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    What should I fill my bike with?

    So far, I've used 89 octane, for the few times I've put fuel in the tank. Which one should I use?
    1980 GS550E

    #2
    Originally posted by ZombiePotatoSalad View Post
    So far, I've used 89 octane, for the few times I've put fuel in the tank. Which one should I use?
    I don't think the octane matters as much as finding ethanol-free fuel.
    1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

    2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

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      #3
      I use Shell V power which has no ethanol with a 91 octane. Esso also carries a product without Ethanol in the 91 range. Unless putting gas in behind someone who has used the pump with the same gas you will get some ethanol. I understand these may not be available in your neck of the woods. However there is a website on this subject,as some chainsaws and pressure washers are being made for ethanol free gas. You can now purchase small cans of it up here now but at $10 a liter that gets pretty pricey.

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        #4
        The copy of the owner's manual that I've downloaded says to use 87 octane unleaded gas. Ethanol is known to cause deterioration of the rubber parts within the carburator so many people avoid it for that reason. It is difficult to find Ethanol free gas and if you do find it, it tends to be expensive.

        I've been using 87 octane both with and without ethanol in my bike. In the mountains this last summer I was running 85 octane since that's the standard for use at higher elevations. Some will tell you this is "bad" or "wrong" but I'm still on the road and have not suffered any of the many issues that some people warned me would happen.

        If my bike where to start detonating, which means the fuel is prematurely igniting, then I'd consider using 89 or 91. I'd be checking my spark plugs first to see if the bike was running too lean and reshim the needles if it was. Detonation sounds a lot like a set of keys rattling, you usually hear it under hard acceleration or going up steep hills.

        If I where going to fill the tank before storing the bike for an extended period I'd be looking for non ethanol fuel mainly due to the fact it's less likely to separate. In that case I'd also want to add a fuel stabilizer such as StaBil regardless if the fuel had Ethanol in it or not.

        So, I wouldn't worry about using 87 octane fuel with ethanol in it during the riding season, only when storing it. If you don't experience detonation then there probably isn't any reason to use higher octane fuel.
        1980 Yamaha XS1100G (Current bike)
        1982 GS450txz (former bike)
        LONG list of previous bikes not listed here.

        These aren't my words, I just arrange them

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          #5
          There isn't a good financial reason to use anything more than Regular Unleaded in my opinion
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          Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

          1981 GS550T - My First
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            #6
            87 is fine. My 1150 will detonate with 87 if put under a heavy load in hot conditions (very hot weather combined with heavy traffic type of situations). In this case i just go easy on it, or use a higher octane if its anticipated. As noted, you will only get a partial load of the good stuff due to whatever is already in the pump pipeline.
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              #7
              yes, the manual says "regular" but it has a very strange way of saying so per RON+Mon...a higher octane burns slower so it's a kind of cushion for knocking and engines that have lost their timing or advanced it...The higher octane gas often sells itself as having more beneficial additives and I'd say this is true in Canada with the Chevron 94-cleans up the plugs! As mentioned, Shell 91 is alcohol free.

              It's expected you will get less miles-per-gallon with the ethanol blends with carburetors but you would need run several tanks to know, to clean out any mixture between two types. On the other hand, you needn't ADD alcohol in winter months as gasline "antifreeze" as we used to do... and I think ethanol might help with gastank condensation too.


              I'd be curious to know if the various types want different tuning ...it's probably best to find a favourite that's widely available and stick to it, but then again, there's different refinery blends for summer and winter too. The ethanol probably has a lower specific gravity too? so floats sink a tiny bit more...?
              Last edited by Gorminrider; 03-21-2020, 10:15 AM.

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                #8
                87 non ethanol here
                MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

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                  #9
                  ^^probably the best! but we can't get that in Canada- not around here, anyways.

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                    #10
                    I use Shell 91 and whatever premium product Esso has and haven't noticed a difference. I almost always use ESSO not because it's the best but because I have an ESSO tap fob linked to my credit card and I don't need to go inside for payment, fill and go.

