General Questions: Fuel and mileage

[Dbunye]

This may be a very stupid question, but I am going to be getting back into dirt riding again after about a 12 year absence. I had a 1990 YZ250 which I enjoyed cartwheeling down a road one day, so I took some time off (a 12 year hiatus, lol)

My questions are trivial, but just out of curiosity before I get back into dirt riding:

1) With the new four strokes, if you don't ride the bike hard all the time, will you still foul the spark plugs like I used to on the YZ? I know the YZ250 is a race bike compared to the CRF230 that I want to get, but I just want to make sure if I want to simply putter around the trail or dirt roads that I won't be ruining the plugs...

2) Mileage? About how far can a CRF-230 go on a tank of gas? I know this is dependant on how hard you ride, where you ride etc, but I am just curious about a general average time and distance I can expect on a tank.

Thanks for any info you guys can add. I have been reading the boards for awhile and hope to get the bike within a few months so I figured I should start getting more info and such.

Oh, and why is it no magazine covers the CRF-230? I have read Dirt Rider, Dirt Bike, Trail Rider, etc... They all cover the 250 or even some of the kiddie bikes, but not the 230! Grrrr... Hopefully the fact these types of bikes are selling well will generate some more media for them.

Anyways, sorry to ramble and thanks for any info!

[cdaledh]

you can cruise around all day on the 230 in 1st gear and not hurt anything.

On a hard ride I get 60 miles from one tank of fuel.

[DirtDaddy]

Oh, and why is it no magazine covers the CRF-230? I have read Dirt Rider, Dirt Bike, Trail Rider, etc... They all cover the 250 or even some of the kiddie bikes, but not the 230! Grrrr... Hopefully the fact these types of bikes are selling well will generate some more media for them.

Because to them, it's a simple non-invading trail bike, a pit bike, a "wife's" bike, a child's toy.

BTW, I can run practically all day romping and stomping thru the woods and hills on a tank of fuel, though I do fill up about half way thru.

Since I "powered up" my 230 it uses more gas, but not much more.

Enjoy!

?

[Dbunye]

Thanks for the quick responses guys, sounds like it's the bike I will need to get back into the sport. ?

[DesertDingo]

?

I am a wife and I LOVEEEE my 230!!!

Hubby has a 650 and there are times he enjoys getting on my bike and tearing around the sand with it. Its just a toy for him!

[DirtDaddy]

I am a wife and I LOVEEEE my 230!!!

Hubby has a 650 and there are times he enjoys getting on my bike and tearing around the sand with it. Its just a toy for him!

And that 650 would be a Big Rig to me!

I rode my friends' CR500 last year.

Scared the crap outta me!

Was real fun, but scary as heck...

Glad ya like the 230. It's too much fun!

?

[230F]

In 3-4 hours of the bikes running time i can go through the tank and reserve.

[DesertDingo]

Has anyone put a larger jug on their 230??

I believe the stock jug is 2.2 gallons with a .4 reserve.

Pre-tinkering, I could get a little over 100 miles on a tank...but I am re-doing the jetting soon and am wondering how bad it will suck the fuel??

A larger jug would be nice... 'cause I'm WAY out in the Nevada desert and seriously envy my hubby's 7 gallon desert jug. I could rob his fuel, but thats not cool on a constant basis.

[RiddinRed]

believe it or not...I used to run my 150 REAL REAL hard...I don't know if it's much different then the 230 but I used to get 6 hours out of a tank WITHOUT reserve...

[Rannoch]

I get 30mpg on my XR400, riding hard, and the 230 seems to get about the same. XR400 is 2.6 gallon, and the 230 is 2.4 I believe. This is after both bikes being uncorked.

[230F]

With the reserve the tank is 2.2 gallons, the tank itself without the reserve is 1.8 I think.

[coeshow]

I have been on rides over 80 miles and did not hit reserve. The day was a lot of varied terrain. Some fast, some slow, lots of hills and single track. If your 4 stroke is running properly, it will most likely never foul a spark plug......

[Dbunye]

The CRF-230 sounds like a great bike which allows for a lot of fun riding time, without the hassle my old bike had.

[Red_Snapper]

The CRF-230 sounds like a great bike which allows for a lot of fun riding time, without the hassle my old bike had.

Less hassle yes, less performance too. If you enjoyed romping on your YZ, be aware you're not going to get that old buzz back on a 230.

[Dbunye]

The YZ was a bit too much for me actually, hence I kept fouling spark plugs. The power band on that thing just kicked in at bad times. I know the performance of the 230 will be less, but the riding I want to do is more for fun and checking out new trails. I already had one real bad wreck on the YZ, don't want to do that again. ?

[xt225]

OK

I rode my 230 yesterday and checked the mileage, with great care.

I used US Forest Service maps and their mileage figures for the roads I travelled.

I refilled the tank with a measuring cup 16 ounces at a time, just to be exactly sure how much fuel I used.

I got 56 miles per gallon.

This means I would be able to travel 123 miles per tank and reserve.

The run was varied desert, heavy sand, hills, and very, very very rocky & rough roads. I rode it hard and fast where ever I could, slower on the real technical rough stuff.

My average speed was about 12 Miles per hour, but my top speed was 45MPH for 3.5 miles (clocked by my wife in our GMC truck).

Oh, I have a BBR header and exhaust muffler system. I have stock jetting, although I have the parts to rejet. And I have installed an Iridium spark plug.

[revX]

I check my gas mileage every ride and i get 50 to 63 mpg (best).with a 125 main,stock needle and exhaust with14/50 gearing.