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Ripsaw is that bike EFI? Reason I ask is mine didn't necessarily ping or knock that I could hear but when I strapped on my laptop and did a ride the history showed knock sensors were activated.
That is in my signature at the bottom of all my post. FXSTDI . Carb bikes don't have that last I. My bike is an 2004. It does not have a knock sensor . It requires standard OEM plugs that have a very low resistance built in them.
I run NGK that are almost twice as high resistance but look just like Harleys plug.
Spark timing control on old Harleys is thru the coil reading resistance. Off my head think Ion control is the buzz word.
Not on my laptop or PC, so someone will pop in here. I have never figured how much it matters.
My bike has 50K on it and runs like new. I will never wear it out. Harley has always been 20 years behind the 8 ball. USA all the way however. So I am cool with them..
A little off topic but related; I ride with a group that has a thing about using non-ethanol fuel, so when we ride, stopping to get gas is usually an experience in itself trying to find a station that sells non-E before one of us runs out of gas. The last time we did, it was only 89 or 90 octane, my freewheeler sounded like **** after the fill up, especially up hills, getting on the gas etc. The more I read about it, it seems ethanol fuel is bad if it sits in your tank for a while(winters, storage or whatever), but regular ethanol fuel, 92, or 93 octane doesn't typically sit in my tank long enough to make a difference and it seems to run and sound much better. Right now there is non ethanol 90 octane filled up to the top for the winter with seafoam fuel treatment in it, I haven't had an issue storing over the winter this way.
Octane in pump gas is obtained by a small amount of additive.
msking it short, Yes, a motor that was designed to run on 91 will run on 87. But, not as well. The knock detection system will retard spark and turning, to reduce knock , and thereby Reduce power. Modern Harleys are tuned to maximize hp and torque from a somewhat primitive design. Go ahead...run yours on 87 if you are happy with it. But, leave it for me, and actually I wish I had access to 92 or even 93. Because I know my bike likes those better than 91.
Modern Harleys are pretty sealed on FI bikes. Ethanol is easily good for almost a year. You don't need anything in the fuel tank but gas. If you must, measure it closely for a full tank and fill it to the bottom of filler neck as usual.
My OCD gets the better of me and when I saw the tuning report showing Knock Retard I used a boroscope to look at my pistons. Saw what I thought was the start of something bad so I tuned it to where there was zero Knock Retard.
[QUOTE=brakeless;19700626]My OCD gets the better of me and when I saw the tuning report showing Knock Retard I used a boroscope to look at my pistons. Saw what I thought was the start of something bad so I (detuned) it to where there was zero Knock Retard.
QUOTE]
Fixed it for you. But, how is tuning out knock retard going to reduce piston carbon deposits?
My OCD gets the better of me and when I saw the tuning report showing Knock Retard I used a boroscope to look at my pistons. Saw what I thought was the start of something bad so I tuned it to where there was zero Knock Retard.
Do you have me mixed up with the first poster. Add a signature line for your bike for year, model and all the letters.
Obiviously, you have a tuner also, so put that in the signature. I have no idea what or how you have a laptop attached.
It appears you have a Honda 4 Cylinder on a chopper. Is your attachment a picture of Mars? Just kidding..
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Jan 29, 2021 at 01:32 PM.
My OCD gets the better of me and when I saw the tuning report showing Knock Retard I used a boroscope to look at my pistons. Saw what I thought was the start of something bad so I (detuned) it to where there was zero Knock Retard.
QUOTE]
Fixed it for you. But, how is tuning out knock retard going to reduce piston carbon deposits?
Funny. Yeah I detuned it. But all I had to work with was the SERT Race Tune that it had on it. Never said I was the brightest bulb in the box. All I know is now there's no knock retard.
Do you have me mixed up with the first poster. Add a signature line for your bike for year, model and all the letters.
Obiviously, you have a tuner also, so put that in the signature. I have no idea what or how you have a laptop attached.
It appears you have a Honda 4 Cylinder on a chopper. Is your attachment a picture of Mars? Just kidding..
No I know you're not the OP. I just saw you had an '04 and so do I. FLSTCI. And I can't find where to add that into my signature line. DOH! Damned 'puters. And I plugged my laptop into my bike and strapped it to the passenger seat to record runs.
OK, here's something for you guys to worry about. Let's say you have a 3 gallon tank and you stop to fill up on a half tank. You pull up to the pump, scan your card, select 93 octane and go to pumping. How much 87 octane is there in the hose left from the last guy in a pickup? You buy 1-1/2 gallons at premium price and get a half-and-half mixture of 87 and 93 octane. Bummer.....
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