Throwing a couple of magnets into the fuel tank is rumoured to yield considerable improvements on fuel consumption. Unfortunately, the Myth Busters are likely to have a field day with this one.

Short of stealing petrol from unsuspecting victims (hell beckons, brother), or worse, giving up riding altogether, there are some tried and tested methods to lighten the strain on your pocket.

1. Slow down off the blocks

Take a long hard look in the mirror. That’s right, wise guy, you’re no Valentino, Dani, Casey or Jorge. Now, stop acting like a MotoGP racer!

I’ve noticed more than a few fellow bikers with Parkinson’s Disease that seems to affect only the right side of their bodies. Experts are studying whether these seizures are triggered by normal frequency red light. How else do you explain the violent muscle spasms that compel their right hands to work the throttle incessantly - when they are standing still at the traffic lights?

Seriously though, acting like a bat out of hell from every stop line is more likely to win you a couple of traffic tickets than the chance to stand on the podium and shower champagne on grid girls. And don’t even think about licking it off them after, you perve!

Gradual acceleration is not only safer, it consumes less petrol and saves you a whole lot of money.

2. Ease off the throttle / Free-wheeling

Think of the throttle as a faucet: every time you turn on the tap, some of that precious petrol is pumped out. Of course, the engine needs fuel to burn before it operates. Yes, that’s why they call it a motor-cycle. But sometimes, we crack open the throttle more than we need - or even when we don’t need to.

Cruising, the engine functions at the optimum energy spent vs work done efficiency. Each time you accelerate, you force the engine to do more work, hence increasing the need for more fuel to perform the task. For best fuel efficiency, accelerate gradually to a comfotably cruising speed, for example 90km/h on the expressway, then try your best to maintain that RPM until you need to decelerate on exiting the highway. With limited acceleration-deceleration, the engine does less work, which translates into lower petrol spendings!

Remember: the motorcycle engine works like the human body. Think back on the dreaded annual school cross-country runs we were forced to do. Jogging at a constant pace throughout could be tortuous, but much less tiring than the guys who chose a walk-sprint-walk-sprint strategy. The human body - and the motorbike engine - were just not made to function that way!

And when you get to the downslopes, it was less tiring to just open your stride and let gravity do the work for you. Likewise, pulling in the clutch and shutting the throttle for long downhill sections make more sense. Why use the engine when gravity is in abundance?

While maintaining cruising speed and free-wheeling down slopes might seem insignificant and penny-pinching strategies at best, our test results yielded remarkable dividends. The same 14.5-litre tank of petrol actually covered 10% more distance with this method alone. Every little bit counts!

Stay tuned for Part 2!

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