Fuel economy and fuel capacity

[dangrass]

As for fuel capacity, I ran the bike until it started sputtering (had a gallon of gas in a can along for the ride) and found that it started misbehaving going up hill with 3.4 gallons having been used. It did continue to run ok on the level and presumably going downhill. So, the tank probably does hold 3.7 gallons when filled to the plate (presumably you could increase that by filling above the plate), but 3.4 gallons is when it starts the misbehave.
 
As for fuel economy, ridden normally in mixed situations it seems to get between 59 and 66 mpg....really excellent. What's more impressive is long distance riding at reasonable speeds where I got between 70 and 72 mpg. On one 200 mile tank from 6,000 elevation in the eastern Sierra over a 10,000 ft. pass and down to about 1,500 ft. the bike got 80 mpg. This was riding through Yosemite so the speeds were low.
 
Bottom line is that ridden conservatively this bike gets simply phenomenal fuel economy and even with the smallish tank has a range in excess of 200 miles.

[r1limited]

Wow I only get 44
 
ON my R1 if I cruze I get 41, who the hell cruses and R1 it then becomes aroun 19

[Beemer]

I generally get between 45-60 mpg, depending on how I ride but to be honest, I don't care about economy and mpg. I care about having as much fun as I can on this thing before I'm too old to ride. I'm squeezing every drop of fun out of this thing. I'm shooting for FPG. (fun per gallon) 

[afatrat]

I generally get between 45-60 mpg, depending on how I ride but to be honest, I don't care about economy and mpg. I care about having as much fun as I can on this thing before I'm too old to ride. I'm squeezing every drop of fun out of this thing. I'm shooting for FPG. (fun per gallon) 

 
 
This guy knows. I see people talking about getting 60-70 mpg on this bike and I just don't know how. That right grip makes me tingle too much. Even on the highway I only get about 50 mpg averaging 75-80 mph. To each their own though. Getting 50 mpg grinning like an idiot is great gas mileage in my book

[faffi]

I do not think about mpg when I ride, but I ride smoothly most of the time and like to carry as little rpm as possible, and the bike then just is frugal automatically. Riding along twisty mountain roads with lots of slowing and acceleration plus elevation changes, consumption goes up, of course, probably only getting 40 mpg then at the worst. Unfortunately, I cannot find enough of these roads to empty a tank, so the overall mpg for a tank is very good still.

[slideways]

There must be a bit of hypermiler in me because I think about my mpg when I'm just using the bike for transportation. When I'm recreating on it I'm less concerned about the mileage and more concerned about running dry in the middle of nowhere because I wasn't paying attention. The FZ-07 is brand new to me so I love having a gas guage and a mpg read out neither of which were on the last bike. My pace right now is very mellow while the engine is being broken in. Short shifts, low throttle openings and keeping the revs under 5000rpm. With this in mind I'm a bit disappointed that the bike seems to struggle to get better than 50mpg. My daily commute which is 95% of my riding is 12mi one way with 9mi being uncrowded freeway where I've been cruising at about 60 to 65mph. For those who read this did your mileage improve as the engine broke in?

[markstertt]

There must be a bit of hypermiler in me because I think about my mpg when I'm just using the bike for transportation. When I'm recreating on it I'm less concerned about the mileage and more concerned about running dry in the middle of nowhere because I wasn't paying attention. The FZ-07 is brand new to me so I love having a gas guage and a mpg read out neither of which were on the last bike. My pace right now is very mellow while the engine is being broken in. Short shifts, low throttle openings and keeping the revs under 5000rpm. With this in mind I'm a bit disappointed that the bike seems to struggle to get better than 50mpg. My daily commute which is 95% of my riding is 12mi one way with 9mi being uncrowded freeway where I've been cruising at about 60 to 65mph. For those who read this did your mileage improve as the engine broke in?

Yes it should improve...but, and this isn't just an uneducated assumption and will surely cause some concerns...but, you aren't doing your engine a favor by the way you are breaking it in. Short shifts & low throttle openings are just opposite of what's needed to break in an engine. You want higher manifold pressure not lower pressure to ensure a proper ring seal and this is where your power and efficiency comes from...this -07 engine has a nicasil type bore, hard as heck and takes a diamond hone to input a good crosshatch. Modern engines built as ours are built, need less of a break in then engines of old but until those rings are mated perfectly to the bore than efficiency suffers. There is an old axiom based on fact, 'To go fast, break in fast'. This doesn't mean to hold high rpm's or high speeds or high temps but when you use larger throttle openings you are increasing engine combustion pressures, forcing the rings into the cylinder walls seating the rings to the bore. This can be accomplished to a satisfactory percentage within the first 100 miles or so if done correctly or after a couple of good pulls on a dyno, then just change the oil and ride on. 
This topic causes a lot of stress for a lot of owners so do as you will but if you are interested in how to break in an engine correctly then google it and you will have much to read. I won't go into why the manufacturer recommends what they recommend in regards to break in but no doubt others will chime in. This is almost like the 'which oil is best' topic, however, almost any motorcycle oil is going to be fine if it you change it often enough but there is truly only one 'best' break in procedure, regardless, have fun and open that throttle a bit. 
 
