bcityroller
Gear Whore
In addition to the safety aspect of not being in the power band for acceleration when/if needed, I do believe that too low rpm for speed is in fact hurting your mileage. There is a best efficiency point for the engine depending on load and that point is not necessarily the lowest rpm. No real science behind this next statement, but I would guess for an FZ6 that best efficiency rpm is somewhere in the 4-6k rpm band. I assume that because that rpm range lines up with both the first plateau in the torque curve (attached dyno chart from motorcycle consumer news) and with the rpm turning when at legal cruising speeds in 6th gear.
My personal experience is ranges of ~175 miles (~40-45 mpg) with mostly city driving below 40 mph (I only live 5 miles from work) and approaching ~225 miles (~50-55 mpg) when I'm riding backroads fun with speeds averaging in the 60 mph range. I haven't pushed the F-trip miles yet because I haven't needed to. I ride around 5k rpm usually b/c like someone else said that's where the bike feels happy and my exhaust sounds good (to me anyway). I use regular gas - started with premium out of habit (all the cars use it) and switched down the grades. I haven't noticed an effect of the lower grade as expected since the manual says it's ok.
I'm also a big (but shrinking) guy in your range and carry lunch, shoes, a laptop, etc during commutes so probably similar luggage weight. I do pay frequent attention to my tire pressure as others recommended. I made a little chart for quick reference for myself - attached. The weight listed is for everything going on the bike (me, gear, luggage, etc)
My personal experience is ranges of ~175 miles (~40-45 mpg) with mostly city driving below 40 mph (I only live 5 miles from work) and approaching ~225 miles (~50-55 mpg) when I'm riding backroads fun with speeds averaging in the 60 mph range. I haven't pushed the F-trip miles yet because I haven't needed to. I ride around 5k rpm usually b/c like someone else said that's where the bike feels happy and my exhaust sounds good (to me anyway). I use regular gas - started with premium out of habit (all the cars use it) and switched down the grades. I haven't noticed an effect of the lower grade as expected since the manual says it's ok.
I'm also a big (but shrinking) guy in your range and carry lunch, shoes, a laptop, etc during commutes so probably similar luggage weight. I do pay frequent attention to my tire pressure as others recommended. I made a little chart for quick reference for myself - attached. The weight listed is for everything going on the bike (me, gear, luggage, etc)