Saving Gas- Riding in 6th at 40 mph?

[Nelly]

I have read a lot of posts where people are getting 200 miles(320k) out of a tank of gas. Recently I decided to try and see how far I could go.

So I rode around in town mostly in 5th or 6th gear in the 30-40 mph(48-64kph) range. On the highway I tried to keep it under 80mph(128kph).

I ended up getting 175 miles out of my tank only going about 9 miles(14k) in F-Trip. The next week I tried the same thing and got 76 miles(122k). This week I have made it 90+ miles(144k) but only 3 bars are left and they seem to go quick. I have been using Shell Premium or Mid Grade gas and this week I decided to try Exxon- I think I will go back to Shell.

Now I am a big guy. I am about 6 ft.(182cm.) and 270 pounds or 19 stone and I have a pretty big chest(and gut) that blocks the wind. I only usually carry about 10 pounds (4.5kg) in a backpack.

I am pretty sure that my weight and chest wind resistance doesn't help me to get any closer to that 200 mile mark.

Is my cruising in 6th at slow speeds saving me gas? I don't mind it but I will say that today I had a car that almost ran me off the road....I can never find the damn horn button when I need it....and if I had been in a lower gear I could have shot ahead of them.

Instead I just got closer to them as my bike kinda shuttered and slowly tried to get speed. It was the closest I have come to actually getting hit. If I had braked I would have been hit from behind as I was on a two lane road with lots of traffic going about 40(64) and the person behind me was not biker friendly- just riding my tail even though there was no where to go.

It made me rethink my whole gas saving plan even if it is working.


I am wondering if any of you out there have any suggestions to help me save gas. Is my cruising in 6th at slow speeds saving me gas?

I honestly think that the difference in negligible. I used to short short shift to 6th and ride 30 - 40 mph. I now ride at these speeds in 3rd or 4th. There is really nothing in it.

Nelly

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Just to give you an idea, I weigh about 160 and the most I got out of tank was 228 miles riding around Vegas. I ran out of gas and end up walking my bike to the gas station. With your weight and not refueling late into reserve, I think you're right on par.

+ 1 on the tire pressure, you may want to put a bit more in what's recommended because of your weight,

 

[dankatz]

I don't want to state the obvious, but do you fill up on your side stand or center stand? there is a fair difference in how much you can put in the tank. Also, do you stop when the pump stops? I put a little extra if I know I am going on a long trip and I am not worried about the gas having enough time to heat up and expand. You are better off calculating your MPG or KPL. In any case, it is never a good idea to og down the engine. Our engines are detuned R6 engines, so I usually don't cruise lower than 40mph in 5th and 45mph in 6th.

 

[lonesoldier84]

on the flipside....don't change to first gear when ur going 180kph

 

[hunterfz6]

Are you so poor that you cant afford to pay 20 bucks to fill your bike? I would take the bus if that is the case. Its better to be in the proper power band like the others said in case you need to, get out of jail free card it out of danger. Also, if you are riding 40 mph in 6th your gonna wear something out. If i'm riding the speed limit, and in 6th gear, i'm normally in the 6k to 7k rpm range, Its a quick drop to 5th to chit and git. And its not gonna damage the engine. If you really want good fuel economy, get a scooter or a moped or something, i heard they get 60 to 100 mpg. Good luck.

 

[lonesoldier84]

Are you so poor that you cant afford to pay 20 bucks to fill your bike? I would take the bus if that is the case. Its better to be in the proper power band like the others said in case you need to, get out of jail free card it out of danger. Also, if you are riding 40 mph in 6th your gonna wear something out. If i'm riding the speed limit, and in 6th gear, i'm normally in the 6k to 7k rpm range, Its a quick drop to 5th to chit and git. And its not gonna damage the engine. If you really want good fuel economy, get a scooter or a moped or something, i heard they get 60 to 100 mpg. Good luck.

sometimes i am that poor.

but i always keep it in the powerband, and never use anything but premium gas. if i cant afford to put in gas i bum rides. no gear 6 @ 40 for me!!!

 

[bertmoog]

The mpg difference between 40 in 6th and 40 in 4th is not a significant value. RPM does not translate 1:1 into throttle (and therefore gas volume). You could be driving the same speed in either 4th or 6th and your throttle be in (relatively) the same place. You are likely only gaining about 1 MPG by being in 6th gear. If you calculate that, its equivilant to a 2% gain. Like i said, not significant.

 

[DefyInertia]

This guy says he got 300...

301.1 commuting miles on one tank of gas - Sportbikes.net

how about that!

 

[Avalon786]

Running premium when your motor doesn't require it can also lead to decreased mileage. The higher the octane rating, essentially the higher the resistance to pre-detonation. This also makes it harder to burn. Unless the motor was designed for it, you'll probably get better mileage on regular. Also consider that, especially these days, premium is going to sit in gas stations' storage tanks a lot longer than regular. Regular will probably be a lot fresher, which is also good for your motor. Engines like stale gas as much as people like sour milk. Also- if you can, find stations that don't mix in ethanol. It's becoming harder and harder to do so around here, but I don't know about other parts of the country. Ethanol has substantially less kick than octane (gasoline) so while mixing it in does cause it to burn cleaner, it reduces power and mileage.

I'm pretty sure our bikes are made to run on premium, with the high reving engine!...

