Kawasaki Versys is here
- Thread starter TonyBKK
- Start date
"14.5 km per litre is terrible fuel consumption for a 650 FI bike."
Absolutely right! Even the worst way of riding shouldn't produce that.
Maybe someone is stealing your gas?
14,5km/L on the Versys and 16km/L on the Er6n - seems weird that both of your bikes are fuel hogs.
Are you sure that you've got your math right? How do you measure it?
How much do other owners get?
Absolutely right! Even the worst way of riding shouldn't produce that.
Maybe someone is stealing your gas?
14,5km/L on the Versys and 16km/L on the Er6n - seems weird that both of your bikes are fuel hogs.
Are you sure that you've got your math right? How do you measure it?
How much do other owners get?
Interesting topic, should be under "General Discussion"...
I've found this site informative: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/MotorcycleFuelEconomyGuide/Kawasaki.htm
There it says that the 2006 Ninja 650 R takes 5,2L/100km - and that would be the carbed version!
If your bike uses 6,25L/100km (16km/L = 6,25L/100km) then there's something wrong - maybe not with your bike!
ralf99 posts 4,4 - 4,8L/100km which would be about right since it's new and improved.
My carbed VTR 250 took 3,9L/100km on average and I had to wick it up to get it going.
According to above website the Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 would use less than your 650 - only 5,9L/100km.
I've found this site informative: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/MotorcycleFuelEconomyGuide/Kawasaki.htm
There it says that the 2006 Ninja 650 R takes 5,2L/100km - and that would be the carbed version!
If your bike uses 6,25L/100km (16km/L = 6,25L/100km) then there's something wrong - maybe not with your bike!
ralf99 posts 4,4 - 4,8L/100km which would be about right since it's new and improved.
My carbed VTR 250 took 3,9L/100km on average and I had to wick it up to get it going.
According to above website the Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 would use less than your 650 - only 5,9L/100km.
Here ( http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/kawasaki_ninja_650r_2007.php ) it says: "4.90 litres/100 km (20.4 km/l or 48.00 mpg)" for the FI version. - nowhere close to 6,25L/100km!
Thanks KZ, very interesting but it doesn't alter the fact that what I ACTUALLY got from my 6n was just under 16kms/L. I seem to remember that some one, TonyBKK perhaps, saying that he got 15kms/L from his.
Anyone got data to compare with, especially for a Versys?
Anyone got data to compare with, especially for a Versys?
The first 900 Km on my Versys was a very gentle ride back from Phuket to Bangkok while running in at the recommended 4,000/6,000 RPM hence the good highway figures. Only on the second tank of fuel with mostly BKK riding now, and expect the fuel consumption to go up a bit given that it is being pushed a bit harder.
I could get 14 Km/L around town on my old ZZR1100 without trouble in city riding in Oz, so should be a doddle on a Versys.
Regarding Gasohol in Thailand the PTT blend is 10% ethanol. PTT's own website (http://www.pttphils.com/bioethanol_research.php) says:
"With regards to fuel consumption, there was an increase of 1% to 4% because ethanol requires a lesser amount of heat for combustion compared to gasoline. Increase consumption is needed to overcome the power."
The statement "Increase consumption is needed to overcome the power." is somewhat nonsensical however...
I could get 14 Km/L around town on my old ZZR1100 without trouble in city riding in Oz, so should be a doddle on a Versys.
Regarding Gasohol in Thailand the PTT blend is 10% ethanol. PTT's own website (http://www.pttphils.com/bioethanol_research.php) says:
"With regards to fuel consumption, there was an increase of 1% to 4% because ethanol requires a lesser amount of heat for combustion compared to gasoline. Increase consumption is needed to overcome the power."
The statement "Increase consumption is needed to overcome the power." is somewhat nonsensical however...
I really haven't taken the time to track my mileage but I certainly do enjoy the added range of the Versys over the ER6n/Ninja 650R. I could usually get about 180-200km out of a full tank on the ER6n and Ninja 650R before it starts flashing FUEL. Seems I usually get about ~280km from a full tank on the Versys before FUEL starts flashing.
