Another mpg post

[BlesseDemon]

Hi everyone,

Longtime lurker first time post. I'm asking a question that seems to still not really have an answer and there may never be one. It seems the mpg on the FZ6R is all over the board. I'm not talking about a modded exhaust or PCV maps. it seems that general riding seems to be anywhere from low 30's to high 40's on avg. Unfortunately I fall on the bottom half of that spectrum and I've tried multiple solutions to try to get better fuel economy. I use my FZ6R as a commuter I figured that weekend and spirited riders already know what they want but specifically for efficiency there's just a huge gap between each bike.

I ride a 2015 model and bought it with 6k miles and just put 9k last month. I live in central Cali it does get much warmer here and stays that way for longer periods. I do some town to countryside roads then hit the highway back home so it's a decent mix of riding but only 30 miles combined. I keep the tire pressure at spec after testing +2 or 3 and not seeing a difference. I've also learned to not trust the fuel gauge since it seems to suggest more than be accurate lol! New tires, oil change each quarter, clean and lube chain monthly. No mods that change the engine or exhaust. I am no light rider tho (much to my own shame) I thought that was the main reason but after talking with some other riders unless You're pushing the actual weight limit of you're bike that shouldn't be a factor

Maybe it's just a quirk of that beautiful retuned engine. I love the bike and although 33 mpg is way better than most cars I've started looking at selling it and getting something that would be more what I am looking for.

Guess this is more of a rant then a question lol! Just wondering everyone's thoughts or if anyone else noticed the big variance on fuel economy as well

Happy and safe riding everyone!

 

[jjmaine]

You are right about the fuel gauge. Mine showed 1 bar so I hurried to a gas station and less than 2 gallons filled it lol. I’m curious as well to see what I am getting for mileage but the gauge makes it hard to do short of topping the tank and riding the bike until it sputters and dies?

It seems like you should be getting more than 33 mpg though? I thought others have been reporting 40+ with some power mods like exhaust and tuner etc.?

 

[Just_Jim]

It's easy to calculate fuel mileage without trusting the fuel gauge. Just reset your trip meter to 0 when you refuel. Then when you fill-up the next time, divide the miles listed on your trip meter by the amount of fuel added. Then reset the trip meter and start the process again.

The only thing I've done to my 2013 drivetrain-wise is add a K&N air filter. I'm getting from a low of 46 mpg to a high of 53 mpg. I've heard of other folks getting really bad mileage (in the 30's) from their FZ6R - different model-years, different states of tune. No real obvious reason why their mileage is so bad.

Motorcycles are pretty sensitive to how they are ridden with regards to fuel mileage. With my R6, when I did track days, the mileage would drop to 35 mpg and on an easy ride at a steady 65 mph I got 52 mpg.

 

[BlesseDemon]

So there's something else I forgot to mention. If you go and check out the FZ6 forums you'll find the exact same issue. Now I know it's still the heart of an R6 engine and those mid 2000's 600cc bikes were only worth 35mpg on good days. I just find it crazy that there's a huge variance between each bike. Others have let there's rip and got mid low 40's while others baby it never going past 5k rpm of they can help it and still just get 38mpg. Hell if every FZ6R got 33-39mpg it would suck but at least people would know what there getting into!

 

[jjmaine]

I just topped my bike up and went for a good ride. I’ll see my mpg next time I fill up. I seem to always cruise between 5-6000rpm.

 

[jacobg98]

Riding style and type make a huge difference, especially on bikes that aren't that powerful. For example, I weigh like 190-200lbs geared up and with a backpack. My commute is about 45 miles round trip. If I take the freeway for about 30 miles of it (going about 80mph), I get around 42 mpg. If I stay off the freeway (50-60mph avg), I can average 50+ mpg. Either way, I tend to shift below 5k rpm for most of the commute. I try not to go too crazy, but I do still have some extra fun sometimes.

Something you can try if you're okay sacrificing a little bit of acceleration is moving of a 16T front sprocket to a 17T (and keeping the 46T rear sprocket). That takes a little bit of the load off your engine at cruising speed.

 

[jjmaine]

Apparently mine gets 47.24mpg with the Delkevic exhaust, Hiflo filtro air filter and PCFC w/ Hindle tune. Runs great and sounds great with no decel pops. Mostly 5-6,000rpm cruising with some random redline pulls. I’m happy with that.