Hello my names Jorge. I've been riding for about 3 months now, which is not long at all. I have a 09 ninja 650r (which Is my 1st bike). The bike is great and i love it yet for some reason it's wasting a lot of gas!! I've been getting in the high 20s every fill up! I don't ride hard at all and its pretty much all city driving since I mostly use it to go to and from school. I havent had time to check much since im in school, but im going to take it back home this weekend and either look myself or take it to a mechanic. Any ideas on what the problem can be?
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
I'm not big on American geography, from what little I know about it California is supposedly "the sun shine state". How cold is it there at the moment? Have you been using the choke much, have you been letting it idle for extended periods without moving? What rev does it idle at?
You said you've been riding for 3 months but its an 09 model so its 3 going on 4 years old, which leads me to assume you bought it second hand. Do you know anything about its history? Has it got any dents in the fuel tank or any leaks around the fuel lines?
There's a whole host of people with more technical knowledge than me around here but those are the first things that come to my mind.
__________________
1999-2000: Aprilia RS 50, 2000-2000: Suzuki TS 50, 2001-2002: Kawasaki KMX 200, 2002-2006: Yamaha Virago 250, 2007-2009: Yamaha Virago XV 535, 2009-2012: Suzuki GZ 250 Marauder, 2012-present: Kawasaki ZZR 600
______________________________ "Green is better, I need green!" ~ Max my 2 year old
That's terrible mileage for a 650, I regularly got -45 with a city/highway mix. Make sure when you fill up you fill to the same level somewhat consistently. I used fuelly to track mine which is all odometer based and no worries over resetting the trip.
Best advice is to keep riding smooth. But even when I rode hard I never got that low. You either have a leak somewhere or are calculating something wrong...?
to answer some of the questions:
-Yea i bought it used and has always given me that milage.
-I changed the oil when i bought it
-I fill it up with regular gas 87 i think it is? fill it to the splash guard i believe its called (right to the top when on the stand)? i pretty consistently put in 2.9ish gallongs when the E light flashes the first time (at about 78 miles)
-It has no dents on the gas tank, but it did have some scratches on the left fender and a bit on one of the round motor guards (nothing bad)
- It is all stock
-I checked the tire pressure which was low so i filled them to about 40 psi but that shouldnt have had that much of an impact on the mpg
- it runs good and has never backfired
-i plan on checking the spark plugs sometime next week.
to answer some of the questions:
-Yea i bought it used and has always given me that milage.
-I changed the oil when i bought it
-I fill it up with regular gas 87 i think it is? fill it to the splash guard i believe its called (right to the top when on the stand)? i pretty consistently put in 2.9ish gallongs when the E light flashes the first time (at about 78 miles)
-It has no dents on the gas tank, but it did have some scratches on the left fender and a bit on one of the round motor guards (nothing bad)
- It is all stock
-I checked the tire pressure which was low so i filled them to about 40 psi but that shouldnt have had that much of an impact on the mpg
- it runs good and has never backfired
-i plan on checking the spark plugs sometime next week.
You fill it while it's on the kickstand? If so, there's yer problem.
-Will
__________________ KEEP CALM AND CHIVE ON "Trust me; I'm a pilot."
not sure about 650's but i think the problem is that ur puting regular in shouldnt all bikes take the highest grade?
Negative. Whatever the manufacturer recommends you should put in, you should put in. Super sports tend to take premium (and of course, this is open to argument), and the other stuff can take regular.
Putting regular in a high performance engine may cause detonation. Putting premium in an engine that doesn't need it does nothing.
-Will
__________________ KEEP CALM AND CHIVE ON "Trust me; I'm a pilot."
New rider...already having problems :/
I don't ride hard at all and its pretty much all city driving since I mostly use it to go to and from school. I havent had time to check much since im in school, but im going to take it back home this weekend and either look myself or take it to a mechanic. Any ideas on what the problem can be? 
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