Guest Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Use whatever your manual says to use, It will stat what you need. The only reason to use a high octane gas is if your compesionis higher, most cruizers of the metric brand have a low compression ratio aroung 9:1, excepting harley's of course, but they stat that you require high test gas with an octane of 91 or higher. Race bikes use high octane fuel because they were built with high compresion motors to get high horsepower ratings. The exception might be if your bike has a turbo or a supercharger, in a sence making your compesion equal to a high compression engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 unless you have a high compression engine then using premium gas will do no good for you at all except make your wallet lighter. the only advantage to premium gas is that it reduces knocking due to detonation, something that our twins dont suffer from on regular gas. The corect gas to use is the lowes octane that does not knock. for us that is 87 or 89 octane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowblind Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 At 10.5:1 mine calls for minimum 91 octane. Luckilly we have 95 octane here in Cairns, Australia!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Remember that "research" octane and "pump" octane are different values. Often the owners manuals quote a research octane of 92 which translates to a pump octacne of 87 or 89. Best rule of thumb is to run on regular. If it pings then move to mid grade. if it still pings then move to premium. After that look into a tune up if it still pings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toastman Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Best thing you can do is read the owners manual. Nobody knows your bike better than who built it Remember that "research" octane and "pump" octane are different values. Often the owners manuals quote a research octane of 92 which translates to a pump octacne of 87 or 89. Best rule of thumb is to run on regular. If it pings then move to mid grade. if it still pings then move to premium. After that look into a tune up if it still pings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vikingtazz Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Conventional wisdom says that using a higher octane than necessary does nothing for your engine, good or bad. Detonation is a very destructive condition. It's caused by fuel igniting due to compression, before reaching top dead center. The result is an uncontrolled explosion in the combustion chamber, which affects all of the components associated with that chamber. Pistons, valves, rings, bore walls, chamber walls, wrist pins, connecting rods, main bearings and crankshaft are all subject to this undesirable condition. Continual use of too low of an octane fuel will eventually lead to premature failure. Even short term use will cause pitting of the piston, and in severe cases blow a hole in the piston top. The best advice I could offer has already been provided several times. Read the owner's manual, and use what it says. If in doubt, better to have too high of an octane, than too low. At the risk of hijacking your post, a question for anyone: Do you notice any difference in performance or mileage when using the best octane/additive fuels from the bigger suppliers; compared to the high octane no-name or smaller fuel stops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seawolf Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 My 2008 1600 Nomad calls for high test. I tried regular and it pings bad when you give it throttle. with high test it's pings but not as bad. I did some research and I disconnected the ICS secondary throttle solenoids and the pinging is gone, I can burn regular if I'm light on the throttle but heavy throttle and it still pings. This pinging noise is the same sound as a heat riser valve on a car. Just my opinion. I have a 2007 Nomad and it pings when rolling on the throttle especially in 5th gear and less than 120 kms/hr (speedo). I find going uphill always requires a down shift to 4th no matter what my speed. I have read a lot on this issue and the fix on Gadgets page seems a little more than I wish to tackle at this point. Just curious what is required to disconnect the solenoids? Does this require the removing the gas tank? Any thing you have on this would help. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 My manual for the 1500 EFI calls for octane greater than 89. I use premium in everything ,ATV chainsaw etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest locksley Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 1. use what the owners manual says . 2. my mechanic says to use the premium gas because it does not have up to 10% ethanol . if the bike is not being used on a regular bases. like over the winter. read info at the gas pump for % of ethanol in the different gas grades. 3. The reason is that the ethanol absorbs water. if the bike is sitting for long periods not being used the ethanol and water separate giving 3 layers of fluid, gas ,ethanol and water, which causes hard to start rough running gummed carbs / injectors. 4. premium will not hurt, it just costs more, but you save by having less repair bills / problems. Better performance with the premium gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terr-bear Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hey Jeff, I have a 01 Nomad, 1500cc fuel injected. I always use 89 octane altho I'm pretty sure regular is recommended and have never had any pinging. My bike has Vance and Hines and a hypercharger and TFI fuel management. If I use higher octane I notice no difference at all. I also use Seafoam about every 3-4 tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 The only premium gas in Ontario that contains NO ETHANOL in Shell V-Power. All others contain up to 10% no matter what grade. If the bike does not require the high octane fuel then you are throwing money away by using it. OCTANE ratings are the number that designates RESISTANCE TO DETONATION. What this means is that the high octane fuel Burns SLOWER and is LESS volatile than regular. I have posted this in another thread. Listen to your bike. Use the lowest octane fuel that does NOT cause detonation. If the bike knocks or pings under slight load then use a higher octane fuel. Generally speaking the V-Twin carbureated bikes many of us ride only require regualr gas because they are low compression low RPM engines. Higher Compression sport bikes need the higher octane to prevent detonation. Another myth is the Methanol absorbs water and ruins you bike. Methanol is the equivalent of GAS LINE ANTIFREEZE. What it does do is allows that water accumulation in the tank (there shouldnt be any any how if you maintain you bike correctly) to enter the cylinders and bur off as opposed to sitting in the lowest part of the tank rusting things. The Meth in the fuel is held in suspension by some other wonders of chemistry so it does not precipitate out of the base fuel. This it what make the methanol bad not the methanol itself but the chemicals to hold it in suspension. Using premium in a lawn mower or chainsaw is also tossing money into the exhaust. These items are low compression and run at a constant speed with very little load. Simple engines will see no benefit from using premium gas. The main reason people are mislead in to thinking the premium is "BETTER" is because many exotic cars and performance cars use it. The only reason they use it is because of the high compression of the engines and their penchance for detonation. My wife drives a Saab Turbo that needs 91+ any less will destroy the engine. It is an expense I bear only because it is a beautiful car to drive. My Honda Civic uses regular as does my bike. Once in a while I will run a tank of Shell-Vpower through it to flush out the alcohol but thats rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Ace Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Myself, I would listen to Paladin, no one knows best than a major airline mechanic. It almost sounds like a different language, just read slower I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lester Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 The warranty and manual say you have to use 91 or higher octane! I run high test in my bike because I like having hassle free coverage! At 50 mpg or higher do I care if premium cost more??? I get higher milage per tank so I think it balances out! Let the good times roll !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Actually 90 minimum. using the Pump octane rating of (RON+MON)/2 So yes Premium is recommended for your bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Shell has Ethanol in all their fuel EXCEPT V-Power (the most expensive) The problem with adding the alcohol to the fuel is the chemicals required to keep the fuel stable. It is those chemicals that are actually hazardous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearcat Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I use only premium in my bike and have since new. I also only purchase at stations that have a dedicated premium pump or nozzle (unless I'm really low and then have to use a blended pump). If you purchase from a blended nozzle then you could be getting a couple of litres of whatever was last delivered. There are stations around that have dedicated nozzles or pumps for premium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilly Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 well i know its a little late to add to this but he did the smartest thing yet he bought a Harley and i always use the highest octane mostly 94 for mine and it runs great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRon Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I also had an 81 1100GL that I rode for 12 years and only ever put regular in it - no problems, no issues, and I sold it for more than I paid for it. I now ride a 99 Vulcan Nomad 1500 and only put regular in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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