bad fuel economy and ticking noise

[nudgedoink]

hi i've recently obtained an 07 fz6 with yoshi slip ons, k&n filter, decat mid pipe and a modded airbox. i have 2 problems with this bike, poor fuel economy and a ticking sound.

Fuel Consumption

I have yet to hit reserve but i am only at 200km and i am down to the last bar of the fuel gauge. I estimate that I would probably hit 230km at most before hitting reserve. I know it's not traumatically bad mileage but i am very easy on the throttle and rpms, since this is my first 600cc (previously riding small scooters). riding is 30% city, 70% highway.

I have searched through the forums and a common solution was to disconnect the battery for a period of time to let the ECU reset, due to the above mods that i have mentioned. how much of a change in fuel economy am i expected to observe after this? also, i'm not sure if the previous owner had already done so. are there any other solutions to reduce my fuel consumption?


Ticking sound

another issue i have is that i experience a ticking sound when i rev the bike. it comes from the front right side of the engine and goes away when i pull in the clutch. It is not the clutch itself vibrating though as i have tried to lay my finger on the clutch while accelerating and the sound still persists - and is definitely coming from the engine. anyone knows what could be causing this?

thank you all for your help and advice. i'm really new to the fz6 and any help would be greatly appreciated :wav:

 

[dxh24]

Wondering if the Mod airbox +yosh n K&N might be screwing your ratios up? No PCV or other mapping device right? I dunno much about it but i know people in the past with performance mods like that W/O the Power Commander have suffered popping on deceleration, lower fuel economy, and odd power surges. Not sure if that's the case with your bike but wanted to toss my .02 out there

 

[Criminal Pilot]

I don't have much experience or knowledge on the two topics, so I can't comment in that respect.

I can, however, give you my stats purely for comparison purposes.

As far as fuel consumption:
I have an 08 FZ6 (see 'Garage'). It is completely bone stock, the only addition thus far being a shorty wind screen. The farthest I have EVER gone before hitting the reserve is about 265km. Total distance including the reserve was just under 330km.

I've tried very hard to have terrible fuel consumption, and I've tried very hard to have excellent fuel consumption. Either way, I get (relatively) the same numbers.

I even have an excel spreadsheet set up with some complicated calculations to help me get MPG or L/100KM, fuel type, fuel use, estimated distance remaining with reserve, etc. I've gone on trips with a friend in a car doing additional measurements.

In all cases, I have yet to do better than 265km with the main tank (15.8L). This equates to aprox. 39.6MPG or 5.9L/100KM. I've heard people on the forums quoting numbers between 50-60MPG, and upwards of that. I haven't even come close, even if I give myself a very modest margin of error (I might be able to stretch my values to get 44MPG on a good day).

Doesn't matter what I do, so I'm happy with what I get. It's better than the 7MPG my truck gets. I'm gonna say it has to do with the climate and altitude. That's my best excuse.

As far as the ticking, mine does the same thing. Ticking, rattling, whatever you want to call it. From the right side. And theres a thread where a lot of people discuss the exact same thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember reading that most people accept the ticking as a normality with the bike; nothing to be concerned about if you are maintaining it and doing your regular check-ups.

Hope this provides some insight. Best case scenario - you have nothing to worry about! Worst case scenario - we're both doing something wrong!

 

[nudgedoink]

Wondering if the Mod airbox +yosh n K&N might be screwing your ratios up? No PCV or other mapping device right? I dunno much about it but i know people in the past with performance mods like that W/O the Power Commander have suffered popping on deceleration, lower fuel economy, and odd power surges. Not sure if that's the case with your bike but wanted to toss my .02 out there

yea no other mapping device installed. i guess if its the ratios that cause the poor fuel economy resetting the ECU/battery method MIGHT help!

I don't have much experience or knowledge on the two topics, so I can't comment in that respect.

I can, however, give you my stats purely for comparison purposes.

