On Fri, 21 Jul 2017 08:45:37 -0600,
rbowman wrote:

Fuel efficiency on a bike is highly variable. That's what happens when
you have a drag coefficient like a barn door.

It is amazing that even a faired motorcycle has the Cd of a semi truck!

The only thing that saves them is a low frontal area.

I would hope full fairings would help.

Since I live in a state where there isn't a
gas station on every corner I tend to be interested in those matters.

I used to get about 100 miles to a tank (give or take), no matter what bike
I had over the years (college days).

I
replaced the OEM tank on one bike because a potential 120-150 mile range
wasn't going to make it.

That's a lot more than I ever got on a tankful of fuel, at least in the
olden days.

I don't assume when it comes to engineers. I are one. Some are very
adept at getting data that matches their opinions.

I are one too.
Luckily, I don't trust my intuition.
I'd rather trust facts.

C&D is an entertaining publication geared to delivering advertising to
the consumer.

They all are, to some degree.
IMHO, C&D is better than Motor Trend, but they all get "freebies" that they
supposedly test (with the marketing guy in the passenger seat feeding them
exactly what to say).

Every rational person (and especially logical engineers and scientists),
keeps a few grains of salt with them every time someone tells them
anything.

I have one magazine I trust -- Motorcycle Consumer News.
There is NO advertising. If they test the Vincent Super Snark and it
sucks that's what the review says. Usually there are several reviewers
riding the bike since much is subjective.

You can also trust me to say it like it is (as I see it).
I will try to back up my wild-ass guesses with references (when/if I can).