 
 

[faffi]

Modern engines are to be considered ready run in from new, no need to treat them in any special way. About 20 years back, Yoshimura ran in their TL1000R race engine by letting them idle for 20 minutes, then considered them ready to race.

[markstertt]

Modern engines are to be considered ready run in from new, no need to treat them in any special way. About 20 years back, Yoshimura ran in their TL1000R race engine by letting them idle for 20 minutes, then considered them ready to race.

Which ironically is another way of saying 'open the throttle' and ride them... which in turn will help with ring seating. The second major function of a piston ring is to transfer heat out of the piston crown to the cylinder wall thru the rings and until they make good contact with the cylinder wall this can't happen. I haven't had much opportunity to pull apart to many plated bore engines but the ones I have at low mileage showed a very narrow band of wear (seating) on the top ring and even less on the second ring and at least from my understanding, would be why piston mfgs, for break in purposes, DO NOT recommend any high speed, high rpm, CONSTANT (key word) throttle situations that would put a lot of heat into the piston with minimal heat transfer through the (yet unseated) rings, which may lead to scuffing of the piston or in the olden days of air cooled iron or steel linered cylinders...outright seizure. 
Pops Yoshimura's race engine prep is like apples and oranges here because of to many unknown variables that we can't consider such as bore material & prep, clearances, materials (both pistons & rings), number of rings (probably only 2 per piston) but I bet the riders didn't short shift and baby the throttle and a race track with a lot of on and off throttle openings is what we're looking for as long as the straights aren't to long.
 
I didn't mean to turn this into a discussion on break in procedures but when the question was asked if the engine efficiency (MPG) would improve with engine break in then I'd have to say, yes, but that 'to me' depends on how the engine was broken in, one method I can almost guarantee a good running efficient engine, the other way you just hope for one and take what you get. Just my opinion I guess.
 
 
 

[slideways]

Well we quickly went from mileage to break in procedures and I'm glad for the education and advice. Thanks Markster. I have an Assoc. Degree in auto tech from so long ago we were still milking the dinosaurs directly for gas and my life went down a different road right out of school so I never became a wrench. This said what you say makes sense and I better understand how I will be breaking in my motor now.

[r1limited]

WFO and heat cycles. Break ins are over rated and discussed to death IMO, the motor is already seated and broke in "Per-Say" Take the bike through a moderat run getting it to maximum temp all that is really important is to properly seat the rings and pistons (AKA HEAT CYCLE). ONE SOLID HEAT CYCLE is all it takes then bring it back shut it down let stand drain oil replace oil.
 
**THIS IS JUST A ME THING** but for the first heat cycle, oil change and filter (about 200 miles) your good, that motor is broke in
Day two, run it again through a complete heat cycle getting it to temp, shut it down, let cool, drain oil, change filter replace oil.
 
Day three WFO BABY You should have around 250 miles on it by now.
Change oil and filter again before 1k
 
Buy cheep syncth while you do this, then put the good stuff in AMSOIL

[markstertt]

WFO and heat cycles. Break ins are over rated and discussed to death IMO, the motor is already seated and broke in "Per-Say" Take the bike through a moderat run getting it to maximum temp all that is really important is to properly seat the rings and pistons (AKA HEAT CYCLE). ONE SOLID HEAT CYCLE is all it takes then bring it back shut it down let stand drain oil replace oil. 
**THIS IS JUST A ME THING** but for the first heat cycle, oil change and filter (about 200 miles) your good, that motor is broke in
Day two, run it again through a complete heat cycle getting it to temp, shut it down, let cool, drain oil, change filter replace oil.
 