When pottering about Laos with West and Ian and John where it's very rare to exceed 100km/hr I got very good mileage and was going over 300km/tank and usually had a bar left before the fill-up. I understand there is no gasohol in Laos and that mileage should improve slightly when using gasoline, but I think the main factor was the low speeds in that country.
Ride On!
Tony
ps. the talk about not letting a vehicle sit around with a tankful of gasohol is good advice. My Gixxer sat for about a month unused and is now suffering fuel system problems. I'm going to empty the tank, fill with 91 gasoline plus some octane booster and add a fuel system cleaner in hopes I can get it sorted the cheap and easy way. If that doesn't work it's going to mean pulling and rebuilding the fuel pump... :-(
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
T
The Versys tank is 19L with the warning light coming on with 3.5L remaining (according to the manual), so for Tonys 280kms that gives 18 kms/L on his Versys from a full tank to the warning light.
I recall (but stand to be corrected) that the ER6n tank is 15.5L with the warning light also coming on at 3.5L, so from a full tank to the warning light gives 16.6 kms giving the Versys a more efficient fuel consumption.
Anyone else got any data?
That fuel consumption seems very ordinary for a 650 in a light frame. My Suzuki 650 Vee Strom manages around 25km per L.
The Vee Strom is a larger and heavier bike than the Versys, somewhere around 220kg wet.
It is fitted with a 22L tank so always get over 500kms whether i ride hard or not.
Most of my riding is through the hills of the Sunshine Coast so mostly is under load.
I filled up today, 18.6 litres for 465kms, with 95% unleaded, $1.29 a litre.
My previous ride was an ST3 Ducati (992cc), also had a 22L tank and ridden easy would get 350km per tank, but hard riding have run out at 250km.
Gary
The Vee Strom is a larger and heavier bike than the Versys, somewhere around 220kg wet.
It is fitted with a 22L tank so always get over 500kms whether i ride hard or not.
Most of my riding is through the hills of the Sunshine Coast so mostly is under load.
I filled up today, 18.6 litres for 465kms, with 95% unleaded, $1.29 a litre.
My previous ride was an ST3 Ducati (992cc), also had a 22L tank and ridden easy would get 350km per tank, but hard riding have run out at 250km.
Gary
That fuel consumption seems very ordinary for a 650 in a light frame. My Suzuki 650 Vee Strom manages around 25km per L.
The Vee Strom is a larger and heavier bike than the Versys, somewhere around 220kg wet.
It is fitted with a 22L tank so always get over 500kms whether i ride hard or not.
Most of my riding is through the hills of the Sunshine Coast so mostly is under load.
I filled up today, 18.6 litres for 465kms, with 95% unleaded, $1.29 a litre.
My previous ride was an ST3 Ducati (992cc), also had a 22L tank and ridden easy would get 350km per tank, but hard riding have run out at 250km.
Gary
The Vee Strom is a larger and heavier bike than the Versys, somewhere around 220kg wet.
It is fitted with a 22L tank so always get over 500kms whether i ride hard or not.
Most of my riding is through the hills of the Sunshine Coast so mostly is under load.
I filled up today, 18.6 litres for 465kms, with 95% unleaded, $1.29 a litre.
My previous ride was an ST3 Ducati (992cc), also had a 22L tank and ridden easy would get 350km per tank, but hard riding have run out at 250km.
Gary
Manufacturer's claims and figures posted on websites are one thing, real world experience is another. Of course there would be a discrepancy, but from what I've read it's quite a big one in this case - varying from 4,9L/100km to 6,7L/100km (15km/L). These are numbers for average use, not city/highway; they shouldn't differ over 35%.
650 Kawaski owners, please post your gas mileage, I wonder what the "real world" figure is!
(I measure in L/100km: fill up the tank, set the trip meter to zero, ride 100 or 200km, fill up again. It's easy, like counting cattle, count the legs and divide by four.)
