Yamaha is not the first manufacturer to tout the fuel efficiency of its line of scooters, but it is the first to go so far as to list the estimated fuel mileage on each of its website's product pages. Scooter riders will be happy to see that Yamaha is claiming 124 miles per gallon from its Zuma, though its two-stroke engine likely emits more pollutants than a comparable four-stroke. Thankfully, both the Vino Classic and C3 use four-strokers and still do better than 100 miles per gallon. If higher speeds are a necessity for you, perhaps the Vino 125 will do with its 96 mile per gallon rating and 50+ mile per hour top-speed. Moving up the line, the futuristic Morphous and its 250cc four-stroke engine manages 56 miles per gallon and is freeway capable. Yamaha's top-of-the-line Maxiscooter, the Majesty, offers a 400cc engine which still delivers over 50 miles per gallon.

The fuel efficiency of various scooter models has been under discussion as of late. Most outlets agree that 100 miles per gallon is only really possible on 50cc machines, but their larger brothers are still capable of figures which are well beyond what the average automobile is capable of. We'd expect other manufacturers to follow Yamaha's lead in making fuel efficiency a selling-point for scooters and small-bore motorcycles as gas prices continue to climb.

[Source: Yamaha]

Click on the image above for high-resolution shots of the Aprilia Scarabeo 200

There's a new term to add to your vehicular lexicon: the grudge purchase. This phenomenon usually occurs shortly after pumping gasoline into your SUV and the inevitable large outlay of cash which follows. Scooter shops seem to be benefiting the most from this new-found appreciation for high gas mileage.Motorcycle sales are also up, but are seeing a smaller upturn. According to The American Statesman in Texas, an informal poll of area scooter shops shows that all of them are citing higher-than-normal sales of gas-sippers. Especially now that the weather is turning nice in most areas of the country, we expect that the sales will keep on humming for the next few months at least.

[Source: The American Statesman via The Scooter Scoop]

Be skeptical! Out of 93 fuel saving devices or additives were recently tested in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by the EPA, and out of those, just 10 were found to increase fuel mileage, and then only slightly. Unfortunately, 4 of those 10 also increased emissions. The results of the report are that none of the tested products met with approval from the EPA. The moral of the story is that these days, manufacturers have probably done what they can to make your mileage as high as it can be while delivering the performance that you demand. Outside engineers likely can't improve one aspect of the vehicle's performance without hindering another. The moral of the story: don't buy the hype, and don't buy their products.

So, what should you do? The source article, from the Detroit News, suggests a few tips that are likely well known to our readership. Namely, keep up with your manufacturer's maintenance schedule and slow down. It goes without saying that controlling your right foot is free.

[Source: The Detroit News]

I am sure that you have seen various gadgets being sold that claim to increase your fuel mileage. I won't mention any names, but some of them make rather dubious-sounding claims which have never been verified, yet they remain on the market. Some of them have even been tested by the EPA, and have not fared well. This turns out to be nothing new, as you can see from this test that was run all the way back in 1968. Here are the gadgets in question:

• THE GT ENERGY CHAMBER
• THE GAS-O-MISER
• OCTA-GANE
• ECON-O-MISER
• FIRE INJECTORS
• SOLAR VOLT SUPERCHARGER
• GANE AIR FLOW NEEDLES
• GAS SAVER CHAMBER

So, did any of them work? I guess you'll need to read the article, now won't you? But, you can probably guess the answer anyway!

[Source: The Olds Zone via Jalopnik]

If you have been on the internets (see, I have... w00t! I M L33t :-) for any length of time, you know that pretty much anything you could ever want to know (or not know) is probably already there. Forums were developed for people with a common interest to get together with people that they don't know, and could be half across the world from, and talk about anything. For instance, say you would like to know what sort of mileage somebody gets with a particular car, fuel source, or driving technique. Maybe you want to brag about how good you mileage is, or isn't. Maybe you want to share some technique to help others out. Check the forum. Chances are, somebody out there can help you in some way or another.

This particular forum is pretty new, so there is not much there yet. But, that is the perfect chance to become a big helper in getting it off the ground. Then you can be one of those snobby Internet forumers who have been on a forum since, like, forever and have a bajillion posts under their name and love to let others know it. Oh, nevermind. Just check it out!

[Source: Daily Fuel Economy Tip forum via Hugg]