                    A long time buddy who at one time owned a independent gas station let me in on a secret. He could switch fuel supplier fuel from esso, shell or whoever but the fuel all originated at the same refinery, same fuel with slightly different specs. There are some odd little suppliers that have less desirable grades but if you stick with the major brands your getting the same fuel.
                    1979 CBX, AW440 Maico, GS1150EF

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                      #11
                      My manuals , GS1150 says use 85 to 95 octane, GSX1100G says use 87 or higher. I haven't looked at all of my manuals but think none will say use 87 octane, or use regular gas, I think they all will say 85 or higher or use at least 87 octane. They give the minimum to use, the GS1150 manual is the only one I've seen that gave a maximum octane.
                      1983 GS1100E, 1983 CB1100F, 1991 GSX1100G, 1996 Kaw. ZL600 Eliminator, 1999 Bandit 1200S, 2005 Bandit 1200S, 2000 Kaw. ZRX 1100

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                        #12
                        puregas.com and put in your location. list of non ethanol stations will come up
                        MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                        1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                        NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                        I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

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                          #13
                          1. It will burn anything that is available at the pumps.

                          2. No need to waste any money.

                          3. Some bikes are modified and require something "extra", most are not.

                          4. There are circumstances that occasionally require something "extra".

                          Details:
                          1. Yes, it will burn anything available at the GASOLINE pumps. I have seen accidental pumping of Diesel into a motorcycle, so just be sure you are using the GASOLINE hose.

                          2. If your bike is set up stock, you can use what is suggested in the owner's manual. That might be anything in a range from 87 to 95 octane. Keep in mind that in the US, that is an average number, based on two methods of rating the octane. Other parts of the world only use one method, so their octane numbers will be different. "Higher octane" does not mean "more power" or "better gas". It is only a measure of resistance to heat-induced ignition. As an example, if your engine makes 75 horsepower on 87 octane gas, it won't make any more power if you start to run it on 93 octane. In fact, due to the way higher-octane fuel burns, you will likely make a bit LESS power. No need to waste money on higher octane, thinking that it's better.

                          3. If you have higher compression, different cams or other changes in your engine that make it run differently, it may knock with 87 octane fuel. Raising the octane level will reduce that, but since higher octane fuel burns slower, you will need to advance the timing a bit to get it all burnt in time to maintain good efficiency in the cylinders.

                          4. Dorkburger mentioned knocking in high-heat, high-load situations. He also has a large engine that is covered with fairings. My Goldwing pulls a trailer quite nicely, but when crossing the desert, I will run a higher octane to prevent pinging or knocking due to the higher load. Most times it's not necessary, only in the high-heat, high-load conditions.

                          There is a lot of discussion about gas with ethanol. In my area, there is no option, it all has up to 10% ethanol. I have never noticed any problems. I treat it before storing for the winter, but that is the only time I do anything special.

                          Bottom line: save your money, use the cheapest stuff that works for you.

                          .
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                            #14
                            Octane rating is only about at which point of compression it will detonate...other than that gas is gas. Has nothing to do with 'extra' anything. Dorkburgers needs to run a higher octane to remove the pinging
                            MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                            1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                            NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                            I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              The threat of alcohol is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overblown. No, I don't think alcohol in gas is a good idea at all for many reasons, but it's reality.

                              Or let's put it this way: sure, ethanol in gas causes some percentage of problems. But it gets all the blame for every instance of neglect, age, and heat.

                              There's nothing in GS carbs or fuel systems that deteriorates when you use gas with alcohol. Yes, the petcocks, o-rings, etc. deteriorate over time. A 40 year old petcock is going to leak no matter whether it's experienced "pure" gas or regular old 10% alcohol. "Pure" gas (there really isn't any such thing) is not some sort of magical infinity fluid.


                              87 octane with 10% corn squeezins is just fine in any GS that's anywhere near stock as long as you actually go ride the damn thing once in a while.

                              Let something sit for three months, you're going to have a mess on your hands with or without ethanol.


                              True ethanol-free gas is quite rare, at least anywhere I've ridden. There are a few pumps labeled as such here and there.

                              That puregas website is a complete joke; no, I'm not committing a felony at an airport or riding out onto the dock at a marina because I'm all scairt of the evil alkyhaul. One little-known fact is that in some states, including Indiana, labeling pumps for alcohol content under 10% is optional. Most choose to label, but a few do not. So the website is full of listings for off-brand gas stations that simply don't bother to label. Secondly, if you ask the clerk in the gas station, they have no idea or involvement in what's in the pumps. They will often just tell you what you want to hear. So there are quite a few of these listings on puregas too.

                              Plus, you're never going to be able to ride anywhere interesting if you can't just burn the same likker mix the cars use.
                              Last edited by bwringer; 03-22-2020, 11:01 AM.
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