650 Kawaski owners, please post your gas mileage, I wonder what the "real world" figure is!
(I measure in L/100km: fill up the tank, set the trip meter to zero, ride 100 or 200km, fill up again. It's easy, like counting cattle, count the legs and divide by four.)
Yeah well I don't think so.
Rode the last 100km as gently as I possibly could - well, more or less - and got 17.5 km / l. 7 liters for 120 kilometers. Going even more gently, I could probably reach 18 or 19. I am not 100% convinced there isn't anything wrong with the bike at this point - but I am not going to worry about it for now until I go on some longer trips and get some highway measurements.
I've also read some posts on other forums and it seems the mileage I was getting was bad, but not unheard of, and certainly possible. People going very fast and / or with headwinds had even worse mileage. One of the Kawa CM owners said he used 40 liters going from Chiang Mai to Nakhon Sawan (?) 490km away, but doing a solid 180 all the way. That would be something like 12.5..
I guess we can conclude that for all the great qualities that this bike possesses, being very frugal with fuel is not one of them. She's thirsty! 8)
Assuming an average of 10,000Km per year, and a fuel cost of 30 Baht per litre, the difference between 15Km/L and 20Km/L comes to just over 5,000 Baht/Year - less than 100 Baht/week.
Personally I wouldn't sweat it - just enjoy the ride. Not a very 'green' view perhaps, but life is too short - drink one less beer in a pub per week and you're still ahead.....but then again, why bother?
Personally I wouldn't sweat it - just enjoy the ride. Not a very 'green' view perhaps, but life is too short - drink one less beer in a pub per week and you're still ahead.....but then again, why bother?
Absolutely, I agree with that. The pennies I save on gas are no big deal. Range would be a more important concern, but the 19l tank takes care of that very well.
If my primary objective in buying a motorbike were fuel economy I'd get a Honda Wave 125i - or a Scoopy-i. Anyway, I am back to my normal riding style now. Let the good times roll!
My first tank of gas yielded a bit over 58mpg or 28 km/l. That was a fairly easy ride from Pattaya to Ban Phe running between 3500 and 5000 rpm. I don't believe in soft break-in procedures, basically since there should be no 'machining' taking place in an assembled engine with proper oil supply. The main speed limiting factor for me was the really annoying wind noise. After the 80km ride home, I had a headache from all the racket.
So a friend & I drove the BMW up to Chiang Mai for the New Year's holiday. One of the main goals was to pick up a Vario screen as recommended in this thread. We went to the shop just opposit the South-West gate and they were of course closed for the holiday. However there were some guys working in the shop at the back of the big parking lot. I went in and asked if they would sell me a screen anyway, and they did. I was a bit shocked at the 7000 thb price, but bought it anyway. They were nice folks, and one of they showed me a V bike with a Puig screen and a Puig fended eliminator. I wanted the fender eliminator also, but they were out of stock. They were a lot easier to deal with than the droids at the Pattaya shop by far. I haven't really tested the Vario out very well yet, but I am impressed with the quality of the product. More on that as it becomes available.
Cheers
So a friend & I drove the BMW up to Chiang Mai for the New Year's holiday. One of the main goals was to pick up a Vario screen as recommended in this thread. We went to the shop just opposit the South-West gate and they were of course closed for the holiday. However there were some guys working in the shop at the back of the big parking lot. I went in and asked if they would sell me a screen anyway, and they did. I was a bit shocked at the 7000 thb price, but bought it anyway. They were nice folks, and one of they showed me a V bike with a Puig screen and a Puig fended eliminator. I wanted the fender eliminator also, but they were out of stock. They were a lot easier to deal with than the droids at the Pattaya shop by far. I haven't really tested the Vario out very well yet, but I am impressed with the quality of the product. More on that as it becomes available.
Cheers
Hi Nikster, I measured the old fashioned way, divided the kilometers ridden by the liters used.
Since that initial ride home from the dealer, I have had the engine up to 9000rpm frequently. I haven't bounced it off the rev limiter yet. I have only 300Km on it so far and I think I'll wait for the 1000km mark before I do that. I also have my wife on the back most of the time, and at 6k and above, with a fistful of twist grip, the front end gets very light. It's time for the first oil change tomorrow.
