Regular or Mid-Grade?

[Rickster]

MilkToast, read your manual,,,,,,it says to use 87 octane (regular) gas. Just because someone else owned the bike, doesn't mean they actually know anything about what makes it work. Burning premium in your M50 is doing two things, one, it's costing you more money, and two, the motor is running hotter, because higher octane gas burns hotter.

Higher octane gas does not give a motor more power, and unless your motor is designed to use premium, you are actually doing more harm, than good by burning it.

[CheapBike]

I'm definitely learning something here on fuel but to me the bike deserves the best, it's already getting me twice the fuel economy as the car and I love it lots more.

Now logically based on nothing being wrong with either I should be running regular but they stopped making unleaded gas didn't they?

I will never put anything but premium in any bike I love. 10% more, pshh.

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by CheapBike

I'm definitely learning something here on fuel but to me the bike deserves the best, it's already getting me twice the fuel economy as the car and I love it lots more.

Now logically based on nothing being wrong with either I should be running regular but they stopped making unleaded gas didn't they?

I will never put anything but premium in any bike I love. 10% more, pshh.

Do some research,. In some cases, you are actually harming your motor by running premium if it calls for regular. What part of premium can harm your motor are you not understanding?
So if you really love your bike, and the manual calls for regular, than that's what you should be using.
I really don't get this whole idea, that just because it cost more, it must be better.

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by Rickster

I really don't get this whole idea, that just because it cost more, it must be better.

he owns a ducati. doesn't that sort of explain everything?

[frostbitevinnie]

What about injector cleaner. Does anyone run it through on occasion? There is no mention of it in my manual.

[jwromick]

When in doubt, ask MOM (motorcycle owner's manual). MOM knows best.

[CheapBike]

Originally Posted by GregR1

he owns a ducati. doesn't that sort of explain everything?

Pshh. Every bike I've owned and every car I cared about has had premium.

Feel free to post links to backup your statements.

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by frostbitevinnie

What about injector cleaner. Does anyone run it through on occasion? There is no mention of it in my manual.

beats me. i'm sure each company has their own formulation of additives to clean, lubricate, and whatnot, some that probably work better than others on any given engine. i've stuck to Shell and Petro-Canada for my fuel needs, since they're close by and my bike seems to work better with them than with Esso. it ran really poorly on Ultramar and Sunoco stuff. obviously, it's all in the additives, so pick the ones that feel right in your bike and go with that. in my car, on the other hand, i had surprisingly good luck with MacEwen's ethanol blend stuff.


as for "post links to back up my stuff" - go read stuff on Wiki, or send a question to Shell. i've learned this stuff over quite some time, so i really don't feel like scouring the web for links for you. put in some effort to educate yourself, m'kay?

maybe do a search on "octane" and "gasoline" and "carbon" and see what you come up with.

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by CheapBike

Pshh. Every bike I've owned and every car I cared about has had premium.

Feel free to post links to backup your statements.

Ha Ha! He's just jerking your chain man, Pull in your horns, didn't you see the at the end of his post. In some ways, Duck's kind of fall into the same category as HD's. A bit over priced for what you get. Worth it to there owners,,,,,,,,,,,,yep,,,,,,,,,,,,,but non owners look at them, and think to themselves, "my bike can do everything that bike can do, what makes them so special"

The thing about the premium gas is that it burns hotter than regular. Your car/bike engine is designed to operate at a certain temp, if that design calls for it to operate on regular gas, than putting premium in it will raise it up past that optimum operating temp. In most cases, not to a dangerous level, but in some cases it can do damage.

Also, most cars, and increasingly, more motorcycles have a catalytic converter on them. Cat boxes already run very hot, and it's not to hard to destroy one by adding just that little bit of extra heat. Very expensive!

Premium, will not, I repeat, will not, in any way, shape, or form improve the operation of a motor designed to use regular gas. The only exception to this, is if the motor has some sort of problem, like carbon build up that raises it's compression. With modern fuel additives, and current engine designs, carbon build up is not the problem it once was in years past.

