Once when I was a little girl, my mother wrote the times tables from 2 to 10 on a sheet of notebook paper. I would recite the litany of numbers every evening, and as one page was memorized another was added. By the end of that school year I was up to 295 pages. What can I say, it’s the Korean Way. (What? How else did you think we got so good at playing Starcraft and making cheap, yet sexy, sport sedans?)
As the years have passed, I’ve forgotten 294 of those pages. The memories have been replaced with far more important things like pop culture trivia, arcane geeky knowledge, the numbers from every fill-up of my SV, and the details of every service I’ve ever done on the bike. But what if you’re not blessed with a Korean memory? You use an incredibly awesome and free online tool at mileagetracker.org.
It’s certainly not as flashy as the “premium” gas and service tracker websites that cost money, but it gets the job done. It’s like the SV650 of the fuel and maintenance tracker world.
Getting started is easy. Register for a free account, and create a vehicle. (The site supports cars also, but who cares about those?)
The top of the vehicle page is crammed with useful stats,
while the bottom shows the last several fuel-ups and services entered for that vehicle.
The tool will also calculate MPG (or KPL if you swing that way).
My favorite feature is the service interval tracker.
After setting up the service intervals (mileage and time) for the vehicle, the system will display overdue reminders for the various services as you add fuel-ups or mileage updates.
You can create some nifty graphs, too:
You’ll get as much out of the tool as you put into it. Don’t care about the gas stuff? Set up the service intervals and keep track of the maintenance. Want to prove your bike is more eco-friendly than your uppity neighbor’s new Prius? Save your gas receipts and skip the maintenance stuff. Champion at anal retentiveness (or ride a BMW?) Save every gas receipt and make note of all the times you’ve rebuilt your airhead just ’cause you can. It’s fun!
If you’d like to see the records of someone who has far too much time on her hands, be my guest: tbolt’s SV650 records
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That tool is totally cool!! How long do your records go back? Have you tracked if you fuel mileage increases/decreases over time?
And really…”Champion at anal retentiveness (or ride a BMW)” . Is that redundant??
I can say that since I am a BMW owner and do fall into that AR category. LOL.
Thanks for the pointer to the tool.
-Lori
Gotta love the Starcraft reference!
I’m using an upgraded version of the same spreadsheet I started 15 years ago. I’d really like to go to something web-based, but I want something that has an application for Android yet stores it on the network.
I might (a) write my own or (b) keep using my spreadsheet.
For those interested in only keeping track of/sharing fuel mileage stats there is http://www.fuelly.com. I use that. 13K miles tracked, average of 47 mpg. One interesting feature if there is enough people using your same vehicle you can see some of their states for the same make and model. As well as any other vehicle.
MileageTracker of course adds the maintenance record aspect. I’m using GasCubby on my iPod Touch for that.
Thanks for the tip. I may switch if I can figure a way to export from one and import into the other.
@BeemerGirl: I have every single record from both of my SVs, dating back to 2008. The mileage is surprisingly consistent.
@Mike P: “Even Korean grandmothers know what a Zerg rush is!”
@tedder: That must be one hell of a spreadsheet.
@Bandit.pdx: I started out using fuelly for fuel-up tracking but switched to mileagetracker as my primary record keeping tool (as it has everything I need in one place).
I wrote a script to convert the export file from fuelly into a format that mileagetracker.org can import (note that mileagetracker.org does not have an import feature per se, but you can email the author the import file and he can import it for you from the backend). I’d be happy to convert your fuelly export files if you’d like.
Since I bought my iPhone, which came after I bought my G650GS, I’ve been tracking all of my fill ups and service with the GasCubby app. So far so good. I accidentally learned that if you turn the phone sideways, it shows you the graph version of your stats. Very cool. With the iPhone app, I don’t have to remember to add the fill ups when I get home. That would require getting a receipt, saving it, locating it later, and also remembering that I had them in the first place. Way too much for my 40-something brain. With the phone, I can add it at the pump! Woot! According to my app, my GS gets about 70mpg.
And is overdue for an oil change. It sent me a reminder! That is so awesome for me!
@Allaina: I had a feeling I was going to hear from the iFanboys (and girls).
To me, the idea of standing at the pump and typing numbers into the wonky touchscreen of an iDevice while enduring glares from the folks in line behind me sounds awful compared to grabbing the receipt, remembering the last three digits on my odometer, and heading out on my merry way.
Though I must admit, the iStuff sure is pretty.
To each their own, I guess!
PS: For those who can’t bear to function without their smartphone, mileagetracker has an entry interface for mobile browsers that works pretty well as long as you’re logged in.
They don’t really glare because it still takes me a fraction of the time to fill my tank and type in my numbers than it does for the SUV filling their tank. But I have a seriously faulty memory and cannot remember numbers from one point to the next. It’s a genetic malfunction and also has something to do with my Peace Corps service and two years of anti-malaria meds. Before the iPhone, I would actually write it all down in a notebook for later. (Much more difficult to lose a notebook.) The app takes a lot less time.
Now, if I ever lose myiPhone, I will be SOL because this stuff doesn’t exist on a server somewhere for me to retrieve later. (Or does it??)
@Allaina: True, true. They could be stuck behind a gigantic RV.
Update: It appears that the free version of Gas Cubby doesn’t store your data online. The paid version has an Online Sync feature that will backup your data to their servers. So depending on which version you have, you might want to see if you can export your data somewhere so you can have your own copy just in case.
Thanks! The only app I’ve paid for so far has been the Scrabble app but it might be time to upgrade the GasCubby.
And dare I say it… I do love my iPhone, almost as much as my GS.
@Stacy: new tabs for each vehicle on the spreadsheet. It’s sad to see how many vehicles I’ve owned- though I often delete the tabs about a year after getting rid of the vehicle. It’s much easier with only two bikes (versus one time when we had four running bikes and four running cars..)
I wish I were that organized to maintain the receipts. I have a difficult enough time keeping the dealership receipts together.
Neat to have confirmation that your bike is working as normal when you don’t see any changes it is specs. -Lori
Thanks for the info on Mileage Tracker. I’ve always logged on paper all service that I do on my motorcycles but now, as a result of your blog, I’m using Mileage Tracker as well. Did you notice any difference in performance after you had the Throttle Body Sync done? I’m past due for mine on the SV650 but I can’t detect any deterioration in performance or fuel efficiency at all. Judging from the price for service you listed on Mileage Tracker, I’m assuming that when you had your valve clearances checked that they were within spec. Is that correct? I was wondering if you considered doing those two services yourself? The valve clearance check in particular looks too involved for me.
@Murray: “Did you notice any difference in performance after you had the Throttle Body Sync done?” It depends on your definition of performance. Aside from a noticeably smoother throttle at low speeds, no, there has been no discernible difference in performance.
“I’m assuming that when you had your valve clearances checked that they were within spec. Is that correct?” Yes, they were checked and within spec.
“I was wondering if you considered doing those two services yourself?” Yes, but until I own a second bike, it’s unlikely that I will do these services myself. The valve clearance check is not as involved, but the adjustment is a colossal pain in the ass and would likely take me days.