BTW, did you get my PM request for the owner's manual PDF file?
cheers
Since that initial ride home from the dealer, I have had the engine up to 9000rpm frequently. I haven't bounced it off the rev limiter yet. I have only 300Km on it so far and I think I'll wait for the 1000km mark before I do that. I also have my wife on the back most of the time, and at 6k and above, with a fistful of twist grip, the front end gets very light. It's time for the first oil change tomorrow.
BTW, did you get my PM request for the owner's manual PDF file?
cheers
One more thing. My R1150RT back in the US regularly got 60 mpg, and that was a heavyweight at 625 pounds, and had a big faring that must have added significant aero drag. Even so, I did register 137mph on my GPS once. WooHoo!! I consider 58 mpg from the V bike to be poor at best for a light bike with a 'small' engine.
My old Phantom got in the mid 90 mpg range, and that with full throttle starts through 3 or 4 gears away from stoplights. With only 17hp, it needed WFO get-a-way.
One more thing regarding gasahol. You should expect fewer km/l with it since alcohol has about half the BTU content of gasoline. So a 10% alcohol content should yield a 5% drop in km/l. Theoretically...
My old Phantom got in the mid 90 mpg range, and that with full throttle starts through 3 or 4 gears away from stoplights. With only 17hp, it needed WFO get-a-way.
One more thing regarding gasahol. You should expect fewer km/l with it since alcohol has about half the BTU content of gasoline. So a 10% alcohol content should yield a 5% drop in km/l. Theoretically...
Steve - sorry the forum doesn't seem to notify me when I get a PM (maybe that's a setting?!). Sent the manual to you.
BMWs are known for being fuel efficient... you seem to get way more mileage out of your V than me though, I wonder why that is? Best I got was 40 mpg and you're getting 58, nearly 50% more?
BMWs are known for being fuel efficient... you seem to get way more mileage out of your V than me though, I wonder why that is? Best I got was 40 mpg and you're getting 58, nearly 50% more?
Seems there's a variation from 14,5km/L to 28km/L, which is almost double. Of course cruising in top gear between 3,500 and 5,000 revvs gives you the best results, and racing the bike at redline will produce top fuel consumption. But this is quite an extreme difference. I thought best/worse results should vary no more than 50% - on the same bike.
15/16km/L on a stock FI 650 twin seems exceptionally high to me.
15/16km/L on a stock FI 650 twin seems exceptionally high to me.
Just finished the first tank on my Versys and managed to get 330km out of it before the fuel started flashing. I have not calculated mileage from that but it seems like pretty good range to me. Ill start calculations when I fill up tomorrow.
Of course the 330km could in part be due to the fact that the Versys is a lot more bike than I usually ride so I know I am being conservative with it. Though that was a lot of town riding and a couple of rides into the mountains.
Of course the 330km could in part be due to the fact that the Versys is a lot more bike than I usually ride so I know I am being conservative with it. Though that was a lot of town riding and a couple of rides into the mountains.
Came back from a trip around the north of Thailand - I went with a group of Harley riders which means overall we were pretty slow, and I tried to stay in the lower revs more and got between 18 and 18.5 km / l. Much better, in line with the ER-6n, although not quite as good as some others are getting in this forum.
On that trip the Versys proved to be the perfect bike for northern Thailand:
- It went over the bad bits of road with no issues. Pot holes, broken asphalt, mud / dirt bits, all OK
- It was a heck of a lot of fun in the twisties (bye bye Harleys!)
- Fun to cruise along at Harley speeds ~110 or so
- Over 300km range is great
On that trip the Versys proved to be the perfect bike for northern Thailand:
- It went over the bad bits of road with no issues. Pot holes, broken asphalt, mud / dirt bits, all OK
- It was a heck of a lot of fun in the twisties (bye bye Harleys!)
- Fun to cruise along at Harley speeds ~110 or so
- Over 300km range is great