[zero260]

With gas prices what they are now, I'm wondering if it is necessary to burn premium 91 octane gas in my Mean Streak? My friend who owns a Harley Road King says he burns the mid-range 89 octane and has no problems at all. Thanks

 

[btreaves]

Do whatever you're comfortable with...Hell I guess you could run 87 if you really want to save a penny. What does the manufacturer know anyway. They just make the **** bike, they couldn't possibly have any logical reason at all for REQUIRING 91 octane or better.

 

[QKENUF4U]

run whatever doesnt cause PING under a load. my ZRX says to use 91 also but it doesnt like it. i ran 87 for 18k+ and never had a problem. i acutally feel a power difference between the 87 and 91+

 

[tlwisner]

With gas prices what they are now, I'm wondering if it is necessary to burn premium 91 octane gas in my Mean Streak? My friend who owns a Harley Road King says he burns the mid-range 89 octane and has no problems at all. Thanks

I would stick with the owners manual fuel recommendations. 8)

 

[ispeed77]

fuel

in the short time i have been on this forum i have noticed that QKENUF4U is right on the money when it comes to tech stuff. i would take his idea into consideration as it would also help your wallet.

 

[1RAASTA]

no dis, but that inline 4 cylinder will not (KNOCK) as quick as any v twin and it also depends on if its a hot day, warmer days will cause detonation in the cylinders very easily, so stay close to reqirements high gas prices is much cheaper than a rebuild, ride safe.

 

[BFC]

We're talking about 60 cents a tank!! Come on, you can't tell me that money is an issue!!! I ride over 1000 miles a month at 40 MPG it's less than $15 a month extra for the recommended gas.

It will take 4 months (if you ride as much as me) to pay for 1 hour labor to have a shop look at your bike if something did happen. You a gambling man? this is a no brainer if you ask me, not to mention the possible waranty issue (if you care about such a thing, I don't, I am my own warranty station)

gives new meaning to splitting hairs...... :wink: 8)

 

[QKENUF4U]

no dis, but that inline 4 cylinder will not (KNOCK) as quick as any v twin and it also depends on if its a hot day, warmer days will cause detonation in the cylinders very easily, so stay close to reqirements high gas prices is much cheaper than a rebuild, ride safe.

well guess what, i went from 80-90deg. days with 60% humidity to 100-110+ deg. w/ 15-20% humidity and i still use 87octane gas with NO PING/KNOCK in either place. :roll:

 

[risdo]

I run high octane all the time, no matter what. It's just good common sense.

 

[1RAASTA]

QKENUF4U
yea but you still are not riding a v twin. v twins are torqe motors idles low, revs slow. your kawi. is a reverrr, comes off of idle quick, less chance of detonation. even for you i still would run a higher outane just so no pistons get fried. just my 2 or 3 cents. pay now or pay later.

 

[jukief]

I use high octane, too, just to be on the safe side.

 

[Peewee]

i always use high octane,no matter what the price is,...if it's better for my bike thats what i'll use

 

[vulcanrob]

We're talking about 60 cents a tank!! Come on, you can't tell me that money is an issue!!! I ride over 1000 miles a month at 40 MPG it's less than $15 a month extra for the recommended gas.

It will take 4 months (if you ride as much as me) to pay for 1 hour labor to have a shop look at your bike if something did happen. You a gambling man? this is a no brainer if you ask me, not to mention the possible waranty issue (if you care about such a thing, I don't, I am my own warranty station)

gives new meaning to splitting hairs...... :wink: 8)

I'm with BFC on this one. I thought about running cheap gas in my truck that has a 22 gallon tank. It hates it and spark knocks like no other. I thought about the fact that the 20 cent price difference between the 87 and the 93 would calculate out to $4.40 for a whole tank of gas. Is it really worth the $1.00 per tank (mine is 5 gallons)? Not to me!

I can certainly understand the sticker shock from filling up but you are going to get it no matter what grade you get.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

ditto what risdo said 8)

 

[QKENUF4U]

I run high octane all the time, no matter what. It's just good common sense.

i dont see the common sense here. if the bike doesnt NEED high octane then why buy it ???????
with both my ZRX's there is huge power difference running 87 to 91+. it doesnt like higher octane gas one bit.

1RAASTA- guess youve never ridden a ZRX then. my bike runs EXACTLY like a HONDA SUPER HAWK (v-twin) that ive ridden while back home. the power delivery etc. is the same to a tee.
and as for burning a hole in my pistons, i ran my first ZRX for over 18k+ miles with LOTS AND LOTS OF HARD RIDING/REDLINEING/WHEELIES thrown in for good measure. NO PROBLEMS WHAT-SO-EVER :wink:

its simple, if you get ping w/ 87 then run the 91 and be happy.

 

[1RAASTA]

hey bud i hear what ya talking about i sometimes sneak a little 89 into my 69 ss (10 1/2 to 1 comp). it will run on it, just wont pull like normal, i guess the dealer has to use some type of octane rating why not use the highest. ride safe.

 

[QKENUF4U]

hey bud i hear what ya talking about i sometimes sneak a little 89 into my 69 ss (10 1/2 to 1 comp). it will run on it, just wont pull like normal, i guess the dealer has to use some type of octane rating why not use the highest. ride safe.

COMPLETELY AND ABSOLUTE APPLES TO ORANGES !!! you cant compare OLD CAR technology to new bike technology. the busa is 13:1 and runs on 87 just fine.
in your case with the 10 1/2:1 compression you SHOULD USE 91+ octane unless you play with your timing to make it safe to run the 87. ill stick to the 87 and have a few bucks left for my happy meal at McDy's :lol: :wink:

 

[tdaugharty]

It really comes down to ignition timing does it not?

With Advanced timing high octance fuel makes sense to handle the slower burn rate of higher octane fuel. So this begs the question. What is the timing from the factory best suited for?

Most motorcycle's ship in a lean condition so the higher octance fuel helps balance this out. Now consider with a PC or TFI module you can alter these settings then using lower octance fuel works great and keeps the carbon buildup down.

The ideal is to find a balance where there is no ping during acceleration and you have the right mix

I have an 04 1600 MS and run 89 with a custom map and HK Bubs. I promise you I get better throttle response with 89 vs 93. Just a quick connection to the PCIII and a few tweaks.

See this article: http://downwardspiral.net/motorcycle/octane/

 

[SteveA]

I would love for my '04 MS to just "ping". I feed the thing 93 octane and it still knocks like a woodpecker. The manufacturers set them lean and we end up on the short end of the stick.

 

[dfgpilot]

Hi Zero260

First off, Use the High Test it's really best for your bike.

This is from a web site called How Stuff Works. It has some really great articles on all types of Stuff
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm

The compression ratio of your engine determines the octane rating of the gas you must use in the car or bike. One way to increase the horsepower of an engine of a given displacement is to increase its compression ratio. So a "high-performance engine" has a higher compression ratio and requires higher-octane fuel. The advantage of a high compression ratio is that it gives your engine a higher horsepower rating for a given engine weight -- that is what makes the engine "high performance." The disadvantage is that the gasoline for your engine costs more.

Enjoy the ride.
Don't sweat the small stuff.

DfgPilot