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XR250 and XR400 MPG? XR250 and XR400 MPG?
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  #1  
Old 11 Oct 2011
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XR250 and XR400 MPG?
Does anyone know what the MPG of these two bikes are? I've read conflicting information on this. Some sites say they're quite poor and others say you can get 90mpg out of them! I suspect the truth is somewhere in between, but if anyone has any more information, I'd like to read that.

Thanks, guys.
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Old 11 Oct 2011
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Hi Smokin,

I have an XR250L. Mine is stock with stock exhaust, stock gearing, stock intake and gets 60 to 70 mpg in US gallons that are 3.79 liters. Can't speak for XR400.

The reason for varied reports of fuel mileage are many. Some people live in the UK where an imperial gallon is closer to 4.5 liters. So in the UK my bike would get 71 to 83 MPG in imperial gallons.

Some people change sprockets to lower the gearing for more dirt oriented riding which lowers fuel economy. Many folks add after market exhaust, open up the airbox, and goof around with carb jetting in the search for more power which also lowers fuel economy. Other people ride it like they stole it, whacking the throttle and slamming on the brakes, which kills fuel economy. Some people report the best MPG their bike has ever gotten instead of average MPG. Add to that other things that can affect fuel economy like underinflated tires, old wheel bearings, obese riders, poorly maintained dirty air filters, etc. and it easy to see why the reports are all over the map.

Kindest regards,
John Downs
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Old 11 Oct 2011
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I don't have either a 250 or a 400 but I do have a 600 and I've had it long enough to know how the fuel consumption varies with how it's ridden / loaded etc.

Normally ridden (cruising at 60-65mph) I get about 55mpg (UK gallon). Fit the panniers and that drops to 50mpg. Ride it hard (on the road) and it'll drop another few mpg, down to around 45-47 (depends on head winds etc). That goes down again to 43-45mpg in the mountains.

Ride it gently (and I mean really gently - cruising at 40 -45mph on flat open roads) and I've got 80-85 (once 90) mpg.

I do have the bike quite low geared though so it's revving quite high on very little throttle. Probably not the optimum approach for mileage.
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Old 11 Oct 2011
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Xr250r1
I have an '01 XR250R which I use for trail riding in the UK. The standard sprockets have been changed to gear the bike for off road use, the airbox has been opened up and the carb upjetted for the removal of the Baffle/restricter from the exhaust and a Hot Tip fitted.

I get about 100 to the (imp.) gallon, give or take a bit depending on the terrain/speed etc.

Bear in mind that these are approximate figures and I ride off road at lower speeds and at a reduced speed (below 50mph) on road as I have MX tyres fitted.

I hope this helps,

Dan
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Old 11 Oct 2011
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I have a uk XR400; although I don't know how far a gallon or litre of fuel will last I can confirm the bike is very economical.
I ride mainly off road and a tank goes a long way.
6 years ago in morocco I was riding a combination af xr400's and crf450's; the smaller xr tank easilly outlasted the large acerbis tank fitted to the crf's.
Many of the uk Xr400's are set up to run rich as standard; It may be worth having the bike set up on a dyno as I did
good luck
K
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  #6  
Old 12 Oct 2011
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Thanks, guys.

I am condsidering getting one of these and the things I consider most important are MPG, reliability and things like that, so I wanted to check on here. They seem to be really sturdy, reliable bikes, though if you have any additional comments on them, I'd appreciate that. The only thing I want is a reliable, easy to mend bike that will take me across the world! Hopefully an XR can do that.
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