Every Last Drop
How far can one gallon take you?
These squirts have a dainty appetite for fuel, but how far will one gallon actually get you? We list fuel-mileage data for all our test bikes, but the numbers we generate aren't stellar. Heavy city traffic, fast canyon roads and faster stretches of interstate don't produce the best mpg figures. To attain the big numbers, we drained each bike's fuel system and added precisely one gallon of gas, then ran them down the road till they ran out.
Since deserted pavement is an oxymoron in Los Angeles, we queued up on a lonely, mostly straight stretch of Route 33 north of Taft on a hot, still day. After clicking into top gear with the speedo needles parked at 55 mph-the national speed limit enacted in 1974 to ease the pains of the last energy crisis-we set out to test the limits of efficiency.
Time crept slowly by as the miles accumulated on the odometers. Hands strummed on gas tanks as songs were sung in helmets to pass the time. Oil workers' F-350s strafed our creeping caravan at 85. None of us had ever wanted to run out of gas so badly in our lives.
The Ninja was the first to go. Suddenly it sputtered and fell out of formation as Julia sat up in surprise, jolted back to reality from a daydream. The high-revving twin coasted to a stop some 67.5 miles out of town as the others disappeared into the distance. A few cups of fuel could still be heard sloshing around in the tank, frustratingly out of reach of the raised fuel pickup.
The Ninja went through its...
The Ninja went through its allotted gallon first, but a full 4.8-gallon tank can take you 280 miles. That's farther than any of the others can go without stopping to top off.
The Yamaha dropped out next, stranding Tim 69.1 GPS-verified miles from the epicenter of nowhere. Precious hi-test splashed in the dark depths when the machine was shaken. An oddly shaped tank interior and raised fuel pump take the blame for the WR's unattainable reserves.
That left the Honda Rebel and Suzuki DR-Z400SM. The bigger single's piston was reciprocating at a mellow rate, barely breaking a sweat at 55 mph. Meanwhile, the little Rebel's meager 16-horse engine droned on, its single 26mm carburetor metering fuel by the molecule. Designed shortly after the invention of the wheel, the Rebel's reliability and impressive fuel economy are the stuff of legends.
With a few gentle coughs the DR-Z lit its last lung full and coasted to the shoulder. A well-positioned fuel petcock sent every drop to the carburetor, making one gallon last 71.6 miles. The Honda trundled on. Simplicity is an underappreciated virtue, as the Rebel managed 80.7 miles before Bekah brought it to a sputtering stop.
When the fuel was gone, the oldest, cheapest, most antiquated design came out on top. A tried and true engine of the simplest schema surpassed its technologically superior competitors, making the most of its allotted gallon. Technology, as it is usually defined, didn't measure up.