87-93 octane

[Geofd]

Probably discussed many time but I'm new to the goldwing world I have an 86 interstate does 93 burn cleaner does it matter I had a concours and most said
they ran 87 thanks for any help

[WingAdmin]

Probably discussed many time but I'm new to the goldwing world I have an 86 interstate does 93 burn cleaner does it matter I had a concours and most said they ran 87 thanks for any help

It will run exactly the same. The only thing that will run faster is the cash leaving your wallet for the more expensive gas.

[chads920]

what of the Ethanol percentage and its drying effect, is that a problem. I've been lead to believe that the higher octane has less ethanol is that correct.
I use a Lucus top end fuel additive to provide more lubricity and assist with keeping "things" clean. The cost per tank is minor compared to our cost in Canada for fuel (and its going up with our current fuel shortage)

[dnehasert]

10% alcohol is not a problem if you drive the bike often, on my 4th GL1100 on sidecars and they run well. Also 87 octane is what they are designed for. Ethanol has been around for over 35 years and has not destroyed my carbs.

[aj1500]

yep ethanol does it's damage to things that sit and don't move the gas regularly
our older bikes were designed to run the 87 oct. so it's a waist to run anything more, on my 1500 it will fuel knock under a load on the higher oct fuels. I use sea foam from time to time to help keep things cleaned up but I ride daily and year round here so not much issue with the ethanol other than less MPG, but that too is just my opinion

[Greenwinger]

I was told a long time ago by a very old (And I thought wise) mechanic to use the highest octane I could get my hands on, I have been doing so as far back as my 85 Aspencade.(about 15 years) Last year on my way home form South Carolina I started to use regular, as the pumps for the super looked liked they hadn't been used for years, I could only imagine how long the gas had been sitting in the underground tanks. On the first tank of regular I noticed I seemed to be getting more distance before the fuel light would begin to turn on. By the end of the 4th or 5th tank of regular I was getting about 100 KM(62 miles) further before the fuel light came on. (Just think of how much money I wasted in all those years) We returned in late September so I began using Shell Ultra 94 again as it is suppose to be the only fuel in Ontario at least that has no ethanol, and the mileage began to fall again. I wanted to get rid of any ethanol in the system before baby's big winter nap. When I put her to sleep I used stabilizer and shut her down. First ride this year I was back to 225-235 Km before the light which was normal on the super. After 2-3 tanks of regular I am back to 300-325 Km before the light, depending on how hard I drive of course. So for me from now on reg gas during the riding season and in October back to the super until the winter nap.

[WingAdmin]

Higher octane fuel actually has less energy (less heat created when burning the same amount of fuel) as lower octane fuel, which is why you will get lower mileage on higher octane fuel. Something not publicized by the oil companies, who want you to continue to believe that "high octane" means "high performance."

[lusthawk]

Hi all...thought I would weigh in here.....
It might be helpful here to examine what the octane number actually is. Octane is a measure of a fuel's resistance to detonation...the higher the number - the more resistance to detonation. This is why high compression engines require a higher octane fuel - with increased compression pressures comes higher temperatures - thus the greater possibility of pre-detonation. So higher octane slows the burn down.
A good example of this is in Vancouver BC where they use to have a thing called Aircare. Some folks would put higher octane fuel in the tank before the test (thinking the "premium" fuel would help it pass the emissions test) and acourse the vehicle would fail because the engine compression was not high enough to warrant using a higher octane fuel - the burn would slow and create higher emissions. I saw a number of times vehicles that failed using 94 octane that passed when 87 was put in the tank.

So the guys are totally right....bigger octane does NOT mean "better".

My 2 cents...peace to all!

[insanemoondoggie]

I use 91 octane, ethanol free fuel in all my bikes, as this is the only ethanol free fuel available in my area. I started using One Shot by Amsoil when I fill with 87, it is designed to deal with the ethanol issue and have noticed an improvement in my bikes.

[raven41951]

What everyone has said.

Detonation is commonly referred to as engine knock or pre-ignition which is the fuel-air mixture igniting during the compression stroke BEFORE the spark plug fires and is very harmful to the engine. Follow manufacturers recommendations.

US Government regulations require 10% +/- in ALL grades of gas. The best grade fuel for extended/winter storage is aviation fuel. It is 140 octane and NOT recommended for daily use, unless you are mad at your engine.

Aftermarket compression modifications such as CAMs, Valves, Turbo/Super Chargers will require recalculation of octane requirements (and probably new head gaskets). Using a higher octane fuel in a lower octane rated engine will cost you extra money. Using a lower octane rating in a high octane rated engine will cost you the engine.

[CrystalPistol]

My understanding, & not in technical terms .... higher octane fuels are just more resistant to combustion due to heat & pressure. The fuel actually has the same energy, it just doesn't ignite as easily. The lowest octane that will run and not preignite will return the best mileage as it's combusting and pushing that piston away from the head at the correct instance .... where as a higher octane blend will be pushing a little later ..... and not when the most leverage is being applied to the crank. Higher octane fuels will let you run higher compression ratios which mean more squeeze before ignition is accomplished, but generally those engines are also set up with earlier ignition timing.

It's a lot about the timing ..... like anything in life.

[WingAdmin]

My understanding, & not in technical terms .... higher octane fuels are just more resistant to combustion due to heat & pressure. The fuel actually has the same energy, it just doesn't ignite as easily. The lowest octane that will run and not preignite will return the best mileage as it's combusting and pushing that piston away from the head at the correct instance .... where as a higher octane blend will be pushing a little later ..... and not when the most leverage is being applied to the crank. Higher octane fuels will let you run higher compression ratios which mean more squeeze before ignition is accomplished, but generally those engines are also set up with earlier ignition timing.

It's a lot about the timing ..... like anything in life.

The higher octane fuel actually has slightly less potential energy, due to the additives required to raise the octane (decrease volatility, increase resistance to detonation) displacing the fuel itself.

[CrystalPistol]

I knew ..... but it's a small detail ...... and I thought it would complicate what I was saying .....