Any way, were just trying to save you a little bit of money here, but hey, it's your money, you can spend it as you wish. Just remember, when you fly first class,,,,,,,,,,,stay at the Ambassador Hotel,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,or buy a Ducati/Harley/BMW,,,,,,,,,,,,,,you get some extra value for your money,,,,,,,,,,,,,,buying premium, you don't.

[CheapBike]

Ever notice how cars or bikes have a minimum recommended but it's never 85? Ever seen an owners manual that warned you about using too high of octane? Of course you haven't.

Think about it.

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by CheapBike

Ever notice how cars or bikes have a minimum recommended but it's never 85? Ever seen an owners manual that warned you about using too high of octane? Of course you haven't.

Think about it.

here, read my explanation on this exact same topic in another thread that happens to be running at the same time:

http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...tml#post351406

[Rickster]

Give it up GregR1, some people refuse to be edu-ma-cated.

You can hit them in the head with the truth, but all you get out of them is poop.

[GregR1]

hehe! it WAS kinda funny how we had two threads on the same topic at the same time, though in slightly different subforums.

i'm gonna check out the other thread now...

[CheapBike]

Originally Posted by GregR1

hehe! it WAS kinda funny how we had two threads on the same topic at the same time, though in slightly different subforums.

i'm gonna check out the other thread now...

Same topic and yet you still missed out on the basic logic a post or 2 up and after posting a request for backup you post a post with you saying you don't know really, just yapping.

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by CheapBike

Same topic and yet you still missed out on the basic logic a post or 2 up and after posting a request for backup you post a post with you saying you don't know really, just yapping.

1 - which basic logic? use the quote feature to point it out.

2 - not that i don't know, but that i haven't got time to scour the web for you and spoon-feed you your daily dose of Gerber apple sauce. do your own research. i learned this stuff years ago.

3 - learn to read. owning a duck doesn't exempt you from literacy.

[mtalicarox]

Originally Posted by GregR1

he owns a ducati. doesn't that sort of explain everything?

All i see that it explains is he over paid for a under powered motorcycle.. theyre nice.. but not enough power for the $$

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by mtalicarox

All i see that it explains is he over paid for a under powered motorcycle.. theyre nice.. but not enough power for the $$

the overpaying is the ticket. he's also currently overpaying for fuel, but doesn't quite realize it yet.

[mtalicarox]

eh, i put 93 in my engine.. i figure i put so little in it that i dont mind giving it the extra few cents + octane.. and the bike says it requires 90+ octane.. and im not gonna argue with my baby.. er.. motorcycle.

[GregR1]

90 average or 90 research? there's a few different ways of labeling octane, and the pumps in NA are all labeled with the average rating. in europe and oz, i think they're labeled by research number (which is higher).

[palanon]

This is funny as all get out but, is just a tad ridiculous. Greg has been trying, with scientific explanations, to tell everyone how it really is. He's right on the money and I can't believe people are still trying to argue about this.

Plain truth:

More = better - wrong

More money = better - wrong

Example:

You get a new washing machine. It says add 1 cup of bleach for a large load of whites. You think " If 1 cup is good, 3 cups will be better! ".... WRONG !!!

What you'll end up with is a pile of socks that your toes will go through when you try to put them on.

Simple fact:

Regular octane fuels and high octane fuels are different.
Lower compression = lower octane
Higher compression = higher octane

Examples:

I have a business associate with a 40 ft. Cigarette boat, twin fully blown 454's. He has to run 87 or 89 octane max because the engines are 10.5 : 1. If he ran 93 octane they would over heat and burn out. If he ran 105 octane racing fuel, it would cost him over $30,000.00 once the heads and intake blew off.

Greg's bike has higher compression than mine. If we both put VP race fuel in our bikes, mine would probably grenade during warm up and Greg 's would probably self destruct after 15 minutes.

If your running a stock M50 and you run 94 octane, don't blame the dealer or manufacturer if you have to rebuild the engine after 15,000 miles.