High octane
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 7
May not even be 1 cent per mile. Compare your mileage, you likely get better with premium. Book says premium for a reason. That's all I use. Excessive pinging is not just annoying, it's bad for your motor. Will cost you a lot more in the long run.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
+1 And I add octane boost on top of the 91Octane here in California.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,968
Likes: 34
From: West Palm Beach, Florida
I use nothing but 93 octane. I used 87 for the first 8-10,000 miles not knowing the bike required premium. It ran just fine. But after I read it needed premium, I switched. Didn't really notice much difference. I just use it anyway.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Austin, Tx
+1 on the Chevron 93 octane...... saving a couple of cents doesn't justify having a little ping every once in a while and YES, it will ping a little.
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Tourer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 426
Likes: 0
just to clarify for anyone who might not know the difference and is too embarrassed to ask (you know who you are):
The only thing "premium" about premium fuel is the price. Less people buy it, which is why it costs more. It doesn't make it better or higher quality.
The actual difference is the octane rating, which is a measure of how much compression the fuel can withstand without igniting. The higher the octane rating, the more compression it can take. By that logic, "regular" fuel is actually more combustible than "premium".
In high compression engines, the "regular" can ignite prematurely causing audible "pinging" sounds and actually hinder performance.
The only thing "premium" about premium fuel is the price. Less people buy it, which is why it costs more. It doesn't make it better or higher quality.
The actual difference is the octane rating, which is a measure of how much compression the fuel can withstand without igniting. The higher the octane rating, the more compression it can take. By that logic, "regular" fuel is actually more combustible than "premium".
In high compression engines, the "regular" can ignite prematurely causing audible "pinging" sounds and actually hinder performance.
