I hesitate to expose my soft, law-abiding underbelly to some of the guys here, but what the hell! At least I know Fred will come to my defence!
I checked my bike-recorded average fuel efficiency yesterday. It was showing
5.2L/100 km which, according to the first online converter I clicked on, equates to just over
54 MPG overall average. I rolled into the garage with 9976 km on the odometer, so that average represents a variety of conditions and loads (mostly 2-up loaded, with some 1-up with a small load and some no-bags).
Now, some adjustments would probably be required to come up with an
actual average (my speedo reads about 10%+- high - at least until I get my 190/55 this week) and I live at a relatively high altitude (close to 3,000 feet). I do ride at or, if I'm feeling like a real pylon, slightly above the posted speed limit, but I like to get to that speed fast and lean into the corners (I'm no granny rider - all due respect to the grannies here). Despite these factors, I wonder whether the Gen III bikes have a slight efficiency advantage over the earlier gens (I'm not sure what the Yamaha line is on that question as I haven't checked). Hard to account for the difference between some of the numbers in the low-to-mid 30s and my mid-50s (okay, maybe I am a granny...).