Fuel consumption: my friend his FI is much more economical

[ElPolloDiablo]

Hello VFR enthusiasts,

 

I gifted myself a '99 FI last fall, which was supposed to serve as a commuter bike. But he has proven himself to be so much more: I secretly fell quite in love with that charming red one. And that while I ride in all kinds of new bikes as a motorcycle journalist. I think that says enough.

 

Anyway: I don't get further than 1 liter on 15km (1:15), while I'm not driving abnormally or anything. The fuel light starts flashing around 250km. And yes, now I can already hear you shouting: all 98 and 99'ers do that. I know that. And also that the 2000 version is more economical. But here's the thing: I recently got in touch with a guy in the neighborhood who also owns a '99 who's already racked up nearly a ton. He easily does 1:19. So it is possible. In the beginning his also did around 1:15. But after he had tried everything like new air filter, new spark plugs, synchronization and you name it, he threw in a bottle of Eurol injection cleaner. Then he suddenly ran 1:19.

 

Now mine has done 44,000km and I took good care of it when I bought him: synchronization, coolant, engine oil and you name it. And also injection cleaner. I will try this again and also replace the air filter. Maybe i'll try checking the valve clearance.

 

My question to you guys: in which direction would you look and are there perhaps similar experiences? Thanks in advance.

[bmart]

I will rely on you to do the math:

 

My 1998 get 32-40 MPG. 

[Duc2V4]

I will say that having clean injectors can make a big difference. I actually removed mine and had them professionally cleaned. Did this for both my 5 and 6 Gens. The latter just recently due to my rebuild. I have been keeping track of my mileage for sometime now and for the most part the 6 Gen gets the most use, it's my commuter, however with the pandemic work has really slowed down that I haven't really been doing a lot of commuting. Prior to both pandemic and rebuild the last few MPG readings I got were averaging 41MPG. On the 5 Gen, it was actually higher average, 45MPG. This was due to at least 4 times I got 50MPG and 52MPG trips. I wish I could say what these trips were, meaning long distance rides or local rides, but unfortunately I don't keep that detailed info in my spreadsheets. I should add though, when I do a lot of sport riding, like in the local canyons, I typically get in the high 30's or low 40's.

 

Here's a set of Injectors I had done for a friend's 07. Checkout how bad the injectors were before cleaning! Needless to say his bike ran so much better afterward!

 

[ShipFixer]

1 hour ago, Duc2V4 said:

I will say that having clean injectors can make a big difference. I actually removed mine and had them professionally cleaned. Did this for both my 5 and 6 Gens. The latter just recently due to my rebuild. I have been keeping track of my mileage for sometime now and for the most part the 6 Gen gets the most use, it's my commuter, however with the pandemic work has really slowed down that I haven't really been doing a lot of commuting. Prior to both pandemic and rebuild the last few MPG readings I got were averaging 41MPG. On the 5 Gen, it was actually higher average, 45MPG. This was due to at least 4 times I got 50MPG and 52MPG trips. I wish I could say what these trips were, meaning long distance rides or local rides, but unfortunately I don't keep that detailed info in my spreadsheets. I should add though, when I do a lot of sport riding, like in the local canyons, I typically get in the high 30's or low 40's.

 

Here's a set of Injectors I had done for a friend's 07. Checkout how bad the injectors were before cleaning! Needless to say his bike ran so much better afterward!

 

This is my next thing to-do.  My mileage is okay, but a shot of fuel system cleaner makes it better and less reluctant to start.  Plus RapidBike has the map values waaaay up.  I just bought some salvage bike injectors off eBay to get cleaned so I can do it all at once: new tank, new pump and filters, refreshed injectors, and a starter valve sync as I button it up!

[Skids]

Apparently, there is a very easy way to reduce your fuel consumption.

 

Can't say I've tried it myself, but I do see several other riders trying it out as I pass them.

[Grum]

You might be seeing signs of leaky Fuel Pressure Regulator. Simply removed the vacuum hose from it and check the hose is dry, any sign of a fuel leak will mean the FPR has a ruptured diaphragm.