Page 26 - RidingOn156 SPRING 2022

Climate Action - WHY SHOULD I CARE?

An internal combustion engine driving two-wheeled our cars 12,600 km (2018 pre-Covid figure) per annum but
transportation. Is our precious pleasure under threat? Is a tinge for motorcycles the figure is only around 2,000 km. For every
of guilt creeping in when we fuel up and set off with a bunch of motorcycle registered in Australia there are 16.95 cars (2021
buddies burning fossil fuel just for the sheer indulgence of the figures). I do have some questions about the accuracy of these
ride? ABS research findings, but at face value a simple conclusion is
that the fuel we bikers use is negligible, isn’t it?
Now that in Oz there’s a cultural shift towards setting goals
for carbon-sensitive living, do we soldier on with our energy- Reviews of car models give prominence to fuel efficiency
intensive enjoyment? Or do we take the leap into electric? I’ve figures. Am I right that it’s less of a focus in motorcycle
been riding fuel-frugal single-cylinder motorcycles for years and reviews? Do motorcyclists care less? Is there sense in my
getting a heap of enjoyment out of coaxing lively performance seeking out a motorcycle that uses significantly less fuel than
out of six gears and a little piston urged along at elevated rpm. that ABS 6.1 l/100km average?
But petrol is getting expensive along with other costs of living,
and my motorcycling addiction leads me to look at alternatives Also, can I ride my motorcycle in a manner that conserves
kindly to both pocket and conscience. fuel rather than a manner that pays little regard to my
consumption? Or are such miserly concerns anathema to us
So I’ve been brave…. I’ve had a try-out on a Super Soco TC motorcyclists, the antithesis of what our motorcycling is all
Max. about – a focus on fun and power and speed and dare-I-say a
kind of anti-conservatism?
It’s an electric commuter motorcycle. It’s a quite handsome
design to my mind. It’s comfortable and handles pretty capably. Exploring economy figures on fuelly.com and pursuing
As long as you primarily use it for there-and-back trips of numerous web searches and online chatrooms leads me
up to seventy kilometres or so that don’t involve high-speed to some compromise solutions. Any of the modern 300cc
highways or freeways – then it’s a fun-to-ride machine. For motorcycles can achieve as little as 3.5 l/100km. And clearly
me I conclude that it’s commendably fit for its urban purpose, consumption depends how aggressively the bike is ridden.
simple to maintain and of exceedingly low cost to run. But I’m Kawasaki’s Versys-X 300 gets my ‘300’ medal because it is a
a lightweight rider and I do suggest that for this bike it helps to big-framed bike and has a 17-litre tank that can comfortably
be not-too-big and not-too-heavy…. give 400 km between fills. Laudable too is BMW’s G310GS,
notably fuel frugal at as little as 3.3 l/100km.
I haven’t bought a Super Soco. Yet.
Going up a step the KTM 390 Duke and the Husqvarna Vitpilen
Let’s put the electric motorcycles aside for a bit…. The can return 3.6 l/100km. The KTM 390 Adventure would be
Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2020 assessed that the similar. All three use the same 373cc single-cylinder engine.
average fuel consumption of a conventional motorcycle was Then I come to the ‘green’ shining star, Honda’s 500-twin
6.1 litres per 100 km, whereas that for passenger vehicles was adventure bike the CB500X. It sips fuel at as little as 3.6
11.1 l/100km. The ABS study states that on average we drive l/100km and travels around 450 km per thankful tankful.

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