As far as fuel consumption:
I have an 08 FZ6 (see 'Garage'). It is completely bone stock, the only addition thus far being a shorty wind screen. The farthest I have EVER gone before hitting the reserve is about 265km. Total distance including the reserve was just under 330km.

I've tried very hard to have terrible fuel consumption, and I've tried very hard to have excellent fuel consumption. Either way, I get (relatively) the same numbers.

I even have an excel spreadsheet set up with some complicated calculations to help me get MPG or L/100KM, fuel type, fuel use, estimated distance remaining with reserve, etc. I've gone on trips with a friend in a car doing additional measurements.

In all cases, I have yet to do better than 265km with the main tank (15.8L). This equates to aprox. 39.6MPG or 5.9L/100KM. I've heard people on the forums quoting numbers between 50-60MPG, and upwards of that. I haven't even come close, even if I give myself a very modest margin of error (I might be able to stretch my values to get 44MPG on a good day).

Doesn't matter what I do, so I'm happy with what I get. It's better than the 7MPG my truck gets. I'm gonna say it has to do with the climate and altitude. That's my best excuse.

As far as the ticking, mine does the same thing. Ticking, rattling, whatever you want to call it. From the right side. And theres a thread where a lot of people discuss the exact same thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember reading that most people accept the ticking as a normality with the bike; nothing to be concerned about if you are maintaining it and doing your regular check-ups.

Hope this provides some insight. Best case scenario - you have nothing to worry about! Worst case scenario - we're both doing something wrong!

ahah thanks alot for this. really thought i could get ard 20km/l on the fz though. the ticking sound irritates the hell out of me!

 

[OZXJR]

I regularly get 285 -300+ k's before reserve and that ticking sound is probably the injectors.

 

[nudgedoink]

i've just filled her up at the last bar (not blinking yet). i filled up 11+ litres before the pump got cut of. i couldnt believe it so i overfilled her abit to 12.3litres. my trip read 237km. that amounts to 19.2km/l! i guess it could have hit 20 if i didnt overfill the tank! i guess my fuel consumption is okay then! wasted the excess petrol though when i lifted the tank to clean the K&N, more than 1 litre of petrol just spilled on the floor!

the ticking sound is not the injector though, cos it does not tick always, just 80% of the time. is there a checklist of nuts and bolts that i can check to make sure that nothing's loose?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Make sure you don't over oil the K&N filter or it'll restrict air flow and lower MPG's (run rich).

The cam chain adjuster located on the right side of the engine if failing will allow the cam chain to rattle. The cam chain is located under the smaller oblong cover on the right side of the engine. If you hold a screwdriver to the cover and the handle end to your ear, you may be able to narrow down the area... A loose cam chain will make all kinds of racket...

How many miles on the bike, regular maintainance from the PO?


BTW, my 07, the engine is bone stock (+ Scorpion open pipes and K&P SS oil filter) gets about 40 MPG around town, NO other engine mods..

 

[nudgedoink]

Make sure you don't over oil the K&N filter or it'll restrict air flow and lower MPG's (run rich).

The cam chain adjuster located on the right side of the engine if failing will allow the cam chain to rattle. The cam chain is located under the smaller oblong cover on the right side of the engine. If you hold a screwdriver to the cover and the handle end to your ear, you may be able to narrow down the area... A loose cam chain will make all kinds of racket...


How many miles on the bike, regular maintainance from the PO?

the bike has 52000km on the odo. i trust that the previous owner did perform regular maintenance. im not too sure i understand exactly what you're describing but i'll give it a shot.

 

[nudgedoink]

some more detail on the sound. it sounds like its coming from the front right side of the bike. when i clutch in it goes away. when im stationary (clutch in or neutral) it goes away. Most noticeable when deccelerating. it is not consistent as well. sometimes the ticking is present, other days it isnt.

 

[nudgedoink]

i'd probably get the cam chain tensioner replaced along with the next servicing. it's probably that since i have 50,000km+ on my bike and i'm betting that it has never been replaced before by the previous owner.