Hey I gotta a question about gas... should I only use 93 in my bike.. i know not to ever use 87or 89.. but should 93 be the only gas i ever use?? Thx in advance..

i only use 89

For best performance and knock properties, the higher the octane, the less pre-ignition/detonation. If you ride smart, not load the bike in a gear that may cause a problem as described, then no, 89 rides the day all day long.

89 and 93 are both fine. What really matters is the quality of the gas . Shell is supposed to be good quality. Ethanol is the enemy, avoid if you can. In NE I did 93 cause 89 had ethanol. The Harley dealership even had its own station with 93, 95, 100 sans ethanol! Tried 95 a couple of times, couldn't tell the differnce. In Austin everything's got ethanol so I use star tron.
89 produces more power!

* Last updated by: dragking on 2/20/2012 @ 1:03 AM *

Now now...Mother Kawasaki says...."91 or higher"...c'mon guys.Get wit da program .

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 2/20/2012 @ 1:06 AM *

the minor dif in price and the unnoticeable dif in power isn't worth the damage that might be caused by going to lower octane gas. I never noticed any performance or behavior change by using the various octane rated gases available.

I have used low octane to store the bikes because it may produce less residue than high octane gas(so I have heard). When riding season comes around I burn half of the tank while the weather is cold. Then I dilute it with high test and that's all I use the rest of the year.

so were not going thru all this AGAIN... lol refer to this thread

octane poll

Thx for the responses.. Scott I read the post for the link u posted and I think I'm gonna stick with 91 - 92 and when either of those aren't available I will use 89.

My two 14s say at least 90+ octane to prevent severe damage. In our area it would be 92 octane and 10% ethanol is the rule. I have heard that 10% ethanol translates to 5% less fuel economy. Also I have noticed that when I travel to higher altitudes, that higher octanes are not available. When I asked why, I was told that "higher the alt. lower the octane level needed". Four corners area @ Cortez and towards Durango was that way.

* Last updated by: 21744 on 2/20/2012 @ 6:23 PM *

Everything I have run Shell gas in stunk like sulphur. Me no like.

Mad

I called Shell today to ask about their Rotella oil. After that discussion the representative wanted to talk about their gasoline.

He said that all Shell gasoline has a minimum of 2.2 times the requirement for detergent additives. In fact, their top-of-the-line V-Power is named such because the "V" is the Roman numeral for 5 and the V-Power gasoline has 5 times the requirement of detergents than other brands. Just a tidbit of trivia.

He also suggested that if a station doesn't have a separate tank for the 89 octane fuels that the station will mix 87 with 93 to give a 89 rating. In this case, the 89 octane fuel will benefit from the much higher detergent treat ratios and you get a better deal this way.

Now I don't know how much of this is simple chit-chat and how much is factual. I buy my fuels at the Kroger grocery store and add my own detergents and lubricants to make my own top-tier fuel. I will continue to buy 93 octane gasoline for my bike because a 12.3:1 compression ratio is pretty impressive.

I think I learned more from the old Shell commercials and took the brand to heart. After repeated, down the road for the cheap off the wallshit, I challenged Shell to their shell game. Seeing the buildup of carbon on the intake side, removing one throttle body for the next, Shell showed is she is no BS.

I'm here to attest to the loss of carbon buildup behind the intake valves = GONE! If that is not cleaning detergent with 220 piss in your eye ... DUCK!!!

I agree Hub...I've been pro Shell for yrs. and it's one of only a couple gas retailers that don't mix ethanol here in IN. Citgo's the other. No BP or Marathon for me...we've had several instances of water with Marathon, and from different locations!

89/93 here with judicious use of Star Tron in every tank! No problems so far...

My bike and my Eldorado both say premium and they both get 89. Never any problems. I did find ethanol free 90 this fall and ran it for my last few tanks in the bike for it's storage properties. Bike didn't run as good on it.

Well how about that! I found a local fuel company who sells 92 Chevron W/O 10% Ethanol. It appears that I am picking up 4 to 5 MPG. This guy is only open during the week and the stuff is expensive. Glad I got to try some.