Day three WFO BABY You should have around 250 miles on it by now.
Change oil and filter again before 1k
 
Buy cheep syncth while you do this, then put the good stuff in AMSOIL

I agree that this topic has been discussed to death but to belabor a point, (IMHO) one HEAT CYCLE or 2 or 3 do not make an engine break in... does it start the process? of course but the only thing that puts pressure behind those rings is opening the throttle (I know this is what you mean by heat cycle) which you and I both agree on...I just don't want someone less informed or experienced than you to think that a HEAT CYCLE means just getting the bike good and hot. And I don't believe that at 200 miles an engine is 'broke in' because if that were so then at a 1000 miles it would be warn out. The engine will continue to seat those rings for many miles on a nicasil bore with modern hard rings. You can go up and down through the gear box with WFO throttle but 'way less' than max rpm and never get the engine to hot by virtue that each throttle closed moment is 'NOT' putting heat into the piston and the lower press above the cylinder will help draw oil up on to the cylinder walls.. I agree with you that done correctly the first 100 miles can make a big difference in how soon or how well an engine will perform later on, I also agree on your oil change intervals, I feel that those first few are the most important. I guess I agree on most of what you said so will drop this discussion...I almost thought better of it but hated to see slideways 'Break in slow to go slow". This engine begs to be broken in so it will happen regardless I think. 
As far as the original topic goes, I continually get an average of 62 mpg, low of 58 and high of 65, no matter how I seem to drive, my rear tires 'chicken stripes' prove that I'm slower than I feel but I have fun and don't baby the bike as my mods inspire a certain amount of old guy hooliganism. As far as tank capacity goes, I found it's adequate because at each fill up I've been dying to get off that seat for the last 50 miles, I calculate for 60 mpg and start sweating at 200 miles if I don't see a station...Mark
 

[redbeard]

Wow, my average so far this season is 38.5 MPG... but my Ford Focus also gets 17-18MPG so I just have a shit commute and a heavy foot and twitchy wrist.

[firstyammerha]

I'm on the owners manual break in schedule and just did my 600 mile service. Looking forward to having 6000 rpm to use now. Since I am a urban biker who doesn't use the freeway often, 52 mpg was my last tank and the tank was good for around 160 miles total. My gear selection is primarily 3,4 and 5 and I try to avoid constant rpm's, going up and down the rpm scale. As I mentioned in another post, I think my 2014 CB500F got the same mileage. I'm not likely to go back to a smaller engine because this bike is just too sweet!

[alex88tphs]

On 8/3/2017 at 5:15 PM, Beemer said:

I generally get between 45-60 mpg, depending on how I ride but to be honest, I don't care about economy and mpg. I care about having as much fun as I can on this thing before I'm too old to ride. I'm squeezing every drop of fun out of this thing. I'm shooting for FPG. (fun per gallon) 

LOL oh,  man that is great,   I am thinking about getting a mt 07 ,  I hear a lot of good things about it.  right now I am ridding a 2016 kawasaki versys 650. its okay but I want something a little more nimble and sporty and faster,    any ideas or opinions on your part?  

 

[robbo10]

You will only get one theme for an answer to your request on here.  It is not perfect, but the MT-07 is the most biking fun you can get for the money - or maybe can get, full stop (period).  You will be giggling from the outset.  Even the nice Z650 does not come close in the performance dept.  All IMHO, of course.   I was allowed an hour's test ride before buying but I was back inside 10 minutes to sign up. Your Versys and the MT are, of course, worlds apart.  Do be sure that a naked middleweight will suit your requirements. 

[DewMan]

My average is "I don't care". I just enjoy riding it and it's still more fuel efficient than every other type vehicle on the road short of a full on electric.

Using Non-ethanol 89 octane (US)  gas with an Akra-Ti exhaust and a 2WDW tweaked ECU, I get no less than 130-140 miles between fill ups before hunting up a gas station. I normally fill up with only 2.something gallons.

That being said I probably only momentarily got it up to 100mph once during that tank (on a straight back country highway usually passing a semi truck or two) with occasional congestion leaving traffic light launches when the opportunity arises .

[kylerhsm]

As an 80% commute, 20% fun rider, I average 60mpg. One of the reasons this bike gets such good mileage is because it operates within it's most efficient (peak torque) rpm range quite low down, so for the majority of the time people are riding it, it's producing a very strong amount of torque for the amount of fuel it's drinking.

Sportbikes on the other hand do not operate efficiently at general commuting/cruising RPM and so need to suck more fuel in to output an equivalent amount of power. This engine is perfect for every day riding. People who start to see their MPG drop would be those operating the engine well beyond where peak torque is occuring and as such, efficiency drops.

[Grant31781]

55.6 mpg on my fill up yesterday with e10 87.  Mostly back road riding. Cruise 65mph.

[Burley]

Metric dude here, so I have to report in litres/100 km.  I stopped recording data quite some time ago, but on a full tank, I think the best I ever got was 4.2 l/100km (when I just started riding) and the worst was 6.0l/100 km (urban hooligan).  I know on a couple of longer rides at gentle paces I've logged 3.8l/100 km.