Saving Gas- Riding in 6th at 40 mph?

[jfz6]

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?

[Avalon786]

I'm also curious about this i never really got over 160miles on a tank, more around 130miles, mainly city or fast paced (80-100mph) For the first time i did all freeway at 80mph and got 180miles and still not on the fuel reserve trip! But whats the most efficient gear to speed ratio for best mpg?

[VEGASRIDER]

Be careful when you are lugging the engine like that. Part of safe riding is to make sure you are in the correct powerband so that you can accelerate or decelerate as necessary. It's part of your arsenal in how to survive in traffic. The old saying, "when it doubt, throttle out" it ain't goin to happen going 40mph in 6th gear.

[Avalon786]

Originally Posted by VEGASRIDER

Be careful when you are lugging the engine like that. Part of safe riding is to make sure you are in the correct powerband so that you can accelerate or decelerate as necessary. It's part of your arsenal in how to survive in traffic. The old saying, "when it doubt, throttle out" it ain't goin to happen going 40mph in 6th gear.

+1 I never ride in 6th going 40mph, lol. Thats abit too extreme. It puts you in danger and gaining a few mpg's is not worth your life or a body part!

[lonesoldier84]

ya when u hear the big air horn of a semi truck behind you...you'll be stomping on your gear pedal trying to find the right gear....and u dont want to waste even a fraction of a second in that scenario. i always ride so that im in the 8k-12k rpm range so i can GUN it if i have to or drop off throttle to get some easy decelleration.

[wrightme43]

Yes we had a big discussion on this a while back.

Keep the bike where you can accelerate. Its a tool in your bag of tricks to stay alive.

[mastakilla]

Originally Posted by jfz6

I ended up getting 175 miles out of my tank only going about 9 miles(14k) in F-Trip.

check your manual on the size of the tank, and look how much gas you put in when you think it's almost empty.

You can do at least more than 20 miles on F-trip, so you'd be getting pretty close to 190 miles, perhaps even to 200 miles.

In any case, I bought my bike for the fun of riding, I don't use it to commute and stuff. I might switch to a higher gear to save some fuel while riding on the highway, but otherwise it's above 8k rpm

[bluenova]

I think while lugging it you would use more fuel too as RPM does not equate to how much fuel is used, but rather how far you twist your wrist. I'm no engineer, but experience tells me that my bike is most economical when ridden between 4-5k RPM this is also the start of the power band giving you some power if needed, and if you need real power you only need to drop down a gear.

[stumbles06]

I mainly use my bike for commuting to work, (55 Km round trip). I normally get 310 Km from a tank, generally hit F-Trip at around 300 Km. Always seem to get cops on my runs to work and back too, so most of it is at legal speed limits.

I too sit in 6th gear, but half of the roads get to 90Kmh limits, when sitting in 60 limits, I am normally in 5th.

In saying that though, since installing the Leo Vince pipes, I seem to sit one gear down now. It seems to hit a neutral noise zone around 4K revs, so drop it a gear to hear those lovely sounds from Leo...lol

[brad81987]

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.