That the fuel consumption of motorcycles is much lower than that of cars is a clear truth that does not admit of discussion. The vast majority of motorcycles currently on the market are equipped with gasoline tanks with a capacity between 5 and 20 liters that allow them to travel between 200 and 300 kilometers. The simplicity of the bike, as well as its weight and size, is what makes the engine require little fuel to generate the necessary power. Hence its moderate consumption.
However, no matter how low the fuel consumption of a motorcycle is, it would be quite a feat if a moped could travel more than 4,000 kilometers without refueling. It certainly is and it has come true. The feat was achieved by the Italian automotive plastic products and motorcycle clothing company Acerbis, which has inscribed its name in the Guinness record for the longest distance traveled by a prototype motorcycle on a single charge.
Coinciding with its 50th anniversary, Acerbis set out to celebrate the anniversary in style. With the collaboration of Repsol and other companies, the Italian firm considered covering the 4,183.8 kilometers between the company’s headquarters in Albino, in the north of the Lomabradía region, with the North Cape (Norway), with a Honda Monkey. with a single charge of fuel.
The challenge hides a small trap, since to cover a distance like this, a conventional 5.6-liter fuel tank like the one equipped on the Japanese manufacturer’s motorcycle is not enough. Acerbis designed a fuel tank with a capacity of 108 liters -which he named AC50- that is ’embraced’ to the motorcycle’s chassis.
Repsol became involved in the project by providing a 100% renewable fuel made from waste that it plans to start marketing this year. Along with the Spanish energy company, other companies also took part: Garmin (GPS navigation), Honda Red Moto (importer of the Japanese brand in Italy) and SKF (spare parts).
To achieve the goal of traveling more than 4,000 kilometers with a single tank, a route that was as efficient as possible was designed. A team of three pilots, including the Spanish Alicia Sornosa, took over to cover the distance from Albino to the North Cape. In addition to circulating through Italy and Norway, the pilots also crossed the borders of Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, covering 4,183.8 kilometers without refueling and registering their names in the Guinness Record.
The consumption of the motorcycle was 2.5 liters per 100 kilometers, that is, only one liter more than what was declared by Honda in the technical specifications of the Monkey. The accredited average speed was about 70 km/h.
Although the record was established at 4,183.8 kilometers approved by those responsible for the Guinness Record, the motorcycle was able to cover more than 1,000 additional kilometers with fuel loaded in Italy. Once the new world record was achieved, the expedition members started the way back without refueling to find out exactly how many more kilometers they could cover without refueling.
The bike ran out of fuel when it was already in the heart of Sweden and the odometer read 5,412 kilometers. Being outside the official route, this record could not be verified by those responsible for the Guinness Record.
