflap Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 1,870	Could just be the wide open throttle part of your commute causing poor MPG. I usually head south from home in Oregon in November, spend a week or so in Death Valley, then down to the Quartzsite and Bouse areas. I've camped near Yuma off Ogilby Road but it tends to be too windy to fly the PPCs there.
	0

12-12-2015, 07:13 AM	#14
bountybuddy Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Michigan Posts: 16	It looks like you had a perfect day for your ride. Lucky you. I'm waiting for winter to pass in Michigan. Ride safe my friend. __________________ May all your paths be bright ones.
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