Yamaha FZ6 Motorcycle - Gas Mileage

Well I suppose you've noticed how nicely gas prices have dropped recently. I think we all have, and I think we're all grateful. Strangely, I've been meaning to write a post about the fuel economy I get with my Yamaha FZ6 since gas prices rose so crazily. It seems almost moot now, but I think it's still worthwhile to know what sort of gas mileage you can expect out of any vehicle. After all, how long do we really think gas prices are going to stay this low? I doubt it will last too long.

So, I'll get right to it. I get pretty decent gas mileage with my Yamaha FZ6. But, there is a difference between what I CAN get, what I DO get, and what the service manual says I can get. When I was breaking in my bike and couldn't rev over 8,000 RPM or so, I was getting great gas mileage. I could see mileage up into the mid-50s. That's better than most cars, hybrid or otherwise, and it's also more than the service manual and Yamaha website indicate it should get (which is 40 MPG estimated). This encompassed driving in town mostly, with a bit on the highway. Honestly I didn't noticed a huge difference with different types of riding (highway, town, etc.)

Now that she's all broken in, though, things are a little bit different. Don't get me wrong, I still get great mileage, but not really in the range of what is possible to get. When we get comfortable driving something and aren't always consciously thinking about gas mileage (especially with prices as low as they are now), the mileage can drop noticeably. When I ride the FZ6 to and from work and to and from the gym, I can expect fuel economy in the mid-40s (right in line with the manual/website estimate). That's not fantastic, for a smaller motorcycle, but it also doesn't suck when gas prices are through the roof. And of course there are other performance modifications like exhaust and intake parts that can improve the mileage, but I have yet to delve into these options.

I don't really drive that much as it is, so when gas prices rise drastically, it's really the difference between paying $60 a month to paying maybe $100 a month.... really not that horrible. One reason might be that I don't own a vehicle that gets worse than 40 MPG. But that's a story for another day.

Thanks for checking out my Yamaha FZ6 blog post about gas mileage. If you have any specific questions about my bike or the mileage I get, please leave a comment.