2009 RS versus 2015 F3 Fuel Consumption

[Trevor G]

Same route, same time, same speeds. Glendale (Phoenix) to Tortilla Flat, Payson, Camp Verde and home again.
300 miles, and Payson where we filled the first time just happened to be the halfway mark as well.

Initial speeds were around 60 to 65mph on undulating ground. My wife and I left the group before the half way mark because they were going slowly through the only twisties on the ride and we pushed on up the steepest hills at 10 over, or around 75mph. We maintained 10 over for the rest of the ride where possible, only moderating the pace on the i17 where we did about 3 to 4 over to be just under 80mph.

The F3-S is standard apart from a screen and a chrome Akrapovic, and was ably driven by my wife. She used to love the RS. We both love the slightly un-muted growl of the triple through the Ackra.

The RS has no cat, a Yoshimura carbon pipe, a Juice Box to keep it rich enough and Corbin bags to slow it down. The sound is gorgeous, although it is also noisier than any motorcycle I have ever owned. But not Harley loud, not by any means.

RS - 33.3mpg
F3 - 37.5mpg

At 75mph the RS turns over 5,500 rpm, the F3 does 4,400rpm and is ridiculously under-geared. It could pull 75 at 3800, easily, and use less fuel as well. That's why we have 6 speed gearboxes, so that top can be a real overdrive, and you just tap down to 4th to accelerate hard if you need to.

[ARtraveler]

Thanks for the review.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

...Thank you for that......IMHO I think BRP should have left the F-3 gearing the same as the RT. It was going to go faster in all respects just because it is 200 lbs lighter......It's all to easy to Smoke my tire on my 2014 RT....I can't imagine how the F-3 owners manage NOT doing it......................Mike

[BamaJohn]

Just for conversation....
On my 2015 F3-S with windshield and side cases, over the past 850 miles, I got 34.7mpg. I ride fairly aggressively in hilly terrain, and am a heavyweight. With the stock exhaust, hard on the throttle brings out the throaty beast between your legs!
jb