[Classic800]

I've been running 93 octane in my 800 since I bought it 3 weeks ago. That's what my dealer told me to use, and I also used it in my Nomad. I read the post about Sea Foam, and there was a lot of discussion about octane ratings, and how 87 seems to be the best. I thought I'd take a poll of who's using what, and how it's working for you. I plan to switch to 87 on my next tank.

 

[Spok]

I too had been using the hi-test octane. But after the seafoam discussion and the answer I got on what to use, I've switched to 87 proof gas. only run 1 tank so far so can't tell you if its any better

 

[bud8fan]

i have ran both in my 1500..cant tell much difference accept i can go a little farther with prem compared to reg ...thats about it.. 8)

 

[bikeaholic]

re

reg gas burns better in the 800 imo-that's all i've ever used
hi-test is a waste of money :wink:

 

[bjones]

I use 93 octane as recomended by manufacturer. They spend a lot of time working this stuff out.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

this subject has info on another thread but this may help understand octane and how it works :wink:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm

 

[okbow68]

The guy that i got my 1500L from was running the highest octane that he could find, but i have been running 87 through it and it seems to run the same if not better, plus its cheaper. I think his running this through was carboning up everything so i plan to do some SeaFoaming to clean things up.

 

[beavis]

I use 87 in my vn750

I use 87 in my vn750, it has 10:1 compression, but the maual says 87 would be fine, dont mix up research octane and rm2 octane as they are 2 different scales.

 

[NeVerMorE]

Read your owner's manual. Use it as a base for what works for you, your bike and your riding style. There are so many factors that go into deciding what octane works best for your bike. Compression ratio, plug types, carbeuration and ignition types, mileage, etc.

I just bought an '04 Kawasaki 500 LTD and I only run 92/93 octane in it. Could I run a lower grade? Probably. It is a twin carb design, but the engine is a 10.2:1 compression ratio that was borrowed from the Ninja bike. I believe the higher octane will help keep this bike performing longer.

I have a buddy who bought an '02 Kawasaki 800 Custom (1400 miles) and it doesn't run very well on premium - he was getting a back fire type condition. He had to back off to medium grade to get it to run without hiccup. This engine is 9.5:1 compression, but it runs like a champ.

The same guy has a pontiac Gran Prix with 340k and still rolling. Always used premium gas and routine maintenance.

I have a well-maintained Jeep - 55k miles - that won't run worth a crap on anything less than premium.

Bottom line, run whatever you can run that makes the bike perform prpoerly. Don't lose any sleep if your bike performs well on lower octane.

Read your owner's manual.