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I'm pretty sure our bikes are made to run on premium, with the high reving engine!...

As amazing as it may seem, our bikes are made to run on regular unleaded, you can read it in the owner's manual. But mid grade or premium will work too. This debate has been beaten to death, there are several threads about premium vs regular. I run on regular, and it runs fine. Why pay more for premium, you're just wasting your money. But if it makes you feel better, keep putting premium in. However, my roomate has an '07 R6 and his bike is suppose to take premium.

 

[xj750_Pete]

I think 40mph in 4th puts me at about 4,000RPM. Which seems to be a happy cruising RPM for the FZ6. I never tried putting it in 6th at 40mph, but I think it will jump down close to 3000rpm. If this is on a long stretch of road, I wouldnt mind cruising in at this RPM at 40mph and maybe it will be more efficient. I think the best way to get the most mpg out of any engine is to go as fast as you can with little throttle and few rpms as possible. ALso, about the octane rating, I've tried both and can't seem to feel the difference. So i just go with regular. Tho I might have pinged once while accelerating hard in 6th at 6,000RPM on a really hot humid day. It was either pinging or fuel injection issue.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Actually, I thougt about putting it in 6th gear going 40mph on the way to work, but I couldn't let myself to do it. It's just impossible for me to do it. I usually ride around 7000 - 8000 rpms, right in the middle between 0 and the redline. Remember, the FZ6 engine is not to be treated like a car engine, so it should't be ridden like you are driving a car.

 

[edski]

As amazing as it may seem, our bikes are made to run on regular unleaded, you can read it in the owner's manual. But mid grade or premium will work too. This debate has been beaten to death, there are several threads about premium vs regular. I run on regular, and it runs fine. Why pay more for premium, you're just wasting your money. But if it makes you feel better, keep putting premium in. However, my roomate has an '07 R6 and his bike is suppose to take premium.

I kinda confused about the premium vs. regular fuel. The old rule of thumb was that if the engine used a compression ratio of greater than 10:1, that you should run premium, and our FZ6 mill CR is slightly greater than 12:1.

The owner's manual does seem to allow for use of fuel down to 87 octane. But because here in New Jersey all gas has about 10% ethanol added, the minimum octane rating I have run in my FZ6 is 89. Usually I fill up with 91-93 depending on location and choice.

At around 1300 miles total so far on the bike, I seem to be getting around 45-48 MPG.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I kinda confused about the premium vs. regular fuel. The old rule of thumb was that if the engine used a compression ratio of greater than 10:1, that you should run premium, and our FZ6 mill CR is slightly greater than 12:1.

The owner's manual does seem to allow for use of fuel down to 87 octane. But because here in New Jersey all gas has about 10% ethanol added, the minimum octane rating I have run in my FZ6 is 89. Usually I fill up with 91-93 depending on location and choice.

At around 1300 miles total so far on the bike, I seem to be getting around 45-48 MPG.

Like I said, this subject has been discussed and debated over and over. There are numerous threads, hitting the search tab will pull up information that will keep you occupied for days! Here's a couple of small links.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/561-regular-premium-gas.html

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/1329-what-octane-gas-do-you-use.html

 

[DefyInertia]

One time I tired to convince my fiance that if I left the bike running in the back of my truck on the way home from the track, my truck would get better gas mileage. She looked confused for about 5 seconds and then punched me

 

[Fusion]

This is odd. many people say that they can't get more than 160 miles out of a tank. I ride mild/to aggressive and always get near 180 miles and if I'm on the freeway I get about 200 miles on one tank of fuel, and I usually fill up right when the fuel trip comes on. I always drive in 4th or 5th gear at 40mph. I don't know, I guess I have a super bike :thumbup:

 

[MarinaFazer]

43mpg - city riding only
48-50+ - freeways ranging from 65-90mph

but I'm 6foot, 160lbs. I ride lower gears when nobody is around like in the mornings going to work, but in the afternoon, i'll tend to rev higher rpm in traffic.

this is equates to my last fillup at 191.6 miles. Got 43mpg. I think it all depends on how hard you ride it. But I've never gotten under 38mpg

 

[mdr]

I don't want to state the obvious, but do you fill up on your side stand or center stand? there is a fair difference in how much you can put in the tank. Also, do you stop when the pump stops? I put a little extra if I know I am going on a long trip and I am not worried about the gas having enough time to heat up and expand. You are better off calculating your MPG or KPL. In any case, it is never a good idea to og down the engine. Our engines are detuned R6 engines, so I usually don't cruise lower than 40mph in 5th and 45mph in 6th.

Yeah. What he said.

 

[Stumbles06]

I have been doing some reading, and found that the fuel down here in Oz has a lower Octane rating due to fact that different countries use different standards for rating the Octane!!!

Fuel ratings, RON, MON or PON?

So... Our 95RON fuel is the same as USA 91PON fuel. Why does eveything have to be so different???

 

[D-Mac]

My last three tanks were 45,47,46 mpg. Nearly all of this on back roads over a variety of revs on a nearly new bike. I'm 5'11" 170lbs with a CalSci windshield. I generally don't rev it like crazy but I don't let it go below 4K (it seems very happy at 4K and above - I find myself cruising at higher rpms as I get more comfortable with it).

This bike ROCKS! I should break 50mpg on the highway I think.