poor fuel consumption

[desperate]

Hi

Loving my new FZ6, 450 miles on the clock and have been riding very carefully as me and the bike are both running in. Trouble is I have had to fill up 4 times so I am only getting just over 100 miles per tank full !!!!!!!!!!!!!

What else does everyone else get and could there be a problem ? It goes in this week for its 600 mile service. Hope it runs better after that.

 

[hardcore84]

depends on how you ride really, but i get about 180 per tank on my 07

 

[xj750_Pete]

When i first bought my FZ6 I was averaging about 37 MPG for the first couple of fill ups. From your figures above, lets assume that on every fill up it is 4 gallons (thats where the fuel light usually lights up for me). So 450/(4*16) = apprx 28 MPG. It still better than what i am getting in my accord, but I'm pretty sure once the oil gets changed, tire pressures get checked, chain is well lubed and cleaned, and the motor starts breaking in, your MPG figures will go up.

 

[CanadianFZ6]

I don't think your bike has a problem... However, you might mention to the dealer the low mpg you're getting. Have them check the colour of the plugs and the air filter for obstructions.... You never know...

 

[sideshow_downs]

My 08 got better miledge after the 600 mile and the break in was completed

 

[Jman]

Dumb question - How many gallons are going into the tank when you fill it up?

 

[CanadianFZ6]

Dumb question - How many gallons are going into the tank when you fill it up?

That's a good point, maybe his math is off in the first place...

 

[Tailgate]

100 miles per tank? That's ridiculous. Listen, the petrol station where you're filling up is ripping you off. There must be something wrong with the petrol. You should be able to squeeze 250 miles out of a tank if you try. Or, maybe you have, say, 10 very cold starts every day or something? As I said, 100 miles per tank is ridiculous. That kind of range is almost as bad (gulp) as one of those near-worthless all electric vehicles.

 

[ozzieboy]

If I push my luck I can squeeze out 300km from a tank (just under 200miles) and got only slightly worse economy while running in. I'm not taking it easy either:rockon:. 100miles (160km) seems pretty poor and you might want to ask some questions of your bike dealer. Also, what sort of riding do you do (traffic commute or open roads)? What cruising revs? How tight is your chain? How much are you putting in when you refuel ( maybe something with the fuel sender unit in the tank)? All things to check. I hope this helps and you can get any problems sorted nice and easy.
Cheers
Mike

 

[ready2goriding]

My 08 only averaged 37 mpg for the first 800 miles or so. Last check, with over 5800 miles on odo, it is getting 49 mpg. I would expect gradual improvement as the engine breaks in. Good luck! ready

 

[towa]

Just vent home from a 310 km trip - and did it on one tank, and not even on reserve yet :thumbup:

 

[mellofelow]

My new '08 have the same miles as your bike. All my commute is on wide city streets and the last tank I got 156 miles out of 3.6 gallons = 43 mpg. During the breaking period I shift between 4k to 5k rpm.

So as other have suggested, either the gas station meter is not correct or you're not refilling with the same method... ie, on side stand, center stand, or not topping off with nozzle... etc.

 

[billm]

I'm usually at 200-220miles when I fill up & that's usually 4-4.3 gal.
So, therefore, I'm avg. ~51mpg.
:Flash:

 

[paul1149]

That's radically bad. I started out in the low 40s and now get in the low 50s unless I really push it. But "miles per tankful" can be misleading, since we don't know what "tankful" means. MPG is a better measure.

 

[cv_rider]

There was that interesting thread of people reporting what mpg they were getting. I was surprised at the significant range: if I recall, it seems the majority of people were in 40-55 mpg range. That's a pretty wide distribution for the same machine. I almost always get 43-44, and I ride pretty sedately, but a good chunk of the miles is on freeway at 75 - 80 mph. I am in awe of those of you getting 50mpg+. I have 4000 miles on my 07.

 

[rsw81]

There was that interesting thread of people reporting what mpg they were getting. I was surprised at the significant range: if I recall, it seems the majority of people were in 40-55 mpg range. That's a pretty wide distribution for the same machine. I almost always get 43-44, and I ride pretty sedately, but a good chunk of the miles is on freeway at 75 - 80 mph. I am in awe of those of you getting 50mpg+. I have 4000 miles on my 07.

That range is largely due to the fact that people are riding their bikes at different aggressiveness levels and also the roads they are riding. If you only commute 2 miles to work each day, you aren't letting the bike fully warm up and are mostly riding in "choke" mode. Whereas the person who rides 20+ miles of highway each way to work will be mostly riding in normal fuel/air ratio mode which is much leaner. Tire pressure, chain tension, throttle body sync, etc. all come into play as well. My bike has 14k miles on it. I get anywhere between 48-55 mpg on it based on the riding that I am doing.

 

[Hollow]

My bike did the same when I first got it. The mileage was horrible compare to the reported 40miles to a gallon. I have 2000miles on my bike now and the mileage is much much better. It started getting better each fill up past the 600 mile service. I am 6-2 and weigh 260 pounds atm and I am getting 40miles or right at it a gallon.

 

[rvbiker]

Things that will cause poor gas mileage:

Under inflated tires.
Poor wheel alignment.
Clutch needing adjustment.
Chain too tight.
Riding at high RPM’s.
Dirty air filter.
TPS recall(older bikes) or out of adjustment.
High speed riding.
Riding two up.
A new bike not broken in.

I’m sure there are more but I can’t think of anymore at the moment.:Flash:

 

[FZRDibs]

I agree with you all. I bought my FZ6 in Feb. of 2008 and just went over the 3,000 mark and I average 45 to 50 miles per gallon! Just went on a long trip and my first fill up was 226 miles on 4.2 gallons! This is traveling over a crooked mountain pass on a rainy, windy day. I hope you find out what's going on.
FZRDibs

 

[desperate]

Thanks for all the advice, some very good points. I don't think it is the garage or petrol as I have filled up at different places. Nor do I think it is my riding style as I am running between 3k and 6k revs with the occaisional squirt up to 9k ( when aimed straight)

I think it could be a combination of things, my maths is bad, I do fill up on the side stand but it does say full. I am concerned that the chain may be too tight. I am glad it is in for the 600 mile check next week, I will ask to have this and some other things looked at.

Thanks all