Figure this math if you can...

Lane /

May 16, 2001 07:37PM

I just went for a long cruise to determine what my average speed would be on journey around here. I took a roundabout path that had lots of up and down hills, side roads and four lanes (and even gravel), and red lights...etc. I really mixed it up to get a good average. I hit the timer on my watch and noted the miles on the odometer...i finally stopped to eat at Subway and figured the miles in my head and stopped the watch.

I didn't really think about it til i got back home and started converting minutes into hours and whatnot...Anyways, I travelled 27.5 miles in 37.5 minutes. The minutes convert to .625 hours. When ya figure it, my avg speed was 44 mph. Now, i may have HIT 44 mph twice on some good downhill runs, but it should be about half that. What the heck am I leaving out? I spose those physics classes in college didn't pay off too well huh? I'm pretty sure the watch is ok, but when i get a chance, i'll take a car on the same path to check the distance.

I could only wish for a 44 mph avg speed ! That's more than you can do in a car around here...although I did pass and Escort a while ago...hehe.

Swarm and destroy,

Lane

Re: Figure this math if you can...

Dorvin /

May 16, 2001 07:53PM

Your speedometer probably registers in kilometers. The kilometers convert to 16.5 miles which means you averaged 26.4 miles an hour. Still not a bad average!

Re: Figure this math if you can...

Chris Robertson /

May 16, 2001 07:53PM

Hi Lane:

You've figured out why most people think they're mopeds get much better mileage than they actually do! Most moped odometers are metric. For the manufacturer, converting them to use Imperial units is easy with the spedometer (just put a different label on the face plate), but changing the odometer is much more expensive and difficult because the gearing inside would have to be changed. Many manufacturers don't bother with the extra expense, but some (Puch for example) do.

Many American-sold mopeds will indicate speed in miles per hour, and distance in kilometres which are much smaller. Your Tomos is reporting distance in kilometres. There are 1.6 kilometres in a mile so I suspect that you actually travelled 27.5/1.6 = 17.2 miles. This would give you an average speed of 27.5 mph. Does that sound more reasonable to you?

I have a theory that this is why many people get incredibly good mileage on their mopeds! None of my mopeds get more than around 60mpg (I'm in Canada so everything is metric and I have to convert to miles and gallons). If I mistook my odometer units as miles I would calculate my mileage to be 60% better: 96mpg.

Chris.

Re: Figure this math if you can...

Lane /

May 16, 2001 10:19PM

Why on earth would anyone make a speedometer that measured speed in miles per hour and distance in kilometers? That sounds about like a country that would put 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 5280 feet in a mile....so convenient for learning....ha ha.

Yea, i didn't think i had gone quite 27 miles...but i'm still not disappointed in 27.5 mph average considering i hit 3 or 4 red lights. I especially love the ones that are activated by the weight of a car...I gave one about 30 seconds and then turned right (you can turn right on red here) , made a frickin u-turn in the road, and went on my way...perfectly legal however illogical. Keep in mind this was on a college campus and school let out last week, so I knew I'd be waitin about 45 minutes for a car to come up and trigger the light.

Thanks for the info Chris, I'll make the trek with a "made for America" car to determine the actual distance in miles. No matter what anyone says about their gas mileage...I'm super impressed with my ped. I've put over 700 miles on it and i think i've checked / filled the tank 3 or 4 times; and this has been over 3 months. And when i do fill it, it only takes about 70 or so cents for the good stuff. Funny, when i pay the cashier always says "mowing the yard, huh?" I think i pay more for the oil than i do gas cuz i buy the best stuff. Anyways, enuff blabbing...

Thanks and destroy,

Lane

Re: Figure this math if you can...

Kyle Witten /

May 16, 2001 11:03PM

One thing you can do to determine if the odometer is reading kilometers is to find a good stretch of road with a mile marker. There is 0.62 km/mile, so your odometer should click over about 2/3rds of the way to the next mile marker....

Kyle

Lane wrote:

>

> Why on earth would anyone make a speedometer that measured

> speed in miles per hour and distance in kilometers? That

> sounds about like a country that would put 12 inches in a

> foot, 3 feet in a yard, 5280 feet in a mile....so convenient

> for learning....ha ha.

>

> Yea, i didn't think i had gone quite 27 miles...but i'm still

> not disappointed in 27.5 mph average considering i hit 3 or 4

> red lights. I especially love the ones that are activated by

> the weight of a car...I gave one about 30 seconds and then

> turned right (you can turn right on red here) , made a

> frickin u-turn in the road, and went on my way...perfectly

> legal however illogical. Keep in mind this was on a college

> campus and school let out last week, so I knew I'd be waitin

> about 45 minutes for a car to come up and trigger the light.

>

> Thanks for the info Chris, I'll make the trek with a "made

> for America" car to determine the actual distance in miles.

> No matter what anyone says about their gas mileage...I'm

> super impressed with my ped. I've put over 700 miles on it

> and i think i've checked / filled the tank 3 or 4 times; and

> this has been over 3 months. And when i do fill it, it only

> takes about 70 or so cents for the good stuff. Funny, when i

> pay the cashier always says "mowing the yard, huh?" I think i

> pay more for the oil than i do gas cuz i buy the best stuff.

> Anyways, enuff blabbing...

>

> Thanks and destroy,

> Lane

Re: Figure this math if you can...

Chris Robertson /

May 17, 2001 11:21AM

I suspect the reason that the spedometer measures miles per hour is a legal thing (i.e. vehicles sold in the United States must measure speed in miles per hour). There is probably no such regulation for odometers. I'm guessing here, though.

I hate those triggered intersections! They're actually metal detectors, not weight sensors --no moving parts that way. Often I have to do a "Yee Turn" (my name for the maneuver, named after a friend of mine who did them all the time in his car) as you described (right turn, U Turn, right turn) to get around them. The other alternative is to ride up on the sidewalk and push the pedestrian cross button.

Chris.

Re: Figure this math if you can...

Reeperette /

May 17, 2001 07:05PM

>>The other alternative is to ride up on the sidewalk and push the pedestrian cross button.<<

Heh, I thought I was the only one who did that !

-Ree

Re: Push the button

Jim C. /

May 18, 2001 12:36AM

When I've done it I get a wave from the car drivers.

Re: Push the button

Wayne Broderick /

May 20, 2001 03:38PM

I also have trouble and soon, I will write a short letter to the Police/Public works informing them of the problem and getting SPECIFIC instructions on how they want me to proceed. It happens a lot around here. I don't think I'll get an intelligent response, but it's nice to try.

A lot of times, I know which lights are going to do it, so if there is no traffic, I just use the crosswalk and walk it across like a pedestrian would.

That's funny-- we should all write some letters to the local public safety and post the reply here!! What a riot!

Re: Figure this math if you can...

steve /

May 20, 2001 03:59PM

Thats funny, i thought I was the only one that did that :)

i guess we all have the same instincts.

MOPED ARMY

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