Q. What gas mileage should I expect from a scooter?
Most carbureted 49cc four-stroke powered scooters in a good state of tune are capable of 80MPG or above. Two-strokes usually achieve around 60MPG. 150cc four-strokes tend to average somewhere between the 2T and 4T 49ccs, but if they are operated at lower speeds at low throttle positions they may rival 49cc 4T fuel economy. EFI and direct injected models in any class usually consume less fuel, sometimes far less.
As they say, your mileage may vary. Heavy riders, hills, headwinds, riding style, and poor carburetor or CVT tuning are examples of conditions that may cause reduced fuel economy. You can browse sites like Fuelly and find gas mileage reports and averages for many scooters as reported by their owners.
Scooters modified with big bore kits, pipes, porting, big carbs, and so on typically experience lower fuel economy. Sometimes they are capable of similar gas mileage if operated at the same speeds as stock. In the past I've seen roughly a 20MPG increase in consumption from a 49cc 4T modified with a big bore kit and other performance parts. Some of my 2T scooters with much larger bored and stroked engines get down to around 40MPG. In general if you plan on riding wide open then the more power you add, the more fuel you'll burn.
49cc Scooter Info Video
49cc 4T TaoTao Stock Performance Tests
49cc 4T TaoTao Stock Tuning Performance Tests
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